Generation Gap?

8

'88Scrat

New member
Is it just me or is there a noticeable generation gap within our hobby? I ask because I think I might be the exception to the rule.

I'm 25 and I have a definite love of older style rifles like the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and old Mosin Nagant. All of my friends seem to only care about getting their next AR-15, laser sight, or tacticooled pistol. I'm not gonna say I don't like ARs and tactical stuff (I own an M1A EBR) but where is the appreciation of the older generation?

For example I saw an old Krag-Jorganson rifle at a show and fell in love, but my friends not only didn't know what it was but asked me why I would want it.

I know I might be starting a firestorm here but please say there are younger members out there who have an appreciation for older style rifles...
 
That is true with every generation and every type of gun, whether going from BP to smokeless, single shot to doubles; doubles to bolts and semis, and then to autos, let alone steel to aluminum to plastic........
Don't sweat it, go with what you like and realize that if it is unpopular now, you will be able to find some screaming deals
 
I'm about to turn 24, and since I got my permit (well, even before that) I have had a definite preference for older guns.

I own several semi-autos, and even an AR-15, but those are more profession-related that out of any true "like" of them. Given the choice I'd take a Colt Python over a Glock any day.

I'm still looking at a BP purchase, may even go with a muzzle-loader pistol someday, when I have the funds available...
 
I'm 25 and I have a definite love of older style rifles like the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and old Mosin Nagant. All of my friends seem to only care about getting their next AR-15, laser sight, or tacticooled pistol.
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I believe there is a general perception that the black guns are the future and wood and steel firearms are boring. This was clear to me during a state committee hearing when a Senator commented that the "brown gun" [M1garand] on display was acceptable but the black gun[AR15] was "Offensive". Clearly his generation grew up on the classic silhouette of the wood and steel firearm. The radical design of the black guns was to much change to adopt. Younger people readily accept the black guns as their contemporaries since they were more prevalent in their experience. We all know that all firearms do the same thing, namely expel projectiles by means of expanding gases. The AR style platform is in the news so much it infers that if you don't own one that you're missing something.
I own both but lean heavily to wood and steel. Everyone knows what they like and that is where they spend their money.
 
Nope you're not alone, I'm 19 and I like all guns, but the older ones have always interested me more. I started out with two modern guns, then decided to get a mosin nagant because they're old, cheap, and rich with history. I also have a CMP SG Springfield Armory M1 Garand on the way soon, which I absolutely can't wait to receive! I'll definitely be getting an AR15, and other modern guns sometime in the future, but there's just something about the older guns I like, particularly WW2 era rifles.
 
For example I saw an old Krag-Jorganson rifle at a show and fell in love, but my friends not only didn't know what it was but asked me why I would want it.
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Then they aren't your friends. ;)

There are generational gaps, and the differences are sometimes noticeable. The generation before mine displayed a more cavalier attitude about things like hearing protection, lead exposure, and safety in general. Those guys bought guns they saw in magazines and catalogs.

My generation seems to have eschewed the quiet pleasures of bullseye shooting in favor of IPSC/IDPA stuff. We bought guns we saw on Miami Vice.

The current generation seems to be more into the "tactical" hardware. They seem to buy the guns they see in video games.
 
I'm 24 right now, and love just about every type of firearm. From black powder muzzle loaders to the latest tacticool black rifle that comes in every flavor that's under the sun. My current obsession however, is trying to establish a small collection of historical rifles going up in order.

M1903 Springfield, M1 Garand, Springfield M1A, AR15 (M16 style), AR15 (M4 carbine variant) Armalite AR10

M91/30 Mosin Nagant, SVT-40 (a wild dream, not expecting much here), SKS or Romanian PSL (probably going to get the SKS), AK47 style rifle (haven't decided on a brand.), AKS-74u from rifle dynamics.

I think you see the pattern here. Eventually I want to also collect all the major WWII bolt action service rifles that are available. Wouldn't mind some of the old cowboy lever action repeaters either. So many guns so little time (and money!)


Don't sweat it, your friends are following the fads, as to be expected, but there are some of us "young guns" (pun intended) that appreciate the classics ;)
 
I'm 28 now but since I started buying firearms when I turned 18 I have had a definate preference for older rifles. My favorite hunting rifle is a pre-WWII Oberndorf Mauser in .30-06. My favorite squirrel gun is a Mossberg 146b made in the 40's. Just a couple examples but my safe is full of other examples. The vast majority of my long guns are vastly older than I am.
 
