I get it!
You want it perfect forever..
Well, nothing is forever.
You might as well shoot that safe queen, while you own it!
What are you waiting for? The value to go up?
Why? So that somebody else cannot shoot it and wait for the value to go up?? In this case that thing will always have potential that will never be realized.
Do it!
Shoot that mint, safe, queen! it is what she was made for.
She cannot sleep forever. It’s time to wake her up!

Look at this!
Buy it! Shoot it!!

I have a LNIB Model 15-2. I believe it is unfired. I never shot it and I doubt I ever will. I have many other K frame revolvers to shoot, including a Model 67. Why dirty up something so perfect when I have other guns that do the same thing.

There was one I never shot. A very nice four inch 60s era Python. I just couldn’t do it. Paid $900 for it and sold it six years later for $2600

I've got 2 "unshot by me" guns; a 5906 and a 2" NY-1 64-4. No reason, just so many years went by and I have other guns to shoot. I'm sure someone someday will shoot them. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

To each his/her own. This has been debated for decades … if you own it, do whatever you want with it!

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Pass it on.
Mark

The late great Skeeter Skelton, always said he was not going to be a warehouse for a future owner. If he got a gun that was too valuable to shoot he passed it on to someone else.

Sometimes I'm a caretaker...other times, I'm a shooter.

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Randy
SWCA #2468 SWHF #346

There is something very satisfying in having an unfired/NIB/mint firearm, as in having a mint anything else. 8 years ago I bought a 1966 Dunelt 3-speed off Craigslist-that bike is mint and is going to stay that way, found another I overhauled and can ride. And when it come to firearms we are all basically caretakers.

I had three,sold one.I have an unfired blue 4" 27 -2, And a 629-1 3".Maybe one day.

I'm with you brother!

The S&W factory never built a single gun with the intention of it becoming a "collectable" that nobody ever fired.

These guns were all built to be SHOT. To put lead on target - be it paper targets, or meat targets.

Over the years I've purchased a couple of "safe queens". But they were the first ones to be sold - so I could raise money to buy several other shooter-grade guns that I could actually use without worrying about damaging a pristine safe queen.

I'll take 2 or 3 shooters over 1 safe queen any day. JMO, and YMMV...

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

If I only had a couple of guns, I’d agree with you. But I’m at the point that I have to check a spreadsheet to know how many guns I have and what they are. Others here probably have more than me. I have plenty of shooter grades and they get shot. Some guns are kept by me to admire, and not to shoot. I have many others to shoot. But taking that 15-2 out of its factory box with all the tools and admiring it just gives me a warm feeling inside.

Well, your collection is probably significantly larger than my meager accumulation of 50-60 handguns.

So I can see where that might give you a perspective different from mine.

But that's OK. We can all indulge our addiction in our own way!

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

In 2014 I got an unfired 3.5 in 27-2 in the presentation box with all the goodies.......Shot it that same afternoon.....I don't warehouse NIB firearms for future owners..........I "Choot em" and enjoy them.

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S&W Accumulator

Agree. There will be no unused firearms at my estate sale.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Aint never had none of them safe queens.

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No baby we aint

I've never owned a true safe queen! All the revolvers in my modest collection have been handled and shot, and most show that they have been used and enjoyed. The closest I came to obtaining a safe queen was a Texas Ranger Commemorative set from 1973. Although the 4" 19-3 with smooth target stocks is a beauty, it too has been shot. Since I'm not a collector of commemoratives, it didn't matter to me and it is one of my favorite shooters. As Kalamazookid says..."To each his/her own...if you own it, do what you want with it".

I see no reason to encourage someone to shoot something that they don't want to shoot. Their gun, their decision, and they are capable of making it without being prodded one way or the other.
I have several that I will never shoot. I have a bunch I do shoot. Those I will never shoot are 'older' and bring a pride of ownership that is hard to match. That feeling is not felt by everyone, so our mileage will vary among users. Your stuff - your call. My stuff - my call.

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NRA Endowment Member

Hoarding a new gun will never bring as much $$$ a sa CD/Stoch/Savings account over the same amount of time.
When my Son goes through my meager stuff.......he will have one thought in mind........Dad sure enjoyed his stuff.

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S&W Accumulator

Skeeter was a .44 Special guy. I admittedly have an infatuation with the cartridge. Back in the mid-80's I bought a 3" Model 24-3. Shortly thereafter I bought a 4" and a 6 1/2" 24-3. It occurred me (briefly) that these guns might be worth something someday. They are, and probably would be worth more unfired (they aren't).

I wasted no time putting rounds through all three 24-3's and have done so ever since. Whatever value was lost by shooting them has been more than made up with enjoyment. I'm not about to sell them anyway, so what does it matter if their values are less than they could have been?

I understand enjoying guns that are unfired, or at least as-new. Same thing with classic cars. An unmolested classic car, presenting as it left the factory is a thrill to see. But I know myself. I'm a driver, and a shooter. No garage queens or safe queens for me.

