Engraved guns: to shoot or not to shoot?

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1KPerDay

1KPerDay

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How-do,

I inherited a new, beautiful S&W Model 15 (I think... .38 special, adjustable rear sight, 2 inch barrel with a full extractor shroud--I think) with some nice engraving on it. My dad assured me it had never been fired and I believe him.

Question... should I use it? I'm not the type to keep a fully functional, non-antique gun lying around just to look at (I have a bunch of original cap and ball colts which I of course don't fire), but is there any reason I shouldn't use this revolver? The finish is blue and the engraving appears to be either raw/silver metal or silver plate... I'm not sure what the engraving process entails but it hasn't rusted or anything. Do engravers typically fill the cuts with another metal or something or is it simply left raw?

Thanks for any input.:cool:
 
Many of the extremely ornate guns were never meant to be fired.
The finish probably will suffer if you do fire it. The question is what is more important to you? Firing the gun, or having it pretty?

If I had a presentation-type gun (which I don't), I'd probably not shoot it b/c I have plenty of other guns to play with.
 
Chipperman said:
Many of the extremely ornate guns were never meant to be fired.
The finish probably will suffer if you do fire it. The question is what is more important to you? Firing the gun, or having it pretty?

If I had a presentation-type gun (which I don't), I'd probably not shoot it b/c I have plenty of other guns to play with.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's not a full-coverage or presentation-grade with solid gold grips or anything. Just some nice scrolling on the frame and I think a bit on the cylinder and barrel.
 
You will reduce the value by shooting it. How much depends on many variables but not all that much if not abused.

You said it's not a presentation piece and you don't want a piece of art shaped like a gun. Seems like you've already answered your own question. Shoot it and enjoy it.
 
thatguy said:
You said it's not a presentation piece and you don't want a piece of art shaped like a gun. Seems like you've already answered your own question.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know. I just sort of feel like I'd be going against my father's wishes... he kept it 30 years without firing it. Then again, he did give it to me.

Maybe I'll keep it pristine and give it to my son in 40 years, then he can trade it for a cell phone or something.:D
 
First of all, you should get a good idea from someone that knows guns and engraving and make sure you don't have a truly valuable gun. Then you can make a decision.
If your Dad never shot it, you may want to honor his example and keep it unfired.
You may find that it is has only a nominal value above an unengraved gun, and it will still maintain a premium value even if fired. In that case you may want to listen to Judge Roy Bean's (SASS owner) comment on an engraved presentation gun given to him by Colt. A very valuable gun. He said that it was sitting in a safe and he got no pleasure from it. So he shoots it regularly now and says that it gives him great pleasure.
I tend to go with the "shoot it" crowd. Enjoy it unless you have other toys of a similar kind.
Having a gun that you can't appreciate is not fun, but it does depreciate the gun a bit to fire it. All guns depreciate when you fire them.
 
My father gave me an unfired example of one of the Winchester Centennial '66 carbines. He was so careful to keep it in the box and unfired because of the "value". When he gave it to me I asked him why he never shot it.

He said "it would be worth less". My response was, now that you've given it to me I can never sell it, so the book value no longer has meaning. I could NEVER sell that rifle after that, it moved from gun to family heirloom.

So, I loaded him in the car (he doesnt get around too good) and we went to the range and we blew 70 or 80 rounds through the thing, had a great time.

It's worth even more now, in fact I'd say it's priceless precisely because it HAS been fired.

Anyway, something to consider..... maybe shoot it in tribute to your Father giving you such a great thing.

Don't do it based on financials, you probably won't sell it anyway.
 
Thanks, everyone. I suppose the depreciation really isn't a factor, as I'll never sell the gun (I will pass it on, though). I guess I was just thinking out loud.

Anyone know about the engraving question, i.e., is the silver-looking engraving on a blued frame simply exposed steel, or do they put anything in the grooves?

[Edit: simulpost with texasSIGman. Your story is very appropriate. Thanks!]
 
I HATE collector's items. I like guns, but I have always stayed away from the collectible stuff.

Until a couple of years ago. Unbeknownst to me my wife bought one ticket in the state-wide raffle of a particularly ornate centennial reproduction rifle at that year's Friends of the NRA banquet. Sweet thing that she is, she put my name on it.

When they announced the results of the ornate rifle raffle they called my name. No, I couldn't win the nice custom .308 deer rifle that the students at a regional gunsmithing school built.

So now it takes up three slots in the safe, still untouched in its oversized box because it is a Collector's Item. And she doesn't want to sell it because it is a 'family treasure.' Well, she bought the ticket and so i do what she wants. But if it were up to me, some collector could have it. But it isn't up to me.

