Honest wear on your guns... Do you care?

Does honest wear on your working guns bother you?

  • No honest wear is sexy and to be expected. Its a tool which will show wear

  • I understand it is going to happen but when it does it bothers me.

  • I am paralyzed by it and there are guns I won't shoot because I am scared to mess them up.

  • Other... with and explanation.


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wvsig

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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.
 
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I don’t go out of my way to beat them up but I don’t stress when they show a little wear. Long guns get nicked up more in safes and handguns because of holsters. Just part of the deal..
 
Honest wear is a good thing!

Fake "battle worn" paint deserve ridicule and shaming.

Now, that said....I can fully appreciate some firearms being 'artwork' that deserve to be treated as such and kept from harm. My .32 caliber flintlock that dad built may never again see the range.
 
If I don't shoot 'em I don't keep 'em. So everything, up to and including the Wilson I bought recently gets to come out and play.
 
Nope. Just adds character imo. Yeah that first scratch is a bummer but it will happen.
It's like a new truck. The first, scratch and first dent. Are disappointing but it was bought to use.

Towards the end. They are comfortable familiar old friends. They show honest use. They tell the story of their owner with every blemish.

I've ended up selling every "too pretty to use" I've ever had eventually. As I see no point in having things I don't use:)
 
When I look at ads here and elsewhere if it's too nice to shoot I just move on. Too much stress trying to keep a gun from getting dinged up.

Nope. Just adds character imo. Yeah that first scratch is a bummer but it will happen.
It's like a new truck. The first, scratch and first dent. Are disappointing but it was bought to use.
Years ago a friend bought a new dirt bike and was upset that another friends boots left marks on the frame after a short test ride. The second guy told him to take it home roll it out of the truck, let it bounce on the ground then go enjoy it. I thought that was pretty good wisdom for machinery and tools.
 
Natural patina/wear, to me, is awesome.
As you stated, it's a tool.
 
Normal wear and tear from use it to be expected. Lubricate and protect as needed and carry on.

Safe Queens and collectors items are obviously different.
 
Most of the 6 guns I've owned (starting in the '80s) were bought/acquired used. I really don't care if they have marks on them, they're here for me to shoot for fun, and used in training, and ultimately to protect myself and my property with. It's nice if a gun looks "pretty", but if I'm afraid to use it, I probably don't need to own it.
 
I’ve got a 1911 that I looked for forever then built it up once I found one. I’ll never sell it, I may be buried with it just so my kids don’t try to get rid of it. I love this gun, but I’ve beat the hell out of it and will continue to do so. Maybe I’ll get it refinished one day and start the cycle all over again.
 
One of my most carried pistols is a 1st Series Kimber Classic Stainless. Was the first 1911 I ever bought. Sold it to a bud when business was slow. Bought it back from him a few years later (for a lot more money). I have carried that gun across all of NC and much of the US.

Several years ago, I got a pair of nice ivory 1911 stocks as boot in a trade with a good friend. He bought them for his carry gun as a present to himself when he got off his last deployment. I didn't want to take them. He insisted. I put them on the Kimber and kept carrying it. This pleased him greatly, that I would use them instead of just look at them.

Several months passed and I was on a solo 4-wheeler camping trip in WV on a huge tract of coal company land. I practically had the whole place to myself, due to dumb luck and the time of year. While riding up the mountain to camp late one afternoon, I allowed myself to get distracted looking at a grouse, hit the slope on the side of the trail wrong, and rolled the 4-wheeler. I was carrying the Kimber in a Bianchi M9 flap holster, as I always did when riding, and the right grip panel was the first thing to hit the dirt and rock of the trail, followed quickly by the rest of me and the 4-wheeler. I dusted myself off, counted myself blessed to have nothing more than some scratches and bruised pride, and kept going up the mountain.

