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Old September 5, 2009, 09:31 PM   #1
45Gunner
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Do you consider yourself a collector?

I have been collecting guns for many, many years...since I returned from Vietnam in 1970. I did it for my own enjoyment as I like to shoot and I have had a CCW for all those years. I never told anyone about my hobby but things have changed. I am now retired and people ask what I do to occupy my time. I rattle off several things such as riding my motorcycles, boating, flying, white water rafting, and gun collecting. For some unknown reason, people seem to freak out about gun collecting and look at me like I am some radical, wild man.

So, my question to you guys is, how do you classify yourself? Are you a collector? A sport shooter? Or just interested in CCW as a means of self defense?

And...how do your friends that are not gun enthusiast feel about your interest?

I have left hunting out of the equation as I believe that to be a sport within itself.
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Old September 5, 2009, 09:39 PM   #2
srt 10 jimbo
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I collect and I hunt,got some old relics and some modern firearms that I hunt with. sometimes I even trade.
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Old September 5, 2009, 09:58 PM   #3
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I'm an accumulator. It's not a collection yet.
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Old September 5, 2009, 10:01 PM   #4
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To people who don't know guns, I don't mind if they refer to me as a collector. I suppose, to some degree, I am- simply because when I buy a gun, I plan to have it the rest of my life. And with the exception of a utility shotgun or an everyday carry gun, I also try my best to baby them so that they will always look as new as I can keep them if I can.

To other shooters and folks I discuss guns with, either at the range or here in the discussion forum, I am most definitely not a collector. I don't buy guns because I think they will increase in value. I don't buy unfired guns and keep them that way. I would never buy a gun simply because it's rare. I have only two guns in my possession where I try to limit how often they get shot, and that's only because both are relics, more than 75 years old and are family heirlooms.

I buy guns because I really enjoy having them, cleaning them, developing loads for them and shooting them. I love to share them with other people, be it in my living room or at the range. I buy them because I get a LOT out of them and it's pretty cool to spend a little bit of money and get a tool that will (hopefully) still be doing the same job for my Grandchildren or even their kids if it's properly maintained.

Realistically, look at EVERYTHING you EVER spend money on. Beyond firearms, name some things that you or your heirs could have 25, 50 or 75 years from now that's just as functional, just as fine and just as enjoyable as it is today? I'm thinking... some pieces of jewelry, maybe? A book?
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Old September 5, 2009, 10:26 PM   #5
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so far, i guess i've accumilated firearms through buying,and trading. i only aquire firearms that intrest me. i don't care about the value on resale. i started with a c&r and have some ww1 and 11 relics that are all good shooters(won't get one that i can't shoot)both foreign and domestic. then i got my ccw not only to carry but to make it easier and quicker to buy.since then, i expanded to modern firearms. i just enjoy the workmanship and engineering of them and enjoy handling and taking them out for a monthly cleaning.it is truly a wonderful hobby to be able to have. god bless the U.S.
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Old September 5, 2009, 10:35 PM   #6
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Well said, Sevens!
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Old September 5, 2009, 10:41 PM   #7
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... some pieces of jewelry, maybe? A book?
Good quality jewelry, yes. A book maybe, but the paper gets very brittle after a while even with proper care. So, guns are a good buy.

As for me, I'm not a collector of guns. Each of my guns has a job, just like a tool. Though they are worth far more to me than even a tool that cost the same amount.

But I do collect ammo.
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Old September 5, 2009, 11:02 PM   #8
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No, guns are just tools to be used for recreation and protection. I don't own any safe queens and never will.
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Old September 6, 2009, 12:07 AM   #9
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I'll have to agree with the last two posts for myself.

I have a number of shotguns, each with their own purpose.

Two rifles, one for long range and one brush gun.

I have two large caliber revolvers, one for HD and the other even bigger for a trail gun, and I have 3 small autos, all of which I've used for ccw, which I prefer to pocket carry.

So I don't have any large caliber autos. I don't like belt carry ccw, so not sure why I would want one other than range, and I'm not into that. Everything is a tool for me.

I do like reading about all of your guns however.
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Old September 6, 2009, 12:57 AM   #10
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I'm more in line with Sevens' and Gawoodsman's view but I also like to work on guns or build them from parts kits. The engineering and mechanics interest me the most.

As far as being a collector, I take that as more of an insult than a description of a hobby. I have read many self rightous posts from collectors on different gun forums and find some collectors to be quite arrogant and a bit odd. A few act like collecting guns is more of a religion than a hobby.

Some collectors are willing to pay exorbitant prices to collect cartouches, date codes, or factory codes that happen to have a gun attached to them. Some collectors also think that what you do with your guns must revolve around their opinion or your not worthy of owning guns. The odd part I can live with___not the self rightous arrogance. I'm definitely not a collector.
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Old September 6, 2009, 01:08 AM   #11
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No collector here, everything I have serves a purpose.

