Shoot that safe queen! You know you want to!

[GypsmJim]

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.

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.

 

[LLOYD17]

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.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

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.

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

 

[Tu_S]

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.

 

[S-W4EVER]

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.

 

[theothermikeg]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-NgeXl-PPA[/ame]

 

[Llance]

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.

 

[Valmet]

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.

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."

 

[CajunBass]

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.)

 

[BigMuddy]

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

 

[mtgianni]

I have a 16-4 and a 24-3 that came to me with out any turn lines and claimed to be unfired. I ran a cylinder through the 24 and 3 through the 16. I won't shoot them often but compared to the other 32's and 44 Specials I own they are on top.

 

[Llance]

I'm still a fan of the shoot 'em if you want to, keep 'em as kings in the safe if you want. You own 'em, they are yours to do as you please.