How long have you waited?

[Bobson]

Just wondering what’s the longest anyone has ever waited, after buying a new gun, to get out there and shoot it? Obviously we’re not counting safe queens here. Just guns you bought with the intent to use them.

I bought a new Tikka T3 in .308 back in late September and still haven’t gotten out to shoot it. I didn’t plan to wait more than a couple days, but I just haven’t had time to get out. The time issue coupled with the lack of an outdoor, public range anywhere I know of has made it frustratingly difficult. Basically I need to be able to dedicate an entire day to hike out into the middle of nowhere and shoot it.

 

[Doc7]

M1 Garand - probably 6 months after I got it, while undergoing a refinishing project.

AR15 lower receiver still in the box after 2 years in my office (no intent to sell, just never built it).

Taurus 38 special 85UL - traded for it over 2 years ago, disassembled it, lost parts, found stuff I was unhappy with that previous owner had done (mushroomed firing pin) - waiting for a local buyback opportunity to trade a piece of scrap metal to the government for 50 bucks.

 

[WestKentucky]

Spanish short rifle .308. Traded for it and had full intentions of doing something fun with it, but never did. I loaded a bunch of powder puff loads for it and never shot a single one of them. I owned that rifle for 2 years and the only time I ever knew of it being fired was 2 rounds at the shop where I traded it in as the shop owner wanted to verify function. I kinda regret letting go of it, but it doesn’t haunt me.

 

[Englishmn]

Marlin 17hmr bought it mounted a scope, its been in safe 5 years still not fired it.
One day maybe.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have a new Beretta A400 Xcel that I bought in 2014 that has yet to be fired by my hands.

I have not been to a skeet or sporting clays field since before I bought the gun.

In fact, except for dabbling with a Bond Arms Snake Slayer (.410 bore/45 Colt) and a couple shots with a Rem 870 at critters on the farm, I haven't fired any reasonable quantity of shot shells since before I bought the A400.

 

[hemiram]

I had a gun for almost 10 years before I shot it. It was a crunchy triggered FEG P9R. I dry fired, polished up the guts, and put it back into the box. I took it over to the neighbor's house, shot about one box through it, and he offered me a decent price for it, and it was gone. I don't know what it was about it that got him so interested.

 

[Water-Man]

I purchased two Tikka T3 Hunter rifles in 2009. One I used hunting and the other has rested in my safe, still unfired.

I guess it's time to sell it.

 

[FROGO207]

I have an Ishapore Enfield 7.62X51 that still sits the way I got it from the importer. I have a few 308's to shoot already so someday I'll clean the cosmo off it and see just what I have. No rush yet, so far it's been 10 years at least. Maybe when I retire.

 

[Rio Laxas]

I traded for a pre-war commercial Sauer Mauser in 7.92x57J (.318 not the more common .323) a couple years back and still have not fired it. It is a beautiful rifle, but factory ammo is unavailable in the US, and I have not had time to load for it.

 

[chicharrones]

Two months is probably the longest I've waited after getting a gun that is new to me.

 

[badkarmamib]

Two months is probably the longest I've waited after getting a gun that is new to me.

Same here. I just GOTTA know how it runs! It is excruciating to find something, research it carefully, look for a good deal, pick it up, tear it down, clean it, and then have to PUT IT AWAY, because you don't have the time or place to try it out.

 

[Demi-human]

When my over and under was new. Thirty seven hours. It was horrible. I don't recommend it.
When I get new firearms I just have got to try them out. I usually pick them up on the way to the forest. On that occasion it was rainy for two whole days!

....

I was a bit reversed in the order of my target rifle procurement. I found a good deal on a Viper HST and bought it. And had to wait for some months before a new run of Savage F/TRs were completed. I must have looked through that scope at my mailbox at least every other day! I couldn't bring myself to mount it on my AR to try it out.

 

[Jimster]

Not more than a few days. If nothing else I just drive up the road a ways and squeeze off a few rounds into the river bank.

 

[hdwhit]

Bobson wrote:
Just wondering what’s the longest anyone has ever waited, after buying a new gun, to get out there and shoot it?

I purchased an AR in September 2016 to give it to my son. I almost immediately put twenty rounds of factory ammunition through it to verify that it was not defective and then gave it to my son. Because he is focused right now on producing his third musical album, he has not taken it to the range yet; so answering for him; 1 year, 6 months, 17 days and counting.

 

[somethingbenign]

When I bought my first rifle, a .22lr Henry, was right as the ammo scare started. It came with 50rds of white box but I couldn't bring myself to shoot through it until I knew I could but more. Don't know how long it took but felt like ages before I found a store that ordered Aguila SSS on accident and wasn't able to sell it quick enough.

 

[Fleetman]

I've got a few....CZ 527(? Lol) .223 Rem, Park/Balrd .300 Weby, Hi Standard AR 5.56 (forgot about that one!), Desert Eagle 1911 .45, maybe a few more?

 

[BSA1]

35+ years.

S&W Model 25-5 45 Colt 4" barrel brought with intent to carry as duty gun, Chief growled his disapproval so I left it in the box to await the right time to bring it out for carry. Time passed with it stuck away. I lost interest in shooting it after I read about the early ones having oversize chambers which this one appears to have. Then S&W introduced the internal lock and with their other production changes classic revolvers have become very desirable to keep.

I really like the 45 Colt. I have a Uberti carbine and Ruger Vaqueros that I use in CAS. I just have not found a need for the 25-5...

yet...

but I will one day.

 

[Bama59]

Just a few days with new M&P Shield, it was covered with packing grease .

 

[bbqreloader]

A few days, same experience as Bama, had to clean the snot out of it first.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

24 years and counting. 1st rifle I ever bought, a late war, last-ditch Arisaka- for $14 at a gun show!
While theoretically functional, the metallurgy scares me too much to shoot it.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I have a couple of SA revolvers that I bought a couple of years ago that I haven't gotten around to shooting yet. Both are Cimarron's...one a nickel .45Colt, the other a .44Spl. Big plans for both this spring and summer.
No particular reason...other than a long nasty bout with lymphoma.

 

[tubeshooter]

I have a couple of guns right now that I have not fired yet. Had them around 6 months and 12 months, respectively.

I have had a couple of guns pass through my hands with never a shot fired by me.


Obviously these were not primary use guns. Might sound crazy to some... but the larger your collection grows, the more conceivable it becomes. Also, I have to drive a couple of hours to family land in order to even test anything. Well - I don't HAVE to, but I choose to. So that's a big factor for me as well. Pretty standard for me to not get a chance to fire a new acquisition for several weeks.

 

[Chuck R.]

Range is in my backyard, so normally hr's to a couple days.....as long as I've got the ammo on hand or I'm set up to reload for it.

 

[EIB0879]

I had a couple that were unfired for over a year until I got around to putting scopes on them.

 

[huntsman]

As soon as I get the gun home, don’t do a cleaning just a visual inspection of the bore then load and make it go bang.