Where Do They All Go?

[Fishinfool]

I was thinking about how hard it is to find many of the old classic firearms, no matter the condition. Many were made in the hundreds of thousands, some times millions, yet today they are rare as hens teeth. Usually more so the older the firearm.

Yet, firearms are "durable goods". Most will last several lifetimes, or more if taken reasonable care of. My 112 year old 1909 Argentine Mauser, complete with original stock, looks pretty close to new, and it gets shot, as it was before I purchased it in the 1970's.

I know collectors and sock drawers account for some, some are actually worn out, some destroyed, but when you look at shear numbers made, we should be awash in old guns. Where are they?

Larry

 

[waffles]

I was thinking about how hard it is to find many of the old classic firearms, no matter the condition. Many were made in the hundreds of thousands, some times millions, yet today they are rare as hens teeth. Usually more so the older the firearm.

Yet, firearms are "durable goods". Most will last several lifetimes, or more if taken reasonable care of. My 112 year old 1909 Argentine Mauser, complete with original stock, looks pretty close to new, and it gets shot, as it was before I purchased it in the 1970's.

I know collectors and sock drawers account for some, some are actually worn out, some destroyed, but when you look at shear numbers made, we should be awash in old guns. Where are they?

Larry

We are awash in old guns, especially compared to absolutely any other durable good from the same period. We lose some to corrosion, some to fires, some to kabooms, some to boating accidents and similar, and some to crime. There are a ton for sale in various venues, online and offline, there are a ton more that are heirlooms or sitting in closets and attics. They're still around.

 

[Fishinfool]

W there are a ton more that are heirlooms or sitting in closets and attics. They're still around.

I guess this category must be larger than I realize. In a market flooded with plastic, there must be a lot of folks who appreciate what they have, and hang on to them.

Larry

 

[LVSteve]

Having seen the collections of several milsurp experts sold after their deaths, a great many old guns are in the hands of a relatively small number of people.

 

[alwslate]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

 

[UncleEd]

Millions and millions of guns
made but how many really
fall into the "classic" category.
Not as many compared to all
the numbers of firearms made.

When a person, a collector,
considers a particular desirable
category the pickings start to
get fairly sparse. That goes
for Smith revolvers, Winchester
rifles and so on.

 

[stansdds]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

Tons of truth in that statement and I think I have become one of them.

 

[CajunBass]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

I don't have anywhere near the numbers I used to have, but the ones I've kept pretty much fall into that catagory. I don't shoot near as much as I used to, but I hate to get rid of the few I have now.

 

[Old_Cop]

I might need that covers a good number of mine.

 

[ken158]

Been wondering that for years as I recall back in the day the LGS shelves full of the one's we seek now. Got a buddy that has three safes full and never gets them out to see the light of the day. He won't sell anything and has auction instructions in his will on how to dispose when he is no longer with us…. So, someone that never knew him will get the auction fees for listing, selling and buyer's premium.

 

[jeffrefrig]

All the hunters probably have at least a rifle, shotgun, & handgun of some sort. Some finally upgraded from their old rifle from youngster to a more modern one but kept the old; same with shotguns. Many handgun owners have at least 2 or more. And that's just the millions of hunters in the world. That accounts for quite a few guns. Then there's collectors of just plain old guns because they don't want to get rid of a gun just because they bought a different one. Lots of people with guns that just keep them.

 

[jeffrefrig]

I'm wondering more "Where have all the good times gone?"

 

[BAM-BAM]

Around the turn of the Century I looked to replace the 2 1/2 and 4 inch 19s and 66s I traded off in the late 80s for Smith, Beretta an Sig autos................. figured I'd just run down to the LGS and buy a couple...... took me about 4-5 years to get the four P&R guns I was looking to get at LGSs around the Burgh.

 

[jimmyj]

I have noted that a great many firearms purchased by forum members are "Never Fired" or "Fired Very Little". So most of these firearms from the past must still be in sock drawers or safes.

 

[alwslate]

Hate to say it but I have CMP M1s, 03A3s,98 Mausers, 303 Brits, Mosins, Winchester model 12s, Belgium Browning A5s and other long and hand guns I've owned for years and never fired. I really need to downsize but I just keep putting it off. And of course thousands of rounds of ammo that I will never fire.

 

[SS336]

Tons of truth in that statement and I think I have become one of them.