99% of my handguns are sub-compact/compact carry guns. The only fullsize handguns I own is my CZ 75B SA for range plinking and Ruger GP100 for carry while in the mountains on 4x4 trips.

The rifles I own are for survival/hunting/SHTF.

The shotgun is for HD/hunting.
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Old September 6, 2009, 05:57 AM   #12
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All good input.

Perhaps I didn't make myself perfectly clear and I will do that now. Although I consider myself a collector, every gun in my collection is one that will go to the range in rotation and probably 80% of my "collection" will be used at one time or another for CCW. I do not collect relics or antiques...only guns that will perform. I have guns of almost every caliber and in the last ten years, have concentrated on the .45 ACP. Further, within the last year, I have concentrated on the 1911, buying three new guns in the last two weeks. And as was mentioned, I consider them as a source of entertainment, pieces of art, and lasting value as I will be passing them down to my son and grandchildren. I never let value or future value enter into my decision-making process when purchasing a firearm.

My intent when starting this thread was not only to determine how you see yourself as to how you own your guns, but if you have multiple guns, how do your friends see you?

Sorry if I was misleading. I hope this clears up my intentions. I need to stop getting up at 5 AM.
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Old September 6, 2009, 09:37 AM   #13
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Yes, I consider myself a collector of mainly military firearms of all eras. Like the OP however, I do take my firearms to the range and I am not afraid to use them as they have been used, or the way they were intended to be used. To date, I do not own any firearm that I would be "afraid" to do this with because of its value or rarity.

To the poster with the comment on arrogance. I know the feeling all too well. I don't consider myself arrogant, I simply like what I like. I am not "hardcore" compared to some. I don't think I am like the example you gave about people buying cartouches, and arsenal markings with firearms attached to them. I do however, own many variations of essentially the same firearm (various Mausers, various AKM rifles, Mosin Nagants, etc.). I like the history behind my weapons, and more often than not, I try to get my firearms in the most historically correct configuration I legally, and financially am able to.

Having spent a little bit of time in the military, the fact that many of my firearms were carried by a serviceman somewhere, some time, and seen the things they've seen and done the things they've done together for better or worse excites me. To shoot that same rifle is even more awesome.

How do my friends view this about me? As a psychopath.

That's not to say that I don't have firearms that serve more of a purpose than fit into a collection. I have a shotgun for HD, and my duty pistol (not really mine per se) serves as my CCW and HD.
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Old September 6, 2009, 12:02 PM   #14
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Collector

I suppose I would have to classify myself as a former collector. I had an avid interest in only a few specific areas and built up several cohesive collections until one day I realized that I was never going to live long enough to acquire every tiny variation of every gun that I needed for the collections, including guns that I didn't particularly "like" but had to have for the sake of "completeness."

So.........

I decided that I was no longer going to collect as it was just getting aggravating, frustrating, tiring and downright more and more expensive.

Now, I just buy what I like (especially if it's cheap) and have fun shooting what I get.

On a final note, I find that I shoot less and less centerfire and more and more rimfire because they don't hurt as bad. LOLLL
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Old September 6, 2009, 03:40 PM   #15
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Quote RNB65
No, guns are just tools to be used for recreation and protection. I don't own any safe queens and never will.
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Old September 6, 2009, 07:35 PM   #16
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Quote:
I suppose I would have to classify myself as a former collector. I had an avid interest in only a few specific areas and built up several cohesive collections until one day I realized that I was never going to live long enough to acquire every tiny variation of every gun that I needed for the collections, including guns that I didn't particularly "like" but had to have for the sake of "completeness."
I'm a bit like this. I'm about as far as I'm likely to go on things in the short term. Some variations are very uncommon and can be expensive. Life goes on.
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Old September 7, 2009, 10:39 AM   #17
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I guess some would classify me a collector, but am actually an accumulator.

I use some guns, both rifles and handguns for hunting and some are for self and home defense, some are for plinking and shooting targets. Most of my guns are shooters but I do have an occassional "safe queen", which usually have some age.
As you can see, I like guns for several different reasons.
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Old September 7, 2009, 10:58 AM   #18
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I wonder how many members of this board would end up as a local news story if the police searched their house.

"Police seize cache of guns from area home", complete with camera panning across all your guns lined up on a folding table.

Two weeks later there would be no story about how they were all returned, as no crime was committed.

I plead the 5th as to my fitting in that category.
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Old September 7, 2009, 12:09 PM   #19
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Collector, accumulator, or packrat....

