Do You Actually Use Your Expensive Custom Guns or Keep Them as Safe Queens?

[mushka]

I am 80 and have owned a bunch of guns in my life and I shot every one of them. Some a few times and some of them a lot. I never considered any of them, cheap or expensive, a safe queen.

 

[Mike in FL]

I use all my BP guns. A lot. But I have an unmentionable in 20 gauge with a bright nickel finish and the prettiest walnut I've ever seen. Not real expensive but oh so gorgeous. It is displayed high above my living room window out of reach without a ladder or high step stool. I will never shoot her. Didn't buy it to shoot. My son will inherit it. I have another over/under I have used and will use if ever I go a'field and don't take a muzzleloader, a thing I hardly ever do. A day in the woods without a muzzleloader is a chance wasted.

 

[Nav]

My gifted Browning Citori probably cost $2500 in 1990 (a fancy gun as far as I'm concerned), and after 30+ years of fields and duck blinds it is absolutely beat to hell and almost in the white with so much bluing gone. Still beautiful to me, and snaps open like butter from doing it 10,000 times. No one is going to hang that bad boy on a wall, but you can see a generation of honest use in it. Never had so much as a hiccup. Goes bang every time.

 

[SOLANCO]

I don't really like using original (ancient) parts. I'm old and clumsy, and accidents happen, so maybe it's a form of respect: I wouldn't want to damage or destroy them...

I can agree with this. I have and use two very nice flintlocks. They are of recent vintage. If I had an old original rifle I might take it to the range. Once. But certainly not into the field.

 

[Nazgul58]

Bought an unmentionable levergun in 348 Winchester once. Over 40 years old, still had the hangtag and tie on the lever, had never been operated. When the deal was finished I cut the tie and opened the action. The dealer about fainted. Shot it on the way home.

Don

 

[SOLANCO]

Not much discussed is the accuracy of the custom guns. Most of accuracy is in the shooter, granted. But a rifle either shoots true to its sights or somewhere else.

 

[52Bore]

They were made to use..
We are caretakers for the next generation to enjoy.. We shall not abuse them in any way.
This percussion is one of my favorites, have shot it a lot over 3 decades and I even got lucky one nice afternoon a few years ago. Wasn’t the 1st and hopefully not the last, but certainly the biggest with the rifle.

 

[TrailWalker]

They were made to use..
We are caretakers for the next generation to enjoy.. We shall not abuse them in any way.
This percussion is one of my favorites, have shot it a lot over 3 decades and I even got lucky one nice afternoon a few years ago. Wasn’t the 1st and hopefully not the last, but certainly the biggest with the rifle.
View attachment 343425

That’s a beauty (the buck and the gun)! How much did that set you back?

 

[SOLANCO]

That’s a beauty (the buck and the gun)! How much did that set you bac

It is priceless. As was your day afield with it.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Well I don’t have expensive high end guns. Call me weird but I am very content with my USA made Cva mountain rifle. For me I would consider a Kibler a high end rifle. I would definitely buy his Hawken if he produces it. I would definitely use it proper, but take care of it. I don’t mind seeing nice guns that show they have been used.

 

[bpd303]

Can you imagine what dies for all those would cost?

I have dies for 36 calibers that I reload for.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I've got (literally, by actual count) three dozen different cartridge calibers. Can you imagine what dies for all those would cost? I only reload 45-70 and that's because I can reload with black powder and lead bullets and shoot as original in my vintage Trapdoors.

The dies are the cheap part, you have to have multiple molds for each caliber then all the different possible powders! I load at minimum 30 different calibers. Reloading is how I relax.

 

[bpd303]

I have 45 different molds that I cast boolits & round balls for & 18 H&I dies to go with 3 resizer presses along with 5 reloading presses.

 

[The Miner '49er]

This certainly is a very interesting discussion, and one that's driving me crazy. Each of my guns is special to me and I shoot them. All, that is, except for one boxed set of twin caplock pistols. They are not in the lofty value realm as many of the guns shown here, but they and their accoutrements are unfired and pristine, and they cost more than what would usually be in my budget. I'm torn as to what to do with them. I would like nothing better than to use them with care because as most have said, guns are made to be used. I get that. On the flip side we all know the bell can't be unrung. On these guns the screws are handmade, the slots are hand cut, and the heads are engraved. I can't imagine putting a gunsmith screwdriver on them to do a teardown for cleaning. I enjoy displaying them, but squeezing the triggers would be fun. Guess I'll fight with myself a while longer.

 

[Hermit Tim]

I used to be the guy that didn't want to take a too nice gun to the woods and beat it up. I'm very good at destroying things when I don't mean to. I don't nor have ever owned a high end BP gun. I do have two old unfired Jukar guns. A rifle and a pistol, both in new condition and a PA flintlock that has been fired but not by me. The only reason it is a wall hanger right now is only because I've never taken the time to buy or make a cleaning rod for it. Had a life changing event a couple years ago and my attitude has changed. If it's meant to be shot I'm gonna shoot it. But the most expensive BP gun I've ever bought was my .40 at less than six hundred bucks. I love the really nice top end guns you guys show here. They are beautiful. And if that's what a guy wants I'm glad for him. But I'm just not going to spend thousands on a gun already knowing I'm gonna screw it up. So I buy guns that feel right and don't worry about them. If something happens to it I fix it or start tinkering and turn it into something else.

 

[Banjoman]

There’s one thing for certain, I’ll never own a muzzleloader that costs several thousand dollars.

But, if someone waves a $100 Jukar or CVA in my face, now that’s a different story!

 

[Kmcmichael]

I gun for clays and some bird hunting gets little wear and tear(unless it falls off the golf cart).

My flintlocks don’t get that much wear going to the range or to the deer stand

To each his own.

 

[Max (IL)]

There is another aspect of me not buying high dollar guns; my son is 56, I raised him hunting but he moved up to an upper-level manager in the tech world after college, big house, lots of money and an anti-gun wife.

He came to visit without his wife in the spring, I have a rifle range next to the house and we shot our way through the contents of my gun safe, mostly modern stuff. When he left, he asked me not to mention our shooing sessions on line or to his wife, poor guy.

He could care less about my guns, perhaps I might have bought a high dollar gun to pass on to him if he had the interest but he doesn't. He has a sideline hobby of buying estate lots on-line and reselling specific collectable nick knacks, often for up to a hundred times the peanuts he paid for them, he said makes 50K a year doing this. His gun knowledge is "0" so I doubt if he could sell my collection.

Hopefully I will know about my demise in time to liquidate everything but that is unlikely. When I get to the point that I can't use my B/P stuff it would be in my best interest to get a table at the Al/KY Longrifle show and put everything up for sale at prices too good to pass up. Shipping my rifles is too big of a hassle for me to consider.

WHAT

 

[waksupi]

They get mad at you if you leave them in a safe.

 

[52Bore]

That’s a beauty (the buck and the gun)! How much did that set you back?

Make the commitment like I did many years ago and sell ALL of your modern stuff: Winchesters, Remingtons, Ithica, Browning, Savage, etc.. (hey can easily be replaced) - then you’ll have enough to buy a nice original.