How many of you have had waning feelings about firearms?

[ElToro]

i have sold a few recently to raise cash for a truck. these were some hi dollar colts 1911 and black rifles of which i had several multiples of. i still buy when i see a deal. scored a 1976 vintage 10-22 for 125$ including 3 mags. deals are fewer and farther between and i will keep plenty to arm my family and leave much to my son and daughter (They're 3 and 5). but i target shoot only a few times a year due to other time commitments. im lucky if i get to go hunting a few times a year. a few times birds and maybe try for a pig or deer 1 or 2 other weekends. my big game bolt guns just dont see any action. all but a few may be next on the chopper. when i do shoot i take a .22 for bolt action practice. a m1a scout or socom for staying familiar and a shotgun for skeet or trap to stay sharp for birds.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

My finances are such that I can’t really afford range toys. If I don’t have a specific use for a gun I can’t justify buying it. I pretty much have my grail gun (S&W 4006) and with my S&W 6906 my carry needs are pretty much covered so there’s really not much out there for me to want. I wouldn’t mind picking up a 5906 but that’s about it

I have some odd calibers I wouldn’t mind selling off. If I could swing it I’d only have 9mms and the 2 .40 S&Ws I have

 

[JohnBiltz]

I quit shooting for 5 years back around '99. Just had no interest in it at all. I kept a Glock 17 and a Mossberg shotgun for home defense. I specifically went looking for a fun gun to get back into shooting and bought a Sub 2000 and it worked.

 

[Orion8472]

Went to the range yesterday to decide on which guns I will part with. Currently, the following will go:

Five Seven
FN Hi Power
Sig 938

Potential guns to go:
Custom 10/22
Beretta 21a

I took two others to the range that I will not be selling:
Custom SP-01 w/ competition hammer and SAO trigger [~2.5 lb].
Custom Ruger Mark II

Both of these are VERY accurate and were quite fun to shoot. Making a ragged hole with the SP-01 did give me a fair bit of joy [as with the small ragged hole from the Mark II].

 

[Ken451]

Yes, my interest has waned with the increased prices, even though I'm well stocked up on ammo, I hate to shoot even .22s that I have stockpiled (before the crunch) because I see their replacement costs. My son feels the same way.

 

[MrWesson]

Went to the range the other day to shoot some groups. Can't say I was very entertained. Pair that up with slow fire and it was a pretty dull outing.

I am going to start shooting skeet, get back into USPSA and start hunting.

 

[flex28]

Oh darn , and I'm buying more guns. And more...and more...and accessories...and safes...and ammo..and a lot of it. I'm running out of rooms to put it all in. My wife is looking at me over stacks of boxes.. and it's not a friendly look. My dogs are sleeping on top of gear lockers , they have to look under ammo cans for their food and water .. they've been a little standoffish lately. The only people I talk to are for work or.. more guns and gear. My friends either go shooting or get ignored lately (..a year ? ). I see reticles floating in front of everything. My ears ring a little. So I bought suppressors and better ear plugs. I have 3 reloaders on standby. There are zombie targets guarding my front door ( what to do after Halloween ? ). Every gun retailer knows me by name and they call me whenever anything that goes bang comes in. I asked my investment guy if I can put firearms in my IRA. My pencils are marked with BC's. My whole house smells like Hoppe's no. 9 nitro solvent and people at work are starting to ask what the smell is. Gunbroker made their quarter and sent me a personal thank you note.
But.. I am NOT obsessed and no , I will never have " too many guns " .
OK , maybe I'm exaggerating just a little...
My interest was off and on over several decades, now it's more on.
I went years without buying a single gun item except ammo and cleaning gear.
Maybe it's someone threatening to take them , maybe it's just the neat new toys they're coming out with.
But , I did buy a few guns in the last 2 weeks and a couple more the 2 weeks before that. I finally saw the ones I'd been wanting at the same time I had the money. Beats Beanie babies or baseball cards. And , yes , I really did need at least half of them.
Maybe I'm approaching burnout and will lose interest too. Maybe not.
And don't you just hate those stupid slow fire ranges ?
Have they really had someone " lose control " and hit something they shouldn't have - ever ?
Makes you really leery of who they do let shoot.

 

[jaytex1969]

I experience "ebb & flow", but it seems to be part of a natural cycle that I go through.

I'll do some hard core gaming for 3-6 months and then not play for a year or two.

