Do you have any guns you keep but can't shoot well?
Replied to a K frame post the other day "What Good Is A K-Frame" and realized the dilemma I have is a topic all to itself.

I have a Model 66-8 I purchased new in 2015. Mechanically it functions well with a smooth DA trigger, 4# SA pull and rock solid lock up. Carry up and timing are perfect. No barrel cant or other issues. Problem is I just don't shoot it well. I've tried four different grips, adjusted sights, etc. After six years of messing with it, I can not consistently get satisfactory hits on steel and targets shooting in both double and single action.

I also have a 686+ 3" that I shoot and hit what I aim at almost effortlessly. I really question why I hold on to the 66.

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M60 442 642 637 686 686+ 629

Yes, I'm a collector and I have some guns I don't shoot at all, if that counts.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

Various guns have specific purposes. You may keep them for value increasing, for a 2 to 3 times a year special use, or, JUST BECAUSE you like it. I have quite a few I have never shot, but they fit a niche in my gun collection.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Well, I'm slower to part with a nice revolver, but I absolutely got rid of a P290 and LC9 for the reasons you describe.

An old classic is worth keeping. But a gun you can't hit with makes little sense to me. You bring up a good topic.

EDIT: I too have plenty of guns I haven't even shot once!

We have downsized a lot in my old age and I only kept the ones I shoot. I had a couple that I could not shoot well. My 1911 just hits what I point at with no effort. I had three of them and kept my Colt government model mainly because it was a Colt. I had a new Beretta 92FS that I could not get the hang of it. It shot great for my grandboys. I traded it off for a 92X compact. It has better balance for me and with the vertec grip with no humpback I can shoot it good. And it will shoot anything you can load in it. And my Ruger GP100 is a keeper. My latest is a SW model 10 import. I didn't like the beat up original Pachmayr grip on it and put a new Hogue on it and it shoots good. Don't have a need or the room for stuff I don't use. The collecting days are over. I am an old retired guy now.

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Ron
Southern IL

If any gun I own becomes....fussy,... for whatever reason....won't fire..wont cycle...can't hit the broadside of a barn...off it goes.

Yeah, I have a Springfield 1911 in 9mm that continues to disappoint. I keep pulling it out to try and make it work for me. After a few hundred rounds I get discouraged and put it away. I'm just getting nowhere with this thing. Of course I'm comparing it to my 6" .38/.357's.

I want to like it so much...

I'm of two minds about this. Given the political climate I would hold onto every gun I own. On the other hand, if I really can't shoot one well, I *might* get rid of it, unless it's a dog - then it goes.

I don’t have a collection as much as an accumulation. Some I shoot better than others, but I do shoot them all. Some get shot less because of their age.
So I guess the answer, for me, would be no I would probably trade it away.

Yes, all of them......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

Usually. Especially if I like it, and I like most guns.
Have gotten rid of some problem childs.
Model 53 and Detonics Pocket 9 come to mind.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I love hunting small game and birds with a double bbl. shotgun .
My whole hunting life it has been with a Stevens 311 dbl. 12 ga. bought second hand for $20.00 in 1969 , no finish on wood or metal . Dings and scratches in wood and metal . Stock is not walnut (birch ?) the cheapest of the cheap . Belonged to a Duck Hunter who rode it hard and put it away wet . Little care for such a utilitarian shotgun .
I used it but always wished it was a 20 ga. , always preferred the way a 20 handled and in the field I could do as well or better with a 20 gauge . My only 20 was a Model 17 Remington pump ... which was getting rather old and I wanted to retire it and pass it on to my son (it belonged to my Grandfather , then my Dad , Me and I wanted to pass it along to my son)

