A new generation.

Many of the younger crowd that I know like the newer semi auto guns, but there are some - like my son, who enjoy shooting birds with muzzle loading shotguns and hunting big game with classic rifles.

I'm not sure if the number of younger kids is gravitating more to newer style black guns or if there are just more kids getting into firearms, it's something that would take an in depth study to determine.

My gun room is stuffed with hammer doubles and O/U's of course, and classic single shot rifles, but then I often get accused of being an old fart stuck in the past- but I'm okay with that!:D
David
 
This young fella almost missed an annual pheasant shoot a bunch of us had a few years back , because he had to work at his employer's gun auction.

He showed up just in time for one small walk, and had bought a single shot muzzle loader art the auction.
A quick lesson on how to load it, a few quickly thrown clays, and away we went.
About 20 minutes later he made a super crossing shot on a chukker - his first of many birds !:10sign:
Since then he has gone big time into black powder rifles and the rendezvous era!:cheers:
David
 
Sadly I agree, and I don't understand why... Maybe, hopefully, its just part of a maturation process. I grew up hunting with a used Wingmaster, my dad had one 12 & one 20 gauge... Everything blued and walnut

I'm 35 (today :cheers:) and while I do have a few plastic guns none are the hot new trends... My Benelli M1 is the "trendiest" and it's been looked down upon many times in a duck blind because "it's only a 3" chamber"

My A5's, Model 12, Wingmaster's, & Sterlingworth are the guns I cherish and the guns my boys will learn to hunt with. Start them on the right path early :cool:
 
Well Happy Birthday Hank:cheers:
 
sloth5202 said:
I'm going to stir the pot....Somebody had to buy the latest and greatest gun at some point in history. At one point all the "old" guns where new and the latest and greatest and some probably thought them unnecessary. Guns are always being improved upon or at least changed a little so the gun makers can sell more. This doesn't make them any better necessarily or worse just different.

If we are talking about reliability or how well they work I think sometimes we are all victims of the "ahh the good old days" syndrome and forget about all the flops and piles of junk that have since been thrown in the trash. Just my theory but time has a way of weeding out all the poorly made products and what we are left with are the well made reliable relics and that distorts our view of the past and how well things are made.

Full disclosure: The majority of my guns are multi-generation guns and will live on that way but I also appreciate the new fangled contraptions and appreciate the innovation and thought that went into them to make something just a little better. If I had to choose between new and old I go old most of the time because it brings back memories and stirs the imagination of the adventures the gun and the person who carried it had.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you posted this to stir the pot. Guns are meant to work. It doesn't make any difference how pretty the walnut, scrollwork, case hardening, and all that is if the gun doesn't work. Guns are a hunting tool first and foremost. Some guys like to wax poetic about the grain of the walnut on their favorite toy, but they have to strip it down and tinker with some part or another because it won't make it through a round of trap... I'm sorry, but guns like that are nothing more than well-polished turds.:eek:

I was given a 37 featherlight by my uncle, and I treasure it because it reminds me of the great hunts we had together. I thought briefly about giving it to my oldest daughter (a lefty) as her first shotgun, but it slam-fires, so I'll probably fork over the cash for one of those evil new-fangled plastic gizmos that doesn't slam fire. :laugh:

I shoot the 37 occasionally in trap league and I'll take it pheasant hunting once or twice a year because it reminds me of all the wonderful hunts my Uncle and I have had over the years. Maybe some day my daughter will appreciate it too, and have enough experience behind the trigger to safely handle the 37. I hope so. And maybe carrying it will remind her of her great uncle, and of hunting with me...

So the point for me is this-- I'm nostalgic about guns that were owned by someone I love. My eyes light up and the memories start rushing back when I hold my grandfather's gun, or my uncle's 37. But beyond that, guns are just tools for hunting. And if I'm at the store buying a bird-getter, then I'm looking hard at the ones that won't rust, won't crack, cycle flawlessly, and just plain get the job done.
 
