Howdy all,

Picked up a mint Model 36, made in 1968 (my birth year!). Grips numbered to the gun. i would call the gun 100% except for some light wear on the grips. No indication of having ever been fired and blue is 100%.

Anyway, I love this old gun. I have a thing for "old-school" firearms. I want to dress this up with some nice ivories and carry it for my CCW on days when I want to dress up a bit and forgo my usual pocket rocket.

Anyhow, the crux of my question is whether it is worth keeping this little guy mint and lovely, or are these guns sufficiently common that I may as well just shoot it and carry it.

I am leaning towards carrying it and letting MY use of this mint firearm add some good character to it through honest carry, shooting and use. I am only into this gun for $340 so it is not like I spent a fortune for it.

i am interested in seeing what the members here think about the decision to shoot it or keep it pristine.

Thanks,

NQ

I'm a shoot and carry kind of guy. Unless there is something rare or special about your 36, get some good out of it!

Carry it, shoot it, and take care of it. It'll still increase in value over the years, and you'll enjoy the heck out of it.

__________________
Pisgah

Carry, shoot & enjoy. I own guns going back to 1962 that I carry & practice with and cannot see any sense in what have been referred to as safe queens.

You will enjoy it more by shooting it.

It was built to carry and shoot and the smiles you will enjoy forever as you use it as intended. Welcome to the forum. Kyle

Carry it and shoot it and enjoy it! Makes it special since it is a birth year gun so you should enjoy it often.

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the responses.

This little guy is getting fed 100 rounds this weekend. Decision made thanks to your input.

Now... to shop for some nice grips...

"I have a thing for "old-school" firearms."

Me to but "old-school" is meant to be enjoyed. Shoot the stuffing out of it, carry it, and appreciate the era in which it was produced. Sad when we long for the bad ol' Bangor Punta days.

Good call. My birth year is 68 too, and I have gone through similar agonizing decisions that took about 30 seconds to make! Carry it and enjoy. For me, it's model 10s. The honest wear you will put on it is no big deal, it is a good feeling as it is earned.

I agree, you will enjoy the revolver more if you use it; besides, you can't take it with you when you are gone...
Post some pictures of it when you get the new ivories, have fun with it.

__________________
"Life is short, hunt hard"

Shoot it. The trigger is there for a reason.

Except for a Colt Black Powder 1861 Navy Revolver in pristine condition, I do not own any Safe Queens. I do have some highly collectible guns that would have been worth more money had I not shot them, but hell, that's what they are for and I have never regretted shooting them either.

I own a Browning grade ll Superposed shotgun that was made in 1959 that I purchased about 15 years ago, brand new in the original luggage case and was never fired! It is been my favorite Pheasant gun for all 15 of those years and it does get some honest wear on it, but I just love hunting with that gun! I could not bear to own something like that and never shoot it - kinda like being married to the most beautiful woman in the world and never ............. well you know!

Chief38

Carry it and shoot it!

I bought off GB a NIB Model 586 2-1/2" barrel L-frame with all the stuff and paid the premium to get it NIB. They are very difficult to find in any condition because of the low numbers produced.

I took it onto the indoor range and fired 50 rounds of 357 mag and the 50 rounds of 38 spl while my wife completed the trasfer paper work. Every time I pulled the trigger it cost at least $2.00 in depreciation and I didn't care!

How many pople have seen a Model 586 2-1/2" barrel L-frame, let alone own one? It was built to shoot!

__________________
S&WHF 366

J frame Smiths are easy to carry but more difficult to shoot accurately. I would sell/trade it for a more user friendly gun.

If you like it shoot it and carry it.

J frame Smith's are awesome for accurate. At 7 yards I could hit flies with some I have owned over the years.

I agree with ray45, these guns are plenty accurate for their intended purpose, close-up self defense. A comfortable set of grips and plenty of practice and it is a wonderfully user friendly gun. You won't win any bullseye matches with it but that is not what it was designed for.

__________________
John. SWCA #1586

Just to agree with everyone else, shoot it! I view the wear put on a gun as its history; not a bad thing. Besides, let's say that it is devalued $200 by shooting it as opposed to hiding it in a safe. I would personally get at least that much pleasure out of carrying and using it than I would hiding it away.

I am faced with the delimma of owning a clean Remington Rand M1911A1 I got from my Dad that is a joy to shoot. It has gained tremendous value over the years that would be destroyed if I have any kind of parts failure or significant wear on it. While I really want to shoot that particular gun, the loss of value due to damage exceeds the cost of a good quality replica. So in this case, I will be oiling and putting away the old Remington Rand and buying a new shooter to fill my .45acp desires.

I agree with your decission to shoot and carry it. I don't and won't own any safe queens. Firearms were meant to be shot.

Range time is scheduled, ammo has been purchased. Tomorrow, my model 36 begins the long and happy depreciation in value from pristine to shot regularly, carried often and cared for.

Thanks again to all for the feedback.

Both the gun and you will be happier for it.

I say do what makes you happy. If shooting it makes you smile then go for it. If knowing that you have a gem in your safe that fifty years from now will be in the exact same condition and that makes you smile then go with that. This is all very subjective. I have a few that I don't shoot and the rest spit lead. It depends heavily on the person's attitude, the gun involved, and the motivations behind the choice. I look at it this way. Every year more K frame magnums are shot to death. They don't make new barrels for them. They are drying up on the used market little by little. In short they are getting rare. So I have one I shoot and one I lovingly set aside and just take pride and joy in ownership of it. It will always be mine and it will always be in its current condition. I have GP-100's to torture with magnums. But you may decide different.

You'll acquire others you can admire and use twice a year, I have a couple. My carry, I take to the range monthly and then clean it. I don't detect any deterioration, they're intended to shoot and enjoy. have fun with it. My carry is a 10-5, 2", looks as good as the day I bought it 5+ years ago and I know I have 1000 rounds through it. Just take care of it! Enjoy!