Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I am starting to feel old

You just helped me buy a gun OP. Reading through this thread reminded me how much I’ve been wanting a pre 64 model 70 and a S&W 586 or 686. I just placed the winning bid on a S&W no dash nickel plated 586 with original box:)

Just in case you weren't aware.


https://www.firearmsid.com/Recalls/FA_Recalls%205.htm

The guns, gear, boots etc are all far better now than when I was a kid. What I miss is wide open spaces w/ 1/2 the population. The guys I regularly shoot with are 1/2 my age, skilled and always eager to learn and try new stuff. I feel lucky that they want to hang w/ me.

What really sucks is trying to get good tags on a regular basis and not being able to walk uphill alll day w/ a big pack.


mike r

Thanks Ray. It has the M stamp.

I would have told you a 686 was a better revolver. I wouldn't mind owning an older Python though.

76 and been a gun guy since I found a 1944 Gun Digest of dads. Starting to read with it was way more fun than the Dick dickin Jane books we had in school. I met a few of the lesser writers, Monte, Steindler, Ackerman and corresponded with Skelton and others. Several of my friends were into it and we were in the golden age (58-65) of surplus gems. I bought something every two weeks. Now, I have a few friends in my gun club, older like myself who know guns but most are specialized into rimfires, cast bullets, tactical handguns, ARs and such. 96% of my collection is walnut and blue steel. I'm the club guru on reloading which is scary but I've saved a few eyes or hands, I'm sure. I've gotten into many things, black powder from 68-80, cast bullets competition in the late 70s, early 80s. Heavy into trap since 78. The new kids in our club buy new, like plastic, and most don't reload. Some of the older guys reload shotgun and about die when their favorite powder is discontinued. My favorite guns in the safe, 1953 M70 30-06, 1947 M12 Skeet, M19 Smith, M15 Smith, Browning Superposed Lightning and an 1892 Winchester my brother and I had converted to 357 during the "Rifleman" years.
Trap gun #1 is an 870 from 1975 with about 300K rounds through it. It is fun to take the cash from a squad shooting 725 Trap Combos, Ceasar Gs, 686s or Ljutics and Alfermans. NRA shotgun instructor and youth h.s. team coach. Yeah, most folks I know, even shooting folks just don't know much about guns. "You made that flintlock?". " How did you make that mould". "Taper crimp"? "Lead bullets in a rifle, why?". I just sit back and enjoy and am happy to share knowledge with those who ask and want to learn. Now, if the damn gubmint will just let us enjoy our safer than most any other sport in peace.

One of the great heroes of WWII was a teacher, mentor and, in his latter years, a friend. My life would be much less without his guidance. I'm 67 and realize the supply of old guys is getting pretty low and those of us entering old age have a big responsibility in replacing them. One grandson gives me hope in his love of the outdoors but there is much less to offer him than I had available to me at his age.

Probably better than feeling dead.

Amen.

Its not all bad. Twice in the past year I have been in my LGS picking up a transfer gun when I looked over at the wall rack and behold one wooden-stocked scoped rifle sticking out among all the black guns. In each case, the gun was exceptionally nice and priced at about half of what it should have been. I figured some old codger traded it in on a new black gun. I bought both, sold the vintage scopes off for almost what I paid for the whole rig (one was a 26 mm Lyman Challenger), then sold one gun online for twice my purchase price. I kept the other, a 300WM tang safety Ruger 77and cleaned the bore and shot a 1" group with factory loads after 3 adjusting rounds. Like I said, its not all bad.

My father was chief engineer gun designer and owned; a 22, a 30-06, and a 12 gauge.

Until I was 40 I was contract engineer and owned; a 22, a 30-06, and a 12 gauge.

Then I started buying guns,.
Working at start ups, I would go out at lunch and cruise the pawn shops for guns.
I would go to every gun show and shop for guns.

Now I am 70 and have promised the wife I will sell every gun that I will never get around to shooting.

I've told my wife about selling some of my guns too ever since I retired and realized I don't shoot half of them anymore, esp. shotguns and handguns.
Nope we are keep them she says so when one of us dies [ meaning me] the other [her] can sell em and have some fun. LOL

Windfall - drop that catalog off at my house. I know there's a few on the list that I'd like.

I know the feeling, have sold half of mine in the last 5 years. Keeping what I need or ones that mean something to me, and selling the rest when prices are high. Both kids have little interest.

Also try rebuilding a 1970 muscle car motor these days, auto parts store have nothing. Summit racing is your friend.

Look at it htis way. Many of us grew up reading about sporterized Mausers and Springfields and their commercial cousins. The bolt action rifle was a battle instrument that went afield.

That is what black rifles are to the X_Y_Z generation. Heck, the AR platform was adopted almost 60 years ago.

True. I had to replace the quadra-jet on my old 84 Chevrolet 4X4.
I wanted an Edelbrock with manual choke. It was a special order item. Works good though.

Our liberal public education system is taking it's toll. They preach anti-gun, anti-Christian, anti-American. Little by little our kids are learning it wrong.

I like blued steel and walnut and have dinged up a few.
Preference is for synthetic stocks these days.
Have gotten a little more clumsy as ive aged.

I wish more people didn't like guns.