Have your tastes in firearms changed?

[TexasVet]

Depends...

For serious social work, I'm still carrying the old 1954 Colt .38 Super I've used for 20 years. Carry one gun that long and it points itself!
For collecting, I've gone through single shot military rifles to just Martini-Henrys to now WW2 era stuff.
Of course those evil black guns show up for no discernable reason every once in a while.

 

[Marshall]

Have your tastes in firearms changed?

I now enjoy them at breakfast too.

 

[Ryder]

I suppose my guns to be multi-use tools. I've used them or consider them to be usable for a wide variety of activities.

Started out with guns commonly thought to be for hunting though I did a fair amount of plinking and naturally reserved the use of them as self defense arms. Shotguns, bolt and lever action rifles, magnum revolvers, black powder of all sorts. Eventually I got discouraged with hunting. I'd achieved my goals, the challenge was waning as besting prior performance became a more remote possibility... Also there were just too many slobs in the woods, too many rules.

Over time I gravitated toward rifles and pistols which would be categorized as defensive in nature. Hicap mags or compact large caliber handguns.

One thing that seemed to always be with me was is an urge for ultimate accuracy. I have a hard time trying to balance this out against the fun of quick fire. Lately the rockin and rolln has been having it's way with me but I have a feeling it won't be king of the hill for long.

 

[556A2]

For me it has, I used to only want stainless or Tenifer, or other finishes that would never have any problems with rust. Now I realize that with a little TLC a blue gun will last for a long time and is much more pretty. Also I have really gotten into military surplus guns, especailly the Soviet/Commie arms.

 

[Nando Aqui]

No change with shotguns and handguns; I still like them all the same.

But not so with rifles. Up until about 15 years ago I used to like only hunting-style rifles, and didn't much care for the black rifles. But I did like the M1 Garand and my FN49.

Then, my sons became US Marines, and I learned the advantages and fun of shooting an M16/AR15. I bought an AR15 HBAR shortly afterwards, and that got me started. Anymore, all the rifle shooting I do is with military rifles. I still use my Browning BAR for hunting, though.

Alex

 

[Herb Fredricksen]

When ya got a niche, scratch it!

Years ago, when my kids and their friends were young and wild I got rid of my firearms. When I came home late one night and found the fire extinguisher had been shot off in the kitchen it was time to think safety.

Forty years of surviving ethnic parties (wine, women and song) and it was time to get back into shooting. The gun rags point to the expensive newest models, and there seems no hope of ever being current. My interests lie in the past, there is so much of it. A C&R license opened the door to milsurps and civilian models of long ago. What an education they provide.

Imagine thinking your $400 NAA Guardian .32 is the latest design and then finding your 80 year old $180 Ortgies .32 disassembles essentially the same way. Or how about triple safeties on an 80 year old Colt 1903? And no screws on an 80 year old Savage 1907. Then compare a finely finished wood gripped 1914 Mauser .32 with a Keltec .32 and you'll realize why some of us don't mind a few more ounces of metal in our hand. Better yet compare a 418 Beretta .25 from 50 years ago with a 950 .25 just off the production line. The past tells us many things, most of all how quality enriches our lives.

I, too, have niches to scratch, but I do so with firearms I love for the history and craftsmanship they represent. I'd be proud to list all the arms in my modest collection but the game of one "up-man-ship" is another never ending quest. It's enough to talk about them with good folk like you!

Herb Fredricksen

 

[DAL]

I don't know if my tastes in firearms have changed; I believe matured would be a better way to put it. After the last three years of a nearly-fanatical build up of my battery, I have decided to pare down the collection a bit and concentrate learning how to shoot the darn things better.

Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't a few guns that would fill a gap in my collection, but if I never get them, I'll be none the worse. I have the self-defense guns, the hunting guns, and the fun guns I NEED. Anything else is just gravy.
DAL

P.S. Just in case you were wondering about the other guns I MAY someday get, here's a list, in no particular order:

1938 Mosin-Nagant
Mossberg 500 12-ga. shotgun
S&W 629 .44 Mag. 5"
Bushmaster AR15
Marlin 1894 .38/.357 Mag.
Kimber 1911

 

[Jspy]

Like the change in seasons, would describe my interests as well. Usually when I find something I have had a prior interest in, it jump starts me in that direction again. Something new for me this time is my first M1 Garand. Hopefully I will let this one curb my appetite for another.

