how many guys go through times when they completely loose interest?

I bought a Celestron telescope 60 mm (compact)and seen Jupiter could faintly make out the red lines - can't wait to use it at the range instead of a Spotting scope -

You will probably require an erector lens. Generally speaking telescopes for viewing the night sky do not come with an erector lens. (Seperate eyepiece)

Maybe the market has changed ?
 
I have had a few short periods when my interest waned a bit, but never really "lost" my zeal for shooting
and hunting. Been at it since 1956, and now that I am retired, I have some serious hunting plans for this
fall. :)
Firearms have always intrigued me, and accurate rifles are my passion. Rimfire is a big motivator for me, and
a truly accurate rimfire fed ammo it likes is a delightful acquisition. Watching through 24 -40X and seeing the
bullet pass through basically the same hole at 50M is very special.
I probably have too many big game rifles [is that possible?] but it is nice to sport at least some variety. My
"big" rifle at present is a 8mm Rem Mag, a build that is very effective on bigger stuff. "Small" CF rifle is a very
nice 700 Classic in 222 Remington. Great crow buster. Have some duplicate chamberings as well. [30-06, 7x57,
270 Win, 6.5 x 55]
What can I say to those who have apparently lost interest.....Find a student, and teach them to shoot, hunt,
and even reload. Become a mentor. I think this is one of the best ways to rekindle the passion
. Regards, Dave.
 
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I totally understand this. I was part of a .22 shooting club many moons ago, which was more or less shut down (due to government pressure, as it was in the city - it got moved to another spot and ran very limited hours - something like Thursday night only 5-7). Then my local gun store was shut down, and the selection there wasn't terribly inviting (for me anyway) - and the staff were stodgy guys who only would talk with you if you wanted to buy a Silver Pigeon or something. But between my store closing and several kids that came along in the family - between that and work, it kept me occupied and It was a good chunk of time with no shooting and the guns didn't leave the cabinet (at the time) except the occasional check to change out the the industrial silica packs.

I had a brief reinterest re-igniting when I dropped by a gun store just out of the blue that was near my parents' place about five years back. I was pleasantly surprised what I could buy with a NR, and I bought something that day. But not having a club to shoot at, was a bit of a discouragement, and of course, between family stuff and work, shooting again took a back seat. Then I went through a divorce which sucked a lot of my savings away.

Surprisingly what got me in again (and staying in) is all the government OIC stuff last y ear. But also just realizing the wide breadth of different interests in the firearms community. CGN has been great. I enjoy learning lots of new things, particularly in the technical aspects of ballistics, and such. Buying guns I never thought I'd buy and enjoying shooting them very much, even stuff at one point not too long ago I thought would have too much recoil.

I think for me, recently teaching my kids how to shoot really helped spur my own interest. To a degree, it is passing along something for which I never had the opportunity to receive myself. And helping them to realize the other side of the coin when it comes to the firearms debate.

I think it definitely helps to find like minded people to perhaps spark the interest. Maybe go out shooting with someone from here. One of the best things about the EE is the opportunity to meet face to face with various firearms owners. We get into fun conversations that sometimes go for hours - it is a great camaraderie in finding like minded people.

The other thing I have found is it helps to buy another gun and have a variety of different firearms. I know for me, years ago part of what likely contributed to my waning interest was what I PERCEIVED to be a lack of variety in what kind of rifles I could buy. It seemed like the local shop had pretty much the same type of guns, just different colour. Oh how I was wrong on that one, but it took going to other gun stores for me to realize there was more out there than I thought.

I sometimes wonder if part of the discouragement stems from what it seems like constant government pressures to discourage participation in shooting sports, target shooting and hunting. I would not give the government a minute of satisfaction thinking they can rob my joy and love for target shooting (which I suck at but still enjoy immensely).
 
I've lost interest in other activities but never shooting. I don't do much fishing anymore but I'm at the range 4-5 days a week except during hunting season. :)

Some people are only interested in one type of firearm/shooting style but using different types of guns keeps things interesting to me. Some days I want to shoot a precision rifle, some days it's pistol, other days it's a modern sporting rifle and of course hunting rifles mixed in there too. The only thing I don't do much of anymore is shooting clays with shotguns.
 
What can I say to those who have apparently lost interest.....Find a student, and teach them to shoot, hunt,
and even reload. Become a mentor. I think this is one of the best ways to rekindle the passion. Regards, Dave.
This hits me pretty sweet in the face right now- Hoyts post was good also-

to touch on this, im finding myself more an more keen to get up an take newbies or younger folk out an learn them or get them their first deer- or a chance at it atleast- this does rekindle the flame a bit- s its all stuff you are just so "normed" to, which is so foreign to the newbies- its kind of like being able to walk the walk but stop an smell the roses aswell--

Hoyts progression touches me also, foreign land, animals or methods- get the fire burning, planning for those bigger trips etc.

new guns whilst gets me interested in that gun its only short lived and i too have too many rifles for general use--letting them go is difficult but something i do need to do.-


with the social media platform it kind of put me into a weird spot- most who wanna come huntin just want ya spots, others just want the stags and if opted to go into new ground its often a 'let down' to those as its all new an they've actually got to work just as hard as you to find the game---

perhaps the deer hunting culture here is zapping it out of me- most other game are not doin it for me unlike the big deer- more time out of the hills may be needed for me- im not sure :(
 
Its easy to see how one might have different interests and priorities after going through the many traumatic changes over the last 18 months... the lockdowns, skyrocketing price on ammo and components, and not to mention having your own government attack you over and over again with bans. Don't let them win, rekindle the fire by teaching some new shooters these wonderful sports.
 
