The older I get, the less inclined I am to take the nice ones hunting. A couple of reasons, but the main one is I do rough hunting and the older I get, the more I find myself tripping and falling, placing the gun in harms way. When I fall I’ve found myself even using my gun to help myself to get up. Not conducive or helpful to a fine gun. So, I’ve delegated myself to pretty much using my old Browning superposed 20 ga that I’ve shot for at least 30 years. It’s like it’s a part of me anyway, so I’m at no disadvantage in terms of shooting, since it’s a killer. Anyone else getting older and finding themselves in the same sort of boat, leaving the real good game guns at home?

It isn't just an old age thing. My wife won't let me take her Cadillac hunting either. It's only common sense to limit the use of fine and valuable shotguns to less risky situations. Often the gun's value is in condition and originality, so a broken stock from a fall can get very expensive...Geo

A gun too fine to hunt, at least in some circumstances, is too fine for me.
A Superposed 20 gauge is an upscale gun to many. My friend's Superposed Diana 20 goes hunting.
My AyA No.2, my most costly double, goes hunting on dry days.

Agree 100%- My Winchesters are of an older time, well worn, and I am not afraid to use them afield or in the blind. I once won a "fancy-schmancy" 12 bore autoloader at a PF Banquet- sold it to a gent sitting at our table, never regretted it- have no idea if he ever took it hunting or kept it as a "Safe Queen".. RWTF

Mine is a Grade I, and has seen years of grouse and other rough hunting. It’s a very nice gun, but checkering is worn smooth, lots of scratches and dents, and little bluing left on the receiver. I value it at maybe $1500 as beat up as it is, which I wouldn’t consider terribly expensive. Nevertheless, it’s a great old gun, but I don’t worry too much about it, even though I love the gun. Like I said, it’s a part of me, but it’s replaceable.

A Superposed 20 is one of the greatest guns for upland hunting ever built.
Grade 1 shoots as well as a highly engraved gun.
Wood can be refinished and bluing redone if the finish wear ever gets you down.
I am more of a serial shotgun buyer than a collector. It would be a strange day if there weren't 8 or 10 upland guns in the gun room.
Our upland hunting circle is 69 to 82 with some age related slowing down too.

I use them all but the nice ones are used gently. The nice ones don't go grouse hunting in the mountains or to the duck marsh.

I would not own it if I would not take afield.

I have used 100% of my guns in the field at least a couple times. Only having too many on hand for too few hunting days prevents some from going out very often.

Ultimately, I find that two guns of more than a dozen get the most use. They are two of my best and dollar wise most valuable.

I hunt my H&H in all but the worst weather. It is not in high original condition and that helps. I have a few British rifles that are too nice to hunt in all but the gentlest of environments and they rarely go afield but all except my newest acquisition have been hunted and that is simply because the right situation has not arisen as of yet. They do sell gun insurance to help ease the mind.

I use a Winchester 42 pigeon grade for early doves or a 42 High Grade if rain is expected. Difference is the a more modern Japanese version and I can easily find another. But all my guns are there to be shot. Reasonable care is expected in their use but use they will get. I have no room for safe queens anymore. But what a person does with their guns is their call.

Almost all of my “too nice to use” guns have gone on down the road. In that category they become safe queens and I develop no emotional attachment to them, no history of hunts. So it was easy to let them go.

Super nice is a relative thing.

All my super nice guns are just junkers.

I simply ask myself who I might be saving it for.

Then I go use it as the maker intended.

That said, you don't have to crawl on your belly with your double barrel shotgun like John Kerry.

I certainly have a few I wish someone before me had kept in the safe!...Geo

Hunting is meant to be relaxing, not filled with anxiety, babying heirlooms. All of mine are taken out, where I go they go. Any that are too delicate to go where I go, get sold, some were even given away to avoid the heirloom angst.

If it doesn't hunt it isn't in the safe. I'd rather buy well used and taken care of than a pristine one for four times the price. It would end up looking like the well used gun by the time it left me. It would be nice if my wife can get out of it what I paid for it and have been able to enjoy it in the field.

