Average Age of Forum Members?

I'm 62 and voted 60ish and retired. I retired at 57 after being diagnosed with MS. Prior to 57 I could outwalk, outclimb and outwork most younger guys. I was an Electrical Lineman for nearly 35 years. I still remain as active as my symptoms will allow. I have not bought a gun in a little while but I still hunt, shoot, cast and reload. I help a farmer buddy in the Spring time with his planting and in the Fall during harvest. I'll spend several 12-16 hours days on a tractor in the Spring and Drive a truck somewhere between 15 to 21 days in the Fall. I'll spend about a week in the late summer mowing roads and food plots at Deer Camp and about 3 weeks mowing levees at 2 different Duck Clubs, my Sons and a Buddies. The rest of the time I hang out on a few forums such as THR and wait for the weather to allow me to get outside again.

larryh1108 said:

My biggest surprise is the 30ish number (22).
I thought we had more 30ish guys here.
Now, does this mean that gun owners are a diminishing group (per number of voters only) or that the 30ish crowd are just too busy to visit gun forums (kids, work, etc.)?

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I notice pulses of activity, and a lot of 30ish people aren't near a computer while at work all day. Give it a week or three and I bet more will pop up.

larryh1108 said:

Now, does this mean that gun owners are a diminishing group (per number of voters only) or that the 30ish crowd are just too busy to visit gun forums

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I'm not sure we should read anything into this, although there may be some underlying truth to a diminishing number of gun owners that are attracted to the more general forums (i.e., forums that also address the political and social issues attendant with firearms ownership, not just the guns themselves). There are a couple of other forums (*talk, --15.com) in which I notice there are far more younger folk posting during the weekdays … Seems our "general" forums, along with certain other type of gun specific forums (i.e. lever-action, single action, hunting, reloading) do, however, tend to have the more seasoned guys whereas a lot of the younger folk had black guns as their first exposure to firearms, hence what they gravitate toward.

For sure, the number of hunters is on the decline in this country, which is truly sad.

larryh1108 said:

The largest group, by far, is the 60ish group with a total of 76 (31%). 2nd is 50ish with 49 and 3rd is 40ish with 44. Just behind is our fine seniorist group of 70+ with 43.

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But the results are after only one day of polling.

I remember my 20s and 30s when I was working fulltime and rasing a family while working on marriage ... I had very little time. I may have visited/lurked/read threads with polls but had less time to reply or participate in polls.

The poll results may simply indicate what age group has more time to visit online gun forum as they may be retired, or have jobs that allow more downtime with likelihood of grown children.

And also that there is a bunch of Boomers and GenXers percentage wise that are into guns than Millennials and GenZers into guns.

And of course, there are those who simply won't participate in polls in these age groups.

larryh1108 said:

My biggest surprise is the 30ish number (22) ... I thought we had more 30ish guys here.

Now, does this mean that gun owners are a diminishing group

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But keep in mind that in past decades, hundreds of millions of guns were sold and many of these guns were sold to Millennials/GenZers but they may primarily spend more time on social media/twitter than gun forums.

So polls on gun forums may not accurately represent gun ownership.

And of course, there are those who simply won't participate in polls in these age groups.

larryh1108 said:

Maybe if we allowed selfies we'd have more participation from the younguns?

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Ugh. Please no...………...

My body is 58 years young. Mentally I finally got to an age where I'm realizing that my body can't do what my late twenty something mind wants to do.

Medium speed some drag. 37 years young. Lord willing I'll see 37 more.

70% 50 and older.
50% 60 and older.

No surprises. Younger folks don't bother with Internet forums like this one. It's Social Media for them and the more "cool guy" forums like AR15.com and so forth.

I prefer the wisdom of age.

Old enough to be asking questions about President Kennady's funeral and that was my introduction to politics. Started reloading with help in 68. My father would never let me buy one of those Carcano's in a wooden barrel in the corner Laverdiers drug store. Out of HS in 76. Drinking law was 18 and I did it my whole seinor year. Flat on my back getting chemo in the hospital as I watched the Brandenburg Gate get torn down on live TV in the wee hours. Retired last year a bit early due to medical issues from those 3 years of chemo back then. At least my mind and trigger finger work as expected but I hear on an almost daily basis "Stop acting like a 15 year old or you will hurt somebody" from the other half. Yes life is good.

