Other Hobbies?

[AManWearingAHat]

Pretty simple, come one come all feel free to share and get excited about your non-shooting related hobbies here!

Remember, everyone's hobby looks stupid to someone so don't be afraid to open up. Maybe you'll find some new friends!

For me, I am an avid billiards player, especially in the winter. Being in the frozen north dictates the necessity for some indoor hobbies. I shoot with a McDermott cue. I generally play at least one rack of 9 ball a day on my home 8 foot table and generally play with a buddy of mine once a week for a few hours until all this COVID stuff hit.

Along the cold weather stuff. I play video games a bit in the down time. Mostly Nintendo hand held stuff in my bits of down time here and there. Not as much time for the hobby as I used to. I have a small collection of original box art of my favorite series on my shelf. Not an investment or anything, just something nice to look at and a nice nostalgia artifact from when I was a kid.

In the warmer months I like to fish after work when I can. The summers here are nice so I try and spend as much time enjoying them as I can. I'm lucky to have all the shore fishing I want within an hour drive of me or so. Mainly a pan fisherman, but Ive been known to chase bass as well.

Also a gardener. I always try and grow a variety of flowers in the spring. After the first frost I dedicate a few weekends to getting the garden raked, weeded, and straightened up for all the new blooms.

 

[llowry61]

Golf in the summer, hunting in the fall and winter.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Springtime is walleye fishing.
Summertime is backyard campfires.
Autumn is deer hunting.
Wintertime, I volunteer at my gun club’s Sunday pancake breakfast.
Reloading during crappy weather (usually mostly wintertime).
I tinker around with woodworking a little bit.

 

[RudyN]

I collect old telegraph equipment such as Keys, sounders and wire insulators. Also WWII field equipment and I have some WWII EE8 Field Telephones.

 

[robvious]

I used to autocross, drag race and do a bit of road track messing around in Mustangs... neuropothy after cancer has made the pedal feel required in your feet a challenge... I watch mostly now... but I have hopes to road race again someday.

 

[fishwishin]

I bass fish year round and I’ve recently taken an interest in restoring old axes.

 

[FlyTyinFool]

Oh! Fun topic!

Salmon, trout, and steelhead fishing
Fly tying salmon, trout, and steelhead patterns (hence, the moniker)
Model railroading
Hiking
Woodworking
Museums and (locally) ghost towns
Logging railroad history

The salmon and steelhead fishing was when I lived in WA. These days it's trout only. I prefer fly fishing, but using spinners is a lot of fun too.

 

[ladder13]

Car shows, Spring, Summer and Fall
Hunting in Winter
Gym workouts 5-6 days a week
Hanging with neighbors and friends
Traveling

 

[Wingmaster]

I restore old gas pumps. I also have a growing collection of old oil cans and other gas station stuff.

 

[Benchrest1]

I love to view the night skies with my telescopes, and during the day ride my mountain bike.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

I restore old gas pumps. I also have a growing collection of old oil cans and other gas station stuff.

Wow, what a beautiful job you've done there. That pump looks incredible.

I've considered dabbling in some restoration projects but I don't have the time right now.

I forgot to mention, being a metallurgist I also pursue casting as a hobby. I have a small aluminum foundry in my garage and I am involved with some cast iron operations as well. Here is a cast iron skillet that I poured, fresh out of the mold that I made. Its sitting on the stove right now! Its not a Lodge, but I didn't hand make a lodge

 

[Golddollar]

I've become a writer of sorts. I became the official recording Secretary of our Borough Planning Commission back in 2012. I prepare for the meetings, attend the meetings, take minutes, write up the meeting minutes and submit them to the Borough Secretary. There is a lot of detail needed in order to create an accurate record of the meeting, but I am glad to take the time to do it because I consider myself a historian who is leaving a record for the future. The Borough Manager told me he reads my meeting minutes every month and the Borough Secretary is happy with me because my taking the meeting minutes means she doesn't have to do it except on the rare occasions I can't make a meeting (only twice since 2012).

My creative writing gets put to work for the Veterans Appreciation Day sponsored by District 22 of the Sons of the American Legion. Our squadron routinely buys ad space for the program, and I write the ad copy to honor our veterans.

This is a good situation all the way around. I give something back to my community and I have activity to keep my mind active in retirement.

 

[4barrel]

I rebuild carburetors. I sniffed a lot of gas. I quit counting about 40 thousand.:D

 

[Tubbsy]

Nothing like rebuilding an old carburetor.... I've done quite a few, used to buy and sell alot of car parts. Also used to build drag cars with my uncle, not nearly the cash flow to do that anymore. I hunt just about anything that's legal... bow hunting whitetail is my favorite. Also love archery in general.

