Are your guns tools or collectors?

[Paul R Zartman]

Mine were tools when acquired, after working on them, now they are all collector items....perfect...

 

[gulogulo1970]

My Glocks, ARs, and my Mossbergs are tools. Everything else is a collectible.

 

[orionengnr]

I know we all have our own definitions, but...that said:
Most of my "tools" live in a steel box in the garage. Some (lawnmower, etc.) live in the garage, but not in a box.
All are subject to cold, heat, humidity, and so on.

All of my firearms are kept either on my hip, in my safe, or....some other place.
None are subject to the whims of weather, etc.

The carry guns are subject to a bit more wear than the safe-dwellers, but...

May be a minor point. Take issue if you will.
My guns are not "collectors", although I own a few that I seldom carry or shoot. Not to say that any of them are immune from occasional use.

I guess my point is that it is not a binary choice. I don't classify my guns as "collectors" or "shooters"

In one sense, they are "tools"....they were bought for a purpose.
But they are not treated as mere tools.

In my mind, they are specialized possessions, prized but not worshipped.

What's in a name?

 

[wiscoaster]

Tools, toys, collectibles ... does it really make any difference?

I bought my very first gun to exercise my rights as a U.S. citizen.

 

[ms6852]

Adult toys, don't buy anything to collect.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I have guns that were bought as tools, some were put to harder use then others.
I have guns that were bought as toys, some of which are more fun then others.
And then I have a bunch that were bought as collectibles, but they are still fun to play with.

 

[jmorris]

I have some “for looking at” ones. Some are like a piece of art, both pretty or “rustic”. The ones I use are used as tools though. Maybe not like a hammer so much but a tool for a job, none the less.

 

[tinhorn]

Someone once said, life is too short to carry an ugly gun.

It's a good thing that there are collectors out there who preserve the fine pieces of the gun makers craft.

I do have one or two left that I bought as investments.

The first guns I bought were for hunting. I guess that makes them tools. When I moved to the city where hunting was impractical, I sold the hunting guns and bought any old oddball mousegun I could find just for the pleasure of owning them. Those were collectibles, I guess. Sold them when I needed the cash. I think my fascination with single action revolvers is their basic mechanical function, much like old tools.

More recently I've accumulated some that are still in unopened boxes. I put those in the investment category. But there are some that I play with--dry firing with laser cartridges, drawing from holsters--and take to the range. It's been such a long hiatus between my hunting days and today that I want cocking, decocking, holstering, aiming to become subconcious activities, like bike riding or double-clutch downshifting. When I was fondling my favorite 1858 Remington with .45 laser cartridges recently, I realized that it wasn't so much a tool as an instrument that I want to play perfectly.

I think a lot of guys categorize vehicles in much the same way. Parade queens, workhorses, daily companions that may or may not look pristine.

 

[Jimbo80]

I think of guns more as machines than tools.

 

[PzGren]

I have a few carry & self-defense guns but the rest is more sports equipment and entertainment.

 

[Steve S.]

I like to own higher-end firearms; they all get use and they all get shot. In turn, I try and have been very successful at not adding “character” to them - as I do not like adding character to my home, vehicles, land, etc - one can use things AND maintain condition - a novel idea. There is a fine line between “use” and “disregard”.

 

[chicharrones]

While I’ve probably never had or used as many tools as you, as an Electrician, and later on a Controls and Instrumentation Technician, I figure I’ve had and used my share of "tools" over the years. However, I just can’t exactly consider my guns as just tools.
Take my old Ruger 77, 30-06 for example. I’ve used it to put a heck of a lot of meat on the table. But I did that for fun - not because we needed the meat. As an Electrician, I used “tools” to make a decent living. And because of that, I was able to BUY the danged meat (if I would have wanted to) rather than use my 30-06 to go out and hunt it down myself.
On the other hand - call my 30-06 a collector’s item??? Nah, I used it - a lot. And it has the dings and scratches that say it’s been used. But I keep it around for a couple of reasons: first because I’m kind of a sentimental old fool, and second, because it’s a backup to my 308 Norma Mag - which as I’ve said several times, was my retirement gift to myself when I turned 62.

