How Has Your Taste In Firearms Changed Over The Years?

[stinkeypete]

I started out with a 7 shot h&r Special revolver in .22 and a single shot 20 gauge. Over time, I got some serious target pistols and a skeet gun and enjoyed playing those gun games. I learned what rubbish that h&r was. Then my dad got in to cowboy action shooting and trying out just about every gun ever made. At the height of silliness I was taking the .454 Casull and the Savage MLii (smokeless powder muzzle loader equivalent to an elephant gun at max loads) to the range.

Life goes on, many trades later... without doubt my favorite gun for walking around with in the marshes is the 12 gauge Ithaca Model 37 I found, made in 1946. My dad loved his in 16 gauge until he got tired of never being able to find shells for it and he traded it for something else.

I am rather fond of my ruger bearcat, but I picked up a 6 1/2” Single Six that reminds me of my old h&r except the ruger is single action and better in every way. I am poking around looking for a single seven. This new .327 Fed Magnum looks slick to me. I will pretend it’s a 32-20 without messing with necked cartridge resizing, and load em to 32 long power.

Oh, I am also looking for a nice little bolt action .22 to put a scope on, as my eyes just are not what they were when I was 20.

I guess I went out, tried just about everything, and generally came back to where I started but now I have more money and a far better trained dog.

[osbornk]

My taste in guns keeps rotating and repeating. I go from rimfire semi auto to rimfire revolvers to centerfire semi autos to center fire revolvers to lever action, semi auto rifles in both rimfire and centerfire and occasionally shotguns (but not in that order). My favorite this week might not be my favorite next week so I keep a little of everything.

[Skans]

I now seek guns of higher quality; or which are rare or of unusual design.

I have lost some interest in AK's and AR's. As for handguns, I prefer high quality non-1911's; primarily of European origin.

[TailGator]

My opportunities for bird hunting have diminished with the years, so my shotgun comes out more often for cleaning than for shooting.

In handguns, I grew up with revolvers, but a few years back with the world changing decided that the capacity of pistols was worthwhile. I own an ugly plastic pistol for IWB carry, but have some nicer stuff in metal and wood for range use and for the sheer pleasure of owning them. For that matter, even my pocket pistol has a little pizzazz - a Sig P238 in two-tone with wood grips (I believe they call it the SAS version). The only revolver still in the safe is one that belonged to my dad, now gone a few years, and kept for sentimentality. It fits in, though - blue and wood.

[M88]

How has it changed? Basically... had nothing but a bolt .22, an over/under (.22 on top, 20ga under, GREAT rabbit gun) for many years, no handguns at all. It started to change rapidly about 5 years ago when I retired, and finally had enough money and TIME to invest in serious firearms acquisition. Somebody gifted me an Iver Johnson .38 S&W from 1903 and I was hooked on handguns. Now almost a hundred weapons in 45 calibers later, I'm slowing down. I mean... how many WW2 8mm mausers does one really need? That said, I'm still a sucker for a good deal on old milsurps. Picked up a Turkish 8mm mauser for $200 not long ago... couldn't pass that up. Barrel looked in pretty good shape, bolt not to sloppy. Haven't shot it yet though.

[44 AMP]

Have my tastes changed? Yes, no longer much interested in anything new, or plastic. Having had the opportunity to either use or own nearly all the guns I was ever interested in, (and quite a few I didn't have much interest in as well), my tastes have turned to the handful of older guns and rounds I've missed.

Got no interest in the newest most modern thing that fits in an AR-15. Don't care about striker fired combat Tupperware pistols.

Show me a nice Luger or P&R S&W, and I'm interested. Show me tacticool rails and I yawn. Show me a nice custom sporter built on a milsurp and my ears perk up...

I'm an old guy now, with old tastes. Wood and blued steel for the most part, some stainless here and there.

[Scorch]

I started shooting in the early 1960s about 5 or 6 years old. I was always a "gun nut", any gun fascinated me. Shooting 22s was a real prize anytime I got a chance. I probably drove my parents crazy until I was finally able to get my first rifle, a Winchester 94. My dad thought the Remington 788 right next to it would have been a better option, but it was my money and I was doing the buying, so I got what I wanted. Joined the Marines and used an M16, and really wanted one for hunting but the small caliber took it out of consideration. Figured out by hunting with a 94 that it was not great, so I bought a Spanish 1916 Mauser and hunted with that for a while. Bought a Ruger 77 a few years later and hunted with that for quite a while, along with semis and others. I wanted a BAR and eventually got one and got rid of it, but I still preferred bolt actions and owned quite a few. Now as I am getting older I am getting rid of most of my guns and I have come full circle and am drifting back towards the older guns again, Mauser bolts, lever actions and single shot rifles.

[mr bolo]

I started with surplus rifles and modern military style rifles, I use to buy & sell a lot just to try out new guns.

but I prefer modern combat handguns, thats what I use most often

[RaySendero]

I started with a revolver and began reloading.
Since I've gravitated 1st to shotguns and onto rifles.

I like old blued steel and wood stocks in Pre64 M70s.

[T. O'Heir]

It hasn't. I still can't afford all the toys I need.