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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For me it depends. On the guns I have to shoot, I don't abuse them but they do get used. G34 just passed 18,800 rounds tonight, and it's showing some holster and other wear and that's totally cool, and actually the wear is one reason I've not had the gun coated to change the color to something more interesting than black. I paid for that wear, I want it on there.

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For one of the two sentimental guns I have, I shoot it, but I really don't want it damaged. I'm not freaking out about it, but I'm also never going to take it to a class, never going to use it in harsh weather, not going to have it out in the sun, sling it up and do transition drills, yada yada. If the zombies are over running the barricades and it's the last weapon I have I'll be stabbing them through the heart with the mostly dull bayonet, but otherwise it sleeps in the safe in a protective wrap.
 
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.

Or and old S&W Gen 3 auto. :)

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I own guns because shooting them makes me happy. I do not get much pleasure from owning something and never using it. So normal wear and tear doesn’t bother me but I do try to take care of my stuff.

Exactly. I am not dragging it behind the truck on a chain but when it gets a ding or a scratch from using it I am not crying over it. There was a time it bothered me more but these days I just keep shooting.
 
I do my best to keep all of mine in as good a shape as possible, but I don’t get upset if my heavy use firearms get worn or scratched. I have seen guys who would toss their ARs into the beds of their trucks like tossing a hammer. Stuff like that irks me. I know they are tools, but it’s a tool that could save my life. Intentionally roughing it up doesn’t do anything positive other than make a vain attempt to look cool in front of your friends.

As someone wiser than me once said “not shooting a firearm or driving a car because you want to keep it nice is like not sleeping with your wife to keep her in good shape for her next husband.”


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While I try to take very good care of my stuff, be it guns, tools, vehicles, etc. I realize things happen and nothing will be brand new forever. I enjoy using my stuff and with use comes wear, that’s just how it goes.

I bought some tough to get wheels for my new truck last year and my first tim off roaring I scratched them up in a few spots. It’s bothered me for about a day but then I said “can’t call me a mall crawler” lol.
 
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.
One was bought to give to my son when he graduated from college. I bought it before he was even conceived. I still have it at my home even though he has graduated college but only because he is soon going to be on a military base. The other is one of 3000 with gold inlay animals. Honestly I will never shoot it as I bought it just because it was shiny. I have even considered buying the same gun in a used low grade just to be able to fire one.
 


‘Nuff said. Elmer Keith’s iconic Number 5 revolver had to be reblued twice, he carried it so much. Had he not replaced it with a S&W .44 Magnum as his main carry gun, it probably would have needed rebluing a couple more times.
 
I have an old Ruger .22 Single Six, one of the flat gate light weight models. It has what I would call "dishonest" wear on it as well. It was my grandfathers pistol, and when he got it we think he fancied himself some sort of cowboy, or wanted to act like one. We don't know...he was into his spirits quite a but at times. But he attempted to scratch his initials into the slide plates and the butt has some dings from where it looks like he used it as a hammer. The pistol still shoots great and is as accurate as I could ever be. But this is "dishonest wear" to anyone who would ever want to buy it. Granted, I will never sell it, and those old stories, along with how we think he was practicing his quick draw technique and put a round through some furniture, make it priceless as an heirloom. But if anyone else were to find it at a gun store they would see that as abuse (and it is).
 
I have an old Ruger .22 Single Six, one of the flat gate light weight models. It has what I would call "dishonest" wear on it as well. It was my grandfathers pistol, and when he got it we think he fancied himself some sort of cowboy, or wanted to act like one. We don't know...he was into his spirits quite a but at times. But he attempted to scratch his initials into the slide plates and the butt has some dings from where it looks like he used it as a hammer. The pistol still shoots great and is as accurate as I could ever be. But this is "dishonest wear" to anyone who would ever want to buy it. Granted, I will never sell it, and those old stories, along with how we think he was practicing his quick draw technique and put a round through some furniture, make it priceless as an heirloom. But if anyone else were to find it at a gun store they would see that as abuse (and it is).

Great story! Would love to see a pic of that gun.
 
Great story! Would love to see a pic of that gun.

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It’s an old pic I pulled from my Instagram page. Doesn’t show the best detail. But there the old girl is. With the cowboy holster my dad bought him probably in the late 50s

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Honest wear (Wall) or wear (Fence) or Holster wear (Physical Barrier) or used (Border security) or Idiot Marks (Open Borders)
 
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Honest wear (Wall) or wear (Fence) or Holster wear (Physical Barrier) or used (Border security) or Idiot Marks (Open Borders)

Yeah but the real question is who is going to pay for it? LMAO
 
I buy guns to enjoy shooting them or to use as defensive tools. I’m not going to go out of my way to beat them up though. They cost a lot of money and I try to keep up what I own as well as I can. I have a scratch on the slide of my TRP that irks me, but oh well, it’s going to get more.
 