Yeah, everything gets shot. Beyond that, pretty much, everything not only gets shot but gets used. I admit to having a few rifles I just haven't gotten around to shooting, but I will. The price of rifle ammo doesn't help.

I used to take the approach of “It’s a gun … shoot it!” However, when I acquire something that is 1) quite rare, and 2) appears to be a virgin, it probably becomes a safe queen - not a shooter. If I get the urge to shoot a .22 LR, .38 Special, 9mm, .45 ACP or Colt, or a 357/.44 Magnum, I have at least 1 “shooter” for whatever cartridge it is.

I did take my 1916 Third Model Perfected single shot target pistol to the range within the last month. I was a little nervous before pulling the trigger on the first shot, but that gun is a hoot to shoot.

Chip

My Safe Queen is an M1 Garand . I haven't fired it in 3 or 4 years . I finally came to the decision to let it go . If I were to leave it to one of my sons or grandsons it would probably collect dust . None of them would appreciate it for what it is . I listed it for sale in a local gun forum . FTF and only if I get my price .

My father served in Occupied Germany right after WW2...He desperately wanted an M1 Garand, and finally bought one in early 1968 from a rack of about 40 rifles at a place called "H&H Surplus" in Baltimore. I was a baby at the time, and less than a month later, ML King was killed and RFK shortly after. The GCA was passed later that year and over the counter gun sales went extinct as known prior to that.

Fast forward to now...My dad died in the 1990's, my mom died a few years ago and the rifle hasn't been fired since 1979...Two cartridge belts of original ammo, bayonet, his military photo albums, dog tags, 4th infantry division Ike jacket uniform and much more...The best I can tell, its an all unmolested 1945 SA rifle...I still have the sales receipt for $136.

I have never shot it myself and I don't have the inclination to now...I am just not a fan of Garands. The wife and I have no kids, so no one to leave it to...I am going to take a notion in the next few weeks to take some quality pics and move it on. It really means nothing to me other than the value of the rifle itself.

The ultimate safe queen for a new owner.

My only safe queen.

Yes, it will shoot; no, I’m not going to shoot it.

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Richard

I have a few like an original 3" Python that I don't shoot b/c I don't want to chance damaging it with an overloaded round. Now, I've only seen 5 guns damaged/destroyed in over 60 years of enjoying the sport so I feel there is small chance of that happening, but that's just me.

The age old story was about a middle aged man that was an aficionado of many things.

He had a split window couple that he bought new in the day and had it transported to his house on a trailer. 3 miles on the odometer.

Then he found a Registered Magnum that had been unfired. He put it in his safe.

Then, he met a beautiful girl that had never been married, and he married her.

A few months later he died of a massive coronary.

Two years later his widow met a nice young man her own age. They married.

A week after they married she gave him the Vette and he did doughnuts n his way to the range, where he put a couple boxes of .357 thru that venerable firearm.

That evening it was not reported what they did together.

Moral of the story - they don't put trailer hitches on Hearses. If you don't enjoy your collection, somebody else will.

I have guns I love to shoot. I have guns I love to carry. I have guns I love to periodically take out ponder their history. I have guns that I would never have purchased for myself, but I keep them because they belonged to a human being I loved.

I enjoy and appreciate all of them.

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Mark Lathem

I've got more shooters than I will ever be able to shoot, so there is no harm having those high condition guns laying around looking pretty. Someone can shoot them after I'm dead, if they have the time.

I have 3 pistols that I will never shoot. All 3 are all original WW1 & WW2 guns. One is a 1918 Remington UMC where only 21,676 were made and orders came after the war to destroy what was left of them since parts didn’t exchange perfectly with the Colt 1911. These go from mid 4 figures to the low 5 figures.The next one is a 1916 DMC German Luger all matching in high condition from my wife’s uncle who bought it at a pawn shop as a kid (with dads help) in Braselton,Ga. I promised him it wouldn’t leave the family. The last one is an Ithaca 1911A1 from 1943 in all original condition. If any of these gets a broken part from firing the value drops significantly. But I enjoy them as is, wiping them down and keeping them waxed.

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Get off my lawn!

Actually, it’s right about the same size as yours. I buy and sell so often that I have to check the list sometimes. But I have 7 other K frame .38’s, an L frame .357, 3 Ruger Service Six guns, and GP100. That’s 12 revolvers that do the same thing as the 15-2. Also a couple of J frames.

So when I feel the need to touch off some rounds out of a revolver, I have other choices, so the 15-2 gets left alone to take out and admire. The other ones get shot.

I have a 1913 .38, and a 1923 .44. They are in great condition. I just don't want to clean them after I shoot them. Cleaned and waxed both after purchase.

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Heavily armed old man.

I've bought more than few for flipping purposes only, but every other gun I own is shot. Some are somewhat rare, and will not suffer much in value when they're sold.

