When you retired, did your time spent with guns increase, or*?

[Ignition Override]

This could be the situation in a year or so.
The bug never bit me until age 52 ('07), so the background is more limited than what many of y'all still in your 20s have experienced.

Basically, did partial or full retirement help cure much or most of the "infection"?
At least there would be more than enough time to learn how to reload M2 Ball for the M-1s.

 

[rcmodel]

Mine went to Heck in a hand-basket 3-4 years after I retired in 1999.
More money then I knew what to do with, and 24/7 free time.

At first I was catching up on all the big home repairs I had never had time for the first year.

Then, my wife came down health problems that made me a full time baby-sitter.
I can't even go to a gun show, or hunting, or shooting now!

If you & yours health doesn't go up in smoke?
And you don't have any other pressing issues?

You could easily shoot several times a week if you want too though.

rc

 

[e rex]

Retired at age 58 about 15 years ago. Caught up things I didn't have time for before.
Shot the revolver a little every day, melted lead and reloaded. Yes, you can do any damn thing you want to unless the wife has different ideas. Only thing I hated about retirement was the loss of an excuse when she wanted to do something and I didn't.
"I have to work that day" doesn't work anymore.
Rex

 

[moxie]

There are the health problems requiring long drives to doctors and hospitals. This is all too common as we age.

But, there is still plenty of time, with God's grace, to travel and take care of all the main hobbies, SCUBA, shooting, reloading, even a little hunting in the Rockies.

 

[Red Wind]

When I retired in 2003, I was going to the range at least monthly. almost always a hunting trip every fall to various locales nationally, buying new guns every 6 months and tinkering with my firearms on a weekly basis.

Now, the range is down to 3 times a year, the hunting has almost vanished, gun buying has ended except for Mil-Surps, and the tinkering no longer tinkles.

Something happened. Suddenly, you have all that time for travel to faraway USA and foreign locales, more reading , reflecting. And age. It just creeps up on you and it's reflected in the mirror every single day.

 

[jlr1962]

I had an 18 month period while a biness venture came together that has me back to the standard work week. During that 18 months, I did more landscape projects, shooting, and neglected house work than I had the previous 10 years. I still shoot more than I did prior to my wait. My dogs got spoiled during that time as well.

rc, your wisdom is of great value to many of us here. You remind me of one of my former employer's.

 

[cfullgraf]

Since i retired, I can't figure out when I had time to work.

Some of time spent is firearm related.

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

Doing a lot of bullet casting/reloading the thousands of cases. I have cast at least 5 thousand of each pistol round. I have recently took apart most of my guns and did complete cleaning/oiling.
I have done a complete listing of where and when I bought all of my guns and paid price. This list includes serial numbers and current value.

 

[dwstone1227]

Yes. By quantum leaps.
Don't forget to volunteer too. I spend a couple of weeks each year at Camp Perry. Great fun. Free board and a few bucks that help cover meal expenses.

 

[IKE]

I just retired April 1st of this year.

Prior to retiring I'd pay my yearly gun club dues and maybe go four or five times a year now I go to the range two or three times a week for two or three hours weekday mornings........unlike weekday afternoons and weekends if I get there at around 7:00 a.m. 99% of the time I have the range all to myself unless another old fart like myself shows up.

I do reload and shoot mostly handguns in .22 LR, .357 Mag, 45 ACP and .44 Mag.

 

[md2lgyk]

I retired 7 years ago at age 60. As I got older, I found myself shooting less and less. I still reload, buy and sell guns, shoot the occasional bullseye match, and compete in my club's summer bullseye league, but don't hop in the RV and travel around the country to matches like I did 30 years ago. Once I accepted that no amount of practice was going to allow me to make Distinguished, I decided just to shoot when I felt like it. It's actually more fun that way.

 

[bikerdoc]

I was forced to retire in 06 at age 58 due to an injury.
In the ensuing 9 years I have increased my shooting and fishing. Except for some other health problems that sldelined me for a few months at a time, im out shooting about 3 times a week, and teach once a month.
Making the grandkids, 10, 9, and 8, safe shooters is rewarding.
Tbe oldest girl is a great squirrel hunter and and even better fisherman.
Life is good.