This is not to say I have never refinished a gun. I have had a few guns refinished over the years. Most of the time I did it when it was out for custom work and I wanted to change the look of the gun. Like this 75B which was in excellent shape when I sent it out but wanted a tutone look so I had the frame redone and had the controls done in black.

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This one was a surplus gun and needed to be refinished after the custom work. The frame was stipped and there were imperfection on the frame in other spots. I went with NP3+ on the frame and Rogard on the slide again for a tutone look. See a theme... LOL.

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Then I did this one because there was pitting on the slide and frame from the previous owner. I got it on the cheap IIRC $375-$400 with 4 other MKIIIs from Bill Rodgers of all people. He was selling the MKIIIs from his school because no one shot them. I won a GB auction started talking to him and he said he had 3 more MKIIIs and we made a deal for all 4. He then mentioned he had one more but it was sort of a beater someone setup as a competition gun back in the day. He threw it into the deal for under $400.

Turned out to be a 1969 C series with a Bomar sight setup. Trigger is amazing. Whoever set it up did an excellent job. It is up there with BHPs from Don Williams, Garthwaite, Cogan etc... It was just finish challenged and I wanted to preserve it and make it something special. When I sent it out it looked like this. Pic does not show the extent of the flaws.

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It now looks like this.

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I would still like to get a BHP hard chromed with brushed rounds and polished flats. I just love the look but never get around to it. Maybe once the blue is gone from the Garthwaite BHP which was the gun I mentioned in the OP I will get it hard chromed. I originally intended to hard chrome it but Jim likes to leave them blue and let you shoot them for a year before chroming so if he has to make any changes or modification he can but I liked the gun blued and just keep shooting it. LOL
 
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It’s an old pic I pulled from my Instagram page. Doesn’t show the best detail. But there the old girl is. With the cowboy holster my dad bought him probably in the late 50s

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Its a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
 
I have a few that baby but still shoot. If I were to damage the bluing on the S&W Police Special my great-great grandfather carried while in charge of the Chicago Police Dept's prohibition enforcement branch. He evidentally had some powerful friends and per my grandfather allways had cases of the best scotch laying around.
 
If purchased new I take good care of them, always use a thick towel at the range, too many staples on the tables :mad: or rusty staples on old wire spools.
Over half are used police trades and they also get the towel treatment.
 
Some people get a lot of pleasure from just having nice things and keeping them nice. I give my FIL a hard time about it, but he's like that. Everything he has he wants to keep perfect. Doesn't want to put miles on his cars, won't carry his guns in the woods because they're too pretty, won't leave any seasoning on his grill. Loaned me a Browning Citori to shoot clays with then worried me all day about not scratching it.

I don't want to take anything away from those type of folks. People should be left alone to do what makes them happy.

But that's not me. I use "stuff" to add enjoyment to my life, not stress.
 
Some people get a lot of pleasure from just having nice things and keeping them nice. I give my FIL a hard time about it, but he's like that. Everything he has he wants to keep perfect. Doesn't want to put miles on his cars, won't carry his guns in the woods because they're too pretty, won't leave any seasoning on his grill. Loaned me a Browning Citori to shoot clays with then worried me all day about not scratching it.

I don't want to take anything away from those type of folks. People should be left alone to do what makes them happy.

But that's not me. I use "stuff" to add enjoyment to my life, not stress.

I can understand that mentality. I am saying one is right or wrong. I used to be a lot more like that but have chilled a bit. I like pretty things but have come to accept that with use comes wear and I would rather use the things I have vs just look at them.

I was nervous when my wife gave me a Beretta silver pigeon for my birthday one year. She spent tons of time picking the “right one” with the nicest stock etc... I knew I would mess it up and she would be heartbroken. Took me about a month to put a ding in the stock.
 
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If purchased new I take good care of them, always use a thick towel at the range, too many staples on the tables :mad: or rusty staples on old wire spools.
Over half are used police trades and they also get the towel treatment.

This makes a lot of sense too. I see no reason to abuse things but often the way I am shooting things get banged around.
 
Buy it for appreciation (the $ kind) and don't touch it or buy it to use. To me a High Power's greatest asset is how they feel in the hand, much more than how they look, so you know what I would do with it.
 
