I think I'm ruined...

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Hey all,
It's a friday in the month of November and work is slow. That isn't a bad thing for me, it means if all my jobs are done i can leave work early (a very infrequent event). I normally stay so busy that i have little to no time for aimless wandering and pointless exploration. So I depart work about noon with the goal of going to a few local gun stores to really see what it's looking like. This normally isn't an option for me, i have 2 small children that i pick up after work and my weekends are pre-scheduled by my wife and gun store cruising for some reason is never on the agenda. So long story short, I'M BUSY.

There is a fairly large gun store (gat guns) just a few miles from my job and i head over to see if there is something of interest. Nope. A cabelas a few miles from there. Nope. An amazing gun store about 35 minutes west . - a couple things, but not much of interest.

The firearm hobby started for me at 22 years old (35 now). I lived in tennessee and met a few patriots who lived in stone cabins deep in the smokie mountains who were bonified gun nuts. I got into SAA's and clones, big bore firearms and the hobby/lifestyle in general. My first gun was a taurus gaucho in 45 colt (raised by liberals who hated guns but own them- go figure). From there i was into everything gun related, revolvers, semi autos, lever guns, shotguns - everything.

As the years rolled on i found that i gained no pleasure from my carry guns (all glock) , nothing at all from shooting the ar15s I've owned (currently just one, a daniel defense ddm4v5), the 1911s i've had and sold, nothing from bolt actions and little from shooting shotgun. My joy was with revolvers, lever actions and single shot firearms. I've known that for years and purchase accordingly. I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

That's where i now notice the issue. Looking through case after case of modern polymer and steel semi autos i can't find one single gun that i desire more than a passing interest (i do like the dan wesson bruin). Ar's, ak's , precision bolt guns and the whole array of wonderful offerings from countless makers are very hum drum. I thought that maybe i am not the gun fanatic i believed i was. No, thats not the case. I spend my evenings researching ballistics, looking at masterpieces of steel and walnut , dreaming about my next revolver and reloading ammo.

I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo. Lever actions chambered for cartridges that were developed well over 100 years ago. Odd things from a by gone era.

Maybe its time catching up to me. Maybe i've just seen too many polymer 9mm guns. Maybe my brain shorted out. Whatever the case may be, this is the first time i noticed while walking along vast cases of beautiful firearms that i didn't see anything i wanted or needed (the days of needing to buy a firearm for a specific role passed a decade ago). The only guns that caught my interest generally were in the used cases and a few ruger, S&W , henry and marlin offerings otherwise.

I can remember staring into the pile of glocks or sigs thinking "if i could just get this one, that one, oh and that other one" how happy it would make me. Not the case anymore.

Is this a product of age? Maturity? Being jaded by years of being utterly consumed by firearms research and collecting? I don't know. All i do know is, i like what i like. I have what i need for realistic use. I can't get excited for a gun coming next summer that holds 2 more rounds than its next competitor.

Is something wrong with me? Maybe.
Look for a Krag. I thought they were dumb until I shot one. They are smooth, fun and are relatively low recoil.
 
New modern guns are tools
Old guns have soul.

Whether it's a 1892 Winchester in .38 WCF or a Pattern 1853 Enfield.

My first deer of the year fell victim to a Custom Flintlock and the 2nd to the above mentioned 1892. The 3rd to a Dan Wesson M15. Life is to short to spend it all with boring guns.

To be honest the only recent rifle that I really get the hots for is a Ruger No. 1.
 
To be honest the only recent rifle that I really get the hots for is a Ruger No. 1.

Not too long ago I wandered into the store to look at some lever guns and that No 1 caught my eye more than anything else as well. Not planning on any new rifles any time soon, but they do look fun.
 
I assure you that with time your tastes will change. With that in mind at some point it returns to a familiar home, and your interest follows.
 
I have known many, I mean many former Powder Burner shooters that ended up shooting Air Rifles and never looked back. A very dedicated bunch. They did a survey once and the average age was 55. The possibilities are endless. Target shooting, hunting, field trials, bench rest etc.



KQG4bu7.jpg
 
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A good way to losing interest in guns is to work in a gun shop. I did part time for two years. Since I had no particular personal or financial interest, guns just became a commodity. Same thing happens with tellers in a bank. Since the money they handle every day isn’t theirs, it’s simply dirty paper they are responsible for.

The other thing is some of the customer base. A very large percentage are great, but you get enough overbearing, obnoxious individuals that it wears thin.

In any even, at 69 Y.O. I’ve gotten somewhat to the same point. I have enough money that I could pretty much get whatever I want, but I’ve sold most everything.
 
Hey all,
It's a friday in the month of November and work is slow. That isn't a bad thing for me, it means if all my jobs are done i can leave work early (a very infrequent event). I normally stay so busy that i have little to no time for aimless wandering and pointless exploration. So I depart work about noon with the goal of going to a few local gun stores to really see what it's looking like. This normally isn't an option for me, i have 2 small children that i pick up after work and my weekends are pre-scheduled by my wife and gun store cruising for some reason is never on the agenda. So long story short, I'M BUSY.