I may be from an older generation - just turned 55 - but I have always had a wide interest in guns. I have built, owned, and collected everything from C&B revolvers to NFA machineguns and everything in between. I was going to gun shows 40 years ago when parkerized finishes were still not so common. So I have seen the way things have changed over the years.

I believe a lot of this has to do with three things :

1) Portrayal of guns in the movies - In the 1970's you rarely saw a lot of military grade small arms in anything but war movies. During the 1980's both TV and movies started showing more semi-auto rifles and handguns. Look at the variety of guns shown in the first Terminator movie and compare that to the average gun-related TV show now.

2) A turning point in the US gun market happened when the PRC started exporting SKS's and AK's to the US market. In the very beginning there were few buyers because the 7.62X39mm round was still hard to find in the US. The PRC responded by dumping millions of rounds of ammo on the US market and all of the sudden anybody could afford some type of military style, semi-auto rifle and shoot it.

3) The internet - In the past people relied a lot on word of mouth for information about most topics. Example - in my youth I remember hearing from a number of people how an M-1 Carbine was illegal if possessed at the same time as a 30 round magazine. Few people even knew what an NFA weapon was. So many people either did not know what was legally available or what wasn't - many didn't know the difference between legal semi-auto and full auto. In this day and age, given an hour or so, Google can tell you more about the details of owning all types of firearms than I was able to find out about in my first 15 years of firearms ownership.

I also believe the gun bans which have come and gone, or stayed, have also influenced this to some extent. People see what is available and want to get some type of rifle or handgun while it is still available.
 
It is normal for most of a new generation to relate to and focus on the current modern firearms. That is what is being written about, what is being used by many of them in the military or LE.

When I got into guns in my 30s the semiauto was just gaining momentum and that is what I went for. Over the years I backfilled my interest and inventory with some revolvers and lever actions. Mainly because my Dad was a Pacific theater Marine I had an early interest in Garands. But I bought an AR15 first, similar to what my brother used in Vietnam.

Kudos to you to be wise enough at a young age to appreciate the legacy of firearms which served generations of gun owners before you.

But certainly some of you younger guys
 
Celebrate diversity, right? :)

I think a lot of it has to do with what you "grew up with." If the first guns you shot were M1s or Model 1894s, you'll probably trend toward classic, wood and blued steel firearms. If the first thing you shot was an M4 or Glock, you'll probably trend toward the more modern designs.
That said, I think most collectors/enthusiasts will wind up with some of each...it may just take a while to branch out.

I know one younger guy who was very excited about is M1 Carbine and 1858 Springfield. I'm not sure if he ever got the semi-auto BAR though.
 
I don't know what generation I fit.

I have no interest whatsoever in military rifles, old or new. No ARs, no garand, no AK, no Mauser or Krag, just no interest.

I also have little interest in revolvers of any kind.

I like bolt-action, blued or stainless, wood-stocked rifles and semi-auto handguns (of any and all styles) and single-shot handguns.

But, for a gun guy, I'm kind of an odd gun guy. I don't have any interest in guns for the sake of looking at them or fondling them and rarely just shooting for the sake of shooting. For all the interest that I have, it's peculiar to the purpose they serve and little else.
 
Not sure where I fall, generationally, lol.

I love and collect and shoot older guns such as 1903 bolts, M1 Garands, 1911s, levers, Mausers, Krags, OLD S&W revolvers, old Colts, etc, etc. In fact, my all time favorite guns to collect, hold, own and shoot are pinned and recessed S&W revolvers (IMHO there is not a finer example of the gunmakers art).

BUT, more and more my "using" guns tend toward the modern, polymer and aluminum. ARs, Glocks, XDs, etc. PROBABLY because I don't hunt much anymore, mostly my guns are for plinking at the range (old Smiths) and self/home defense (AR/XD, etc).

I guess I collect old guns, and use newer guns. Not that I would feel underarmed with an old gun at all, I just try to use the best available tool for the job at hand.

In my perfect world, I would live my life with an '03 Springfield rifle in my hand (chambered for 35 Whelen), a 1911 45acp on my hip and a S&W 49 revolver for a backup. BUT, in my real world, it's an AR in my hand, a SIG 9mm on my side and a J-frame Smith (a nod to the old ways) for my backup.