One really glaring problem for me is the need for a very short length of pull, if it isn't short when I buy it(really helps keep the price down) I have to cut it anyway.

George's comment about not being allowed to take his wife's Cadillac hunting reminds me of a fellow club member who died in 1970, Royal Carlock, (google him). His wife would trade Cadillacs every few years, and Royal would take over the old one. They were pristine seven passenger Fleetwood 75s until Royal would tear out the rear seats and convert the car to a coon hunting vehicle. Coon hunting was very popular in Montgomery County, Maryland in my childhood years, and dogs sold for very high prices. Royal Carlock had two 1957 Chevrolets which never went hunting, a Bel Air two door hardtop and a Nomad station wagon, both the ugly factory metallic pink. These two cars were always spotless and Royal drove them until his death in 1970. The wife's not so old Cadillac was always coated with mud, inside and out.

Interesting- makes me sorta wonder what make and model of car the late Nash Buckingham might have driven, if he a license-"back in his era"--in his story about a goose hunt with Henry P. Davis, near Memphis- he details how Henry's hunting vehicle was in the repair shop, so they took Mrs. Davis's "spic and span sedan" and Henry drove it through thru mud and muck until Hell wouldn't have it. Wonder what "Mack" Davis said when they returned?

My late maternal grandfather drove Packards until they went out of production-aprox 1954-ish? Then he went to Cadillacs- still can remember being behind the wheel at age 14 on those back country roads near Chillacothe.

I love to shoot 'coons, like I do woodchucks- Never ceases to amaze me the going prices paid around my neck of the woods for BlueTicks and Walkers-- RWTF

If a gun is "too nice to use" it has no utility to me. With that said, if I had something beautiful but slightly fragile, I would likely use it more sparingly. I've been considering a decent hammergun for a while now and if (big if) I did pony up for a good one, I'd clearly be more cautious with it.

Another reason I don’t usually take expensive guns is because I have friends and hunting buddies from all walks of life, several who are not as financially fortunate as others. I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable and I don’t want them to think of me as a snob, or even a gun snob. So, I don’t take fancy guns when I go with people less financially sound than some of the others. That may not make sense to some, but it does to me. BTW, I’d rather have a fine, classy bird finding bird dog to hunt than any fancy gun.

Buzz;
I fit in your description of "Not as Finacilly Fortunate as Others". My Best" gun is an FE Lefever Arms Co. It has been my #1 go-to gun since around 1972. I fell with it once while navigating a hill-side & it still wears a little ding in the stock from that. On one occasion while wading Out" of a duck swamp I forgot about a fallen tree trunk I had located on the way in & tripped over it plunging the FE to the bottom of the swamp. A good strip & clean & re-oiling took care of that.

At age 81 & in chemo for the third time in my life I am simply unable to get out & hunt anymore. If I were I would be delighted to hunt with you, even if you were carrying the most expensive gun from your stash. Even if your gun was worth 10 times what mine was, I do not get the impression you would "Judge" me by the price of my gun. Likewise, I would not use that criteria to judge you.

I'm careful about what I will take waterfowl hunting because of the inclement weather/boat/blind/dog but as others have said, they all go hunting.

And while I may feel differently in the future, right now I can't imagine having a gun "too good" to hunt. It's what they are for. That does NOT mean I downgrade my guns so I can hunt them.

my .02.

the anology I use when my buds say I am crazy for taking my 20 Ga Fox Upgrade hunting.

I ask them , if you were married to say, Catherine Zeta Jones or Kim Bassinger, would you put her in the corner every night and go to bed alone because she is too pretty to use????

guns are made to be used.
on the other hand, I am as careful as I can reasonably be with any gun I take afield. Regardless of its pedigree, I am not pounding fence posts with it.

I often hunt from a Kawasaki dirt bike & got a bit nervy about carrying old Brit doubles in the handle bar holder.
Just in case I take a tumble I bought a Hatsan Escort U/O as a bike gun.
The shops are full of them, they are cheap to replace, are all weather & amazingly good.

O.M

I’m guessing you only want to cuddle with Catherine or Kim.
I’m also guessing you haven’t been to the movies in awhile.


