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Unfired Muzzleloaders

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I only have one gun that is unfired. It's an unmentionable, scoped, 'Black Rifle" that I won in a club raffle. Not sure if I'll shoot it, or just pass it on unfired, but go it will. It really doesn't trip my trigger.
 
Depends whether you are buying or selling…….
Ok thanks for all the offers either way. For the record I am now neither buying or selling. The Question was born out of an auction I recently attended. A NIB Seneca began at $100 and ended up approaching $2K after Consignment fees, Sales tax etc.. As I said in the many messages i got on this. there was the lesson not to be a jerk at an auction. Many myself, included , bid it up due the high bidder being a full blown jerk. I quit at $800 but others he p--d off really drove it up. He was yelling bids over others and generally being rude. Now out of the game on high end stuff and done with live auctions for a while.
 
I agree with most of the statements - if I've got it, it gets shot. However, I've got a couple that I haven't fired. Yet. Mostly because they're c&b pistols, and I lean towards long guns (flint or percussion, doesn't matter) when I hit the range (oddly, in the unmentionables, I'm the opposite, I prefer pistols). But they will get fired, and then likely tinkered with as they move into my normal rotation.

Only have one that I've never had a desire to fire. It's a Ruger Old Army, NIB. I got it as part of a trade. Someone was parting out a bunch of guns from a guy that died, and I'm pretty sure this was the only bp that he had. I'm a heretic, but I find it ugly and clunky. It just doesn't feel right in my hand. One day, I'll get around to selling or trading it, but for the time being, it lives in the safe.

Mike
 
I suspect a number of 40 year old guns didn't get fired because back then in many areas finding information on shooting a black powder gun took some time. Many gun shops and department stores sold them and either had little in the way of powder etc. or no one able to tell the new owner what they needed to do.
 
During the COVID lockdown last year, I started buying and selling vintage and collectable guns to both keep busy and make up for some lost income. As I like muzzleloaders anyway, I took in quite a few - of all makes and models. One thing that struck me was how many had never been fired, probably close to 60%. Maybe more. The past few months I have moved into large online gun auctions, Like Rock Island, etc. Now the percentage of production guns found unfired is approaching 80%. Today I received three TC Hawkens, including one in box, and none have been fired. So I wonder how many people bought guns like this thinking it would be fun and never fired round one? Seems sad, really. Some of these guns have been around for 40-50 years and just sat in a safe ir closet or hung on a wall. I can't imagine buying a gun and not shooting it, even my antique ones. Thoughts?

I agree. I do not own any "collectable" firearms therefore I do not own a firearm I do not fire. Possessions are fine until they end up owning you. My "collection" of firearms is quite small, (4) rifles, (2) shotguns, and a pellet gun. Several handguns. I shoot them all on a regular basis, mostly my Hawken. Love that sucker. Messy, loud, smokey, scares the hell out of the spiders in our covered shooting position.
 
Hmmmmm.....
It is pretty mind boggling how many "unfired" 30-50 year old guns go up for sale here. Especially TC and Lyman guns that were bought as work and hunt guns for the next weekend's deer hunt right before deer black powder season. I have seen at least 75 or 100 of them on this and other forums or auction sites. I take that with a wink of disbelief.
If it were a 3,000 dollar custom, I might be a little more convinced that maybe it is "unfired".
I have bought 3 "unfired" guns from folks here on the forum - strange no matter how well they were cleaned before shipping - there is always a trace of carbon to be found in the crevices of the breach plug where it meets the barrel, or a touch of soot on the wood in the deep recesses of the carvings.
In no way would the "unfired" not being really "unfired" condition make any difference to me. So I never say a word as long as the gun is in great "like new" condition, because a day or so from the time I get my hands on one - it will be fired.
 
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