This topic may have been hashed through already and if so then please point me to the thread/discussion.

My opinion is people under 40 interested in hunting or other outdoor activity, competition, and home/self defense trend toward AR15's, modern semi-auto handguns, and hunting rifles and handguns. I don't perceive a great interest in revolvers except for CCW and hunting, which is fine.

Do people under 40 collect older firearms or have much interest in collecting S&W, Colt, etc?

I'll give an example. Young guy is chasing 1911 race guns and buys a collection which includes a mix of handguns. He calls me to ask if I would look at "a bunch of old revolvers" that he has no interest in. In this "bunch" I find several desirable and even rare S&W's. I explain to him what he has and he replies that he just wants them gone.

One more example that some of you may have encountered. Older guy wants to sell his revolvers (or other nice firearms) because NO ONE in his family -- kids, grandkids, etc. -- have any interest whatsoever in firearms or shooting sports.

Collecting is a personal interest and varies with the individual. My question, then, is twofold: Do millennials (under 40 or so) collect firearms? And, what do millennials tend to collect, if anything?

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat

I myself am a millennial and fit your portrayal.....only have 2 revolvers and they are modern a S&W R8 and a Taurus 608

Not related to your question about a particular generation, but I've been surprised by some males wanting nothing to do with firearms while their female partners were excited at the prospect and soaked up the experience like a sponge. So far in my experience, it's only been males that show no interest, ages 25 to 55.

I can't really answer your question. Where I live guns are pretty much a standard to living here. The city of Marquette Mi. may be a bit different and it is a collage town and has become more liberal over the last few years. Those young people that stick around are revolver and 1911 people, but do like the new frantic plastic and AR's. People are hunters up here, deer, bear, birds, varmints so you see old single shot shot guns to the fancy pumps and double barrels. the standard deer rifle in a 30-30 lever gun or a variation of the 30 cal.

For me if I own a gun I am going to shoot it, If some give me a fancy inlaid engraved one of a kind I'd shot it.

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Carpriver.

I have several friends under 40, and they all (except one) have one thing in common- they shoot (and collect) plastic, and see no good use for something that sometimes weigh almost twice as much, and only holds six shots. Hand one a nice Model 10, and he wouldn't see it as a viable self defense weapon, but something that was fit only for use as a paper weight. But that's okay, that leaves more for us, right?

My next-door neighbor is the exception. He's under 40, and has a true appreciation for nicely finished, older firearms. He's also one of the best hunters I've ever met.

I have a friend in Idaho who's my age, and an avid gun enthusiast, and his high-school age son doesn't even care about firearms. I still can't figure that out!

IMHO there is a much larger percentage of millenials that are not interested in guns than previous generations. I'm an early boomer and most of my friends aren't gun enthusiasts. Of course there are exceptions but revolvers and guns in general will continue to decline as collectables. The best of the best will hold up but shooter grade revolvers are going back to the 400-500 range they were at 10 years ago.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

Most of the millennials I've seen only collect large debts.



Can you say "Instant gratification"?

I knew you could.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

My impression is that they don't.Guns are just tools as they were for me at that age.I didn't see myself as a collector until I was in my 50s.

Uh Boomer here lol. Maybe as they get older they may jump on the collector wagon and maybe not. I saw a article out that has Harley Davidson sweating it out. Seemes they aren't interested in buying slow low tech bikes. Lol again as a boomer I never have had a interest in their bikes either. But been rideing snice 1975.

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Spin The Wheel

I think the same ratio would apply to Viet Nam era Veterans. Collectors and firearms enthusiasts are never in the majority.

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Front sight and squeeze

I'm a boomer and a collector of pocket knives, not guns, I shoot everything I own. I have noticed that the under 35 generation seems to have almost no interest in revolvers and looks at them like they look at us, kinda old and out a date.

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Support your Police, & NRA

My son is over the millennial age (47) and he owns nothing but semi-autos.
As least he has good taste(but no S&W) H&K, Sig, and Ruger. He'll shoot my revolvers but has no desire to own one. He did admit a liking to my 625 PC 45acp tho!
His 15 year old son will shoot either but his gun of choice is my lever action Browning 22 rifle.