___________________________
The bright lights of Windsor are shining like diamonds...
https://youtu.be/QyT9NfR4k_c

Thanks Miller, I know I would enjoy hunting with you too.

Ive been in love with Kim Basinger for years ever since her Sean Connery James Bond movie. What a beauty! And prettier than a Purdey too.

Miller,you could hunt with me anytime.
You can sit in the cab of the Mule with the heater blasting, listening to Hank Williams Sr. on the satellite radio, and watch the dogs on the Garmin screen until you decide you want to shoot.


As far as too good to shoot, not me.

They were designed, built and meant to be used and enjoyed. I take care of my firearms and never worry about it when afield. It makes no difference if I am using one of my Parkers, Browning, or my Ithaca 37 that I have owned since I was 16.

Can't take them with us when were gone, and it never made sense to me to keep them tucked away in a safe or cabinet for the next guy to say "He sure took good care of it, looks almost new."

If one of my sons or grandkids end up with any of them they get a nice firearm(s) that hopefully they continue to use and maintain.

On the other subject of actresses, I'll bet I could get Jennifer Garner to enjoy duck hunting...

Just me.

Lonesome,
I have been to the movies. but, we are talking classics aren't we? for my age demographic (61) both of them woul dbe the equivalent of a fine SxS wouldn't you say??
there are younger ones but Kate Beckinsale and Halle Barry would be more like a Beretta O/U!!!

I like to take them all to the field.
If the next owners wonder how that stock got cracked or the barrel dinged, I hope they imagine some wild AZ and glorious tale of adventure. If they curse me for it, screw 'em. It won't affect me.

I try to take them all out over the course of a season, but I'm selective on what I take chukar hunting. A fall on some of the chukar hills here in Idaho and not only could the gun be toast, but myself as well.

I'm late to the game but, I'd have to say it must be determined on an individual basis, with the two most important factors being the physical condition of the individual and the type hunting being done.

When I get to the point that I can't recover when I stumble (and we all stumble) and often fall down I should take the guns used into consideration. Upland gunning, where a lot of walking is required, is probably toughest, with some kinds of duck hunting being next.

OTOH, when one can go to a dove shoot, set up everything in ease, take a seat and pull the gun out of the slip, and stay right there and shoot a limit, the nicest gun one owns wouldn't be in jeopardy. Wading into and out of a tanglefoot beaver pond, drifting creeks and rivers, sea duck hunting in the ocean ....... these are other places the gem of the safe might shouldn't be.

But, when it's all said and done I will probably be as hardheaded about my guns as my bride says I am about everything else, and use what I want to use until they, and their owner, are all used up. I didn't buy a single one of them to pamper.

Having shot driven birds with a couple guys who were using McKay Brown OU's, I'm not too worried about outclassing anyone with anything I own. Sometimes I borrowed a gun from the estate where we were shooting. When I took my own, the fanciest one I ever took was probably a Francotte sidelock. Nice gun, but a far cry from a Purdey or a Boss.

My Parker Reproduction with a set of 16ga barrels has become my usual pheasant gun. Mostly these days, although I have "rain guns", I solve that problem by not hunting in the rain. Seldom very productive for upland birds anyhow.

What I've found is that your gun can pick up various dings even if you aren't hunting with it. Not unusual for either me or my gun to get hit with a stray piece of clay target while shooting skeet. Or sometimes 5 stand or sporting clays. So I usually don't worry too much about risking them hunting upland birds. And I've also reached the age where I'm more likely to trip and end up on the ground than I used to. But I recall slipping on a wet rock, falling, and breaking a rib while grouse hunting when I wasn't yet 50. But I did a nice job of saving the gun . . . which was a Manufrance Robust 16ga. In retrospect, I should have had more concern for my ribs.

"I didn't buy a single one to pamper".. Neither did my favorite writer, Ernest Hemingway. I could shoot any one of the rifles, pistols and shotguns Hemingway owned, as detailed by Silvio Calabi and his pals in the two eds. of Hemingway's Guns. Old Ernesto said it best- "A gun is to shoot"-- RWTF

Fox, I guess you don’t own the Parker Invincible built for Czar Nicholas? Larry probably doesn’t either. A guy might want to pamper that one, no rough hunting?