There is a fairly large gun store (gat guns) just a few miles from my job and i head over to see if there is something of interest. Nope. A cabelas a few miles from there. Nope. An amazing gun store about 35 minutes west . - a couple things, but not much of interest.

The firearm hobby started for me at 22 years old (35 now). I lived in tennessee and met a few patriots who lived in stone cabins deep in the smokie mountains who were bonified gun nuts. I got into SAA's and clones, big bore firearms and the hobby/lifestyle in general. My first gun was a taurus gaucho in 45 colt (raised by liberals who hated guns but own them- go figure). From there i was into everything gun related, revolvers, semi autos, lever guns, shotguns - everything.

As the years rolled on i found that i gained no pleasure from my carry guns (all glock) , nothing at all from shooting the ar15s I've owned (currently just one, a daniel defense ddm4v5), the 1911s i've had and sold, nothing from bolt actions and little from shooting shotgun. My joy was with revolvers, lever actions and single shot firearms. I've known that for years and purchase accordingly. I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

That's where i now notice the issue. Looking through case after case of modern polymer and steel semi autos i can't find one single gun that i desire more than a passing interest (i do like the dan wesson bruin). Ar's, ak's , precision bolt guns and the whole array of wonderful offerings from countless makers are very hum drum. I thought that maybe i am not the gun fanatic i believed i was. No, thats not the case. I spend my evenings researching ballistics, looking at masterpieces of steel and walnut , dreaming about my next revolver and reloading ammo.

I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo. Lever actions chambered for cartridges that were developed well over 100 years ago. Odd things from a by gone era.

Maybe its time catching up to me. Maybe i've just seen too many polymer 9mm guns. Maybe my brain shorted out. Whatever the case may be, this is the first time i noticed while walking along vast cases of beautiful firearms that i didn't see anything i wanted or needed (the days of needing to buy a firearm for a specific role passed a decade ago). The only guns that caught my interest generally were in the used cases and a few ruger, S&W , henry and marlin offerings otherwise.

I can remember staring into the pile of glocks or sigs thinking "if i could just get this one, that one, oh and that other one" how happy it would make me. Not the case anymore.

Is this a product of age? Maturity? Being jaded by years of being utterly consumed by firearms research and collecting? I don't know. All i do know is, i like what i like. I have what i need for realistic use. I can't get excited for a gun coming next summer that holds 2 more rounds than its next competitor.

Is something wrong with me? Maybe.

OP, I understand. It may be a phase, it may be the politics of people who surround you. Though I still admire guns, cars and motorcycles the magic at my age has worn off but I've got almost two and a half decades on you. These are after all really just tools but certainly a 66 Mustang is more beautiful than a 73 Pacer just as a Peacemaker evokes different emotions than a Ruger LCR. I do understand, maybe you're overwhelmed by the sheer weight of guns you possess, I too have too many and by no means is that number above 20 but most are just taking up space and I believe the last time I was at the range for pleasure ( and not for training) was in 2012 when my boys came to visit me, I haven't seen them since and those guns that I let them shoot have mostly been sold. I truly believe in "Less is more" or to put it in gun terms, "Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!" (Clint Smith).
I think your answer lies in your question, you have aged (prematurely), you are probably jaded (who isn't in today's world), and yes, you probably have matured.
My solution for me is I'm putting many of my guns for sale, guns that I romanticized, guns that I bought off of friends that needed the money but I personally don't need, guns that just get fondled when I clean out the safe. I'll be left with maybe 10, of which most are no more than tools, one is dad's.
You're 35, keep a few tools, slowly sell off the rest, eventually you'll get back in the game with maybe a Ruger #1 or a TC Contender or whatever.
I think you just might be overwhelmed.
No disrespect intended.
 
Hey all,
It's a friday in the month of November and work is slow. That isn't a bad thing for me, it means if all my jobs are done i can leave work early (a very infrequent event). I normally stay so busy that i have little to no time for aimless wandering and pointless exploration. So I depart work about noon with the goal of going to a few local gun stores to really see what it's looking like. This normally isn't an option for me, i have 2 small children that i pick up after work and my weekends are pre-scheduled by my wife and gun store cruising for some reason is never on the agenda. So long story short, I'M BUSY.

There is a fairly large gun store (gat guns) just a few miles from my job and i head over to see if there is something of interest. Nope. A cabelas a few miles from there. Nope. An amazing gun store about 35 minutes west . - a couple things, but not much of interest.

The firearm hobby started for me at 22 years old (35 now). I lived in tennessee and met a few patriots who lived in stone cabins deep in the smokie mountains who were bonified gun nuts. I got into SAA's and clones, big bore firearms and the hobby/lifestyle in general. My first gun was a taurus gaucho in 45 colt (raised by liberals who hated guns but own them- go figure). From there i was into everything gun related, revolvers, semi autos, lever guns, shotguns - everything.