I shoot in a fun league and one of the top shooters shoots a 686. I would guess him to be about 35 so there are a few.

Several years ago a gun shop owner told me he thought the firearm business would eventually die out, or words to that effect, since fewer and fewer young people were interested in guns. The owner was a younger fellow himself. He was knowledgeable about firearms because it was necessary to be successful in his business, but his real passion was boats and fishing.

My impressions: The vast majority of Millennials, including the police officers in that age group I worked with, have little interest in firearms. MUCH more interest in social media, professional sports and video games. Those that are interested in guns at all, only seem interested in the latest tactical/black guns and accessories. They may accumulate High Speed/Low Drag tactical/black stuff, but do not collect. The Millennials I was around were especially disinterested in "old fashioned" firearms of the blue steel and Walnut sort. My last several years in LE I carried a Colt Government Model. To carry something other than a Glock, or possibly a SIG, did not compute to some of my younger co workers. Some of the younger guys asked, because they didn't know what a 1911 type pistol was. If it wasn't black, held a lot of ammo, and no one paid them to carry it, they weren't interested

Collectors I've dealt with,seen at shows,etc. seem to be predominantly older gentleman, nearing, at, or past, retirement age.....

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Please forgive me tatoo, for using you as an example. But more to answer the op's position.

Let's assume that tattoo's answer is typical. Thirty years pass, three kids, the whole thing. Then after the kids start moving out, there's more money. These guns that can be found right now, are a bit harder to find then. Tatoo remembers the good ole days, and how cool those pre lock guns were. Wow! They are a bit pricey! But that's what happens to collectible stuff. But he still wants one. Voilla! A collector is born.
When I was a kid, it wasn't at all uncommon to see an old musket, or flint lock rifle, hanging over a fireplace for decoration.
The problem is, that when we're older, we wish that we'd snagged those collector items, way back then.
Tatoo, classics are classics for a reason. Take some advice from an old guy. Find a classic that you like, such as a 629, 29, 686, the list goes on. Buy it now, while you can. I used to knock around in a 67 camaro, sure wish I'd kept it!

I just turned 27 this month and have always had an interest in revolvers. Though everything I like tends to be in the older category. When I collected bicycles it was 1950s British 3 speeds, when I buy books I go for the vintage section, ect.. My husband is a few months older than me and he loves older guns too, though he also enjoys the fast pace fun of semi auto pistols aswell.
On the other hand his younger cousins are into AR-15s and anything else 'big and scary looking'. I think for them they feel cool and intimidating when they shoot them. Perhaps it has something to do with our childhoods being speckled with anti gun laws and 'Assault Weapon' propaganda and now that we are old enough to buy guns and people are calming back down about firearms us young ones just need to go overboard with it.

I visit our club through the week so I see a lot of retired guys. I can't say what they have in the safe at home or what they carry, but I can see what they have in their hands which is usually an autoloader, and no shortage of plastic.

Gun magazines probably have 20 ads for the latest and greatest autoloader for every one or two revolver ads. Gun store inventory reflects about the same. Military and police aren't carrying a lot of revolvers these days... no surprise the greater interest in autoloaders among the young and not so young alike.

As far as general interest in guns... our handgun permit statistics in Tennessee don't show anything unusual with renewals and new issuance.

Below is 2016 renewals and new permits issued (not total permits). Total current permits is 600,000 but have no age demographics breakdown that I can find.

26-35 14% of the population 31,000 carry permits.
36-45 15% of the population 34,000 carry permits.
46-55 14% of the population 40,000 carry permits.
56-65 10% of the population 35,000 carry permits.
66-75 7% of the population 23,000 carry permits.
76+ 6% of the population 6,000 carry permits.

I think most everyone who obtains a permit keeps renewing. As more people get permits for a variety of reasons as the years pass, the permit numbers in each group trend up (as a percentage of the age demographic) as you'd expect until they get too old to remember to renew their permit then it drops off... I don't see anything surprising.

