Does anyone else enjoy collecting more than shooting?

When I was a kid I went hunting every day with a BB gun.

Now I am an old man, and I go to the gun show every month and buy old guns.

I go to the range every 3 months.

I go hunting once a year and shoot a deer.

But what I really do a lot of is reading gun forums... a couple hours per day.
 
I may actually enjoy collecting more than I like shooting. I'm especially fond of milsurp. That being said, I shoot all my guns. I only own one gun that I have yet to shoot, but that's only because I haven't had the chance.

Anyways, I really like learning about the inner working of different types of firearms in general. The history of particular guns, especially milsurp, is also quite enticing to me.
 
You are not alone my friend. I too "collect" in a similar way. My life if pretty hectic and I do not have the time I would like to shoot all my guns. However, when I come across something interesting I add it to my collection, to be shot at a later date. I know I have at least a half dozen in the safe right now waiting to be shot. Bought a new SS Ruger Single Six today because it was a good deal and I have recently gotten interested in SA revolvers. Need to shoot that one soo:)

Sometimes just cleaning and polishing with a beer is a great way for me just to shut off my mind for a while......unless I forget how it goes back together:confused:
 
Collecting is my second favorite hobby right behind shooting and just a tad ahead of reloading,but I do follow one rule nothing goes in my collection if it isnt gonna get shot.Doesnt have to come out the safe every trip but it does need to make a trip to the club every once in a while.I also follow one other rule once its in-its in to stay.
 
Shooter and Collector, mostly

I'm sure, somewhere it is written that a gun owner, goes through different phases along this "Great Adventure". .... :)
In my youth, I started out as a hunter and guns that fit those requirements. Now, most of what I shoot are M/L's and collect them as well. A fun time at the range, is shooting one of my SideLocks. ..... ;)

You Have;
Hunters; They usually don't collect.
Shooters; They usually don't hunt.
Collectors; They usually don't hunt or shoot.
Sellers; They usually don't collect, hunt or shoot, only make a profit!!

I guess, to varying degrees, I'm a little of all the above. ... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I have evolved into a software > hardware guy. I love shooting more than I love buying new firearms.
 
You Have;
Hunters; They usually don't collect.
Shooters; They usually don't hunt.
Collectors; They usually don't hunt or shoot.
Sellers; They usually don't collect, hunt or shoot, only make a profit!!
Click to expand...

I hunt, I shoot, and I also collect. The 25% - 35% of the guns I own and shoot, I shoot a lot. I have one rifle I use for hunting - Savage 110 30-06. I don't need nor want anything fancier than that for hunting. It gets wet, and even though I'm careful with it, it gets banged around a little.

I have about 5 range pistols: Sig X-Five, EAA Stock 10mm, Ruger Mark II, High Standard Sport King and a S&W 659.

I have one shotgun I use for Skeet and Sporting Clays.

I have a couple semi-auto rifles and one full-auto that are range toys.

Other than that, the rest of my guns are divided between "never shoot" and a few are "rarely shoot". I just don't feel compelled to shoot every gun I buy.
 
I enjoy collecting or accumulating some interesting firearms. I also enjoy shooting and hunting. Most of my "collector" guns never get shot. They will depart my cold dead hands in the same condition I received them in.

For me, this gun interest is a continium. At first it was all about hunting and if it wasn't for hunting, I wasn't interested in buying or owning. Then the self defense consideration entered the picture although it never really was absent, but I didn't buy guns specifically for self defense. As I mature, I tend to shoot certain guns and the rest remain essentially un-used. But the I can always grab something I haven't shot in a while and have some fun.

But yes, I enjoy just owning and it doesn't particularly bother me if I don't shoot them.
 
I'd say I'm the same way as you, I absolutely love shooting all of my guns, but I really like handling them, taking them apart, studying how they work, cleaning them, and just admiring them.
 
I really enjoy shooting but collecting M1 carbines was my passion for a while. It took me almost 30 years to get one of each manufacturer. I remember how excited I was the day the last one arrived.
 
I have been organizing guns so the wife can sell them when I die.
Given her ancestry, she will out live my by 25 years.

This has been a big help to ME in the meantime.
I am putting tags on guns that tells ME the date of manufacture, the date I bought it, and how much I paid for it.