Its easy to see how one might have different interests and priorities after going through the many traumatic changes over the last 18 months... the lockdowns, skyrocketing price on ammo and components, and not to mention having your own government attack you over and over again with bans. Don't let them win, rekindle the fire by teaching some new shooters these wonderful sports.

I go back and forth, some years i can't wait to get out into the woods, some years i have every excuse in the world why i can't. Like everything in life we have ups and downs, don't sweat it, do what you're enjoying right now and come back to it when you get the bug again.

What always gets me more engaged is like leadmonkey said, getting someone else new into the sport. I've never wanted to get out more than when i have someone new i am trying to introduce and get them into shooting and hunting.
 
Never totally "lost" interest... but there's been many up and down, not to many mention shift in interest.
- I'll admit that all the political-non-sens (and the covid-this-and-covid-that) is starting to get to me.

Right now, I'm mostly into airguns. Either playing FT or biathlon in the backyard, or coaching the local cadet shooting team... When fall comes around, I'll be walking the wood chasing ruffle grouse.
 
Made the mistake of selling my last motorcycle in 2017. Now the itch is back. I'm a real farkle addict and love to tinker on bikes. Shooting and collecting took a one year hiatus (2018-19) as I re-established myself after a separation and retirement, but it's been mostly consistent.

same here...stopped riding in 17 ...no regrets... no itch.... no accidents and a total of 340,000kms clocked .

Always gotta have a gun though. There has been 1 in the house for 50 years.

I still have all the bikes, but haven’t had the space or time to tinker and wrench on them which I enjoy. Started running through one last spring but got sidetracked with farm life and hunting in the fall. All are 70’s Japanese bikes, have a new to me big shop now and will be working on a couple this winter. Hopefully I’ll have two ready to ride for spring so the wife and I can go for some rides again.

I definitely miss being on two wheels but have been having fun on a quad the last while, keeping my eyes open for an older enduro 175-250cc or maybe a vintage 2 stroke road bike. So the itch is still there and I didn’t get rid of anything, just need to get them back on the road with some minor maintenance.
 
I have waves of lost interest in going to the range and dealing with the monkeys, but I always look forward to my annual hunting trip. To spark interest, I take a new shooter out and see their enthusiasm in the faces - then I usually end up buying another gun. It works.
 
Been hard to have much interest hear when a person works nonstop . Little time for fun and activities. Once harvest is over and winter sets in will have some free time . Something to look forward to.
Life is meant to live and enjoy, not just survive
 
Finally got myself a place to shoot, and I ust can't be bothered.

As a kid, you could stand on the back porch and shoot at this old rusted plow, about 150 yards back in the field. Hitting that blade with the old cooey, was about the best thing ever.

Hard to recreate that.
 
Finally got myself a place to shoot, and I ust can't be bothered.

As a kid, you could stand on the back porch and shoot at this old rusted plow, about 150 yards back in the field. Hitting that blade with the old cooey, was about the best thing ever.

Hard to recreate that.

That does make a difference for sure . It wasn't that long ago that people could shoot in their back yard without a second thought , but now , some neighbours have the police on speed dial if they hear a shot go off .
 
That does make a difference for sure . It wasn't that long ago that people could shoot in their back yard without a second thought , but now , some neighbours have the police on speed dial if they hear a shot go off .

The joy of living in the boonies... Maybe 7-8 years ago, got a call from a friend (who's a game warden).
- Hey Mike, would you happen to be shooting near such and place?
Me: Nope, why?
- Ho, someone reported sustained gun fire, we're trying to find out who it might be before we make the drive down.
Me: Ho well, good luck.

Note to self.
- Make sure your shooting spot is out of cell coverage
- Wonder who was making all that noise?... I was kind of jealous... :p
 
my hunting partner has replaced me for his girlfriend who has decided she wants to be a hunter.
We have talked about hunting up north over the past bunch of years and I invested in most of the stuff needed for those hunts. Now that the preparations are done and the gear all assembled, he's going on that hunt with her instead of me...... Now I'm competing with them for deer hunts in the areas that I showed them..... frustrating as hell but I'll figure something else out I guess.
So hard to find new hunting partners these days but I won't let it kill my interest.
Firearms aren;t a hobby that can come and go for me. They are part of my culture, heritage and upbringing. My dad wasn;t really a hunter and certainly wasn't a collector or sports shooter but he always had his rifle, my entire life. He bought it when he worked in the remote camps in northern bc and alberta in his younger days. He kept it stored in his clothing closet, tucked away behind the sunday church suits. We knew it was in the house as kids and knew not to ever mess with it..... period..... and we didn;t for the most part. I own that rifle and have taken many deer with it over the years. My kids don;t hunt but I will leave it in my will to one of my brother's kids.
It would be impossible for me to give up firearms or hunting as they are like I say, not a hobby, but a cultural thing. I would not be whole without these things and the activities that go with them.
 
Only reason I havent been out much this summer is, because its been like 30+ degrees out here for like the last 6 weeksish.

For hunting I only go out chasing yotes and have noticed I use to go out when it was -40 sometimes, but lately I find even on nice days its hard to drag my azz out of bed. :D
 
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