I’m in this camp. It’s not that something is unfired it’s that it’s too valuable to keep and probably not shoot much. Of course unfired guns are more valuable. I’ve passed on guns to others which I found too valuable to keep and shoot. The ones I keep though I shoot.

Great discussion! There is no right or wrong here. I have a long time friend who will shoot anything he has unconditionally but he has several Patek Phillipe watches in his drawer that have been there for many years because he does not want to scratch them, so go figure.

Skeeter is the reason I own 6 44 specials and am always on the lookout for more!

I only buy used firearms so all of my pistols, revolvers, and rifles are shot. I grew up shooting used and mil-surp firearms that my father owned. I don't ever recall him buying a brand new firearm, so I guess it's genetic.

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RIP Chloe 2007-2023

Shoot the gun. That’s what they were made for.

My collection is pretty small compared to many others here. But I have bought three 50+ year old examples that were advertised as never fired. The first thing I did was take them to the range. I believe things should be used for their intended purpose.

I have no regrets about making these safe queens talk. No way I'll sell them. Doesn't make sense to not shoot them, if you think about it. That's a 19 and an 18 in case you are wondering. While the 18 has a turn line, the 19 was near mint before I got my paws on it. I love that heavy barrel. I'm going to use it on deer next year.

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That kinda mirrors my thinking.

My Amazon stock has increased in value a gazillion times, and thus I can make a LOT of money if I sell it.

If my firearm loses value because I shot it, maybe I'll loose hundreds. Or, a thousand? Pffft. chump change. Shooting it....priceless.

There’s a good chance the last time this HD was shot it failed to knock down a bank robber after two hits to the shoulder which then lead to the owner ordering a Registered Magnum. I bought this from the collector who bought it from the deputy and I’ve never shot it.

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SWCA: 3154
SWHF: 552

Your last sentence.......NO TRUER WORDS HAVE EVER BEEN SPOKEN.

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S&W Accumulator

Does something you bought and forgot about, sitting new in the bottom of a safe, count as a safe queen?

Found a lot of stuff that my Dad left new in their boxes in the bottom of various safes, and then looked at what I have and realized I'm doing the same thing

Nothing was bought as an investment, although a small number of them have become valuable. Guess it's more about getting to the point in life where you have the disposable income to buy it, but don't have the time to use it, and then of course something new comes along and you kind of forget about it.

I would generally agree... except I’ve got a few LE Commemoratives that I don’t shoot, but I have pistols just like them so what’s the point? I’ll pass them on to my descendants, maybe one will choose to wear the badge and I hope they are passed on to him/her.

I have hiding out in the dungeon two kings. One is a M19 that to my knowledge has never been shot but it does have a very faint turn ring on the cylinder from an idiot at a LGS who just couldn't keep his hands off someone else's property. The other is a Model 59 which has never had the factory magazine removed from the mag. well.

I have an older 59 that I've put several hundred rounds down range with. It's my go to, when I have to go into Chicago. I have a Model 19 that has a finer trigger than I'm qualified to operate, but it was my companion on the truck when I was a cross country driver.

I'm a fan of longer barrels for my carry/hunting guns so if you see me in the woods, most likely I'll have a 5 or 6 inch revolver on my side.

Very well put and I’m 100% in agreement ^^^^^
When I’ve talked with folks who seem indignant about folks owning guns they don’t shoot- I always think to myself, “when you’re the ones paying for my guns, you can make that decision.”

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Some Might Say.

I don't have any "safe queens" but I do have guns that I don't shoot. Mostly because I just don't want to. I've got other guns to shoot.

Not too long ago, I bought a 1948 Colt Official Police 38. Beautiful example, that I do not believe had ever been fired outside the factory. I couldn't prove it of course. I did take that one to the range once and put 50 rounds of wadcutters through it. Know what? It was no different than shooting any other 38 I've ever fired. I will probably never fire it again. I've got several other 38's, so why bother?

I do like taking it out about once a month and giving it a nice wax job though.

"Sometimes the greatest pleasure in owning a gun, is not using it."
(From a Gene Hill "Mostly Tailfeathers" column, many years ago. I have never forgotten it. Taken out of contex from the story, but still applicable I think.)

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John 3:16 .

Once at a gun show, I was looking at a 2nd Gen Colt SAA. It was a 7 1/2” 45 Colt, and just what I had been looking for. The price was just a bit high, but I had been searching long enough, and this one was “right there”, no online auction hassles to deal with. The seller told me it was un-fired NIB. I kinda laughed and said it wouldn’t be in a couple hours from now if I buy it. The guy got this look on his face, then said “of course I will sell it to you, but would rather sell it to someone who will keep it as is.” I could sense his passion as a collector, and told him I would pass on it. He thanked me as we shook hands and I walked away.

It took 2 years for me to find another Colt like that one. A friend of a friend had one and I traded a first Gen colt to him. He thought his 45 was unfired but wasn’t sure. 5 minutes after the trade all doubt was removed. When he saw the group I shot he said “Looks like maybe I should’ve kept that one”

Dan