 

[Tamara]

Another thing...

Once upon a time, I didn't understand the attraction to Smith revolvers. I mean, I grasped what was good about them in my head, but didn't really feel it in my heart. Thankfully, I seem to have grown out of that...

 

[riverdog]

Although my attraction to the 1911 style in .45 ACP hasn't waivered and in fact has strengthened, my taste in revolvers has changed a lot.

It used to be that the only revolver I needed or wanted was a Ruger Security Six. While I still own that revolver, like Tamara I too "discovered" S&W triggers and haven't looked back. While I prefer S&W revolvers in blue, my latest is stainless.

One other thing that has changed is choice of caliber. While I have stuck to the .45ACP in auto's, my choices in revolver calber has expanded from .38Spl/.357 Mag to also include .41 and .44Mag.

 

[PJR]

They sure have.

There was a time when I lived to shoot rifles. Bought, sold and traded dozens of them. Would work up a load and when I found a good one would sell it with the load data. Learned a lot about loading and rifles.

The one hot afternoon while I was fussing over some lone forgotten rifle it occurred to me that I was bored. I had a recently acquired Remington 870 with me and I wandered over to the trap range. Not many targets were broken on that first round but I was hooked and never looked back.

Don't shoot much rifle anymore. Shoot thousands of rounds of shotgun each year.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Tamara...

Talk about "composing" a photo...You even took your PURSE gun out for that one.

KR

 

[Alan Fud]

When I first starting carrying, the tiny NAA Guardian felt like I was trying to hide a cannon. I then 'graduated' to snubbie revolvers. Even though they offered two less rounds than the NAA, five rounds of .38special beat seven rounds of .32ACP according to John Taylor's Knockdown Scale calculator ...

... After a while, I felt comfortable carrying slightly larger guns and moved up to compact 9mm's and now I'm carrying compact .45ACPs.

» www.FamilyFriendsFirearms.com «
Alan Fud: Share What You Know & Learn What You Don't.

 

[Cosmoline]

When I first had enough money to buy a firearm, I immediately went to BIG revolvers. Lots of large framed Rugers. These were fun, but the scales fell from my eyes the first time I bought a long gun. It was just a Winchester '94 in .45 Colt, but I was AMAZED that I could generate a fist-sized group at fifty yards with it. I didn't realize, before then, how much superior long guns are. Since then I've gone from six handguns and one carbine to six rifles and one handgun.

The other great change came when a local shop got a shipment of Yugo Mausers in. Since then I've been in love with C&R rifles. Cheap, powerful, historically interesting, and extremely tough. The only down side is the weight.

 

[goon]

My tastes change every day.
I used to be one of those "why do you need one of those black rifles ?" people, courtesy of my dad.
Now, since I have changed, my dad is no longer one of those people either.
I am not really into AK's and the like anymore either, although I do want an Imbel FAL. I like the old C&R's more now.
There is just something cool about slinging a real bullet downrange as your Mosin-Nagant sets you back on your heals.

 

[Tamara]

Fud,

Pondoro's Knockdown Scale?!?

You plannin' on shootin' lots of elephants in the melon with your CCW piece? If not, what do Taylor's KD values have to do with a carry gun?

 

[Nightcrawler]

I'll say it before, and I'll say it again...

The only, I repeat, the ONLY scientific measure of the power of a given round is its kinetic energy. There is a mathematical formula to this end.

The rest of these one shot stop formulas, including the nonsense by Marshall & Sanow, is pure pseudoscience. Sixty years ago these guys would be measuring your head with calipers, trying to tell you how you're going to turn out in life.

Kinetic energy = science. The rest of it is just made up formulas and plugged-in numbers.

Unfortunately, KE alone doesn't tell whether a human subject, shot with a given round, will actually die. There are simply too many variables for any kind of grounded, demonstratable scientific formula to calculate that.

