So I was at the range today and was shooting one of my custom Browning Hi Power. It is an MKIII that Jim Garthwaite built for me. It is a nice gun and I put some money into it but I shoot it all the time. It goes to the range with me 90% of the time. I have carried it. It gets used but not abused.
A guy at the range asked what I was shooting and he looked at the BHP and said it was nice maybe too nice to shoot. I just sort of shrugged and said well its a working gun not a safe queen. I showed him the places where is shows use. The magwell, spots on the slide and the frame where the blue has been worn of from going in and out of kydek and leather. Where I banged it with my wedding ring clearing a feeding malfunction. It still looks great but shows some battle scars. He looked at me like I was crazy.
I have some "safe queens" that do not get shot often and are babied when they go to the range but for the most part all my guns are working guns. They all show signs of use. Some have been dropped, almost all have some sort of cosmetic issue if you look closely at them. Even my Wilson EDC X9 has marks on the sights where I hit it on something while I was carrying it.
So how do you guy and gals feel about your working guns. Do you stress the wear that they pick up from use? I am not talking about an idiot scratch or neglect like rust but good honest wear. Dings from your wedding ring, mags, holsters etc... you know gun related activities.
Do they bother you? Do you obsess over them once they occur? I am interested in peoples take on this.
A guy at the range asked what I was shooting and he looked at the BHP and said it was nice maybe too nice to shoot. I just sort of shrugged and said well its a working gun not a safe queen. I showed him the places where is shows use. The magwell, spots on the slide and the frame where the blue has been worn of from going in and out of kydek and leather. Where I banged it with my wedding ring clearing a feeding malfunction. It still looks great but shows some battle scars. He looked at me like I was crazy.
I have some "safe queens" that do not get shot often and are babied when they go to the range but for the most part all my guns are working guns. They all show signs of use. Some have been dropped, almost all have some sort of cosmetic issue if you look closely at them. Even my Wilson EDC X9 has marks on the sights where I hit it on something while I was carrying it.
So how do you guy and gals feel about your working guns. Do you stress the wear that they pick up from use? I am not talking about an idiot scratch or neglect like rust but good honest wear. Dings from your wedding ring, mags, holsters etc... you know gun related activities.
Do they bother you? Do you obsess over them once they occur? I am interested in peoples take on this.
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