I'll dive into the gun forums for two months and then be distracted for six.

I may go half a year without range time and then every weekend until my shoulder gives out.

I would say to be cautious in regards to selling your hardware. It seems much easier to keep what you have than to reacquire it. If you "ebb & flow" like I do, you may regret unloading things this time next year.

 

[C5rider]

And don't you just hate those stupid slow fire ranges ?
Have they really had someone " lose control " and hit something they shouldn't have - ever ?

Flex-- I've seen guys at the range lose control and hit something they shouldn't have, WHEN THEY WERE "UNDER CONTROL!!!!!"

Yeah, it happens.

I thought I got away from shooting once, a LONG time ago. STILL sorry I sold that ol Marlin...

 

[Warp]

I'll tell you what, though, this whole panic thing this year has definitely been a factor in keeping firearms at the top of the list of interests I actively participate in.

I'm probably peaking in terms of time spent right now.

I've instructed at Appleseeds each of the past two months and have another one next month, I've found an excuse to go to Walmarts multiple times (per week), I talk guns and ammo on forums for periods of time every single day, and I've been to the range the past three weekends in a row and am going again tomorrow and next weekend.

 

[TimboKhan]

Truth is, I wax and wane. Year before last I shot a TON. Like, probably around 10,000 rounds total between everything. This year I have been shooting twice. It's not so much that I suddenly dislike guns, it's more of a case of a whole bunch of factors eating up potential shooting time and the ammo shortage.

This year I have: Increased my responsibilities at work by taking on a challenge to revamp training for all new Vet Reps, taken on a "second job" as a local coordinator for Toys for Tots, gotten married, moved my wife and two kids in with me, bought a new truck which means that I have less cash for guns and ammo, am in the process of having a new house built, got back into Archery as a serious hobby (another waxer and waner), and then just within the last two weeks become deeply involved in administering a large national emergency grant for the flood cleanup around here (in addition to being super busy with flood stuff in general). My little girl has decided she wants to play guitar like daddy, so I bought her a little mini-strat and am teaching her to play, and as of yesterday actually have a paying adult student as well. And, because of changes with the GED, I have had a rush of people coming to me for tutoring. Means more money, but time has become a precious quantity. My other main interest, guitar playing, has become so hard to fit in that I am lucky if I get 10 minutes to sit and just strum for a little while, let alone plug in and get the led out.

And those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head.
S
o yeah, my ability to partake in my main interest has waned, though my overall interest remains about the same.

 

[ejfalvo]

About 13 years ago (remember Y2K) I started buying various firearms without any real purpose - cause I could. 6 years ago, my interest wained and I sold all but 2 (some I really miss). 2 years ago I started buying quality (versus quantity) and now have a number of handguns and rifles (all SIG) that I frequently shoot. While the bug is gone, I won't sell these. IMHO, it's like any other "hobby" and can be cyclical.

 

[simonstough]

not recently, though when i was about 15 my hero was shot to death and i didn't like firearms for awhile, but now i like them more than ever.

 

[Orion8472]

This past Saturday, I may have found a rejuvenation of sorts. Finally got the right setup on my target 9mm [CZ SP-01, custom hammer, SAO trigger @ 2.5lbs, target sights, etc], . . . and if I concentrate on proper technique, I can get a nickel sized ragged hole at 7 yards. It will pretty much hit where I want it to. I suppose it is possible to do the "all in one hole" thing with it, but that may take an even better shooter than me. The most accurate pistol [not a target .22lr] I have ever shot [mine or someone elses].

Another joy was . . . . . the Colibri shooting out of a Ruger Single Six [circa 1958]. All of us there were quite amused at the zero recoil and diminutive "pop" from the primer.

A good day!

 

[goldie]

I went to the range for the 1st time in six months yesterday, had fun,as always.also helped a guy fix his mini 14.if i wasnt there he would have nothing to shoot that day. my interest is like the stock market,up for a while down here & there.ill never stop shooting,but since this ammo crisis, i have been going less,even though i have lots of ammo.this is the worst tim eive seen in the 30 years ive been collecting & shooting. & with that last lead smelting plant closing & threats of higher ammo prices, the future doesnt look so great.

 

[Dinosaur1]

Go get that high dollar airgun, put something sweet on the target and shoot the flies. Now yer huntin' instead of just shootin'. Like woodchucks and prarie dogs only cheaper and you can still get pellets. Get a good rifle tho.