Toad said:
I'm glad you posted this to stir the pot. Guns are meant to work. It doesn't make any difference how pretty the walnut, scrollwork, case hardening, and all that is if the gun doesn't work. Guns are a hunting tool first and foremost. Some guys like to wax poetic about the grain of the walnut on their favorite toy, but they have to strip it down and tinker with some part or another because it won't make it through a round of trap... I'm sorry, but guns like that are nothing more than well-polished turds.:eek:

I was given a 37 featherlight by my uncle, and I treasure it because it reminds me of the great hunts we had together. I thought briefly about giving it to my oldest daughter (a lefty) as her first shotgun, but it slam-fires, so I'll probably fork over the cash for one of those evil new-fangled plastic gizmos that doesn't slam fire. :laugh:

I shoot the 37 occasionally in trap league and I'll take it pheasant hunting once or twice a year because it reminds me of all the wonderful hunts my Uncle and I have had over the years. Maybe some day my daughter will appreciate it too, and have enough experience behind the trigger to safely handle the 37. I hope so. And maybe carrying it will remind her of her great uncle, and of hunting with me...

So the point for me is this-- I'm nostalgic about guns that were owned by someone I love. My eyes light up and the memories start rushing back when I hold my grandfather's gun, or my uncle's 37. But beyond that, guns are just tools for hunting. And if I'm at the store buying a bird-getter, then I'm looking hard at the ones that won't rust, won't crack, cycle flawlessly, and just plain get the job done.
Click to expand...

Well put. Everything you said made me think of a Model 12 Winchester. I don't know how many times I have loaned my dads Model 12 to someone whose new automatic quit working.
 
I am a part of the new generation at 26 years young...

I just graduated college in 2012, and prior to that I only worked on the farm and part time at a gas station. Needless to say I wasn't raking in the big bucks. So when it came to buying a new gun, I was almost forced to purchase the all black synthetic rifles because they were cheaper. I couldnt afford an old timer or a brand new rifle. Its not that I didnt want one, I just couldnt afford it. At that point in my life I wasn't buying a good looking gun with the intentions of passing it down to my kids some day. I just needed something that would hold up and fire when I pulled the trigger.

I would say the same thing holds for most of the younger generation. If a kid doesn't have a father or grandfather or whoever that hunts in their life, chances are they cannot afford some of these guns. If they don't have any being passed down to them, then more than likely they are going to get what they can afford, with looks not even being considered.

I also think it is hard for a younger person to pay more for a used gun (even if it is supposed to be a better name brand) than a brand new gun, which is often the case now. Especially if you can get some type of warranty with the new gun, vs no warranty on an older used gun.

Now that I have a good job though, I have found myself looking more into some older and nicer looking guns. Guess it wont be long until I buy one....and I am blaming you guys for it!
 
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There's a nice window of opportunity for spending money on yourself between reaching adulthood and having kids of your own. I laugh at how I used to just buy expensive toys for no reason other than "I want it", and I had no responsibility to anyone but myself. Damn, I bought a lot of nice stuff... :laugh:

If you're in that window of time right now, go ahead and treat yourself well. The high-dollar fishing rods and reels I bought when I was just out of college,,, yup, still using them! In fact, almost all of my hunting and fishing gear was bought before my first child was born, and I've added VERY little since kiddo #2. Purchases I spend months, maybe years thinking about now, 15 years ago I would have just said, "I want it" and would have bought it without thinking twice. :laugh:

Now I'm buying sporting goods for my kids. Bows and guns and fishing gear... Honestly it is a lot more satisfying than buying for myself anyway. Buying my kid a youth bow means we can shoot together, a youth rifle means we can deer hunt together.