That rollover put a number of scratches and digs in the ivory. Nothing horrible, but the stocks were no longer pristine. I was pretty upset. By the time I saw my friend, the ivories had picked up some dirt and ash staining from camping and a couple other minor nicks. He was ecstatic! He told me he'd always wanted to put that kind of wear on those stocks, but hadn't carried them long enough for anything to happen. He wanted to know the stories involved, which I shared over some good beer.

That changed my thinking on guns, etc. remaining pristine. Every time I see that scratched ivory, I remember the miles that gun has shared with me and some of the cool things that happened along the way. Honest wear on a gun is the same, along with some of the bumps and bruises from stupid crap we pull. They remind us of the journey, and make for some great retellings over beer and around the fire.



The Kimber with a grouse it put in the pot one camping trip at the same place in WV. Lighting is too washed out to see any of the staining or wear on the ivories, plus the big scratches, etc. are on the other side.

4GCAB91.jpg
 
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If something is too nice to shoot I don’t want it. I can look at someone else’s gun. Anything I own gets shot. Some see harder use then others but they all get used.


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One was my very first competition gun. The other hasn't had a round through it. I'm fine with that.

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I have a few in my collection that I like to think of as “gems” and I’d be mad if they got damaged, but honest wear generally does not bother me. I don’t shoot the safe queens and I don’t baby the shooters.
 
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The phrase "honest wear" irks me about as much as when someone says "it is what it is" or someone replies to a post with "this."
 
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“Its in good shape for its age”

Someone justifying rust on a gun because they didn’t take care of it.

Bluing wear is one thing. Rust is unacceptable.

I have my guns that if they got scratched I’d cry and some others that have to be used in not so perfect scenarios.

One of my favorites, an old Marlin has some bluing wear in the right places. It makes them look manly.
 
The phrase "honest wear" irks me about as much as when someone says "it is what it is" or someone replies to a post with "this."

What is wrong with the phrase "honest wear"? Guns wear if you use them. Even those nickel plated BHPs will wear. If you get up close I am sure you can tell which one has been shot and which one hasn't. From the pic I can see wear on one of the sets of grips. I am not judging either way but guns that get shot wear from use and handling. I am not tracking "this".

What would you call wear on a gun from its intended use? o_O
 
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I have a few in my collection that I like to think of as “gems” and I’d be mad if they got damaged, but honest wear generally does not bother me. I don’t shoot the safe queens and I don’t baby the shooters.

I also understand that. There are some in my safe that get shot but are certainly handled differently than others. For me everything gets shot. Not everything goes into a holster or is used to shoot drills involving mag changes.
 
Some I could care less if they get nicks. I have 2 that have not even been out of the box in over twenty years in the same lube.
 
Some I could care less if they get nicks. I have 2 that have not even been out of the box in over twenty years in the same lube.

So help me with the mindset or psychology behind the 2 that have not been out of the box. Did you ever intend to shoot them? Did you buy the for an investment or as a collector piece? Are they just to pretty to risk diminishing their beauty or value.
 
What is wrong with the phrase "honest wear"? Guns wear if you use them. Even those nickel plated BHPs will wear. If you get up close I am sure you can tell which one has been shot and which one hasn't. From the pic I can see wear on one of the sets of grips. I am not judging either way but guns that get shot wear from use and handling. I am not tracking "this".

What would you call wear on a gun from its intended use? o_O

You have a 50/50 chance. Which one was my comp gun?

Feel free to tell me how you came to your conclusion. :)
 
I also understand that. There are some in my safe that get shot but are certainly handled differently than others. For me everything gets shot. Not everything goes into a holster or is used to shoot drills involving mag changes.

Oops. I forgot to answer your question.

I would call it wear. The gun has wear on it. There is wear on the gun. The gun is worn. The bluing is indicative of its age. There's a host of phrases that can be used.

Honest wear? Cheesy.
 
You have a 50/50 chance. Which one was my comp gun?