 

[Agsalaska]

Not me. I am more interested in ever. I bought more guns at great deals in 2013 than ever before and plan on doing the same in 2014.

Considering I am not a big range guy the ammo thing really doesnt hurt me much. I just dont shoot a lot.

 

[valnar]

It depends on where you are in your gun "career", so to speak. I had the benefit of buying a bunch of guns when prices were low and surplus guns were plentiful. As fate would turn out, my list of guns that I wanted to buy all got checked off right around the same time prices went through the roof - so it's kind of a double whammy from this point forward. I don't shoot much now - too expensive.

As with everything, sometimes the thrill of the chase outweighs the end result. The original topic can apply to many things in my life. I don't spend a lot of time dubbing LP's onto cassettes any more, for instance.

 

[crazyjennyblack]

Shooting has kind of fallen by the wayside as work and regular life have taken priority this year. I'm lucky to live in the country, so I can just go to a nearby field or down the road to my friend's house. It doesn't take the time that it used to when I lived in town. Still, with prices so high and .22 unavailable, that's taken a lot of the joy out of it. I used to shoot a TON with a .22, and I've been able to buy just 1k rounds this year. Used to be I could shoot that much in a month or two, and it would only cost me $20. Now it costs $50 and I cant replenish my stock. IDK why people are still buying .22lr guns at the store when you can't get ammo. Makes no sense.

 

[Ignition Override]

No way...have only been into guns since late '07 (then age 52). Y'all have such a vast head start.

A major benefit and the main source of fun is having access to some 'traditional' types of shooting areas.
With a very First handgun to be picked up this week (WW2 German), it's a totally new perspective.

 

[Mike1234567]

I was never obsessed with firearms but I've always enjoyed them. I'm more a casual plinker and have never really hunted. I shot one sparrow as a child and felt guilty about it... but that was just a waste of a life because it was causing no harm and it served no practical purpose.

A few years ago I shot a pit bull in the head because it was definitely one of a pack of three that was on the verge of attacking me a couple days earlier and at that very moment it had its jaws locked on the throat of a neighbor's harmless pet dog and I couldn't get it to let loose. I'm still perfectly fine with killing that beast.

I could and would hunt if I really needed to.

I'm more in the frame of mind that I want to have what I might need... better to be prepared if needs arise. I recently had to re-think my choices due to financial constraints. So I've paired down both quantity and individual cost of firearms. That stated, I'm determined to buy another AR with .223/5.56 and .458 SOCOM uppers plus either a 7.62x39 or .300BO upper.

Did my interest wane? No, it's unchanged. My thinking changed to be more fiscally practical for my purposes. Had I a gazillion dollars then I'd be as obsessed about firearms as I am about other things. OCD, unchecked, can be extremely expensive.

 

[SC Shooter]

If your hobby is restricted to buying and shooting, then you are right, it does get pretty costly. I have expanded the hobby to include buying used and then repairing or restoring. I got into reloading, but not just to reduce cost. I build the perfect cartridge.

If all else fails, tell your wife how much cheaper this hobby is than golf.

 

[Mike1234567]

I hate golf. And I'm divorced.

 

[12Pump]

I'd say my interest has definately waned. In the past, I was fascinated by the different types and styles of guns and would salivate over them in the gun magazines and then eventually have to buy one. Nowadays, I think much more practically and only have what I feel I need, which isn't all that much. All the ones I bought out of pure want are gone now. The price of ammo and more restrictive rules at ranges have reduced my gun activity down to practically nothing.

So yeah, I'd say my interest has waned. When the laws and rules--and prices and availability--make something less enjoyable, then it's hard to hold interest beyond what's practical.

 

[Mike1234567]

Folks...

Don't confuse "immediate" personal realizations (give those some 'thinking' time) and changing/growing perceived practicalities... with waning interest. As time marches forward, as with all things, we begin to better understand the practical nature of all things. This, even more importantly and with greater consequences, happens in our personal relationships. Why are firearms different than anything else truly important? We shed our childish ways and adopt more adult ones. Our personal wisdom comes from our own practical experiences and common sense.

Our lust (OCD) affects every aspect of our lives and especially those close to us. YES, I'm directly comparing OCD/WEAKNESS with LUST/GREED. Because that's the God-honest truth of it.

EDIT: Not intending to preach or condescend... just sharing my own personal experiences.