Kinda got off topic there, but the point is that there are points in your life when you can afford to drop some extra money on something extravagant, and I'm quite a few years away from the second point in my life where I can do that. Don't feel bad for me though. I just bought an A400 Beretta last week, but I bought it with the proceeds from selling off a bunch of old toys over the past year. :cheers:
 
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Toad said:
There's a nice window of opportunity for spending money on yourself between reaching adulthood and having kids of your own. I laugh at how I used to just buy expensive toys for no reason other than "I want it", and I had no responsibility to anyone but myself. Damn, I bought a lot of nice stuff... :laugh:

If you're in that window of time right now, go ahead and treat yourself well. The high-dollar fishing rods and reels I bought when I was just out of college,,, yup, still using them! In fact, almost all of my hunting and fishing gear was bought before my first child was born, and I've added VERY little since kiddo #2. Purchases I spend months, maybe years thinking about now, 15 years ago I would have just said, "I want it" and would have bought it without thinking twice. :laugh:

Now I'm buying sporting goods for my kids. Bows and guns and fishing gear... Honestly it is a lot more satisfying than buying for myself anyway. Buying my kid a youth bow means we can shoot together, a youth rifle means we can deer hunt together.

Kinda got off topic there, but the point is that there are points in your life when you can afford to drop some extra money on something extravagant, and I'm quite a few years away from the second point in my life where I can do that. Don't feel bad for me though. I just bought an A400 Beretta last week, but I bought it with the proceeds from selling off a bunch of old toys over the past year. :cheers:
Click to expand...

Amen
With the caveat, buy lighter guns and bigger clothes than you currently use.
 
Toad, your gun may just be a tool to you. I on the other hand don't group mine together with a shovel and pick ax.

True high quality well made guns come with nice wood and the ability to shoot 100.000 rounds or more through their lifetime. That 37 you speak of, will outlast any pump gun built today...except another 37..still being made today.

High grade O/U's can shoot well over 100.000 rounds with only proper maintenance. Give me a call in a 100 years and we will see how many Benelli's used every season, are still alive...like a Browning Auto 5.

I have wore out a SBE Benelli to the point that parts would no longer stay in the trigger assemble anymore. The gun was only 10-12 years old. Completely shot. I can still take my fathers 60 year old Browning A5 and shoot it with confidence any time, any weather, any temp.

My son just bought a new Winchester SPX pump 12ga. He took it out to shoot a few clays. The pin holding the trigger assembly in, keeps working it's way out. Things like these problems are apparently exceptable to this new generation. More times then I can count. I have heard one of them say. My gun has never failed me or jammed. When I can remember witnessing numerous times over the last couple years of jams, failure to feed, Etc...You see them over in the cattails trying to hurry and get it cleared before anybody see's it. God help them if anybody were to hurt their pride with a little negative razzing about their plastic icon. LOL
 
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

ATTRIBUTION: Attributed to SOCRATES by Plato, according to William L.
Patty and Louise S. Johnson, Personality and Adjustment, p. 277
(1953)."
 
Well I'm in the Classic Camp Remington 1100 & 11-87 all Wood and Blue Steel. The Remington 1100 has been in production for 52 years and I have been shooting one since 1976. I can afford any gun I wish but I have never seen a reason to change. The Remington 1100 holds the Record for most shots fired without cleaning or parts breakage a 1100 20ga went over 24,000 shots fired. Many other gun company's have tried to break this record and none has, look it up on Wikipeda. There are some good new guns being made and a lot of junk also. I will stick with my old 1100 hunting Pheasants why because it works.
It is a Classic and I have hunted with it longer than some here have been alive.
A brand new in box 1100 3 inch Mag made in 1984 just sold on Gun Broker .com for $ 2,227.00, so somebody thinks there still good.
 
