Ever bought a gun to shoot and didn't?

[Scrateshooter]

I sold my 29-3 6" and 629-2 MR because they were worth too much to shoot loose, I replaced both with a 629-4 5" so I could have a gun to shoot ALOT, but realize I stole it for $740 and won't be able to replace it cheaply if/when it wears out.

So, I am looking at newer 629s to shoot loose. Have you guys caught yourselves buying guns to shoot, then realizing they might be worth too much to wear out?

I can't be the only one.

Sold this:

And sold this (I never even shot it):

And replaced both with this:

 

[Muss Muggins]

A: No.

B: You can't "wear out" a Smith & Wesson by shooting it, so long as you properly maintain it . . .

 

[ken158]

Something to consider - how much profit makes one sell a keeper? What do you consider doing to your 629 that would "wear it out"? According to your photo, you have plenty of bucks, so no reason not to buy a couple so you always have one in reserve!

 

[Scrateshooter]

I reload and shoot hard cast mainly and my shooting guns have worn over the course of time.

I lube them with Mobile 1 and shoot current book loads in my 27s and 629.

Now, I DON'T shoot book loads in my 24-3 nor in my 25-15, but they were indeed bought to shoot loose since the 24-3 is in shooter condition and the 25-15 will more than likely not have collector status in my lifetime.

 

[colt_saa]

I have purchased many firearms that ended up not being shot.

Value or Profit were NEVER part of the reason why they did not get shot. A hundred+ dollars one way or the other is not going to alter my quality of life.

Most that end up not getting shot is strictly due to lack of time. Sometimes unusual pairs or sets came up through multiple purchases.

On rare occasion a firearm turned out to be a one of a kind. I know it is worth more, but it was preserving the rare piece and not the money that was the motivating factor. even if value had not changed I still would have preserved it. As an example, I have a Titanium SIGMA model SW40Ti. It was never documented, cataloged, displayed or advertised by the company, but a couple of tool room samples were produced and it letters as a factory Titanium gun. I highly doubt it will ever bring me any profit above what saving any S&W brings over time. But mine is the only one that I have ever found photographed and in research I only heard of one other and that one has never been seen since.

You use the phrase "wear out" a Smith and Wesson, the Gun will not "wear out". A part or two might "wear out" in which case you get the firearm fixed.

What do you do when a part on your car wears out?

And if you truly are able to shoot a Smith and Wesson until it is beyond functioning and repair would you not agree that you got your money's worth?

 

[vulcan73]

Yeah, I've got a model 36 in nickle, never pulled the trigger. She's been in the gun locker since the 1980's.

 

[muddocktor]

Like the ones above already have said, you won't kill your Smith by shooting it a lot. It might need to be serviced by the factory somewhere down the road, but I doubt you will just plain wear it out, especially an N frame. My first pistol, which was a 5" 27-2 I bought in 1974, probably had around 30k rounds of 38 and 357 through it and had gotten where it needed a visit back to the mothership to get spruced up last year. When I got it back, it felt just as tight as new and slicker than new besides. Total cost for the repairs and shipping both ways was less than $200. They changed out the hammer nose bushing, cylinder stop, hand, rebound slide and took out the excess endshake.

As for buying a gun to shoot and then not shooting it; I've never done that. I have bought a pistol with the intention of keeping it in new condition and then going run rounds through it though. I just couldn't resist.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Bought a PC DPA 5906 to shoot IDPA....... about that time the second son came along....... the "close by" Sunday match moved east about an hour.....felt too guilty about leaving Mum with two little ones (under 3) for at least half of Sunday.........guns still in the safe.

Found out 10/12 years later about the "small runs" of those early PC guns....

My DPA is #00xx"
the PC SD-9 less than 200 IIRC about 179 made......
My PC unmarked Shorty-9s/PC reverse two-tone 6904s ........(one still gets concealed carried as it has since about 1995)

Two of my three 3" 66s (anib w/ box and stuff)...... are safe queens.... found a used 3" 66-4 that I do carry.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

That picture is gangster.
Back to original question, yes a mosin nagant. Its so full of cosmo Im not even gonna bother.