In your case it would seem to me to be the same sort of thing. I would go along with my father's wishes as demonstrated by his own treatment of the gun for so long, and not shoot it. At least what you have won't take up three long gun slots in your safe. And it IS just a .38 SPL wheelgun after all, how much thrill are you missing by not shooting it?

But, it is YOUR gun. YMMV.

lpl/nc
 
"Anyone know about the engraving question, i.e., is the silver-looking engraving on a blued frame simply exposed steel, or do they put anything in the grooves?"

Sometimes it's just exposed steel, but other times they fill the grooves with Silver, Gold, etc.
 
When my dad was a professional skeet shooter back in the 80's, he had a shotgun with class D gold engraving given to him by kregof (mountains of alm now I think) and he placed #10 in the world with that gun. He also practiced with it religiously.
 
1KPerDay said:
is there any reason I shouldn't use this revolver? The finish is blue and the engraving appears to be either raw/silver metal or silver plate... I'm not sure what the engraving process entails but it hasn't rusted or anything. Do engravers typically fill the cuts with another metal or something or is it simply left raw?
Click to expand...

Collector revolvers are more difficult to "keep pristine" looking than semi-autos. Problem is the line/mark left on the cylinder from use.

Engraved stainless doesn't present a rust problem, many fully engraved steel firearms are either hard chromed or plated to prevent rusting. Most of the blued engraved guns I've seen were re-blued to protect the fresh cuts made by the engraver. My guess is someone engraved your gun and didn't take the time to re-blue it or used silver inlays.

I have a weakness for fine engraved firearms, I do shoot them....but they are not abused and drug through the woods like my hunting guns. Trap gun has had thousands of rounds through it, the BHP gets taken out for regular exercise but it's not a CCW workhorse.

Enjoy your piece of "artwork".....

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Interesting and timely thread. My FFL just took in an engraved S&W M60 that used to belong to an LEO on a local dept. It's a bit pricey but with good ivory grips it would make a nice barbeque gun.

Of course, I would want to be able to shoot it once in a while too.
 
I have an engraved S&W K38 that I shoot, but my dad didn't give it to me; if he had, I don't think I would shoot it if it was unfired when I got it.
 
I've got two engraved guns I don't shoot, and two that I shoot all the time, even hunt with them. If it's factory engraving on a Smith it's a fairly scarce collectors gun, if it's aftermarket it depends on the name of the engraver but still not as rare as factory.

The two I shoot are Gr.III and a Gr. IV Browning BAR's, the ones I don't shoot are a Renaissance grade Browning pistol and a Olympian grade Browning (FN) rifle. I didn't inherit them though and one day they'll get sold, hopefully for a profit since I got them at a good price. If they were never going to be sold I'd be out shooting them this weekend.
 
IKPerDay- Your dad had his reasons for not shooting this gun. But it's yours, now, and it doesn't matter what he thought or what any of us here think. It's your gun. Do you want to shoot it or look at it? Only you can decide.

As for me, I don't have any safe queens. My guns all get shot. Including the one pictured below. Note that I have a holster for it. It gets carried and used whenever I can. That's what it was made to do.

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Wow! Mine's nowhere near as full-coverage as that or the BHP above. I'll try to post a pic when I can.

BTW, forgive my ignorance, but what's a barbeque gun?:confused:
 
fella had several shot gunson the table at a gun show,$15,000 and up. was'nt sure i should look at 'em.
 
If my Dad gave me an engraved gun that he cared a great deal about and had not shot it ever, I would NOT be the first one to shoot the gun. If my Dad would be unhappy with me shooting a gun like that, I would adhere to his wishes and preserve something that he felt was important. I have plenty of guns to shoot; why shoot one like that?
 
People have objects that they treat like lottery tickets. . . .

If the thing is worth a lot or is of some historical value, sell it to a museum.

If not, then shoot it and enjoy it.

Odds are it is not unfired anyway, it was probably test fired at the factory.

Although modern guns only get three rounds thru them I believe (when you get a new smith, you can see powder on just a few of the cylinder faces. Some are clean)
 
I'm probably the only person here who spent $30 on a pen for personal use.

It's a Sheaffer fountain pen, medium nib, with a brushed silver finish (the brushing is in a neat spiral pattern, too) with a little band at the widest point of the cap with ivy cut or molded or something into it.

While I don't use it too terribly much any more (cheaper pen, iridum nib, more pocket-safe due to a screw-on cap) I sure didn't buy it just to look at it. I've semi-regularly rotated through my various decent fountain pens, and that one's had several cartridges of turquoise blue put through it until I picked up my clearance-sale Manuscript. I really only stopped using it because the cap wasn't too terribly secure in my pocket.

First, make sure you're not going to be destroying an investment. Then, answer this question: First, your revolver was meant to be enjoyed. Will you enjoy more simply looking at it, or actually the experience of using it?
 
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