What makes a "Keeper" ?

[Petrol & Powder]

Besides the obvious criteria of sentimental value or a gun that was difficult to acquire; why are some guns impossible to part with and others come & go?

I've had Ruger Service-Six's/Security-Six's that were great guns but they didn't scratch that itch. I picked up a Service-Six a few weeks ago I already know that this one is destined for 'Keeper" status. Not sure why. It's not aesthetically perfect and it shoots about as well as the others.

[Beagle333]

History and opinion. I really want some that I haven't yet touched, and yet I've owned some models that are cherished by others here but I wouldn't touch one again.

[bedbugbilly]

I think a lot of it has to do with the "stage" your are at. I love 38 spls. and have probably 10 or so 38s and 38/357s. I cast and reload my own as well. I have Smiths, Colts, Rugers. My favorite is my S & W M & P - 5" - it has a lot of "mileage" on it but it is tight and shoots well. At the time I bought it, I also both a Smith Combat Masterpiece because I could get it at a great price - it's probably a 95%. For some reason, I just can't get attached to it. Maybe it's because I like plain sights instead of adjustable? Can't really say. I have Smith Model 35s, M & Ps, Colt Army Special, Ruger New Vaquero and my latest purchase was a Uberti Bisley in 357. Given them all, I'd fight tooth and nail to keep my M & P and the Uberti Bisley - the others . . . well, I could probably live without 'em. I used to have trouble "parting" with guns - not any more though. If I'm not enjoying it, then it's not that important. Maybe I'm just getting old? :-)

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm clearly in the "stage" of gathering 38 Specials! :)
I've got a pile of them and I down to the keepers, which is still a big pile! I have a mix of S&W's / Ruger's with a Colt or two in the mix. I also prefer fixed sights; I've had a 3" model 65 for over 20 years and I'll never part with it.

[Petrol & Powder]

History and opinion. I really want some that I haven't yet touched, and yet I've owned some models that are cherished by others here but I wouldn't touch one again.

Yep, sometimes there's just one that you have to have.

[OptimusPanda]

I know the ones that would be impossible to pry away from me are: things of specific value to me and no one else (eg my first gun), or something of historical note (say, like an old beat up milsurp). Ive drooled over guns in catalogs, finally found one at an LGS, bought it, adored it, and as fast as I fell in love with it fell out. I figure if I can get most of the money back out of it and let someone else go down the same rabbit hole this strange circle of life *key lion king music* will keep going around.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've been in that ownership chain many times. I coveted a rifle at a gun shop that was 50 miles away. It sat on the rack there for 18 months and I stopped in every time I was in the area, hoping that it would be sold and remove the temptation. The price finally dropped to a point that I could justify spending and it went home with me. It was a great rifle but I fell out of love with it and it became to object of someone else's obsession. There wasn't a thing wrong with it, I just didn't want it anymore.

[Char-Gar]

I think most of us have a dose of gunitis when we are younger. We buy, sell and trade thinking the next one is the one that will fulfill our needs and dreams. When that one fails to hold our attention we are on to another.

Most, if not all of us reach a point when that sickness fades into the past and we realize that some guns really made us as happy as we are ever going to be with a gun. Those become the keepers.

[osteodoc08]

For me it is form and function. I love my Browning Citori I inherited from my father. It's been worked and worked hard but runs flawlessly. I feel confident with it.

Another is my 1895 GS. Not only is that gun the last one my father and I bought together before he passed, it's slicker than goose poop and accurate as all get out. 1-2" groups are easy with a 2x scope.

[snowwolfe]

A lot of guns have come and gone at my house. A keeper would be one passed down from another relative but in my case that never happened. Swore I would never sell the rifle (Rem 700 rebarreled to .375/.338) used to shoot my first grizzly but even that one left. In todays world only four in our house are currently keepers and they are a S&W 41, Heym 450/400 double rifle, Les Baer .45 with the 1.5 inch 50 yard accuracy guarantee, and last but not least, a S&W 617 10 shot.
What is a keeper? An accurate, reliable, quality built firearm that is a joy to shoot or a factory heirloom.

I do have two Freedom Arms revolvers on order and waited a long time before ordering them. When Freedom Arms finally builds them (hopefully within another 12 months) they will be passed down to my son.

[Hickok]

I think most of us have a dose of gunitis when we are younger. We buy, sell and trade thinking the next one is the one that will fulfill our needs and dreams. When that one fails to hold our attention we are on to another.

Most, if not all of us reach a point when that sickness fades into the past and we realize that some guns really made us as happy as we are ever going to be with a gun. Those become the keepers.I could not have said it better! Great insight that only comes with time and experience!

[Char-Gar]

I could not have said it better! Great insight that only comes with time and experience!