 

[Boats]

My father and my uncle, both veterans, one of Korea and the other of Viet Nam, both tried to raise me right on handguns with the 1911A1. I got pretty good at them, but when I joined the Navy, the 1911s were worn-out garbage. I spent a pretty fun "lost" decade wherein I tried to do "better" than the 1911. I wasted a lot of time and money fad chasing. I now only own 1911s in .45. Full circle there.

On rifles it has been an easier time. I got addicted to the "PING!" early on, and have only recently begun wondering abot ARs if the AW ban ends. Love my Garand.

On shotguns I am currently shopping. I do not know exactly what I want yet.

 

[coonan357]

yes they have gotten more expensive and more practical, I must find a better paying job for my habbit !!!

 

[BluRidgDav]

Always been a hunter first, self defender second. Lucky (optimistic?) enough, to feel pretty safe wherever I was livin'. Figured one of my huntin' guns could deal with any varmints. Back then, wanted whatever new gun or gadget would give me another advantage over the critters. But, each additional trophy felt like less, not more.

Then politics started makin' me feel nervous about holdin' onto any of my guns, so I stocked up on black-rifles and ammo. Used 'em for huntin' too, just to stay "ready". After awhile, kinda felt like I was "goin' to war against Bambi", which made all my kills feel like, well, "body counts".

Served over a decade with "issued weapons" from Uncle Sam, then came home to start huntin' again with guns from my childhood; lever-actions and double-barrel shotguns.

Now, as I get older, I'm working my way backwards thru man's huntin' & battle impliments . . . . . .

Collecting "real military" (WW-2, etc.) guns, before they're all gone, instead of "neutered" civilian AR's & AK's. Someday, the grandkids will have some honest-to-God history to hold & shoot. Until then, so will I, and varmints beware, lest ye learn the ways of .30 caliber AP!

As for huntin', I'm enjoying it more than ever, 'cept with older tools. Filled the freezer last season with a Long-bow and a Civil War musket. Lookin' to order a custom flintlock next, and I've got Cold Steel's Boar Spear saved on my computer's "favorite list".

Still keepin' active on RKBA issues,though, for Liberty, and so's to keep the options open for younger folks & future generations.

 

[Rembrandt]

Phase 1....early years my gun acquistions were utilitarian in nature...whatever was needed to hunt with.

Phase 2....as the kids came along we got into competitive shooting, lots of target guns (shotguns-rifles-handguns)

Phase 3....now the kids are grown and gone, I've kept every gun ever bought....tastes have changed to acquiring high end collectibles, quality samples that are representative of historical classics. (Best 1911, over/under, hunting rifles, custom revolvers, black guns, etc...) Unfortunately I have a weakness for engraved guns.....

 

[Bruce H]

My first hipowered rifle was a 94 Win in 30-30, early sixties. Returned home after four years with Uncle Sams Misguided Children and traded for a Model 70 in 7mm. rem. mag. Never liked that rifle at all. Traded for a Savage 111cl in 7mag and still have it. Bought a Browning BAR in 7mag. when they first came out. Somewhere along the line I came up with a Mod. 57 S&W 8 3/8. Didn't buy anything until a Browning 1885 HiWall in 7mag. Started watching the guys playing with 45/70's the last few years. The thought of slow moving cannon balls was a lot of fun. Came up with a Pedersoli Sharps and a BFR. If anything I am more into single shots than anything else. Would like to build a custom single shot in 338 rem ultramag. 34 inch tube at about thirteen pounds with a brake. Don't have any use for one but the thought is nice.

 

[DeltaElite]

It was autos, then revolvers, then autos, then revolvers..... you get the picture.

 

[BerettaNut92]

It occurred to me I sold or am planning to sell every plastic gun I have. Maybe I don't like tupperware but don't know it yet?

 

[Atticus]

Ive bought/ sold/ fired enough types of guns over the years that I now have a pretty good idea of what I really want and need (fine balance there). I have a few manditory high cap SHTF pieces- my core hunting pieces- and a few, fun range pieces. My buying selling pace has slowed dramatically, but I still hope to pick up a new (old one) now and then. Like Tamara, I used to have little interest in revolvers, and scoffed at the folks trying to unload their old S&W's at the gunshows. Now I seek them out...and they are getting hard to find..dammmit.