As the years rolled on i found that i gained no pleasure from my carry guns (all glock) , nothing at all from shooting the ar15s I've owned (currently just one, a daniel defense ddm4v5), the 1911s i've had and sold, nothing from bolt actions and little from shooting shotgun. My joy was with revolvers, lever actions and single shot firearms. I've known that for years and purchase accordingly. I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

That's where i now notice the issue. Looking through case after case of modern polymer and steel semi autos i can't find one single gun that i desire more than a passing interest (i do like the dan wesson bruin). Ar's, ak's , precision bolt guns and the whole array of wonderful offerings from countless makers are very hum drum. I thought that maybe i am not the gun fanatic i believed i was. No, thats not the case. I spend my evenings researching ballistics, looking at masterpieces of steel and walnut , dreaming about my next revolver and reloading ammo.

I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo. Lever actions chambered for cartridges that were developed well over 100 years ago. Odd things from a by gone era.

Maybe its time catching up to me. Maybe i've just seen too many polymer 9mm guns. Maybe my brain shorted out. Whatever the case may be, this is the first time i noticed while walking along vast cases of beautiful firearms that i didn't see anything i wanted or needed (the days of needing to buy a firearm for a specific role passed a decade ago). The only guns that caught my interest generally were in the used cases and a few ruger, S&W , henry and marlin offerings otherwise.

I can remember staring into the pile of glocks or sigs thinking "if i could just get this one, that one, oh and that other one" how happy it would make me. Not the case anymore.

Is this a product of age? Maturity? Being jaded by years of being utterly consumed by firearms research and collecting? I don't know. All i do know is, i like what i like. I have what i need for realistic use. I can't get excited for a gun coming next summer that holds 2 more rounds than its next competitor.

Is something wrong with me? Maybe.

Me too.

I've never been a follow-the-crowd firearms person and have always preferred blue and steel. I dabbled in CAS about almost 10 years ago and while that whim passed, the gun part of it never did. SA revolvers and lever action rifles now interest me more than anything. SA's are used every year for at least part of our annual venison supply, and a couple of years ago my 133 year old 1873 Winchester 38 WCF was used.

I grown numb to the sight of Glocks and AR's and although I have 2 or 3 AR's, I have little use for them.

I'm to the point in my life where there's not much in the way of firearms that i want to buy anymore. I did buy a used S&W Model 10 for my daughter recently. Man....talk about fun! After dinging the 14" steel disc hanging from my 100 yd. target stand with it, I ordered one for myself!

At the moment I'm away from home in what I refer to as one of the giant concrete "****-holes" whose population exceeds 1.3 million. The S&W is carried down here. When I'm at the house, I always wear one of my many SA revolvers because there are so many undesirable critters about, and if I jump in the truck to go to town to get feed or groceries, the SA goes with me.

So, I feel ya buddy.

35W
 
I participated in CAS and CMSA for a long time. I guess I lost interest due to some health issues. Anyway I have kept all of my guns. A Ruger Vaquero in 45 Colt hangs in a holster on the headboard on my side of the bed. My wife spotted a fox around one of our stock tanks a couple of days ago so I brought my 1873 Carbine in 32-20 out of the safe and it is standing in a corner waiting to be put to use.
 
I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench.

It's funny that after not being on THR for ages that I find this thread. There could be many reasons, and I'm going through some of them myself.

For me, once I've honed in on the samples of each type that I want to own, I have what I need. Sure, I bought and sold a few on the way to get there, but now I have ones I don't want to sell. Let's call it around 25 guns. Some are safe queens, some are not.

Part of the problem is I don't need guns in my daily life. It's a pastime. If it were my job or singular passion, or I was a major hunter, LEO, trainer, etc, then usage would come up in my daily life. It does not. Secondly, I have many hobbies. They're all demanding of my time and money.

In your case though, at 35, I can imagine other things have become more important in your life. Or maybe as you said, you're just jaded. Lol
 
Gun worship is a path where one's experience, beliefs interests evolve and progress or digress even. Had a work buddy who quickly moved on from handguns and onto AR's and then to building his own custom AR with his chosen top shelf preferred parts and learning some smithing skills along the way. I doubt has even fired 100 rounds through it. He told me at the time it was exceedingly accurate. That was maybe 9 mos ago. I retired 11 mos ago and he found a much better job. We've mostly lost touch like often happens with work related friendships. He is earl to mid 30s with 2 young boys who are about 6 and maybe 8 or 9 respectively. I chance texted him not long ago to say hi and found out he's mostly lost interest in "gun addiction" he lols and now is hooked on harvesting his first bear with bow and arrow. And now working on his first bow build. His other passion is his Harley. He tried to get me to buy my own
HD but it seems unwise to start to learn how to ride at age 3 score and then. He is very happy and has a wonderful wife, wonderful parents. And terrific kids.
 
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