FROGO207 said:

Old enough to be asking questions about President Kennady's funeral and that was my introduction to politics. Started reloading with help in 68. My father would never let me buy one of those Carcano's in a wooden barrel in the corner Laverdiers drug store. Out of HS in 76. Drinking law was 18 and I did it my whole seinor year. Flat on my back getting chemo in the hospital as I watched the Brandenburg Gate get torn down on live TV in the wee hours. Retired last year a bit early due to medical issues from those 3 years of chemo back then. At least my mind and trigger finger work as expected but I hear on an almost daily basis "Stop acting like a 15 year old or you will hurt somebody" from the other half. Yes life is good.

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Well, as long as you don't hurt yourself and her, you're good. Hopefully, you won't hurt others "too" badly.

My problem is that I want my older body to do what it did. Broke a rib last February. First bone I ever broke. Had some boxes laying around in the living room from cleaning out another room.

End of the night, me and the wife decided that we're going to dance to Pandora.

To ACDC,

naturally with some social lubricant involved.

Didn't work out too well when the box wanted to cut in.

Already don't drink when I shoot, but geez, now I can't even dance!

Working or not 60s are leading age group by almost 2 to1 over the next closest group. The majority of us are 40 plus. What does it mean? [Shrugs] who knows.

35 here. But I can grumble, growl, and groan like an 80 year old.
I’m actually pleasantly surprised at younger crowd represented here...

i think im the only person to vote for under 20. I'm currently 19 and have been extremely involved with firearms. i certainly do feel like an outcast compared to others my age for many reasons including my hobby and love of guns. i got married at 18, we are homeowners as well, all the jobs ive had and my current one is involved with agriculture/physical labor, and I am a high school dropout. i probably shouldnt have gone into detail about my personal life but whatever i dont care.

''when I was a kid...'' hehe

I remember when reel to reels got minaturized and called cassettes, Pringles came out. Remember worrying about getting grey hair, now it's 'dear Lord please give me a whole head of it' LoL

I remember as a whole family including the girls, we would go out after supper for a squirrel hunt.

No surgeries yet or major meds, but my share of injured joints, car wreck, etc. Still shootn' though with real ear & eye protection, stuff that wasn't as important in the 60s & 70s

Oh, staring 60 in the face here, and will part with Clint Eastwood's famous line...no, not THAT line, punk LoL...


''Don't let the old man in.''

71 next month. Still working 50% casting concrete. Driven hunt next weekend and then hunting in Portugal in February. I have about 500 once fired .308 cases to resize and a bit of load development before the winter is over. Plus really must go and work out in the forest, plantations too thin. I don't feel old yet

If you actually made mudpies when you were a kid, that's kind of a generational thing.

FROGO207 said:

Old enough to be asking questions about President Kennady's funeral and that was my introduction to politics. Started reloading with help in 68. My father would never let me buy one of those Carcano's in a wooden barrel in the corner Laverdiers drug store. Out of HS in 76. Drinking law was 18 and I did it my whole seinor year. Flat on my back getting chemo in the hospital as I watched the Brandenburg Gate get torn down on live TV in the wee hours. Retired last year a bit early due to medical issues from those 3 years of chemo back then. At least my mind and trigger finger work as expected but I hear on an almost daily basis "Stop acting like a 15 year old or you will hurt somebody" from the other half. Yes life is good.

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You'll put your eye out!

Cranky 71 here
Truman was president
Lived through though 60's
A year in Vietnam
21years on the street as A cop
Became a nurse at 47
Two wives
Now retired with a p/t job at the LGS.
Everything hurts, and after 8 major health incidents the reaper can kiss my hairy, wrinkled, butt.

I answered 60 ish and retired, closer to 68 now

larryh1108 said:

I'm sure all of these observations are correct. I didn't wish to come across as coming to a conclusion, just an observation after 1 day. Something for discussion as has happened.

This is probably the biggest reason of the missing youth. Maybe if we allowed selfies we'd have more participation from the younguns?

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If one's "joined" date is any indicator, some members here were much younger when they joined up at THR. The forum has been around since 2002?

In 2002 I was 37 and had owned my self purchased guns for about 10 years. I remember lurking at THR for a couple years before joining in 2010 when I was 45ish.

I was much more outdoorsy back in my 20s and 30s. My job and my family duties have greatly taken me away from that, so more computer time has been available. Arrgh.

I turned 75 as of my last birthday in Dec. 2019, to me age is only a number though.

77 and I still shoot the Smith & Wesson every day!

Kevininpa they call that thing pandora for a reason you understand. There once was a time in my youth that tossing a few brews back IMPROVED my dancing skills. Only regret is I should have spent all the$$$$ on new firearms instead of trying to impress the whole female population of this area. I'd probably be more invested in firearms than gunny now. Oh well.