Right after Daughter marries , she and Son-in-Law buy me a sweet double barrel 20 gauge , It was made in Turkey , so affordable , had a nice Turkish Walnut stock and modest amount of machine engraving ... I just feel in LOVE with it ... The Trouble ... I can't hit a danged thing with it ... Clay birds just sail right by , I worked on the fit untill I'm blue in the face ... Me and it make a lousy pair , I lost the sight in my right eye so I have to shoot left handed ... but this shouldn't matter ?
I'm going to take it to a skeet range and see if one of the better shooters can help me figure out the problem . I can smoke a clay with the Remington model 17 ... but a total flop with the 20 double .
Anyways ... this is one gun I don't shoot well but I'm going to keep ... because I want to shoot it well and it's so danged good looking .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Yes, I have some that I don't shoot well. Don't practice enough with them is probably the main cause.
Have you ever had someone else shoot it to see how it goes for them?
Bob

I never learned to love the trigger on a Glock 17L. But it took me a while to give up and sell it.

I was shooting IPSC in the mid-1980s with 2 other friends. We each a background in NRA Bullseye matches so we all were familiar with the Colt Government Model and knew what we wanted in a “good” match trigger. I believe it was around 1988 when the Glock 17L became available and we each ordered one thinking that the longer sight radius and 17 round capacity might give us an edge. (If you could shoot fast and keep your shots in the A Zone who cared if you were shooting a “minor caliber”). I practiced with the 17L and shot it in matches for the better part of the year but finally gave up. The trigger pull just wasn’t right for me so I sold the Glock and went back to the Government Model .45 ACP. The other guys switched back to 45s too. One gave his Glock to his son the other sold his.

I'm one that doesn't keep a gun I don't shoot well.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Thirty or forty years ago, if I couldn't shoot something particularly well, off it went. I finally realized that if there is nothing wrong with a gun and my handloads and/ or factory ammo did well in the gun from a benchrest, the problem was the shooter. I got rid of some guns I shouldn't have only because of my shooting deficiencies.

Now, I practice with the difficult-to-shoot guns until I progress. If I don't improve after a reasonable amount of practice at 25 yards, I may get rid of the gun. Seldom does this happen nowadays. Handguns that have always been difficult for me to shoot well include J-frame S&Ws and Colt 1911s.

Often times, with a revo that won't shoot groups, recutting the forcing cone and recrowning the barrel (correctly) will fix it. It takes me about 15 minutes to do both.

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protocalldesign.com

I always figure if I'm not shooting one very well I'm just not trying hard enough.

Some I haven't shot well, yet, but I don't shoot them as often as the ones I shoot well, and I keep them.

Sometimes I've learned it's the ammo. In a few instances a change in brand or bullet weight has made all the difference in the world.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

I've only kept guns that I enjoy shooting and/or shoot well. I've tried to hold onto those that I thought would gain value but ultimately I enjoy shooting more than looking.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

Currently I have about 52 S&W revolvers. I doubt that I've ever fired over 15 of them and it might be as low as 10, but I'm an accumulator.

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Bill

my late father has a model 36 with the tyler t-grip.. and when I was young (same height as the plate rack) he would let me shoot the bug side match, buck a chance, fastest 5 plates get half the pot.. rest pays for new plates & paint.. I did pretty well.. most of the time cleared the rack.. not fast but hit them all... my big sister inherited that one. later on I acquired one from a friend.. excited I went off to the range to relive my youth... didn't happen... I could not hit with that thing for love or money.. when friend had seller's remorse I gladly sold it back...

Not anymore. Used to, and bought into the whole "it's the shooter, not the gun" thing, then thought shoot, in any other hobby there's not the machismo culture around using gear that doesn't work.

Nobody in the backpacking world mocks someone for finding a pack uncomfortable, screw it, buy a different one. Fly rod casts like ****, but you can cast your other one well? Ditch it, buy one you like. Mountain bike doesn't do well for you? No push to just learn to make that one work, find a bike with geometry and specs that work for you.

These days I've got plenty of guns that I shoot really well, why bother blowing the ammo budget and all the time to take a gun that doesn't jive with you up to the level of a gun that you already do well with?

Unless it's particularly cool, if it doesn't shoot well for me, it's out the door without a second thought.