Me too, I'm afraid. My hunting rifles and shotguns don't get the use they should any more.
I do hunt turkey's and game birds still, but bigger game, at my age I need a chaperone.
Just can't part with them because of the years and memories they hold for me.
Going to the range and shooting handguns is a lot easier than dragging several rifles and all the needed stuff that goes with it.
Should sell them and buy more handguns.

 

[Truckman]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

Hmmm...That scenario sounds strangely familiar......Ben

 

[lamarw]

There has to be a percentage lost in fires and natural disasters. I think of recent events with the hurricanes, floods, tornados and and other natural disasters.

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

 

[mark brewer]

an observation that pertains to this: i have just in the past couple of months "gotten interested in guns" and from the various gun forums, i have noticed that lot's of individual gun guys have a lot of guns. apparently dozens. that is striking to me. i'm not critisizing this, hey, you have the right to own 10,000 guns and that's fine with me. and right now, i only own 3 guns but come back and check in a couple of years and i'll probably have a dozen or more.

but there's a part of me that asks, "What in the world are we going to do with all these guns?"

 

[alwslate]

One person's "a lot of guns" might be a couple of dozen. Another's might be a couple of hundred. I think many older owners are in a position where they are not worried about money and keep guns they don't use simply because they are the kind of guns they enjoy owning.

 

[mark brewer]

One person's "a lot of guns" might be a couple of dozen. Another's might be a couple of hundred. I think many older owners are in a position where they are not worried about money and keep guns they don't use simply because they are the kind of guns they enjoy owning.

i must admit, it can be very plearsurable just to line them up and look at them. though my lineup is not too big right at the moment.

 

[mikerjf]

It's also important to own guns. Guns = freedom.

 

[Fishinfool]

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

I think I remember that picture. Wasn't that a Winchester lever action that the tree had actually grown around, with the gun sticking out of the tree?

Larry

 

[Golddollar]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

I resemble that remark!

 

[alwslate]

I can remember back when I only owned about a dozen guns. But that was about fifty years ago. I've acquired a few more since then . A friend, now deceased, who owned a gun shop had a great fondness for 1911 .45 autos. Owning a shop put him in a position of having a lot of opportunities to acquire 1911s over a period of years. He told me he had over a hundred of them in his own private collection of guns. I doubt he ever did much of anything with them except wipe them down occasionally. I don't know what his family did with them after he died unexpectedly of a heart attack but I'm sure he simply enjoyed owning them until the day he died.

 

[Golddollar]

He told me he had over a hundred of them in his own private collection of guns. I doubt he ever did much of anything with them except wipe them down occasionally. I don't know what his family did with them after he died unexpectedly of a heart attack but I'm sure he simply enjoyed owning them until the day he died.

And isn't that what it's all about?

 

[s&wchad]

… i have noticed that lot's of individual gun guys have a lot of guns. apparently dozens. that is striking to me.

Meh… "Dozens" is a good start. They tend to multiple after 40+ years!

A friend of mine passed away a number of years ago. He was a serious collector. His wife told me that he had about 300 guns when they got married.

Another friend passed away just a few years ago and his collection was finally catalogued and sold. He had 428.

… there's a part of me that asks, "What in the world are we going to do with all these guns?"

That sounds like something my ex-wife would say!

 

[biku324]

There has to be a percentage lost in fires and natural disasters. I think of recent events with the hurricanes, floods, tornados and and other natural disasters.

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

A Border Patrol agent found a 19th century Winchester in a nook above a wash north of the border in the Grandma Mountains of SW NM in the mid-90s. Similarly, a rancher near Cloverdale in the Bootheel was going through an old, collapsed barn and found something covered in canvas. It was a functional Maxim machine gun - it now resides in the Deming museum.

 

[waffles]

A Border Patrol agent found a 19th century Winchester in a nook above a wash north of the border in the Grandma Mountains of SW NM in the mid-90s. Similarly, a rancher near Cloverdale in the Bootheel was going through an old, collapsed barn and found something covered in canvas. It was a functional Maxim machine gun - it now resides in the Deming museum.

There's also a cool museum in Cody, WY that has a ton of dug/found guns, near the much larger Buffalo Bill Center of the West. I must say though, a functional Maxim would be a bit tough to bring myself to turn in.

 

[Golddollar]

Meh… "Dozens" is a good start. They tend to multiple after 40+ years!

What do you expect when you leave them alone in the dark?