 

[lemaymiami]

I retired out 20 years ago at age 47 from a LE career. I immediately went back to school and got my boat captain's license -then began a second career as a fishing guide (and I'm still going strong... working seven days a week when there's lots of bookings or staying home when my phone doesn't ring....). The day I quit police work I quit carrying a sidearm -and have kept that routine all the years since.... I just renewed my carry permit that I got as part of my retirement package -but I've never used it even once....

The next time I retire it will only happen if I'm forced to....

 

[Sav .250]

Range time ....once in a while. Maybe.

Spend more time fishing. Living in Florida is a great place if your a bass fishermen.

 

[longknife12]

Retired in 2012...age 70. As to range time, I don't go as much as I used to.
Reloading...have got my components arranged.....between that and loaded stuff...I'm good for 25 years.
No health problems.....just don't go to range that much!
Dan

 

[GBExpat]

When you retired, did your time spent with guns increase, or*?

Short answer: Yes, my firearms-related time increased.

 

[Scionti95]

After retirement, spent much more time with my guns and knifes. Have the honey-do stuff, but still time for the collection. Turn 74 years old tomorrow and think I am doing OK. Had a heart attack a few years ago and now need a knee replacement. See those as potholes in the road to getting old. Still buying guns and knifes and enjoying my hobbies. Get out to the range weekly, enjoy cleaning my revolvers, semi's along with my AR.
I think it all goes back to attitude and I am not letting a few age numbers get in the way. Gonna enjoy the ride as much as I can. Oops, gota go. I was just reminded I didn't finish mopping the balcony deck.

 

[highlander 5]

Retired the end of 2010 at 60 didn't go to the range much due to becoming the family "go to" guy for various family problems. Last year declared the family assistance department closed and been making the range 2 or 3 times a month
Agree with a previous poster in the fact of how I got anything done working 8 hours a day.

 

[bannockburn]

Wait, you mean you're actually allowed to retire?

 

[ku4hx]

When people ask me what I do all day long as a retiree, I just ask them what they do every Saturday and think of all of their days as Saturdays. Medical appointments notwithstanding.

Many can't fathom a life where they don't have a schedule to meet and some other person's agenda to work. Some just never get it that my job was not my real life; my job enabled my real life. And I'm now living my real life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year.

Usually I sum up the conversation with this, "Twenty-fours hours in a day is just not enough time to do all the nothing I want to do".

As to the question about time spent: up ... way up. So did my wife's time.

 

[DLam]

what is this retirement thing you speak of?

 

[RainDodger]

Interesting reading! I'm retiring at the end of the month! 30 Sep means no more corporate life for me! I've stockpiled enough loading supplies to get me through the lean times and plan on shooting a minimum of each week. I'm lucky to be able to shoot handguns and rimfire on my own property and test the occasional center fire rifle load, so that will make it easier.

 

[jcwit]

I retired also at the age of 58, I'm now 72, enjoying life to the fullest and least to the fullest that my body allows.

Just returned to air rifle shooting, and don't refer to it as BB guns. Week ago I finished rebuilding an Anschutz 250 Target Master air rifle. Accurate? It doesn't shoot one hole groups, it stacks the pellets one on top of the other.

 

[ku4hx]

what is this retirement thing you speak of?

For me, it was that time in my life when I regained the soul I sold to the corporate world over half century ago. That period where I no longer answer to "the man" or his company policies. There are limits for sure, but like I said, it's a new period of living with a regained soul that is mine and not some corporate version.

 

[Furncliff]

I retired about eight years ago and moved back west. The new house is only 20 years old and requires minimal care ( as opposed to the 100year old houses we lived in previously)...Yeah.

There is a small slice of BLM land ten minutes away and I go shooting several times a week, I took up reloading pistol calibers and have learned more about what makes firearms work than I ever knew before (thanks to all the knowledgable folks here).