I'm 37 and by no means associate with the generation of millennials. That said I have more revolvers than I do semi autos and in terms of modern firearms, I have a Glock and an AR. Everything else is from the 1940's-1990's for the most part, with the vast majority resting in the 40-70's. I personally like old guns, the history, character, look and feel. While my friends chase guns like the SCAR H, Benelli shotguns and Springfield operators (all great guns mind you), I just haven't found them all that appealing. They feel young and soul-less to me.

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I agree with everything you said. I honestly didn't think being 27 made me a millennial because I always pictured that group being overly immature and childish. As for the guns I love the history and life these guns have, I have one gun from the 90s and the others are 70s all the way to 1918. That is why anything I have an interest in tends to be older.

Early thirties.

I own more wheelguns than autoloaders. I have one Glock that I keep for a toolbox/beater gun, one Colt SP1, and an 870 with a collapsible stock. Everything else is steel and walnut. Just like God and John Moses Browning intended.

Meantime, I'm turning as many as I can towards the old stuff.

Millennials are hardly a monolithic bloc.

I'm 34 and love revolvers along with 1911s. I will admit that the love only started a few years ago. At first I was a semi auto only guy but got a Ruger GP100 to try out. It was great but shooting a SW 28-2 really got me hooked.

I like my Glocks too but also appreciate revolvers and all metal handguns.

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Originally, I too was taken by the "Wonder Nines". What is not to like? When you first start, 17 rounds of nine millimeter sounds better than 5-8 rounds of 357. I think experience in shooting leads us to revolvers. I am a "Boomer" and have twice as many semi-automatics as revolvers, they both have their place. I see more millennial women than men in Houston looking for firearms for self defense, and the women are more likely to select a revolver for home defense or concealed carry.

As a supposed member of the millennial generation (though the only characteristic I seem to have of the generation is age) I would say it's too early to know if we're really going to be collectors of just about anything.

Most of the generation hasn't made it far enough into their careers to have truly disposable income (hence the credit card abuse, okay I share one other characteristic) and they're still the generation with a ton of student debt. Not just the ones in "useless" majors but engineering and medical fields as well.

Collecting is really about buying something you literally don't need, rather it's something you just like. There's not a lot of that kind of redundancy in what most in [UGH] my generation spends a lot of money on. There's a lot of buying replacements/"upgrades" for things that aren't broken yet, but not actually collecting itself.

Think of it this way: millennials tend to buy things the way many of you get CCW licenses. You look at a map and think "which of these states doesn't honor what I have, and which license could I add to check some off the list." That's how I would envision most of this generation purchasing firearms, "what use do I not have covered, and what kind of gun would cover it?" This may change as they clear more debt and have more money to spend on firearms.

As for the willingness to have anything to do with firearms, don't let the stereotypes define everything. In grad school I floated the idea of going to a shooting range to some fellow grad students and even some undergrads, and I honestly can't think of any that said they wouldn't be interested, and most were rather enthusiastic. It never came to fruition because I was in Philadelphia and it seemed the logistics were nearly impossible, but the willingness is there.

Additionally, I think a lot of collections start due to nostalgia. For those in my age group, the western was not as big a genre and police departments were transitioning to semi-autos and away from revolvers. You might get a few millennials that end up collecting revolvers because their dad or grandpa had them and it trips that nostalgic feeling, but i'd wager we're just not as connected to that type of firearm.

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They call me, "Doug's boy"

My kids are all millennials and they all like old guns. Having said that, they grew up in the country and learned to shoot on old guns. None of them are particularly interested in CC or OC for that matter. If anything, they take firearms for granted and look at guns as another tool in the box. That's how I raised them. They all think AR-scary black rifle-plastic fantastic guns are unattractive and kinda dumb. Just like me. I don't know where they get silly notions like that...

Lots of millennials (me included) can't afford to collect guns, just starting out in life. I buy guns and ammo to SHOOT them, not stare at them. My friends in my age group are the same.

Well, my son is a LEO and a millennial, and he is most definitely interested in older guns. He's especially fond of Winchester 94's, M1 Garands and pre-64 Model 70's. He carries black guns for his work because he understands they're generally more efficient though he carries an M1A rifle as well. He mostly uses semiauto handguns but regularly carries a Ruger revolver off duty. I can only assume he inherited his good taste from his Dad.

