Have you hugged your beater gun today?

[High Planes Drifter]

No, she was sealed in an evidence bag for several years without being cleaned/lubed.

The Blood did the rest.

All I did was scrape the oxidation off, clean her up and give her a good home.

Wow. I had no idea human blood could be so corrosive. That poor thing looks like it had been used as an anode on an offshore boat.

My beater guns are:

A Glock 19 I carry daily; a 1911 Springfield GI, I used to carry daily and occasionally still do in cool weather, and a Marlin 336 .30-30 I keep in the truck which is my Dad's old deer gun that was handed down to me.

 

[Crow1108]

AJAX22: I remember reading your post about buying that gun a few months back. I'm glad to hear it's working fine for you.

I bought both of my handguns new. As I am still pretty young (23), I plan on keeping them, and letting them travel this journey we call life with me. They will no doubt accrue the marks that time bestows upon such things, as I will. Someday, I'll pass my guns down to my son/daughter that I purchased new when I was not much older than they will be, so they can have a couple of treasured "beater guns" that will serve them as well as they serve me.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Most of my guns are beaters. Some are in their third and fourth generations of getting beat. I've only bought two brand new guns, and I promptly sold one of them. Most of the rest are carefully selected beaters, milsurps, and other veterans. Even the surviving "bought-new" gun, a '58 Remington, has achieved beater status.

Once this hurricane passes, my last four non-beater guns (all black-powder) will get initiated at the range and begin their individual journeys toward beaterdom - or is it beatitude?

 

[VegasOPM]

My dedicated "beaters" are my camping and car guns. I have a S&W 3" 65 and a 1911 (ugly, but all new guts). Both are 100% reliable, but none too pretty.