Special place in my heart for "worn" guns?

O

oldcars

New member
OK, so yesterday I looked at a Python that may or may-not be for sale (friend hasn't decided yet) and it was the worst condition Python I have ever seen. Almost half the bluing was gone, the sights had been painted, but the lock-up and action were perfect. Definantly carried MUCH more than shot! The gun was a police gun at one time and showed it. I have never owned a Python before but I think this 4" blued beater is one of the coolest ones I have seen because it was used. If I bought it I would cary it just the same way. Does anyone else kind of like well-worn guns or am I odd? I like to see a 1911 with the edges worn, or a S&W with rub marks, or even an AR that is not a "safe queen" . Mabe it's because I have a better chance of affording them?
I wish I had my camera with me when I saw the Python. anyone have Pics of cool "well-used but not abused" guns?
 
Used , not abused is the distinction I make as well. I would rather have a 99% gun but if it is mechanically sound there is a certain something about a gun with honest wear. I don't think that is odd at all and if you can get the Python at a reasonable price don't pass it up IMHO. :)
 
I stopped calling them "Beat-Up Old Guns" years ago after I got to putting some of mine through the ringer. Now I take care of my weapons. They are happy and healthy. But they wear their character on their sleeves quite proudly. Holster wear, a ding here or there, some rings on cylinders. It all adds to the character of a gun. I learned long ago that there is more to life than keeping your posessions, and your person, looking like they've never been used.

That said, there are a couple I still baby like they're made of glass. But I'm certainly not ashamed of my worn firearms. I think one might have the fingerprints of my right hand squeezed into the grips by now.

~LT
 
It sounds like my T series Browning. I rescued that gun from a lady that inherited it. It was full of dings and scrapes but works just like every other High Power, beautifully.

I refurbished her and has been my favourite gun since. My daily carry and has saved my life more than once.

Once armed robbers attacked our business, knocked me to the ground with a knife in my face. When i felt her in my hand i felt immediate reassurance. Killed the guy that stabbed me and seriously wounding the other two.

After the ordeal i swore that there is no more dependable gun, she remembered that i nursed her back to glory and said thank you when it really mattered.

I have around 30 handguns, from high end goodies to one or 2 Taurus but that gun is my favourite by far. She is always with me.
 
My Trooper Mk III is like that,,,

It was carried over 25 years,,,
I got it from an old cattle rancher,,,
It was his every day round the ranch carry piece,,,
Lotsa use but no abuse is how I would describe the old gal.

Raquel is her name,,,
You can see a lot of difference,,,
Between her and the pristine 6" .22 cal.

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She locks up tight and shoots straight,,,
I think of her like the Madam of an old bawdy house.

Aarond
 
"Does anyone else kind of like well-worn guns or am I odd?"

I'm with you. I can identify with an old beat-up gun that I've been through a lot with... Those dings and wear-marks are histories and MEMORIES!

Amin, your story touched me... Thanks for telling... There's somethin' special about those Hi-Powers just as there was something special about John Moses Browning... If American gun owners have a saint, it's got to be him!
 
+1

I just bought a beat up old ex-police issue Hi Power. I love the way the bluing is worn at the edges, there are a few scratches here and there. Somehow that gives me confidence that I wouldn't have in a brand new gun. Which is funny because I don't carry, so I have no reason to worry about malfunctions, but I still like it the way it is.
 
Years ago I asked a local gun guru about buying a Colt .357 with somehwat worn bluing, he replied:
"You don't shoot bluing."
 
I'll have to dig around in order to get some pics, but I do know what you mean. I recently traded a couple safe queens for a daily carry weapon and an old rifle I wanted. I prefer shooters and enjoy that aspect of gun ownership more so than having something in my safe that rarely gets even looked at. It's just my preference.

My favorite shooters are all worn and probably not worth much to collectors, even though they are high-quality arms. Dan Wesson 15-2 and Colt Combat Commander being two of my favorites.

I think that for some of us, there is a somewhat personal relationship with our favorite handguns (or long guns too for that matter). That is evidenced by the fact that we may just name our favorite piece. :P
 
Well cared for but hard used guns are so real. Most guns dont leave the gun cases till they reach the tree stand or range dont have any caractor. I just saw a 1894 Winchester that had NO bluing left and very little finish, the gun was in excellent shape minus the finish. Under the buttplate is a mans name and the words "Fairbanks Alaska". Holding this gun made me shiver, thinking of all the game it has taken and all the places it had been. Guns with a few boo-boo's have the "been there, done that and got the scars to prove it" look.
 
Nothing, NOTHING looks as nice as an old Peacemaker or a Winchester worn down to gun metal gray with smooth worn stocks.
 
Yep, I bring home strays all the time. Most of the time I can clean them up a bit and enjoy them for years.

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This is my current work in progress. You just wonder what stories these guns could tell...
 
Some of my favorite shooters fall into the category of used but not abused:

Here's one of my EDC guns I purchased with wear on it, a Baer Stinger. Got a good discount off the new price and it is a tack driver:

Baer_Stinger_DSCN9539.jpg


Here's a Model 15 that is an excellent shooter. Has some wear on the high points (can't really see it in the picture) and it has been shot enough to create a wonderful DA trigger but it is still tight:

SW_Model_15_02.jpg


This SW Model 65 was a police or security guard trade-in. It had been carried and handled quite a bit but shot only a moderate amount. Again, a very nice trigger. I polished it up a bit, though it still has some minor handling marks. I use it for my bedside gun:

SW_Model_65-3_DSCN1608.jpg
 
Someone here posted a photo of their "everyday gun," which was a S&W Model 29, 4-inch barrel. It was well worn and my ideal of a perfect revolver.

I don't think they look at all worse for the wear they have taken over the years. Like many tools, they take on a particular shine from the handling. Take a look at the small arms soldiers carry daily. They look the same. I've also seen Winchester 94s in Western gear catalogs that had little bluing left but there wasn't a spec of rust or pitting. Everything was shiny.

On the other hand, there's something nice about something that's beautifully blued and nothing was made nicer than the Python with a blue that looks like you could dive right in. But as someone said, it shows scratches easily.
 
I feel holster wear is pretty and grip wear is beautiful.

While I have a case queen I love, if I had to give up all but one, it would be my worn carry .45

If they werent meant to be shot, they wouldnt have holes in the end.
 
Honest wear and the patina of age and weathering look good on a blued gun. Malamute's 44 is a good example of that.
 
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