I don't have any guns in my small collection that I find I can't shoot well. I do have one that I don't shoot much though. It's this old well worn Marlin 336 with a cut down 16 inch barrel. The reason I don't shoot it much is it has the harshest recoil in a 30-30 I have ever encountered and I'm not recoil sensitive at all. I have a 16 inch barreled .308 that is a pretty good thumper I shoot all the time. I have shot other 16 inch Marlin 30-30's, none of them come close to this joker...But I really like the way it looks and carries, so I'm sticking with it.

Depends...I get 1 1/2" groups @ 10 yards with my G27 converted to 357Sig. I get 3" @ 7 yards with my Glock 9mm. I keep the 9mm for store runs, etc. Good enough if I can't get away.

Get 7" groups with my 1901 Colt Bisley in 41 LC=fun to shoot. Better groups, but nothing to brag about, with my Colt Army Special in 41 LC.

Only have done this one time. I had a RIA 3.5 inch barrel 1911 in .45acp that I had a number of issues with. I sent it back and they replaced a few springs and the mainspring housing,still had some problems so I got rid of it. I have a Sig Ultra Compact and a S&W E Series both .45 acp that shoot great,so I do not miss it.

All my guns shoot better than I do . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I could never really accurately fire the MG3 but I would absolutely keep it if I had one

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Jorge

Have about twenty long guns that I never shoot anymore. Not that I don't want to, its because of physical problems it becomes impossible..I do keep them anyway because it took me longer than sixty years to get what I want...I look at them sometimes I take them out and wipe them down with RIG.

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NRA Benefactor

Unless it has some kind of sentimental meaning to me , no . If I don't shoot it well , it's gone . I have bought almost a half dozen different .22 semi auto pistols and have gotten rid of all of them .
Also , if I don't enjoy shooting a particular gun , it's history . I had a really sweet wartime Mauser 98k with Nazi proofmarks , etc. That damn thing just plain hurt to shoot it and it had to go .

That answer depends on additional information

If the firearm in question has some significance to it, either as a firearm involved with a particular person or eveny, or it is a rare and unusual example of that firearms, then YES I will often keep it even if it "does not shoot well for me"

On the other hand, if this is a off the shelf, nothing special example of this firearm, then NO I would not keep it

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"Acta non verba"

Most of my firearms dispositions have been connected to job losses. The only gun I can think of that I sold because I couldn't shoot it very well was a Yugoslavian Mauser. I don't buy guns with disposition in mind because my intent is always to keep them forever.

Yes, I get rid of them.

I had a new production PPK/S. 380. Shooting it rubbed my thumb knuckle causing it to bleed. Too bad, it was a nice gun otherwise. Sold it.

4056TSW. Fairly rare pistol. But I didn't like the DAO on it. I have a 4046 and 4043 and shoot them fine. But I couldn't shoot the 4056TSW well. I sold it too.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

If I need an excuse to buy another gun, I can make one up. Such as “Honey, This one is pretty but it doesn’t shoot well. I’ll keep it and buy another.”

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

Some time ( a lot of time ) ago, I never got rid of a Smith or Colt. Now as I get older, my shooting is simply for enjoyment . So I keep all my remaining guns because I enjoy shooting them, and have sold nearly 60 revolvers over the last 5 years.

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John

I have had only a smiggen of pistols I didn't shoot well. They are gone. Rifles are different. Only had one That wouldn't shoot. Bedded it, re-stocked it, re-bedded with aluminum blocks, set the barrel back and re-chambered it, wouldn't go under 3 inches at 100 yards. Took it to a gun show and got rid of it. Traded it for a pre 64 Westerner. It was a Sako Deluxe in 375 H&H.

Not trying hijack the thread, but...
I have a 9mm Springfield 1911 Range Officer, am thrilled with it, and shoot it well. But, I have found that some ammo is less accurate out of it than other ammo. With the right ammo, it is a tack driver. May want to try some different weight and brands of ammo (if you haven't already). I believe muzzle velocity is the driver, but I'm not sure. 115 gr Blazer Brass is accurate as is 124 gr S&B, though 115 gr S&B and 124 gr Blazer Brass are not as accurate. YMMV.

