Safe queens ?? Never ever ever fired??

[flundertaker]

One thing to consider is that even if a gun was produced in relatively large numbers as time goes by fewer and fewer remain in as new condition with all the accuchaments. Even if fired, when done very infrequently the lack of a substantial turn line adds value. Collectors are always looking for a nicer example of something they already have. The ultimate is a NIB unfired specimen but until they find that they settle for lesser and lesser degrees of having been fired.
Personally I don’t seek out unfired specimens or place a premium on having boxes and tools. I don’t want the headache of storing it all. Guns go in a bore store in the safe boxes are a pain in my neck. I like well cared for high condition guns in the 95-98% range. Very nice but not too nice. Make sense? Probably not….

 

[rwsmith]

Now THAT'S...

While I MAY have more than a couple of "factory-fired " S&W's in the herd, any of them will someday make the range.
The only one I will not fire is this early 29-2 6.5". This one is tagged for my Grandson.

I'll get my enjoyment watching him! And,,,, maybe he'll let the old guy try it next?

...a good reason to have a safe queen.

 

[Frailer]

While this is a perfectly reasonable question, I feel it is sometimes asked with an air of moral superiority.

I have guns I bought to shoot a lot, guns I bought to shoot a little, and guns I bought just because I wanted them, with no intention of shooting them at all.

But none of them are “safe queens,” because I never felt the need to buy a safe.

 

[KalamazooKid]

The owner has every right to do whatever he/she wants to do with a firearm, or anything else for that matter. I find the attempt to shame someone into shooting (or not shooting) a gun is ridiculous - none of your business.

 

[Model29-26.5]

While this is a perfectly reasonable question, I feel it is sometimes asked with an air of moral superiority.

It’s certainly not meant to be.
At some point the gun will either be shot or rust away.. but I get it. They are the owner’s at that time to shoot or not, and that owner at that time period will do what they want to do.
They’re not think about who will own it in 200 years.

And with this said, if the safe queens are really cared for and each owner is logged, they may become museum pieces in the future.
THEN every owner who kept it in a safe will have actually done it justice in that way.
Imagine seeing a Registrered Mag from 1957 in a museum in the year 2450?
Will the bluing last that long?
It’s like seeing a pristine Japanese sword from 1500 in a museum today.

 

[jem102]

Like most of you I've got a lot of guns that just don't get shot anymore. I have the ammo, but the places to shoot that were really fun (outdoor, family and friends, friendly farmers) are mostly long gone, faded with time and developers who are bent on eliminating every tree and field around here.

Indoor range is OK for my EDC practice which I feel is necessary as long as one still decides to carry a firearm, but I no longer recognize any of the people in adjacent lanes.

What I do still enjoy immensely is handling, cleaning those old long guns and handguns in the safe. Every time I work the action, look down the barrel, aim with those old open sights, or center the scope reticule on a squirrel out the window in the yard...I am reminded of those wonderful early 1960's years of woodchuck hunting all day long, early morning sitting on a downed tree in the Allegheny foothills waiting out a whitetail, busting some clays at the local Rod & Gun, chasing rabbits along the frozen banks of the Genesee, the K22 hanging in a homemade chest rig while trout fishing in Stanards Creek, the wonder and muzzle blast from that first (and my only brand new S & W) Model 29-2 with full load maggies aboard.

Not into reliving youth, but sure do enjoy the weapons of that era of my life and the memories they have gained along with the pleasure of passing some onto my sons, daughters, and SIL's, DIL's.

All have been shot by me, but some , like Ben, not in a heck of a long time.

Very well said! Thank you...

 

[Model29-26.5]

One thing to consider is that even if a gun was produced in relatively large numbers as time goes by fewer and fewer remain in as new condition with all the accuchaments. Even if fired, when done very infrequently the lack of a substantial turn line adds value. Collectors are always looking for a nicer example of something they already have. The ultimate is a NIB unfired specimen but until they find that they settle for lesser and lesser degrees of having been fired.
Personally I don’t seek out unfired specimens or place a premium on having boxes and tools. I don’t want the headache of storing it all. Guns go in a bore store in the safe boxes are a pain in my neck. I like well cared for high condition guns in the 95-98% range. Very nice but not too nice. Make sense? Probably not….

Yes. Unfortunately I can see myself becoming this picky. I don’t want to but I know I have it in me.
There is no doubt that a 29 from 70 years ago that looks like it just left the factory is a beautiful thing to see.
I play guitar for a living. It’s a tool so I don’t mind a little wear and tear. In fact.. some new guitars are often sold with a “stressed” look to make them look old and used.
The point being that I don’t care so much about it because I’m not a collector, but I’ve met plenty of them.
Wood and varnish does not last as long as bluing.

 

[Tu_S]

Personally, by the time I got to my mid 40's I had enough disposable income that I could start buying stuff for the sake of collecting it. I got to the point where there is what I buy to shoot, and the stuff I buy because I wanted it for whatever reason.

The BioFire Smart Gun I have on pre-order would be a perfect example of something that will never be in regular use. I don't expect it to work as advertised, and don't plan on having it sitting around on the kitchen counter in it's docking station loaded and assuming it will work they way it's supposed to and be safe or work right when picked up, but it's something I find interesting so I'm getting one.

I realized 2 years ago when my Dad passed away and I started going through the seldom opened safes that there is a pretty good part of the family collection, that has been aquired over the last 40 years, that has never been fired, and it seems to be something I started doing at around the same age 10 years ago.