So in 2033 when my widow walks into a pawn shop to sell my rifles like stack of cord wood, she will not be going in blind.

It becoming the Minnie Pearl gun collection.
 

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Bit by bit my involvement in the shooting sports has changed, especially with age and my knowledge and involvment in historical themes. I am definitely transitioning from shooting to collecting. I believe 90% of my most recent purchases have been custom made. And although I am not deficient in ammo by any stretch of the imagination, the drought has certainly had a chilling effect on actual shooting.

 
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Can't take them with us !!!

I have been organizing guns so the wife can sell them when I die.
Click to expand...
That is a great idea and will be of great assistance. In addition to this, I'm working on data sheets for each one, listing a current value. A template, is available on the internet and I believe, there is also an example of one, in the Blue-Book. ... ;)

I will be taking one of my old Bowies with me. ..... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Hello Pahoo & Clark,,,

Your two posts reminded me of a T-Shirt I saw at a gun show:

Dear Lord. Please don't let my widow sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them.

Aarond:

I find I'm moving towards the Collector (amasser) side of the fence.

I own 37 handguns,,,
Of which I only shoot 7 of them regularly.

But I can't seem to stay away from Gunbroker and The Evil Pawn Shop,,,
It seems I'm always on the lookout for that next bargain 22 revolver.

I re-purpose a lot of rimfire handguns though,,,
A month ago I gave a bargain High Standard Sentinel to a friend,,,
I bought it for $110, spent a day cleaning it and making a nice range holster & belt.

I gave it away to a nice young engineering student who I've taken to the range a few times,,,
It was a win-win situation as I got some pleasure from buying the gun,,,
Then I got some pleasure making a nice range rig for it,,,
Then I got to see a grateful kid use his new gun.

My shooting has slowed down due to the unavailability of ammo,,,
But my searching and buying of used handguns has barely slowed at all.

Aarond

.
 
aarondhgraham said:
Your two posts reminded me of a T-Shirt I saw at a gun show:

Dear Lord. Please don't let my widow sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them.

Aarond:

I find I'm moving towards the Collector (amasser) side of the fence.

I own 37 handguns,,,
Of which I only shoot 7 of them regularly.

But I can't seem to stay away from Gunbroker and The Evil Pawn Shop,,,
It seems I'm always on the lookout for that next bargain 22 revolver.

I re-purpose a lot of rimfire handguns though,,,
A month ago I gave a bargain High Standard Sentinel to a friend,,,
I bought it for $110, spent a day cleaning it and making a nice range holster & belt.

I gave it away to a nice young engineering student who I've taken to the range a few times,,,
It was a win-win situation as I got some pleasure from buying the gun,,,
Then I got some pleasure making a nice range rig for it,,,
Then I got to see a grateful kid use his new gun.

My shooting has slowed down due to the unavailability of ammo,,,
But my searching and buying of used handguns has barely slowed at all.

Aarond

.
Click to expand...

You're a good egg Aarond
 
I collect other things. Almost all my guns are shooters. The one exception is a snubby Colt Cobra. I got it at a good price and its value seems to have doubled. Thus, I let it rest.
 
All of my guns get shot, some more than others:

The 12 ga that I inherited from my grandfather (cheating *jerk* that he was) gets shot very seldom, but stays ready for HD use.

The pistols I inherited from my dad were my first, and were my first carry pistols (Beretta 950B Minx and S&W Regulation Police). They don't get much action, and neither do their long nosed younger brothers (Beretta 950BS 4" and S&W Model 31 4"). They do get shot every few months...

My bread and butter guns are my multiple carry/nightstand guns, and they get plenty of time at the range, when I have time to go.

I also have 2 .22 LR rifles, one fairly new, one about a year old, and they go with me periodically just to get a little exercise.

I love buying, selling, and trading guns, and have a few that I will never get rid of; that said, every gun I own has been used, some very well used, and will never be a "safe queen."
 
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I just love all aspects of shooting sports. Shooting, collecting and the history of each gun. I also love the mechanics of guns and how they vary. I love all guns, cheap, expensive, rare, common. I also love cleaning them and understanding how they work. So I guess I enjoy everything about it. :)
 
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