Well, I don't have a large selection of guns to hunt with but they are pretty nice. The first is a Francotte Eagle grade that I refinished (A spectacular gun) the second is a Francotte sidelock that I believe was Larry Brown's (It needed a stock extension for me).

The Eagle grade is the one I hunt with and I just try to be careful. I only hunt upland so it is easier to not abuse the gun. I don't have others so my choice is simple

When I go to South America to hunt I don't put my good stuff in with the luggage. If I plan on climbing the mountain for elusive flocks of Mearns quail I don't take my good stuff. Banging around in the dusty/open Jeep I don't take my good stuff....I suppose I don't really need any good stuff!

The old pre-WW1 "ruling classes in Europe" were mainly there for show- hence the Czar almost owning a Invincible (En Hoc Signo Vinces) Paaarrrkar- to shoot tweetie birds with from the lawn of one of the many estates (while his people starved to death-was all a part of the showy era- Now Teddy R. (my kinda Prez.) only wanted a using 12 gauge double from A.H. Fox for his African Safaris- it was the "Head Fred's of Fox Gun Co. that decided to "comp" the old rough rider with that fine F grade- always wondered why Teddy didn't want his shotgun equipped with ejectors--RWTF

I have a Challenger Hellcat and my buddy asked me why I don't drive it more. I told him I didnt what to put that many miles on it. His comment was
"Having a hot car and not driving it because an increase on the odometer will lower the value, is the equivalent of having a hot girlfriend and not fucking her so you keep her tight for the next guy".
I think this applies to nice guns as well.

Bill

I am late to the thread as well. However, I have no concerns using my high grade guns in decent weather in the field hunting. Every gun in my safe is a "shooter". I would use any gun I own pass shooting (dove, duck, pigeon, driven). I alternate between boxlocks (various makers)and sidelocks (Boss, Purdey, DMB, Woodward) when woodcock, quail or grouse hunting to minimize wear and risk of damage when hunting. When pheasant hunting (one week per year) I will use my best guns without hesitation. Only 2 guns in my collection are pristine originals and the others, though best guns, are in gently used condition. In other words, there are already several niks, scratches and rubs present and if I add one or two more, the value will not decrease appreciably. Taking game with a gun that, when made, was the best possible instrument available for the given task is very gratifying.

In retrospect, looking back over some 66 years of guns and gunning (credit the late Paul Curtis for that phrase) including some Stateside clays and match rifle shooting while employed by "Uncle Sam"--I find that my centerfire scoped rifles have held up quite well as to absence of "wear and tear" afield- The varmint rifles: M70 .220 Swift and the Sako M79 .243 Win- normally used more in spring, summer and early fall for 'chucks and 'coons- were not used in the Nov. deer season here, that's the M70 30-06's realm- I agree 100% with Stan about the "slips and falls" that advancing age brings to a man, just wish I lived in Dixie, and could shoot (or shoot at) some flighting doves of an afternoon- from a folding camo chair, cooler of sweet tea and a shell bag at my feet-in the shade hopefully--

Duck hunting- my "go-to" shotgunning in the Fall- at 78, no longer donning waders or busting through brushy laden streams in a camo canoe-- now cornfield, dry land pass shooting for mallards and Canads- M12's are my first choice- I sold my Mossy-burger Ulti-Mag to my son-in-law for a Turkey gun. He's a southpaw, and likes the top tang safety on that shotgun.

Spring, summer and into Sept-- pigeon and sometimes crow shooting on area dairy farms- often use one of the 4 12 gauge M12's I own, but usually a Ithaca NID grade 2E 12 bore I bought from the late Brad B. about 6 years ago- well worn, recoil pad- but it fits me just as well as my more valuable graded pre-1913 12 bore Smiths, it's a boxlock, 30" M&F- fits me like a "bespoke" gun, and any extra scars or nicks it gets from "barn=yard" exposure can't lower its value, should I wish to sell it.