Time to jump in.
#1--Toad, you can fix the 37. Probably a firing pin issue. Had same thing happening with 20ga 37 years ago.
I went thru a Win. 37, and 870 before getting the sxs fever when 17 years old. Shot Superposed on waterfowl, some pheasant from then on also. Bought a passle of guns from a guy who quit hunting when I was about 23 years of age, and got the Ithaca 20. It fit neatly under the seat of my "64 Buick Le Sabre so I used it when traveling work and casually hunting on the way back. I have there fore had a lot of "tools". I also have a first generation SBE for waterfowl as Im not taking an expensive sxs into the slough. It's a tool in my opinion and goes thru hell, but all i have done to it is replace the mag spring when it failed to push the fresh shell up to the receiver and I was jamming. $50 fix. The spring was rusty so if you have an abused Bennelli keep that in mind.
I still get a rush when I see a good sxs, pretty wood being an attraction for me. The bottom line is tools and fine guns are both necessary in my book and there is a place for both. If you can hit well with it it is a good gun.
 
onpoint said:
Toad, your gun may just be a tool to you. I on the other hand don't group mine together with a shovel and pick ax.

True high quality well made guns come with nice wood and the ability to shoot 100.000 rounds or more through their lifetime. That 37 you speak of, will outlast any pump gun built today...except another 37..still being made today.

High grade O/U's can shoot well over 100.000 rounds with only proper maintenance. Give me a call in a 100 years and we will see how many Benelli's used every season, are still alive...like a Browning Auto 5.

I have wore out a SBE Benelli to the point that parts would no longer stay in the trigger assemble anymore. The gun was only 10-12 years old. Completely shot. I can still take my fathers 60 year old Browning A5 and shoot it with confidence any time, any weather, any temp.

My son just bought a new Winchester SPX pump 12ga. He took it out to shoot a few clays. The pin holding the trigger assembly in, keeps working it's way out. Things like these problems are apparently exceptable to this new generation. More times then I can count. I have heard one of them say. My gun has never failed me or jammed. When I can remember witnessing numerous times over the last couple years of jams, failure to feed, Etc...You see them over in the cattails trying to hurry and get it cleared before anybody see's it. God help them if anybody were to hurt their pride with a little negative razzing about their plastic icon. LOL
Click to expand...

Point taken, and I'm not bashing nice looking guns or old guns. Just saying that their purpose, first and foremost, is to put a nice pattern of shot where you are looking. Can't see a single bit of the engraving or burl when your face is mashed against the stock, and a duck or pheasant doesn't care what gun just killed him either.

I see guys at the trap park nearly every time out that shoot terrible scores with the most beautiful custom trap guns you can imagine. Walnut that makes you weak in the knees, or engraving that looks like it took ages to produce... But none of that matters once you yell "pull".

My first car was a 1965 Mustang. Gorgeous, classic, sexy, man that thing turned heads! It is unquestionably an iconic American classic today, and also was a mechanical piece of S###! Broke down anywhere, anytime. It should have come with a garage full of spare parts and a cabinet full of tools. :laugh:

Anyway, I appreciate beauty and craftsmanship, but also recognize that new and different isn't always a bad thing.
 
Love this thread. I'm a spring pheasant at 25 years old but, while I am expecting my third child with my first and only wife, I already smile at the future memories I will have... the five of us clearing a field together or blasting some clays.
That being said, I'm closing in on a Franchi Affinity 20ga ($500) in black synthetic tomorrow and I feel most confident in this purchase.
I can not wait to inherit the guns of my father and grandfathers. Everything from an old elephant gun from my mothers great grandfather who owned a rival circus to Barnum and Bailey, to my dads Winchester lever action 1924 .22 magnum he bought as a young lad. And now I can add my generations attempt at a reasonable priced upland gun that I really shouldn't be affording, but I hope will last a life time or two.

Maybe when I'm an older man and care more about the time out with friends and family and less about the food in their bellies I'll be able to afford and use those beautiful masterpieces ya'll have.

I know I am new generation, but I hope my mindset isn't too crazy. I did however pick up two marlin grenfield model 60 (1977 and 1975) for my first two children at the time of thier births. Every kid deserves a plinker and for this purpose I stick with the tested and proven classics.

Mossberg 500a for deer hunting. Remington 870 super mag special purpose for goose. And now hopefully a Franchi Affinity 20 ga for pheasant/upland.
 
As a pot stirrer myself I just also say, the memories and time spent are so much more important then the age of our guns. Remember, Matthew 6:19 ESV
?Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,"
 
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