"Now it just stays in the safe..." Why?

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Jim NE

Jim NE

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I've read several comments over the past months by some folks who own a gun that's out of favor, isn't as accurate as they want, or the quality is substandard or has some other problem, and they'll say "Now it just stays in the safe and never gets shot."

I'm not sure I understand why this happens. I'm not being critical...just genuinely don't understand. Have you guys not had time to sell it? Or send it in for warranty? Or you're saving up to pay a gunsmith? Maybe you just have an aversion to getting rid of guns. I'm kind of that way (now).

But I have a greater aversion to having guns that don't work like I want. Minor problems that are awaiting repair or are non-critical (like my KelTec last round slide lock not working) are a different matter, but they don't keep me from using the gun (unless it's a safety issue.)

The other thing is, I have a policy not to buy more guns than my safe can hold (It's a smaller safe) so space is at a premium. Just curious.
 
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You aren't suggesting sticking some other guy with your problem are you? That's not very nice...
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I didn't say you had to be dishonest to the person you're selling it to. THAT wouldn't be very nice.

And many of the scenarios are where a guy doesn't like a DA/SA pistol or it's a Hi-Point or something - just a matter of preference.

Not fixing a gun seems like a bigger waste of money than fixing it, but maybe that's just me. There are such things as wall hangers, but these don't sound like wall hangers, cuz they're put back in the safe. Again, not being critical. Just curious.
 
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My Yugo Mauser 48A is no longer used because I was unfamiliar with how to use the sights before the purchase, and still do not like them at all, having very little skill with it. That is the only reason it is for sale, and it will be FTF (Memphis area) only.
Of course a B-Square mount which requires No perm. alteration could hold a scope, but the time/trouble required is overkill for small objects at 50 yards.

On another note, it's such an ironic situation that no more cheap surplus ammo is available for classic rifles with original aperture sights, but only for certain varieties whose original sights are open.
 
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I have a Mosin that I never really shoot anymore for a wide variety of reasons.

The market is absolutely flooded and its condition is relatively poor, so it would only bring a pittance. It currently isn't worth the effort to sell, and someday I might want to try to fix it up a little.
 
What about them staying in there just because you have so damn many you just don`t have time to shoot them all.................
 
I bought an unfired (according to the little old lady) sock drawer Colt Python in the Gander Mtn parking lot. Dont wanna fire it and lose the added value of LNIB Python. Could one day wind up paying part of my daughters tuition with that piece of history. Well worth keeping it that way.
 
I think you guys are missing the point. I don't think the OP is talking about a mosin worth $90, a LNIB python or other valuable collectors item you keep in the safe for obvious reasons.

I think he is talking about the guys who buy a new gun, shoot it some, find out they don't like it in one way or another and then stick it in the back of the safe to be forgotten.
 
doc2rn, should've mentioned I wasn't really including mint collector pieces, or guns that are scheduled to be sold /repaired or about just not having enough time to shoot. I'm talking about guns that people just don't like anymore.

It could be that people are thinking they'll fall back in love with them. There's actually a logic to that, as we've all sold guns that we regretted selling later on.
 
I think he is talking about the guys who buy a new gun, shoot it some, find out they don't like it in one way or another and then stick it in the back of the safe to be forgotten.
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Exactly. 1911's and stuff.
 
I have several guns i've never fired or have only fired a few times. Not because of value but because I shoot .22 rimfire most because of cost. I'll get a wild hair and shoot off 3 or 4 boxes now and then but one those occasions it's normally my chosen defense gun or critter rifle.

Some of my guns I bought to fill a need or a perceived hole in my collection, and some I bought because the price was right and i've never lost money on a gun. If I don't enjoy shootin them and times are hard or I find a good trade I have no problem parting with them.
 
I Haz That Pattern

I have a pistol like that.

It's a nice full sized XD-40 with tritium night sights.

It works beautifully. In the right hands, it shoots fine groups. However, in hands like mine, not so much.

I have arthritis and, it would seem, I actually had arthritis when I bought the pistol but didn't realize it yet. The .40 S&W is a snappy little cartridge, and firing it caused low level pain and rapid hand fatigue.

For some reason, that doesn't happen with any of my 9mm pistols.

One of these days I'll meet a guy with a 1911 or an XD-45 who wants to trade straight across for the XD-40. Magically, he will also have 1,000 rounds of ammo to go with his trade, just as I have 1,000 rounds of .40 S&W to go with mine.

Haven't met that guy yet. Gun mostly sits in the safe.

And, yes, I can actually hit a grapefruit-sized target at 30 feet with it, just not with any comfort. So if I had to use it, I'm sure it would do the job.

But it doesn't see much practice. I should probably clean it, though. Just, y'know, on general principles.

 
When I was younger I was pretty ruthless with my ownership of a gun. If it wasn't up to standard or didn't work out right for me I got rid of it fast.

I once bought a brand new Beretta 92F, shot it at the indoor range attached to the store. Walked back in to the store and traded it in on a Glock. I took a loss on it but got rid of somthing that I couldn't hit the target with. I still have the Glock but I would never do somting like that now.

In my 30s I had less time to shoot and more money to spend so I ended up collecting a bunch of guns. A C&R ffl and phone were my down fall. So I had a lot of guns at that time that I didn't shoot. I still have a few in my safe that I don't shoot.

