Down Sizing the shotgun collection as we age

Falconflyer said:
Quote, More experiences and memories will always trump more wood and metal

I like that!
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That and Rightsizing another great quote. Have 2 custom rifles and they do it all for me but old Scatterguns are just "nice",wish I could have taken a couple to Argentina..:)
 
This thread reminds me of the joke that my biggest fear is my wife will sell my as she calls it junk for what I told her it's worth. My biggest fear is I won't be able to shoot or own the last couple of grails I have wanted in my life. But the problem is I worked to much in my life also and my body has rebelled to the point I can hardly walk now so most of my guns are actually useless to me now.
 
I can see 80 on my horizon but can't stop now. I try to get out fishing at least one day a week year around and shooting clays most weekends. I hunt waterfowl in Ontario and Saskatchewan in the fall and have a local turkey hunt booked for May to use my English style percussion 12 ga with choked barrel (that I built myself). The last guns in my rack will be my Win 21 and pre-64 Win Model 70 Featherweight 270 that I carried for more that 50 years and I Intend that they stay in the family when I can no longer use them. My greatest fear is that at some point I will be grounded when I have to give up my drivers licence due to as-yet-unknown health issues somewhere down the road; then what.......?
 
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Raton57 said:
This thread reminds me of the joke that my biggest fear is my wife will sell my as she calls it junk for what I told her it's worth.
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This reminds me of a guy I met at a gun show many years ago that told me that he would buy an armload of super cheap guns at a show. When he brought them home his wife would chew him out (you don't need any more guns and of thing) but would simmer down when he shower her the receipt showing that he spend nearly nothing for them all. THEN, when he would go to a show, he would take one or two of the "culls" and if he found something he liked he would trade one off (even if he got nothing for it). He said that his wife wouldn't know a Winchester/cooey from a Kliengunther BUT, she can count. If she went and counted top his guns after a show, no change so all was A-OK.

My biggest fear is I won't be able to shoot or own the last couple of grails I have wanted in my life. But the problem is I worked to much in my life also and my body has rebelled to the point I can hardly walk now so most of my guns are actually useless to me now.
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My Dad always wanted to go on an African safari but claimed that he could not afford it. That was BS, he COULD afford it. He passes away 6 years ago having never gone and when my Mom passes away she will be leaving a fair bit of cash to us "kids" and the grand kids. IMO that is tragic. "Us kids" are all in our 60's, WE DON'T NEED THE MONEY. I would MUCH rather it be spent for the pleasure of those that earned it (Mom and Dad) and, while they did/do, it still saddens me that Dad did not follow his dream of the safari. Why work to earn money if you aren't gonna g to do the things you want when you have it.
 
I'm getting to the age where I know what I like, use what I like. I have a few guns that I like but don't use much, so those are going away. I have been upgrading for several years, selling off some and buying "the best" of a certain category.
Besides my usual local hunting and target shooting, a lot of my hunting adventures lately have been international, because the Africa bug bit me hard. So my comment is more about rifles. I've realized that some of the good Africa - capable guns that I've accumulated won't be used for their intended purpose. Travel with firearms is not getting simpler or easier. And I love Zimbabwe, and it's not even legal for a Canadian to bring a hunting rifle there. So when I get on a plane in a couple weeks headed for Zimbabwe, my .375 Sako and my .450-400 3" Nitro express Merkel double will stay home. I really need to think about whether it makes sense for me to keep them after this trip. But then, the Merkel did work perfectly well on a moose hunt last fall...
My shotgun lineup is “just right” at present, and I have plenty of shotgunning opportunities still in the field and at the gun clubs so don’t see that changing much. I’m 65 but my current bird dog is only three. Lots of years ahead with him I hope.
 
