Do you have a mint condition gun you do not shoot?

Do you have a gun too good to shoot?

  • Yes

    Votes: 110 36.8%

  • No

    Votes: 93 31.1%

  • Life's too short not to shoot your best guns

    Votes: 87 29.1%

  • Guns can be bought new?

    Votes: 9 3.0%
  • Total voters
    299
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bushmaster1313

Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
3,653
Location
Peoples Republik of New Jersey
I like classic and classy firearms --
But for me, life's too short not to shoot your best guns.
My guns are ones which will not go down in value if I use them as they were meant to be used.

Several Examples:
cimg0427c.jpg

cimg0206j.jpg

cimg00140009.jpg

cimg0494w.jpg


If you have a gun that is in too good condition to shoot, what is it and why do you have it?
 
Last edited:
No.

If I don't carry it or shoot it regularly, I sell it to fund something I can get some use out of.

Life is too short, my safe space is not growing and my budget is limited.

Same situation with my garage.
 
I have 2 Glock`s in 10mm I bought just to put up and look at...only 2 and thats it. 1 is a G20 OD and other is a G29 OD, both new and never been shot outside the factory.
SN851292.jpg
SN851291.jpg
 
I bought duplicates of some revolvers years ago_One I shoot and the other I don't
 
in 1977 my Grandfather and father, both career California Highway Patrolmen and active at the same time, each bought a limited, individually numbered S&W Model 19. I was 2 years old at the time. (side note, any CHP's here who served in the 70's, 80's, or 90's probably know my father or grandfather :))

Anyhow, my grandfathers model 19 is mine, my fathers will be handed down to my brother when he is old enough.

Both are still in the display cases and never open/handled.

Although the street value of the gun is probably under $1000, I will never, ever fire that model 19.

I think the people who boast "I'll never own a gun I wouldn't fire - they're a tool meant to be used" probably mean they'd never BUY a gun they wouldn't shoot. Or, they have never been given a family heirloom that deserves a special place in the safe.

My father also has a limited, numbered CHP Ruger model 1 in .357 that was my grandfathers. We shoot that gun, as well as my grandfathers old 30 carbine!

--Duck911
 
Last edited:
I think the people who boast "I'll never own a gun I wouldn't fire - they're a tool meant to be used" probably mean they'd never BUY a gun they wouldn't shoot. Or, they have never been given a family heirloom that deserves a special place in the safe.
Click to expand...
I was actually given a Winchester 101 from the early 60s that's my favorite trap gun....busts clays like no other. My grandpa gave it to me because he wanted me to shoot it...not to throw it in a safe to collect dust

To each his own....
 
I never shoot any of my guns. At my age, life's too short to waste time on unproductive activities (which I consider shooting, and cleaning the guns afterwards, to be). At any rate, "been there, done that." Shooting is something I did earlier in my life. There's no dishonor in just admiring my guns and watching them go up in value.
 
It had been shot a few times when I bought it, and I've shot one mag through it.

Since I have other 1911's, I don't need to shoot it.

However, if the chips were down and I had to shoot it, it would get shot without a second thought.

DSCN0140-1-1.jpg
 
Urns are heirlooms. Firearms are firearms.
Click to expand...

I guess I am not an absolutest, so to each his own. I think there can be certain firearms handed down that an owner considers an heirloom. Clearly, I am one of those owners.

I also have a number of quality firearms passed down to me that are shooters that I don't hesitate to take into the field but would never abuse; a near mint condition Winchester model 50, an early, and pretty valuable 25 ACP pocket pistol, and the aforementioned 30 carbine and Ruger Model 1.

On the far side of the spectrum, I have 2 rusty 870's that have shot more ducks than I can count, have dug trucks out from mud via the butt stock, and have paddled boats.

Like I said, I am not an absolutest...
 
If it is safe to fire then yes no harm running a few rounds through it here and there. I'd also like to think that the gun would want to do what it was created to do which is send lead downrange. Kind of like a sweet classic car that never leaves garage. You gotta take that thing out and stretch its legs every once and a while.
 
My recent Model 10 was as near mint as I have ever held outside of new from the box.

I enjoyed putting several hundred rounds through it as soon as I could.

If it's a true museum piece, then save it in a museum. Otherwise shoot it until you or it can't shoot any more.
 
no harm running a few rounds through it here and there.
Click to expand...

Just shooting a "few rounds" now and then can, with time, reduce the value.
Here's an example of a 135 year old that had been cared for, but shot a lot over it's life. Excellent original condition would bring around $25 to 30 Thousand.
This one probably somewhere between $5 and 7 Thousand. So be careful with the "few rounds" every now and then.....:evil:;)

M1875A.jpg
M1875B.jpg
 
I think if you shoot and use all your guns on a regular basis you don't have enough guns yet.
 
I don't own a gun I won't shoot, but that could change. I have nothing against collector guns, just don't happen to have any at the moment. I tend to be more of a shooter than a collector.
 
I only have one that I bought new and haven't shot yet.
It is a S&W M610, 3 inch barrel. Whenever I get the urge
to shoot it, I just put 50 rounds through the 4 inch 610 and
the urge goes away. I'll be giving it to my son in a few years.
 
We've got some Winchester commemorative lever guns that we haven't shot. Picked them up at an estate sale fairly cheap. Not that they are worth a lot, but it's one of those things that if we did shoot them, the only people interested in them - collectors - wouldn't want them anymore.

Besides, we have shooters of the same model, so it's not like we are missing out. Otherwise, my minty classics get shot. Maybe not often, but occasionally they'll see the range.
 
I have purchased several guns at a below market price primarily for their investment value. An example of this would be a mint Baby Browning that I picked up for around $400. It's the chrome plated, pearl-like grips model, complete with the original box and paperwork. I really don't have any practical use for this gun so it remains unfired until such time as I decide to sell it. The rest of the guns in my collection were bought to be used, be it target or sport shooting, hunting, CCW, or just plinking.
 
I can see certain conditions where one came across a true unfired collectors piece and never fired it.
If something is unique or rare and you want it's value to keep going up then dont fire it.
Although I will be the first to admit that most of us are just regular people and most likely shoot every firearm we own.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Why get a gun if you won't shoot it?
2 3
Replies
70
Views
3K
Sav .250
S
Mark_Mark
Shooting a Collectable
2 3 4
Replies
99
Views
2K
jag22
J
B
  • Locked
Have you hit the limit in acquiring guns of a certain type?
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
BADUNAME30
B
M
  • Locked
Would you bother owning a handgun under these conditions?
2 3 4
Replies
92
Views
4K
larry_minn
L
E
  • Locked
Do you have guns for which you have no ammo?
2 3 4 5
Replies
111
Views
5K
9mmepiphany
9mmepiphany
Back
Top