Once I turned 50 I started to think more about what I am going to use and what I am going to do with what I have now. I have been working on a list of what I want to sell off from my collection and how I want my new collection to look when I am done. Unless my daughters marry guys that are into guns I don't have anyone that will realy want them. So in the next few years I will get rid of some of the stuff that I don't shoot or never have shot.

Its sort of like a life cycle.

WB
 
I've got a few guns that I got such a great deal on that I could not say no to buying them, but I don't have a burning desire to shoot them on a regular basis.

Also as my CCW style and habits have changed, guns that I acquired to suit the mode I was in at the time are no longer what I choose to carry. They get stuck in the safe for now.

Also got a couple that I know replacement parts are almost impossible to find and which are quite elderly already. Guns like that are one major component failure away from the parts bin. I still shoot them now and then but not regularly.

My last Glock (An early Model 21) is almost unfired in the original box with all the pieces, manual, paperwork, and a bunch of spare magazines. I bought it because Glocks were the fashion in the early 1990s, and I wanted a 45. Had never seen or held a Glock 21 prior, but the 17 and 19 were OK...Nobody has ever said that my hands were small and even I don't like the size of the grip. It's sentimental to keep now, it's my last Glock. Wish I had not bought it, but then I was buying what I thought I wanted, not what I knew worked for me.
 
People dislike to admit their failures. Therefore, keeping one in the safe is better than selling it off and admitting that they made bad use of a few hundred dollars.
 
I cleaned out my safe a few years ago.When I turned 50 I decided I liked range time with weapons I liked more than having a safe full of stuff I didn't shoot. I sold off Weatherbys, S.I.G.s, Rugers, and Savages and bought more older Colt and S&W revolvers and CZ rimfire rifles. I still have 5 shotguns ( a Remington 1100, an Ithica -37, a Win 1300, and 2 Win Model 12s) and don't hunt any more. Also have 2 muzzle loading rifles that get shot 1-2 times a year.
 
I have many guns that I seldom shoot and a few that I never shoot. There are a variety of reasons for this.
A. They are "heirlooms" that I inherited or aquired from a deceased friend's spouse. These include old shotguns and pistols that are perfectly usable like my Mossberg 185, Colt Trooper in .38, Antonio Zoli Silver Snipe O/U 12g, Remington 72 pump .22, Colt Trooper .357, Winchester 37 16 g break action. All of these are servicable but virtually never get taken out of the safe.
B. Guns I have bought over the years and then basically replaced them with one I like better This includes a couple of 9mm pistols, several hunting rifles and 2 BP rifles.
C. I can't afford to shoot them. 45-70 and a Japanese Type 26 Revolver.
D. And the main reason is that I have never sold any gun. NEVER! Maybe it is a fault of mine but I am a sucker for a $100 .22 rifle. I just counted and I have 12 of them.

About 10 years ago I took a small closet in my house and converted it to a gun storage facility. It isn't fireproof and a burglar could break into it by breaking through plaster walls but I keep all my unloved and/or cheap guns in there. The good stuff is in gun safes. I could probably sell all the "junk" and make a couple thousand but I just will not do it.
 
I have a couple of my grandfathers old guns that are really not in shooting condition. They are the only things of his that I have left and they would not be worth much as all they are good for is wall hangers.
 
Well, to the OP's question, that is just the way I roll. Guns aren't hurting anything thing in the safe and if I want to bother with them...I just go get them.
 
Reading some of the posts make me realize that there are legitimate reasons to keep guns you don't fancy so much anymore. If I think about it, and I'm honest, there are one or two like that in my safe...I just forgot about them:) I still haven't shot my new sr9c because after dry firing it a few times, I'm not sure the trigger is what I want, but I can't say that I dislike the gun. It's cool in many ways. A cheap H&R revolver that I have has malfunctioned on occasion, and .32 S&W ammo is too pricey, but I can't say I dislike that gun either.

But I had a used $700 Colt SAA awhile back that was very inaccurate, not only for me, but for other shooters, and I couldn't get rid of that fast thing enough, despite it's great looks. Never regretted it and pretty sure I'd do the same today.

One reason for keeping guns you don't want that hasn't been mentioned: legacy for children/heirs. The gun rights movement is strong today, but in 30 years...who knows? Future gun ownership rights shouldn't be a forgone conclusion.
 
Actually I had one gun that applies here, a 1977 Remington 700 VS in .25-06. About 6 years ago the barrel wore out. After looking around I ended up having a Krieger match barrel installed on the gun in the same caliber as original. I was promised groups under 1/2" by the gunsmith.

After waiting all winter the gun came back to me in the spring. And off to the range I went. After shooting 20 rounds I found the target very disappointing with a group of 1.5". That rifle was banished to the back of the safe, never to be seen again. I was sure I was taken in by the promise of a sweet shooting gun.

Here's where the story gets good. Two years ago I had a chance to go ground hog hunting in the summer and had just sold off a Savage varminter. I was gunless! The only option was to use the old 700 in .25-06 in the back of the safe. Looking around the room I had one last box of 87 gr ammo loaded. When I last fired the gun I tried shooting 100 gr bullets. This meant a quick trip to the range to sight in. I threw up a target at 100 yards, fired 5 shots and walked down to see where the impact was.

I couldn't believe my eyes, there on the target was one ragged hole, well under 1/2". This rifle no longer sits in the safe.
 
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