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Ol' Flinter said:
I can see 80 on my horizon but can't stop now. I try to get out fishing at least one day a week year around and shooting clays most weekends. I hunt waterfowl in Ontario and Saskatchewan in the fall and have a local turkey hunt booked for May to use my English style percussion 12 ga with choked barrel (that I built myself). The last guns in my rack will be my Win 21 and pre-64 Win Model 70 Featherweight 270 that I carried for more that 50 years and I Intend that they stay in the family when I can no longer use them. My greatest fear is that at some point I will be grounded when I have to give up my drivers licence due to as-yet-unknown health issues somewhere down the road; then what.......?
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I'm in selling mode right now... well more like out with the old and in with the new, most of my purchases are not really new but new to me... one of the very last to go (after I die) will be my Pre-64 M-70 Featherweight 270! I purchased that rifle probably ten years ago and it was one of those rifles that had been carried a lot and used a little. I did a complete restoration on it, developed a good 1 moa load and now it's what I usually reach for when going out hunting, I can't think of a new rifle that I'd replace it with! It dumped a cow Elk last fall at 275 yards like it had been pole axed, fabulous!
 
Falconflyer said:
I'm in selling mode right now... well more like out with the old and in with the new, most of my purchases are not really new but new to me... one of the very last to go (after I die) will be my Pre-64 M-70 Featherweight 270! I purchased that rifle probably ten years ago and it was one of those rifles that had been carried a lot and used a little. I did a complete restoration on it, developed a good 1 moa load and now it's what I usually reach for when going out hunting, I can't think of a new rifle that I'd replace it with! It dumped a cow Elk last fall at 275 yards like it had been pole axed, fabulous!
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Jack O’Connor would be proud of you!
 
Ol' Flinter said:
I can see 80 on my horizon but can't stop now. I try to get out fishing at least one day a week year around and shooting clays most weekends. I hunt waterfowl in Ontario and Saskatchewan in the fall and have a local turkey hunt booked for May to use my English style percussion 12 ga with choked barrel (that I built myself). The last guns in my rack will be my Win 21 and pre-64 Win Model 70 Featherweight 270 that I carried for more that 50 years and I Intend that they stay in the family when I can no longer use them. My greatest fear is that at some point I will be grounded when I have to give up my drivers licence due to as-yet-unknown health issues somewhere down the road; then what.......?
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I wish you many more years of making memories. Kudo's to you for keeping it going!
 
Yeah, I feel your pain, I am 70, I to would crawl over crushed glass to shoot birds, and shoot skeet then sporting clays in my younger days. My dogs are all gone and my health has limited my abilities, but I still hunt partridge, kept my Winchester SX-1 which I bought new in 1974, a lot of memories made with that gun and also my Ithaca SxS 20ga an old beast that dates from the 40's I think, my Dad gave me that gun when I was 15, I learned to hunt and shoot with it. Also kept my Classic Doubles Skeet version and the Browning M-12 20 ga. I got all the bases covered with that lot.
 
Falconflyer said:
Haha.... Yeah I know.... I'm an old guy... looking hard lately at a 6.5 PRC and after running the numbers through the online ballistics program I come to the conclusion that it's just a 270 Winchester.... who'd thunk it? New is great but not really greater!
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My son has the same Winchester .I bought it for him when he was 21 and although many have come and gone in his safe that is still his go to gun and killed a few deer in its time. I'm afraid I slipped a bit and bought a plane jane ,1950 Remington 870.My first shotgun that I paid for was exactly the same, weakness and nostalgia :)
 
I shoot mostly trap, old guys always say to me, "stick with one gun", well I have 3 trap shotguns. This season I will stick with just one so I can maintain a consistent score.
 
A Winchester model 70 featherweight 270 win has been mentioned a few times I sold my 1955 version a few years ago now carrying a kimber 84L
Rifles to me are something I need to use a few days a year to get meet on the table
Shotguns on the other hand have been a addiction all my life
 
No one plans to die early but it happens all the time. As humans were optimistic that we will live a long life and when we’re young we flat out refuse to think we might not make it to old age, that’s why armies love recruiting 18 year olds. There are exceptions and I did know one fellow who thought he'd never see old age so he lived everyday like it was his last and in the end he made it to 68 and died penniless.
 
All my children are "gun aware" so anything left after I'm gone will be divided and appreciated. However I also have a extensive knife collection and I'm sure there will be a fire sale on that.
 
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