 

[murphydog]

There are plenty of reasons for "safe queens" - NIB/unfired, a rare gun, family or historical value. Your situation seems different - you want to shoot yours until they break, while not "wear(ing) out" a new one, using one that you got for too low a price, or might be collectible in the future.

Using all these criteria, it seems the only way to do all this is to find the most common gun you like at full retail, shoot it until it needs to be replaced, then repeat.

 

[glenwolde]

Compared to the cost of the ammo to shoot one loose, the cost of a new gun pales in comparison. Even if you reload.

 

[snuffy51]

NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!NOT EVER

 

[Scrateshooter]

Compared to the cost of the ammo to shoot one loose, the cost of a new gun pales in comparison. Even if you reload.

Not new guns.

The guns I don't want to wear out require a time machine to buy a new one or pay NIB 24-3 4" or Colt SAA prices for one.

I really wanted a S&W 25-7 in 45 Colt (have you priced one?), but bought a new 25-15 for half what a 25-7 goes for so I could get on with my life and shoot.

New MIM and locked 5" 629-6s and 25-15 are made everyday, but 5" 629-4s and 25-7s aren't.

 

[twodog max]

No I have not. I am not into collectibles although I have and have had some uncommon items I have shot them all because that is what they are for and they came to me having been fired.

 

[grizz700]

I buy to shoot. Have a 624 no dash, 629-1, and now a 625-6 45 colt. The first two have been shot alot and as soon as the weather turns nice the 625 will get dirtied up also. My semi-autos are always dirty and have yet to wear any of them out yet.

 

[Ashlander]

If shooting a gun devalued it from say $25,000 to $15,000, I would maybe not shoot it. But if we are talking a few hundred bucks on a gun that cost a thousand or or -- I'm shooting it.

If guns were a good investment vehicle, my financial guy would have told me. Bonds and index funds are investments. Guns are fun.

 

[44wheelman]

Fuzzy pictures and a lacking description yielded me an early pre-39 when I was after a 39 to shoot, worry about condition & the long extractor has kept me from shooting it. Another gunbroker find; a 586 described as very good.... When I got it, only every other chamber fired...it was mint.

 

[sodacan]

I sold my 29-3 6" and 629-2 MR because they were worth too much to shoot loose, I replaced both with a 629-4 5" so I could have a gun to shoot ALOT, but realize I stole it for $740 and won't be able to replace it cheaply if/when it wears out.

So, I am looking at newer 629s to shoot loose. Have you guys caught yourselves buying guns to shoot, then realizing they might be worth too much to wear out?

I can't be the only one.

You sold some nice guns, but they aren't especially valuable or collectible. You should have enjoyed them.

 

[serger]

Yeah, this one:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/407619-nypd-1947-m-p.html

I was looking for a cheap 38 to plink with at the range. After I got it, it had enough history I couldn't shoot it. So it sits in the safe.It did get me off the lurker fence and start posting here.

 

[glenwolde]

Not new guns.

The guns I don't want to wear out require a time machine to buy a new one or pay NIB 24-3 4" or Colt SAA prices for one.

I really wanted a S&W 25-7 in 45 Colt (have you priced one?), but bought a new 25-15 for half what a 25-7 goes for so I could get on with my life and shoot.

New MIM and locked 5" 629-6s and 25-15 are made everyday, but 5" 629-4s and 25-7s aren't.

Looks like a 25-7 is maybe $1500? That's what completed auctions seem to top out at. It would take two or three times that amount of money in reloads just to loosen it up, at which point it could be rebuilt.

There's a lot of variables, but assuming you're loading on the lower end of the power spectrum a S&W will need a tuneup by 30,000 rounds. It of course depends on what your component cost is but for most non-caters that's going to be somewhere around $7 a box of 50? x 600 boxes is around $4,000 in ammo.

$4000 ammo + $1500 for the gun is $5500.

The $750 you saved is only a 14% savings.

That doesn't even take into account the fact that you can shoot a gun loose over a couple of decades, have it fixed up, and it will still have appreciated over what you paid for it. Yes it would be worth more if you didn't shoot it, but still valuable even after all the use.