As far as lasting forever, here's a link to the thread I started with some unfired S&W pistols after Dad passed that have been stored for 30 years, which is representative of everything he had stored. You just need to put some effort into storing things right.

Old S&W stuff I didn't know Dad had

 

[kbm6893]

I have a 15-2 in the original box with paperwork and tools that I don’t believe has ever been fired. I got it right before Covid hit. I haven’t fired it and I doubt I will. If I feel the need to shoot an adjustable sighted K frame I have my Model 67. The 15-2 was made in 1967 and looks like the day it was packaged for sale. I’ll never own a gun this cherry, especially for the $550 I paid for it.

Some guns are for shooting and others for admiring. As for the rusting away comment, I don’t take that as fact at all. Mine looks new after 57 years. No reason for that not to continue for another 57 years, as long as I properly train my children to respect and value them as I have, and I’m trying my best to do just that.

 

[Frailer]

It’s certainly not meant to be...

For the record, I didn’t mean to imply you were being judgmental in the slightest.

It is those who feel compelled to tell others that they are “doing it wrong” that I find annoying. We all have opinions, but they all don’t have to be shared.

 

[SWFan27]

While I MAY have more than a couple of "factory-fired " S&W's in the herd, any of them will someday make the range.
The only one I will not fire is this early 29-2 6.5". This one is tagged for my Grandson.

I'll get my enjoyment watching him! And,,,, maybe he'll let the old guy try it next?

My dad has the same Model 29 in the box. His Dirty Harry revolver.

 

[Valmet]

This is appropriate to this thread- The Mansfield Find. 1886 production Winchester 86 that is literally NIB.

https://youtu.be/FvycXvFmoYU?si=A56hBJgaLKSueIG3

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I admit that I have safe queens. Almost all of my guns have been fired by me or someone at some point in time but some are safe queens because I have other guns that I prefer to shoot. Nevertheless, this particular pistol came to me unfired, I bought it SOLELY for its provenance, I don't need to shoot it because I have other .380s that are not NIB, and I just wanted this as a collectible. Will anyone else care? Probably not. But I only did the deal just "because".....

Secondarily, this next gun was a gift, it's for sure been fired, but I have no intention of shooting it, I just think it's gorgeous so I like it and that's the name of that tune.

Some others fit the description, too. I like them but they're not going to be shot by me.

I know that many folks here cringe at the idea of admitting that they own a lot of guns but I'm not worried about it and I admit it and lots of them are just relaxing in peace as far as I am concerned.

 

[USBP SW]

I have a few "safe queens", however, I did not buy anything with the intention of never firing it. I have been known to acquire more than one example of something I really like, one gets shot a lot, one resides in the safe, while I try to wear the shooter out. Someday maybe I'll actually wear one out. The shooters always seem to end up with the smoothest action, makes it very difficult to retire them.

 

[Hairtrigger]

I do not have the time to shoot most of my guns. I get a kick out of digging out a gun that has not seen the light of day in years and it takes me back to the joy of when I brought it home!
I have a handful of guns that have never ever been fired quite often. If I find something like that, I will buy an identical shooter grade to keep the one that I have on fired.

 

[MetalMan]

Can I get an AMEN for his last sentence??

AMEN from Central O-H-I-O!

 

[GypsmJim]

The bottom line is it's none of my bizness what you do. Personally I don't see the logic in having something you can't use. Shooting it has no monetary effect, so what's the point? I buy stocks and gold coins to make money, but if I intend to keep a gun it's for my pleasure, not an investment.

OTOH, I DO have guns I don't shoot. Like my WW1 Artillery Luger. I HAVE shot it, but it's a jamomatic, so why bother. I could sell it and make a bundle, but it's a collectible and I like it. I DO plan to shoot it eventually.

My problem is too many toys and not enough time.

 

[Shoebox1.1]

I’ve had one Ruger safe queen. Just traded it to my pal. All others get shot and carried

 

[kbm6893]

The bottom line is it's none of my bizness what you do. Personally I don't see the logic in having something you can't use. Shooting it has no monetary effect, so what's the point? I buy stocks and gold coins to make money, but if I intend to keep a gun it's for my pleasure, not an investment.

OTOH, I DO have guns I don't shoot. Like my WW1 Artillery Luger. I HAVE shot it, but it's a jamomatic, so why bother. I could sell it and make a bundle, but it's a collectible and I like it. I DO plan to shoot it eventually.

My problem is too many toys and not enough time.

I’d never not shot a Glock or any other plastic gun. Even classic hammer fired guns don’t hold the same collector value. Go to the online auction sight and find a new in box 5906, Sig 226, or a CZ75. Even an early 1st gen semi auto with all the papers and unfired. They won’t cost as much as a never fired, in the box with all papers and tools, S&W revolver. Worst case scenario, my kids will get to sell it for 3 times what I paid for it or I sell it if I change my mind. But being unfired and in perfect condition surely adds value to it.

For me, I get pleasure in owning a cherry piece. When I want to go punch holes in paper, I have many others to choose from. If the 15-2 was my only gun, that would be a different story.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I'll answer your question with a question OP, why does it affect us? To be fair to you, I too don't find the idea of a gun behind glass to be appealing.

That said, if someone spends their money on a gun and wants it in a display case, that's their prerogative and none of my business.