Feel free to tell me how you came to your conclusion. :)

From the one pic I would say the one of the left is the comp gun. The grips strap at the rear shows some fading. The medallions are not as crisp. It could also be the photo. The other giveaway would be its the one that is cocked and locked. Why cock a gun you have never shot. :rolleyes:
 
From the one pic I would say the one of the left is the comp gun. The grips strap at the rear shows some fading. The medallions are not as crisp. It could also be the photo. The other giveaway would be its the one that is cocked and locked. Why cock a gun you have never shot. :rolleyes:

What year was the coin you flipped? Lol.

But you're correct. The left was my comp gun. The right will never be fired, unless my daughter decides to.
 
Oops. I forgot to answer your question.

I would call it wear. The gun has wear on it. There is wear on the gun. The gun is worn. The bluing is indicative of its age. There's a host of phrases that can be used.

Honest wear? Cheesy.

To me honest wear differentiates it from I don't know how to assemble a 1911 and put a scratch on the frame or I don't know how to remove a magazine disconnect on a BHP so I marred the frame with a punch and a hammer. Those are both examples of wear but they are not from use. One can nitpick any phrase.
 
What year was the coin you flipped? Lol.

But you're correct. The left was my comp gun. The right will never be fired, unless my daughter decides to.

No coin was needed even from the distance and lack of detail in the pic the "honest wear" on the gun is visible. I am sure up close and in person the the nickel is indicative of its age and its use. ;)

It is a lot like my black F150. From a distance after I have washed and waxed it the truck looks pretty clean. It looks shinny and the metallic flake in the paint looks good. When you get about 1" from the truck you can see the imperfections. You can see the scrapes and the swirls in the paint from when I did not take the time to wash it properly.

A detailer would be able to see the difference even from distance. I know enough about BHPs to know which was which even from distance. It is not that hard if you know what to look for. It was not a matter of chance. Anyway I completely understand keep one pristine and one for shooting.

I don't have any that I have never shot but will admit some are babied more than others.
 
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When I look at ads here and elsewhere if it's too nice to shoot I just move on. Too much stress trying to keep a gun from getting dinged up.


Years ago a friend bought a new dirt bike and was upset that another friends boots left marks on the frame after a short test ride. The second guy told him to take it home roll it out of the truck, let it bounce on the ground then go enjoy it. I thought that was pretty good wisdom for machinery and tools.

When I was in college a rather wealthy alum donated a brand new 7' grand piano to the music department. The cover gets pulled of this shiny new Yamaha and of course everyone there is excited. I mean, it's a huge donation, a fabulous instrument, just a big deal. As the presentation is wrapping up the guy who donated it reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors. He walks over to a random student hands him the scissors and says, "scratch it." You could have heard a pin drop in that room. This guy gets up, walks over and puts a nice scratch right down the side. People had expressions of horror on their faces. IT WAS AWESOME! The guy who donated it just smiled and said something like, now we can all just enjoy it.
 
I'm with wvsig. Honest wear is just that - wear that the gun came by honestly as it was used for the purpose intended. Idiot marks, deep scratches from rolling over a 4-wheeler (oops), uneven wear from overaggressive cleaning, finish removal from spilling something acidic on it - all these and more don't count as honest wear, but are wear to the finish.

Maybe it is just a semantics game, but it can be a helpful term.
 
My daily carry guns are just tools. If they get scratched and scraped it's expected. I don't fret over it.

As a young man back in the 80's, I bought myself a Winchester 94/22 that I was mighty proud of. I also carried it a lot.
One day I was sitting on a boulder on the riverbank with a pretty girl. Her dog jumped in for a swim, but suddenly found herself in trouble. Her tail was down in the current and she couldn't keep her head up.
I quickly set the rifle on the rock and dove in. I saved the dog, and won the girl! The Winchester got a deep scratch along the left side.
Every time I see that scratch, I remember that dog, that girl, that day, and I smile.
 
Scars add character. I’ve owned lots of used or police trade in pistols and shotguns and I like the “salty” look. I’m always more concerned with function over form anyway. I can appreciate a “pretty” gun, just haven’t owned very many. Nothing is much prettier than an old, “experienced” S&W wheelgun or a bruised up 870p.
 
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