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Everybody could shoot

I spend a lot of time hanging around gun shops and at the range. My observation over the last few years is that there seem to be a lot more young people buying and shooting guns than there was twenty years ago. There are also a lot more gun shops and ranges here (south east/south central PA) than there were 20 years ago.

I am 43, but I remember that when I was 18-25 I was almost always a good 20 to 30 years younger than anyone else on the range. The same age gap also applied between me and most of the customers at gun shops and gun shows. Females of any age were a rarity. As far as types of guns I've always been a fanatic revolver and 1911 shooter, so it was usually middle aged guys with the "modern" stuff.

Today I go to the range and can be outnumbered by young shooters in their early 20's. It's not unusual to see groups of young guys, and gals, at the range having fun. Young people are also much more common at the gun shops and shows. I used to think the gals were just tagging along with the boyfriend, but many of them are as knowledgable, if not more knowledgable, about guns than the guys. None of the girls I went to school with knew a thing about firearms. It's true that the youngsters seem to prefer the "latest and greatest" guns, but that doesn't bother me too much. I don't care what they shoot as long as they're shooting.

As far as "collecting" it's probably too early to say. I would've loved to collect guns when I was younger, but I had no money. If I could buy a gun a year I was doing good. I still have no money today, but that's because I spend it all collecting guns and cars. As years go by the kids who maintain an interest in guns will be in a better position to collect them. I will say that I'm impressed by some of the guns these kids have. When I was their age I was doing good to have a police trade in 10-5, while some of these kids have $1,000 Sigs. I can't say if the types of guns they like will change, I still like the same stuff now that I did twenty years ago.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

I'm a card carrying 26 year old millennial, no doubt about it. I love the older guns, Glock 17 Gen 1s and heck even some S&W 3rd gen autos. Beyond that? It's all ancient dinosaur garbage and I hate it all.

Really, I shoot more black powder guns than anything. I'm a history nut and own Webleys, Mosins, Mausers, my oldest gun was made in 1842. We millenial wonder babies don't just like the new stuff!!

I think where you are shapes "taste" as much as who you are. I lived in NJ for the 1st 26 years of my life. I bought 1 Model 19-3 from Meltzer's in Garfield in 1977 as an Institutions and Agencies PO. I had a Marlin .22 b/a that I traded a Daisy Red Ryder for in around 1965. If I was still there I might have a shotgun and maybe a centerfire pistol. Florida is an "opposite world." Everybody has guns, most grew up with 'em. Transplants like me (37+years) appreciate freedom and I have a collection that would be massive prison time back in NJ. Florida is the 1st state to pass 1 million CWP's, most of those among folks born somewhere else. I've had a CWP since the law changed in the late 80's, try getting one of those in NJ. Only non-LE person I actually knew that had (I'm pretty sure although I never actually saw it) a CWP was "Poppa Tony" Imperiale. I remember an HK P9 in .45 on his hip in his Bloomfield ave storefront office over 40 years ago. None of the NJ crowd I used to hang with, that I still have contact with, own or use guns. Neither do their kids. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

My experience is millennials buy guns. They don't buy many revolvers. I know a few who have Glocks and AR's. Generally if it has a magazine that holds at least 15 rounds they will look at it. I don't know of any revolvers that can hold that many rounds.

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That's just somebody talkin.

While mulling this around in my head, a particular observation occurred to me. When I was younger (I'm 24 now), my interest in firearms was very narrow. Basically just what I could find in a gunmakers catalog, with accesories limited to what I could find in a Cabelas catalog. After years of observing, learning, and researching, my tastes are much more eclectic and wide ranging.

I'm still no collector though. At this point in my life, collecting guns would mean collecting debt. I want to own my stuff; not borrow it from the credit agency.

Most of the "younger" shooters I see here are into either Glocks or Open Division IPSC guns. Most turn their noses up at the thought of shooting a 1911 in Classic Division.

The exception is the current Classsic Division National Champion. He is in his late 20's as so fast that many of the old timers who moved to Classic a decade ago to get away from the "annnual arms race upgrade" are crying into their cocoa at night.