I guess its all in how you choose to see it. To me, a collector is a term often associated with a degree of snobbery. Sad, but true, there are large numbers of collectors who are snobs, and it certainly isn't limited to the the firearms world. In fact, I think gun collectors are probably the least snobbish of all. But there are enough to give the word a taint in many eyes.

Am I a collector? Yes, of some things, but I'm not a fanatic about it the way some are. I tend to think of myself as an accumulator, or more realistically, a packrat.

Some of my "collections" were deliberate, others incidental. I don't buy a gun because it is rare. But some of my guns are more than uncommon. I didn't get them because of that, I got them because they were what I wanted (and some I wanted to fill a niche in my collection), and the happen to be scarce.

I have a dozen guns (or more, I'd have to do an inventory) that I have never shot. But I don't have any "safe queens". Somebody had shot all of them somewhere, some time. I just haven't gotten around to shooting them myself...yet.

And, just what constitutes a collection, anyway? More than one? Two? Three? I've got 5 Ruger SA revolvers. Is that a collection? I've got 3 SMLEs, 2 Mosin Nagants, 3 Arisakas, several assorted Mausers. I've got Ruger and Remington rifles, the same model, in different calibers, is that a collection? I've got four Nframe S&Ws, is that a collection? I've got a couple of T/C Contender frames, and a dozen or so barrels. To me its just an accumulation, but I suppose to many it would be a collection.

I do have one collection that I consider a collection, because I have had to "collect" them over a long period of time. I have (at least one example of)all five "first generation" magnum auto pistols. Not exactly CCW stuff, but I'm a little proud of them.

I have a friend that collects militaria. He goes nuts over some of the strangest stuff. The look of joy he got when I gave him a 1943 marked GI mess kit is something that's hard for some people to understand, but he was happy, because it was something he didn't have, and wanted. One of the better $5 I've ever spent!

I don't understand the guys with a minimalist attitude, and I really don't get the ones who think anything else is improper or excessive. Life is too short. I have more than one pan in the kitchen, more than 2 shirts in my closet, more than 3 books in my library, more than 5 records (ok, CDs now) in my music collection. Hell, I even have more than one car! Guess I'm a collector!

and as to this...
Quote:
And...how do your friends that are not gun enthusiast feel about your interest?
I don't have any friends that are not gun enthusiasts.
I have some acquaintances who are not, but I really don't give a rat's posterior what they think.
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Old September 7, 2009, 02:05 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RNB65
No, guns are just tools to be used for recreation and protection. I don't own any safe queens and never will.
This describes my attitude fairly well... just as with other kinds of tool, I'm a user, not a collector. I "accumulate" things if I think another, different one might be useful (I have quite an accumulation of woodworking clamps, not all of which are... ), but I don't buy things I don't plan to use. (Could I use more guns? O yeah.)

I get a pass from friends who aren't gun people, partly because I mostly have long guns, and hunting is seen as pretty normal where I live -- and partly because they have too many other reasons to think I'm a little odd.

Quote:
Originally Posted by emcon5
"Police seize cache of guns from area home", complete with camera panning across all your guns lined up on a folding table.
Well, yeah, but the camera wouldn't really need to pan... unfortunately.
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Old September 7, 2009, 02:57 PM   #21
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Collector no Shooter yes
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Old September 7, 2009, 06:31 PM   #22
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I'm an accumulator, I enjoy shooting relics and antiques, new and old revolvers, broomhandle's to M1A's. I'm about to break the one hundred mark and only have two safe queens.
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Old September 7, 2009, 07:21 PM   #23
4V50 Gary
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Accumulator.

However, I've four left handed 45 ACP 1911s. Two are Randalls and two are MS-Safari Arms.
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Old September 7, 2009, 07:23 PM   #24
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gun collector????

Well I'd have to say I'm an accumulator, I"ve got'm from 1875 to real modern,
I started with the 1911, which morphed into other pistols, then Colts SAA and a few older colts, a winney here and there, milsurps out the Wazoo.

I shoot most, although there are a couple ammo is scare and I'm not a fan of reloading, fortunately I have friends that do.

I"d probably be one of those fellas that would be on the news as my collection is vast. As is my ammo stash, have it in several locations.

I do shoot pistols regularly and love building ak's, fals, and the odd kit here and there, finding and making semi auto parts for some is a treat, if not a pia.

It keeps me outta the bars and chasing skirts. ( been married 35 yrs so go figure)
IT is something dear to my heart, and lately since money is tight, I've had to pass on quite a few great purchases I wished I could.
I have only a couple safe queens, but I'd say 99.9% are shooters.

Yeah, I'm a accumulator, LOL
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Old September 7, 2009, 08:29 PM   #25
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I am one short of what I need and when I find what that one is I will still be one short of what I need. From 1912 to modren.
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