My father was one of those guys who kept his guns perfect, and expected no less of me. Needless to say, it made hunting pretty stressful. Carrying one of his shotguns or rifles through the woods without putting a single briar scratch, dust, dirt, etc. on it was nerve wracking. At the age of 12 I put a small scratch in the stock of his 20ga Ithaca 37, and I thought I'd never hear the end of it.

Me? I'm different. I enjoy my guns, even the pretty ones. But their purpose is to be shot, not to be looked at. Nearly all of my guns have some wear from use. Holster wear, friction wear, etc. It just means they've been used and enjoyed. They get cleaned and oiled as needed, and I never go out of my way to abuse one, but if one picks up a scratch along the way, so be it.
 
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I dropped my SR40C on the pavement once....it was stainless and it was a cheap Ruger with a great trigger, but it bothered me. So I traded it for a Glock...........and dammit I wish I had that SR40C back lol. Was a real shooter!
 
For the types of guns I enjoy, wear only enhances their appeal in my opinion:

(not me)
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Also, I don't put a lot of stock in what strangers say at the range. If I had a dollar for every guy who asked me if my bakelite mags were wood, I could plant another tree in my yard. Live and let live.
 
My G26 gen 4 has a lot of wear. Gen 4's have the least durable finish of all time. I carry it everyday ,it still shoots great20190209_185819.jpg
 
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My 2 cents
I used to try and keep stuff nice but I finally gave up on it. If I didn't mess it up someone else or nature would.
I'm good with wear and tear, honest or dishonest. I've done unintentional damage to cars, trucks, guns, bass guitars and most anything else I've ever owned so that may qualify me as an idiot I don't know. I still have a couple of pieces that are in pretty good shape but it's only a matter of time.
Stuff happens and it's just stuff after all, that's how I see it anyway.
I've never been a collector of anything and I have nothing against those that do, for investment purposes or just to say "I've got one of those".
That's just not for me. Give me a beater any day. As long as it functions correctly I'm good.
I've been told I don't appreciate anything. Materially speaking that may be true but what I really do appreciate is family and good people.
 
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Competition desensitizes you to wear and dings. Toss the rifle in the bucket while you pick up the shotgun, and dump that to draw the pistol. Mags falling everywhere and getting dirty muddy wet stepped on etc... Slamming around into awkward or prone positions for long range rifle shots, or on or against barriers. Draw and dry fire 10k times. Using a screwdriver and hammer to chip the lead and other cr*p out of the muzzle brake.

And for me at least, the competition guns are the nicest and most expensive ones. I suspect this is common. Often with nice optics on them. Oh well. Just tools. And fun too of course. The glass on the optics, and the muzzles are the only external things I worry much about protecting because those matter to function.

I like a pretty gun too, and I have a few, but if and when I get time to shoot them properly they may not stay that way. I don’t abuse them on purpose but I don’t really baby them either.


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This pistol is one of four guns I bought new. Had it about9 months. Couple of months ago I swapped sights on it and exercised great care not to do any damage. Was my first time doing this kind of work. Now it looks like this.
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Knocked it with a staple gun after putting up targets.
That's an honest idiot mark I guess!!
It's also looked like this after dropping it and myself on the ground.20190108_153625.jpg
Like I said, this is the kind of "stuff" that happens. To me anyway.
 
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12 years ago I got a 3 1/2 inch profusely engraved, Ivory stocked, Nickeled finish with fire blue screws. This for my 60th birthday. It has since been carried, dropped, shot, rubbed against everything around and still looks Mostly good. 10 years later I had it's duplicate made in a 4 3/4 inch, it is unfired at this date. When the other breaks or goes down, this one will be Up for duty. I love beautiful guns, I also love to shoot them.
I'm kinda of the Jay Leno mentality . Jay says he like to restore a car to a perfect 10 and then drive it down to about a 6.
 
I take good care of my stuff in general & do have a couple of 'ooh pretty' guns, but they get shot & stuff happens. I like to keep stuff nice, but honest wear just means that a gun was well loved & used.
 
If my guns show any wear, I am happiest if I know I am the one that put it there!

I have a few guns that have spent a lot of time in the safe, but I've shot everything I've got and I plan to shoot them all again, preferably with friends.
 
Naw! It don't bother me none. I've been carrying this li'l 342 around in my pocket since the day I bought it...... back in November of 2001. Looks beautiful to me! :)342.1.jpg

Now I'll admit that the farthest I have "thrown" this is into the glove box when I was heading in to have a beer or something of that nature. I don't deliberately abuse my firearms but wear happens. I love the way my 686-1 looks. You can definitely tell that is spent some time in a holster. (According to Ed Nicely, it spent some time as a Southern Pines PO's duty weapon.).
 
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