Pretty much the same with me.

I'm been a full time field tech since 1995. What I call tools are for work, or for chores that are effectively work. I'll lump in my self defense guns that are actually prepped for, practiced with, and carried for self defense as tools. That's because I don't carry self defense guns for pleasure or recreation.

My other guns that are owned solely for the enjoyment of shooting aren't tools to me (whether designed for self defense or not). They are for my recreation or sport.

When I hunted back in the day, I didn't hunt for sustenance, I hunted for recreation. Eating what I killed was part of that recreation. It was still cheaper for me to just simply grill up hamburger bought from the grocery store back then as it is now. Pretty much the same with fishing, as it too was for recreation and sport.

I do understand that guns are technically tools when being used, but I like to separate what I do for a living from what I do for fun. Not to mention that I use tools to work on my guns, but I don't use guns to work on my tools.

 

[Encoreman]

I don't totally understand anyone that "collects" anything and only looks upon it whether it is a gun or a classic car they never drive. I sort of think of them as a pretty girl that you admire, but never take out dancing. Such a waste!! MHO.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I don't totally understand anyone that "collects" anything and only looks upon it whether it is a gun or a classic car they never drive. I sort of think of them as a pretty girl that you admire, but never take out dancing. Such a waste!! MHO.

Who says you can shoot guns that you collect.

 

[tarosean]

My guns are simply something I enjoy. They all get fired albeit some more than others. I just can't associate the word tool to my guns. Not like I use them for work, I use tools for work.

Ron

This.... My tool for work is a computer. Not very exciting.

 

[.308 Norma]

Not to mention that I use tools to work on my guns, but I don't use guns to work on my tools.

 

[AK Hunter]

I have some of both, my personal protection & hunting guns are tools/fun guns. I collect military surplus rifles, all are shootable except one & it's too old to shoot so it's just a wall hanger.

 

[HowieG]

I don't totally understand anyone that "collects" anything and only looks upon it whether it is a gun or a classic car they never drive. I sort of think of them as a pretty girl that you admire, but never take out dancing. Such a waste!! MHO.

It depends on the rarity and value. If I had a 1970 Hemi Cuda Convertible, I highly doubt I would drive it except to run it up on a trailer. Way too rare and way too valuable to actually drive around town. Only 14 were made and they are priced in excess of 2 million bucks.

On the gun side of things, I would be tempted to fire a couple of rounds through Pat Garrett's Colt Frontier even though it recently sold at auction for over 6 million dollars. I would be tempted, but probably would not do it. Too much risk. I would not want to be famous for blowing up Pat's gun.

 

[tark]

I have both. I Have two guns, a C-96 Mauser and a T-series Browning Hi- Power that I will never shoot, because they have never been shot after leaving the factory. Both are 99+% guns. I have several other guns in nearly the same condition that I shoot on a regular basis. What's the difference? The high conditioned guns I shoot are not what one would consider "high end " collectables. Those would be Lugers, Colt SAAs etc. Any gun that can run up into high four figures or more at auction.

A Remington 514, even if new, will never be worth the big bucks. Neither will a High Standard Sentinel revolver, which I snagged at a gun show N.I.B. I have a Savage model 23D in 22 hornet that is a 99% gun. It has mounted an original Weaver model 344 scope. I shoot it on a regular basis. It will never be worth, monetarily, the fun I have from shooting it.

 

[tark]

It depends on the rarity and value. If I had a 1970 Hemi Cuda Convertible, I highly doubt I would drive it except to run it up on a trailer. Way too rare and way too valuable to actually drive around town. Only 14 were made and they are priced in excess of 2 million bucks.

Shoot me a PM, HowieG and I'll tell you who has one.