Just my take on the matter, and I HOPE that younger shooters continue to collect, shoot and LOVE old guns long after I have left the range.

Papershotshells
 
I am 24 and have always seemed to have an affinity for WW1/WW2 rifles. I just think they are an awesome part of history and I hope to own a few in my lifetime.

That being said I just bought an IWI Tavor which is far from anything in the WW's. I also own an FN FNS which is a polymer pistol and a CZ 85 which is all steel. No revolvers yet, but that's next on the list after maybe a shotgun or a Ruger MKiii. Only time will tell.

I just love firearms and their workings. They are fascinating machines.
 
But, for a gun guy, I'm kind of an odd gun guy. I don't have any interest in guns for the sake of looking at them or fondling them and rarely just shooting for the sake of shooting. For all the interest that I have, it's peculiar to the purpose they serve and little else.
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Peetza, you've been reloading too long! You only see guns now as tools to make empty cases. Dirty empty cases. Dirty empty cases with spent primers. Dirty empty cases with spent primers and case mouths yawning wide for more powder and lead! :D

I grew up with wood and blue, and started off with a Glock 21 and customized Redhawk 4" .44 mag. Now I have racks of WWII rifles, AR15s, mostly Glock pistols with a blue S&W 29 and 67 thrown in, and a mix of plastic and stainless and blue and wood bolt actions.
 
I'm 18. There are a lot of classic firearms I love: The 1903 Springfield, the BAR, the British Sten Gun, the K31, the P-08, and even the Nambu :D

I don't tend to like revolvers. I bet they're great to shoot and I would trust my life with one but as far as appeal and discussion, I just can't get into them. Same with double or single barrel shotguns.

There are exceptions to everything of course - I like the blued service style S&W revolvers and I like the recent "beefy" trend including the Python and the SP101 as well as the really unique revolvers (including the H&R .32 models). I like drilling/combo rifles too, just not traditional double barrels. I guess it's accurate to say that I like all of them, but discussions of differences between the two bore me.

I am more focused on my "modern" weapons. I love my CZ 75. My next rifle is an AR-15, and after that a shotgun so I can start training for 3-gun. Then it will be a bolt action rifle suitable for distance shooting and hunting, and then maybe a lever action because they're awesome.

If I could only pick one firearm to own for the rest of my life, it would probably be a BAR. Unless I had to survive on it, then it would probably be a combo rifle.

Granted, there are a lot of kids my age who won't touch anything that isn't an AK or a shotgun. I don't get it, but it's out there. Personally, my CZ 452 is one of the best looking guns I've ever seen. I love the wood and steel on it.

But, to each his own. My girlfriend's dad showed me an Olympic .22 sporter he had with interchangeable barrels. A friend that owns a gunshop offered him his pick of new AR-15s for it but he just doesn't like "tactical" rifles. He likes big bore hunting rifles.
 
I like em all, but i have a big spot in my heart for guns of historical significance. I have the mauser k98 my grandfather brought back from WWII, an old enfield and am wanting a garand pretty bad. At the same time, AKs and ARs interest me for the same reason. They aren't as old, but the AK has been the weapon of many a revolution(it's even on a few flags).

The younger crowd tends to like what they know. Most of them like ARs because of they see them in movies and video games. That's fine. IMO, if it gets them into the sport, that's all that matters. Personally, i like ARs because of the modular design and overall versitility of the platform. I like that i can buy a part from any major company, and know it will work.
 
I'm 19 and have a couple old military weapons (1917 Enfield and 1930 mosin). I find historic military weapons really interesting but the reason I don't have more is that all the rest (besides mausers) are considerably more expensive $700+ (like the 1903 Springfield, m1 garand, m1 carbine, m14) and I don't have the cash right now.

One thing I have no interest in however is old hunting rifles.
 
The AR15/M4 is as much an antique as the M1A. AR15 - tacticool??? It's about as tacticool as an old Colt Python. An M4 is just an old M16 with a couple of notches dremeled into the barrel extension and upper receiver.

If you want something modern or tacticool, you need to look to the KRISS, SCAR-17 (which would also be considered "old" by technology standards). The problem is that your government won't let you have the versions of these guns that still have their man-parts intact.
 
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