I had a Ruger P85 9mm, bought from a small LGS in 1986. It was a stainless slide and barrel over an aluminum frame. Fit my hand well, and on a rest grouped well with 115gr ammo. Off the rest, it twisted and turned in my hand and didn't care if it was stock grips or aftermarkets. I could barely hit the floor from my belt. A friend loved it. I sold it to him at no loss, with 300 rounds of 9mm.

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Heavily armed old man.

If a gun does not shoot well for me or has some function that I do not like it is gone. That is why I no longer own and Glocks or other polymer frames.

Same here. If a gun doesn’t shoot well with my reloads it’s gone. I’m not going to develop a load for just one gun. I have at least two guns in every caliber that I load for and all are deadly accurate. I have sold a few that I hated to see go but if you don’t have confidence in the gun then what good is it.

I have an old Colt New Service revolver that I rarely shoot. The trigger, single and double action, is absolutely horrible. I don't want to change that. Who knows, someone might have used it to defend himself in war. Or not. I bought it because it was an interesting piece of history. It was originally .455 Webley and rechambered for .45 Colt. It has British proof marks on it, but I don't know the details of its history. Again, it's just a curious bit of history. I will have to take some better photos of it.

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No. I've only owned 1 gun I could never shoot well, a Bersa 22. Sold it back to the original owner who was delighted to have it back.

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To cannon, all men are equal

My Single Action Army and I don't get along. Right handed or with both hands, it shoots high and right. Left handed, it shoots high and left. Groups are terrible even after significant load experimentation. But, I love the workmanship, the style and the history. It's not for sale even if I can't hit the broad side of a barn with it - from inside.

I have only sold one of all I have owned. I sold it my Minister.
I have gifted several to family members, such as the first gun my son and daughter shot. I gifted it to them when they were older. All the others I still own.

Shoot 148g wadcutters with 2.7gr Bullseye/3.2gr HP38/ 3.1gr Unique.
If you dont stack holes on holes, chuck it.

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Romans5:8

It's never me, it's the gun. Haven't you figured that out yet?

Yes, I have a few HK's I can't shoot well. Just gives me an excuse to keep trying.

I have a precision rifle that is boringly accurate.

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That's just somebody talkin.

There are guns that I naturally shoot well. They follow a common theme though, as they are all 1911s and S&W revolvers. I have never seen a S&W revolver that I couldn't shoot well.

I however, have run across several guns that take work. Glock pistols being one, but the worst was the M9 Beretta. I really have to work with the Beretta to shoot it well.

In my younger days I traded off several guns for one reason or another. I don't do that any longer. If there is a gun I don't like, it gets buried in the safe.

Only two come to mind. One cashiered and the other on probation. I bought an early 469 thinking to upgrade from the 39-2 I had been carrying. I qualified with it - barely. I carried it into a couple sticky situations but never had confidence in it and by the next time I qualified it was gone.

I currently have a Marlin Model 90 16 gauge O/U that I really want to like, but the fit isn't right and I consistently shoot under. I almost put it on consignment last month, but decided to give it another chance. On the other hand I'm not likely to have to defend myself from clay pigeons.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

This will sound like a brag, but I don't have a gun that I don't shoot "well." I shoot each gun of each type the same as any other one of the same type. The sole difference is point of aim. As such, I don't notice one gun being "better" than another.
Now, different sight and ammo combinations will produce a different POI. That's to be expected. But I don't overthink my grip or stance (I keep to the same ones), I keep the same sight picture, same steady and smooth trigger pull, and after a round or two with the guns I haven't fired in a while to see where the POA is, I'm pretty consistent. As such, unless there's some gross problem with a gun, IMO the problem usually lies with the user.

Almost exactly the same here. Got rid of a Taurus 92 because I didn't shoot it well. Bought a 1911 and fell in love. Never seen a S&W revolver I couldn't get to shoot well. Some better than others, but all were good shooting guns. My Glock, on the other hand is proving a challenge for me to keep from selling. Right now it's stay of execution is it's reliability and versatility. But that's getting pretty thin.

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The best I can with what I got

This could have been my reply word for word!