Now having said that I have also seen the Gen X new shooter whose first purchase is a thigh drop tactical holster to take the club Glock 17's actually cry when told his holster is non compliment with IPSC rules.

And one of our club's older shooters is a confirmed Glockophile. Won't shoot anything else.

I'm on the older end of millennials and if the vast majority aren't interested in the older stuff then it sounds like I just have to bide my time. Maybe in the not too distant future I'll be able to buy 5 RM's for the price of what one goes for now.

Plastic pistols are tools, MSR's are easy to customize for the intended purpose, but still tools. Old revolvers and bolt action rifles are pieces of art that go bang. Then again, not too long ago, these same old revolvers and bolt action rifles were just tools too.

I'm 35 and have been "into guns" since I was a teenager. Gunwise im into damn-near everything. I've been lucky in my years of shooting and collecting and acquired some very nice firearms (some I still have, some I've sold). Belgian FALs, Valmet rifles, oddball Weatherbys, vintage S&Ws, Ruger Tri-colors as far as collecting goes and you name it as far as shooting is concerned. Sold a Holland & Holland for 1/3 down payment on my house, went thru a phase where I was REALLY into 1903 Springfields (WW1-era, unaltered ones), pre-64 Model 70s, have done the retro AR builds, long-range bench gun phase, and luckily I still have a few from each "era."

My point is, while there are few of us out there, there are still some that are into guns other than tactical ARs, Glocks, etc.

If anyone has a Type II Belgian FN-FAL 50.00 or a Ruger Tri-color...I'm your guy as I can't get enough of those things.

Millennials are often thought of as the young 20 somethings. They're not. To be a millennial you'd have to have been born in the early 80s to early 90s. 80 - 84 ish is still a millennial. So that's people in their mid to late 30s. If you're born in 1980 you'd be 37!!!!

I was born at the very end of GenX! Those are people born 1969 - 79. I see guns as tools. Some look nicer, some are made from different materials, some function differently but they all do the same thing. This doesn't mean I don't like variety ...... I own ARs, AKs, FALs, revolvers, 1911s, Glocks Sigs... but I don't have a preference. Some are better at certain things and that's why I have them. I'm not going to hunt with a pocket gun and I'm not going to carry a FAL everyday for protection. But I don't put guns on a pedestal. They're not some awe inspiring wonder. Scratches are simply a way of life if used. I will say that if anything I like guns with history to them. At one point I had a large collection of Mosins, which I've sold over time.

Enthusiast or collector? I'm probably more of a accumulator! I have guns I've bought because it was a great deal and I knew they were great reliable guns. However, once at the range I find that I'm simply better with the other one and I don't want to spend the money on ammo to get to the same level when that ammo can be used to practice with whatever is I'm better with. Or I find that it simply doesn't work as a carry gun no matter what I try or how much I like it. So they end up sitting until I find them a new home...... eventually
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As a firearms enthusiast under the age of 40, I certainly don't fit the mold of the millenial trend you describe. I do buy, sell, and trade a lot of guns, and many of them have been modern polymer guns, however the reality is the guns that remain as the core part of my collection, and those that I cherish most tend to be older than I am.

My current eclectic collection includes but is not limited to the following in no particular order:

- 1979 S&W Model 28-2

- 1950 Colt Offical Police with matching 1950s Bucheimer Holster

- 1958 Ruger MK I with original box, paperwork, and matching S&W brand holster

- 1915 Mauser 1914 7.65mm with original leather holster (A war bring-back from one of my grandfathers. Supposedly, after the surrender of Germany, my grandfather was stationed in Nuremberg, and while there, at some point had traded a Luger that he had for the 1914, supposedly a trade between himself and a former German Soldier. The 1914 was apparently a family pass-down, and saw combat in both WW I and WW II. How true the acquisition story is, I cannot say, and after the passing of my grandfather about 10 years ago, we may never really know. Also, it was only recently that I found out that he was apparently a stenographer for the Nuremberg trials for a short time, and would have loved to hear his accounts of that as well.)