 

[Jimbo80]

[QUOTE="GunnyUSMC]Who says you can shoot guns that you collect.[/QUOTE]

I have what most consider a large collection and 99% of them are shootable. I have more than a few that I haven't shot and a lot more that have only been shot a handful of times. Funny thing is the ones that haven't been shot (yet) are the most common and quite often the least expensive of the batch. I don't shoot all that much and when I do I really like to drive the '70 Challenger Convertibles. Why save 'em for the next guy?

 

[CraigC]

They're not tools or collectibles. They're guns. I shoot them, carry them and hunt with them. As God, Sam Colt and John Browning intended.

 

[buck460XVR]

I didn't vote, because the definitions of the choices were vague.

Our guns are tools. I take very good care of my tools, but I don't worry about reasonable wear and tear. I see posts where guys get worked up at a minor scratch. That's not me. I'm not careless with them, but I don't go over them with a fine tooth comb looking for new wear or defects.

For the most part, this is me. While I do have a few guns that rarely get shot, they were once the tools of my dad and granddad. While I do not have guns that would be considered works of art....I have seen many that were. Still, to me they are tools. Kinda like the golden shovels that turn over the first chunk of dirt at a new construction site or the golden hammer that drives the golden spike on a new railroad track. Fancy and embellished....but still tools. Like the OP, I understand that some folks want to anthropomorphize guns. Some folks want to fondle them as if coddling them will bring them closer together. "OMG! I just put a idiot scratch on my 1911! It will never be the same! ". I see it in cars, motorcycles and 4 wheel drive trucks too. It's not a bad thing. Your monies, your choice. Call 'em what you want.

Having been in construction and cabinet making for many decades, I collect other tools also. Mostly old shaping and molding tools. My dad was a lineman and he collected old lineworking tools. I still have many of them. Collecting them does not make them something else.

 

[JEBruns]

Pretty much the same with me.

I'm been a full time field tech since 1995. What I call tools are for work, or for chores that are effectively work. I'll lump in my self defense guns that are actually prepped for, practiced with, and carried for self defense as tools. That's because I don't carry self defense guns for pleasure or recreation.

My other guns that are owned solely for the enjoyment of shooting aren't tools to me (whether designed for self defense or not). They are for my recreation or sport.

When I hunted back in the day, I didn't hunt for sustenance, I hunted for recreation. Eating what I killed was part of that recreation. It was still cheaper for me to just simply grill up hamburger bought from the grocery store back then as it is now. Pretty much the same with fishing, as it too was for recreation and sport.

I do understand that guns are technically tools when being used, but I like to separate what I do for a living from what I do for fun. Not to mention that I use tools to work on my guns, but I don't use guns to work on my tools.

I didn't mean to insult anyone by using the term "tool". You can substitute "shooter", "sport gun", "recreation gun", etc. All the same to me in this context, but I can understand how "tool" could be a bit offputting.

 

[Autodidactic]

I'm just curious how most folks here think about this. I am a tool guy. I rebuild motors, I do all my own vehicle maint (even on our diesel pusher), have a nice welder, tons of nice tools, etc, etc. Our guns are tools. I take very good care of my tools, but I don't worry about reasonable wear and tear. I see posts where guys get worked up at a minor scratch. That's not me. I'm not careless with them, but I don't go over them with a fine tooth comb looking for new wear or defects.

I get that we're all different and I'm not running down the folks who like to keep their guns pristine, but I don't think they own a tool as much as a collectors item, at least from my viewpoint. If we're not using a gun or it does have a distinct purpose, we tend to sell/trade them. We are not collectors by any means.

No offense intended here. I have no problem with however anyone looks at or treats their guns. It was just a thought that popped into my head, so figured I post a poll.

I think it's okay to have both.

I have some that are tools, and bought purely for reliability and function (Glock 19), versus a collector or two (Bond Arms derringer) that aren't necessary or practical. I do agree though that it's important to have some that I'm not afraid of using and getting wear and tear. It's totally okay too though to have a few collector items.

One thing that is nice about guns is that one can have a few fun guns that aren't absurdly expensive, for a few hundred dollars. Whereas, while I'd love to have a car collection I only have one, utilitarian Honda right now because I can't afford another 1-2 cars just for the hell of it.