Originally Posted By: UpInMichigan
I, too, am puzzled by the fondness for American guns. Except in a way Im not puzzled. I believe its grounded in emotion and nostalgia, frankly.

A useful comparison would be to American muscle cars of the late 60s and early 70s. The value of those cars skyrocketed once the guys who lusted after them as teenagers finally became old enough and well-heeled enough to be able to buy, restore and collect them. Were they good cars? Gawd no.

So lets review the bidding. Most folks who hang out here are very likely white males in their 50s, 60s and 70s. (Disclosure: I am all of those and 60.) They (we) grew up in a better time in many respects, living in small towns, near abundant hunting opportunities where, if you were like me, the gun and fishing tackle areas of the hardware stores were better than a movie ticket. And what did we see there? Names like Remington, Winchester etc. So take a big handful of nostalgia for a long-gone era, add a pinch of patriotism that evinces itself as a preference for American made, then maybe add just a dash of old-guy crankiness and there you have it.

Hell: the place where youre forced to shoot American doubles and fish British fly rods.

Heaven: the place where you get to shoot British doubles and fish American fly rods. Yup-I'll turn 75 just before my beloved USMC celebrates yet another year of existence- I grew up in such a time frame and era- the "Ike" years, right after the Korean War/Conflict- Walk into any hardware store in the Queen City, buy a Winchester M61, get two boxes of hollow points, a case, cleaning rod and some Hoppe's No. 9 with a $70.00 paycheck earned at Grandpa's machine shop working part-time after school let out-and have enough left over to visit the old "blind pigs" on Canal Street on Sat. night- British bespoke doubles, Boss, Churchill, H&H and Purdey are theHoly Grail indeed- just as pre-fire Leonards, Jim Payne, Everett Garrison and Harold Steele "Pinky" Gillum cane fly rods--why did Hemingway prefer Hardy fly rods and reels? I can't say, but at least when he snuffed out his lights that morning in Ketchum, ID 21/July/1961 he had the good taste to use a Webley & Scot live bird double gun, not a Iver Johnson Champion!Toujours La Audace!!!

But I still love my country.

"The field is the touchstone of the man"..