- An early Winchester 1906, a restoration project, not the prettiest 06 around, a damn good shooter

- pre 68 High Standard Flite-King 12ga with factory poly choke

- 1939 sporterized Mosin-Nagant 91-30 (had a damaged barrel and no rear sight, so a friend of mine shortened it, and I mounted an optic on it. Again, not too pretty, but a fun shooter)

- 2010 S&W 617 (a modern take on a classic design, chosen over the 17 only because I compete in steels plates with it)

- 1989 West German Sig P226 (Yes modern, but still a classic)

- 1980s vintage RWS Dianna Model 24 air rifle (even my pellet rifle is a classic)

I should also note, in time I stand to inherit at least part of a collection of classic rifles, revolvers, and shotguns from my other grandfather, all of which I have a love for, and would never sell. These include a Winchester 94 in 38-55, a Savage 99 in 300 Savage, a Marlin 39A, a Colt New Frontier Buntline 22, and an original model Ruger Blackhawk 357 among many others that I grew up around and have had many hours of enjoyment with over the years.

I honestly and truly lust for older firearms, and get bored perusing my LGS only to see an endless supply of Glocks, M&Ps, XDs, Kel Tecs, Kahrs, and the full gammut of custom 1911s from Kimber, Nighhawk, Wison Combat, Dan Wesson, and Les Baer, none of which I have much interest in. In fact, on Sunday, I stepped into a gun store that I don't visit too often, and perused the small assortment of guns only to find myself interested in two out the 30 or so guns on display, a S&W 59, and a S&W Model of 1905 2nd change, both of which I may go back and make an offer on.

I too see the lack of interest in older firearms amongst the younger generation, and as much as it annoys me, it does offer the opportunity to get my hands on guns that I may never see again, or often classics at a reasonable price. I see it as their loss of appreciation is my gain, so I try not to let it bother me too much, nor should it bother you, instead just reap the benefits as I do. I've given up arguing with people who consider the Glock 17 to be the pinnacle of firearms design, as I don't need the headache.





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I was until I saw the prices on the guns I'm interested in.

I would love to have a SAA, but I'm not going to pay $5k for a beat up 100 year old gun. And then if I do buy it, I'm not going to want to shoot it or carry it because it's a $5k gun.

Hopefully, people will stop being interested in these old junky guns so it'll knock a zero or two off the price so I can afford them.

I tried drinking the plastic koolaid, and the only one I kind of liked was a USPc, but spare magazines were way too much so I sold it. I had a M&P 9 for a while, and spent entirely too much customizing it to try and like it, but I wound up trading it for a Colt Commander.

I think Ruger makes a 22 single action that holds 10 rounds, so maybe a 22 N or X frame?

Thank you for the advice, I hadn't thought of it that way.

I'm 34 and while I carry a polymer framed pistol, I prefer shooting and carrying S&W revolvers when I can. I'm working on building a decent collection. Just prefer buying shooters instead of safe queens. As for ar15 rifles I own one that has yet to be fired and am not in a hurry to shoot that rifle.


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I started going to gun shows about 30 years ago as a tween. The people behind the tables look the same age now as they did then. I think it's more of a stage of life thing than generational.

My 17 year old son is pretty wild about guns, but if they have wood on them, forget it. Too old. Me, I'm the opposite. I like old guns, I just wish I had more. After changing my focus to defensive guns, I acquired a lot of plastic and/or space age looking guns.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I was born in 1980 and just fit in to the millennial category. I daily carry a Glock 35 and a Colt 6920 in my patrol unit. However, off-duty, I carry a Ruger LCR .38. I've learned to shoot decently with a snubbie, and, I tend to appreciate the simplicity, ruggedness, and dependability of a revolver. My first revolver was a 4" Smith 29-2 that I found in a pawn shop in 2001 for $450. When I was 34, I found a nickel 4" Colt Python that I paid a little much for but had to have. I appreciate the craftsmanship and timelessness of classic revolvers; qualities that can not be outdone by a modern tool such as my Glock 35 and Colt 6920. I do believe I am slightly in a minority in my age group when it comes to firearms though. I do own other revolvers, but, I figured I'd show off my two that I just described.

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I'm 25 and most of my guns are blued steel, wood, and older than me.

I love my model 10, Winchester Model 12, 1200 defender lever guns, old pumps and more



My friend carries a Dan Wesson 357