 

[Ματθιας]

I've been collecting militaria and insignia since I was 10 years old. I don't specialize in any particular area, I'm an accumulator. That being said, I do tend to have a lot of Vietnam Era patches.

I have been focusing on Iraq, Afghanistan, and GWT patches/insignia. They're available, cheap and haven't disappeared into collections, yet. As things wind down it won't be long.

 

[moosedog]

Maybe not a hobby but I work out 6 days a week at the gym or at home like now. Hunt in the fall, play golf, ride and restore vintage bikes, avid reader, model trains, shooting, (have my own range) reloading, casting bullets and cooking.

 

[kamloops67]

My only other hobby is finding money to fund my shooting hobby lol

 

[whitestang]

Taking my 64 1/2 Mustang to cruise nights and shows. When I had a house with a basement I had built a HO train layout,miss that.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Motorcycles. I have accumulated a lot of them and ridden a lot over the years. Seen a lot of sights, had some good times and msde a lot of good friends. I ride less these days, but just had a knee replacement which I hope will get me out more.

Bicycles. Mostly English 3-speeds. My only modern bike is a Surly Pugsley. I’m hoping the new knee will let me get out and pedal more, too.

Knives. Once more, I have accumulated quite a few. Traditional knives, including slipjoints: GEC, Case, Buck, Rough Rider, etc.
Working knives from all over: Opinel, Mora, Victorinox, Mercator, Marttiini, MAM, Antonini, Svord, old Hickory, Green River, etc.
Camping and outdoor knive from Ka-Bar, Becker, Condor, Buck, Varusteleka, Anza, Schrade.
There are a few modern one-hand openers: Benchmade, Kershaw, Laconico, some pretty nice knives, but nothing real expensive.
Machetes: choppers from Condor, Varusteleka, Martindale, Coliins, Cold Steel; brush cutters from Tramontina, Imacasa and Cold Steel. Way more than I need. My yard isn’t that big but I still find a way to use most of them.

 

[boatme99]

I used to 3 season backpack. Fall, winter, and spring. Mostly in Virginia and North Carolina.
That ended when I started on boats.
Then I got into watches. Not really expensive ones, just some affordables.
I manage to maintain about 24 pieces at a time, give or take.
Swiss, German, French, Polish, and of course Japanese. Probably have more Seikos than anything else.

 

[islamoradamark]

I enjoy metal detecting shallow water looking for jewelry. beach combing and looking for old bottles

 

[boatme99]

I enjoy metal detecting shallow water looking for jewelry. beach combing and looking for old bottles

Mark, I lived at Duck Key for 3 winter's back in the 90s.
We docked in the yacht basin, not in the main marina. We had to give up our slip when they decided to build houses along the water.

 

[H Richard]

For many years I shot Archery, Field and Target. I like to fly fish and tie my own flies and have made my own rods. I both shoot and collect S&W's.

 

[JSR III]

One of my other passions is ham radio. I recently made and hung up a 40 meter inverted V antenna that I made myself. Last weekend during a worldwide contest I was able to speak to another ham in Australia about 9,752 miles away.

I am still mind boggled by the ability to speak to someone close to 10,000 miles away using the power of a 100 watt light bulb and 60' of bell wire. :eek:

I should have added my call sign: W1JSR

 

[andy52]

Fishing
Hunting
Gardening

My ongoing project I hope to have done sometime this week, considering I'm getting older I decided to give up inground gardening and go to raised beds. I'm getting the rest of my lumber tomorrow now that the landscaper has the walkways set and ready to pave.

 

[mmb617]

My main hobby for most of my adult life has been powerlifting. I was unhappy with some things at the commercial gym I belonged to so I built my own well equipped (at least for powerlifting) gym in my basement 40 years ago and I still use it 3 days a week every week.

I still compete, usually just one contest a year these days, and last December completed my 50th meet.

I've also always been a car guy going back to my youth at the height of the muscle car era. I was bracket racing on a weekly basis for 7 years till I retired and the expense got to be too much. I still have the car, an '85 Mustang that I now take to cruise-ins and putt-putt around town in it.

Like the OP I really like to shoot pool and have a table at home that I play on pretty often. I wouldn't say I'm real good at it, but I do enjoy it even when I'm simply shooting by myself. Kind of like with guns, I can shoot alone and still have fun.

I also have a reloading bench I like to spend time at but that's just another part of shooting so I guess it's not really another hobby, just part of the same one.

 

[Babysitr]

For me, Hunting in the fall,mostly waterfowl..Car shows and cruises in warm weather...I also collect some coins and my hometown National Bank notes

 

[scha]

Hobbies

My real passion - I built this in my basement and have been flying it since 1986.

 

[Targets Guy]

Mustang

 

[Kitgun]

I make walking sticks