The accumulation of birthdays can be a great asset or a great burden, depending on how we view them.

When I was younger (under 50), I thought the older guys were arrogant because they thought they knew things I did not know. When I zoomed past 50, I thought the younger guys were arrogant because they thought they knew things they did not know.

This is pretty much how things work for everybody. Well, almost everybody, some folks never learn anything.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've reached the point where I think a lot before I purchase. [actually reached it some time ago] Can't say I was like that in my younger days. I never really got into the electronics thing but I spent a lot of money on cars and guns that I no longer have.
I do have just about every tool I obtained along the way except for the ones I broke :o. One of the best aspects of reloading & casting is that I look at that gear as tools and not toys. That did more than anything to end my impulsive days concerning guns.
There's still a few guns that I'd like to get but there's no rush. Reloading for one almost guarantees it will become a keeper unless it's just a dog of a gun.

[nagantguy]

Feel is important to me, memories and above all heirlooms. I've a sxs .410,was my gratgranddads and his dads before that, also a boning knives made by Jim smith my great great grand dad. Had people.offer me what I thought was fools money for the sleek little .410 even when I needed the money, it'll never leave here unless its in the hands of a relative I bequeath it to. Also I couldnt imagen life with out a blackhawk or 6.

[tygar]

I have a lot of guns I like, a lot that I really like, but I think the "keepers" would be the ones that I let go of & keep kicking myself in the *** for ever letting them go! e.g. 6.5" s&w .44mag, 5 screw that was my first .44 I got back in the 60s.

[dragon813gt]

They're all keepers. I have only parted w/ one and it so my Uncle had a revolver to carry. I felt it was the right thing to do. I don't buy unless I plan on keeping it.

[waco]

I only own around 40 or so guns at the time. I love them all, don't get me wrong, but there are a few I will never part with. First off, a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .38/.357 24" that was my fathers gun. Also and old nothing special Win. '94 30-30 that was his. I got these about 8 months ago after he died. Another is my late uncles Ruger Tang safety 77 in .22-250

These will never leave for obvious reasons.

I have a Kimber 1911 I bought as a younger man about 15 years ago that will never leave the pack either.

A sweet Smith 29 and a Colt King Cobra 6" SS that is smooth as butter!

Oh yeah. Can't forget the Kimber .22 Hunter rifle I got for $400 I'd be crazy to part with it.

Lets just face it. I'm not in the "getting rid of guns" for any reason anymore. Just my 2 cents....
Waco

[nagantguy]

Also like to add the .410 and .22 marlin my dad traded a smith cheifs special for when he found out he was gonna have a son, me. And the Mossberg 500 I bought, first gun I bought with my own money. Money I earned from running a trap line. My dad would drive me to the gun shop once every two weeks so I could put money on it. Saw the fur buyer every two weeks. That year at Christmas my dad gave me an envelop with the amount I'd paid for the shotgun. The simple note said; "now you know the value of a dollar, good job." Still have the note won't ever sell the Mossberg, now it's my dedicated gurky getter.

[birch]

My favorite guns are the ones that I did not intend to get in the first place, but fell in love with them once I got "the feel". My latest keeper is a Savage 23b that I originally intended to trade or sell. I started to appreciate what the original intent was of the designer and how accurate the round/gun was and it found a home. Once I start thinking of my children someday owning/shooting a gun, It usually stays.
I try to ignore the picture of them trading a pre-64 Winchester for a car or worse yet---beer. I like to think it won't happen to me, but I have been to enough gun shows to see guys selling off their fathers war gun for a glock.

[pworley1]

I'm not sure that any quality firearm is a "keeper" good guns are like the land. We never really own them we only have the privilege of looking after them and enjoying them for a while and hoping that the next generation will have as much appreciation for them as we had. I have a double 12 that belonged to my great grand father. It's already been spoken for when I am gone.

[Fergie]

Well, for me, any of my Dad's guns.

He passed about a year and a half ago, and while he had some random guns, there were a few that were his. An old Charter Arms .32 H&R is at the top of the list. By no means a collectors item, but damn does it have sentimental value to me.

[alamogunr]

I'm at a point in my life where I don't need to sell a gun in order to buy another one. I've got several that don't particularly light me up but I don't want to get rid of them. When I was younger, my first gun was an Ithaca Featherlite 16ga. I forget what I traded it for but I miss that gun. The first handgun I acquired was a 1917 S&W .45ACP revolver. I traded that for a Remington Rand 1911. The 1911 had been reblued and shot pretty good. As a college student I couldn't afford ammunition so I sold it for $50 and bought a Ruger 10-22. That was in 1964. I miss those guns but I still have the 10-22.

I've got my father's 12 ga shotgun. It is a Remington(don't know the model) but I've been told by a gunsmith it is not safe to shoot. so it resides in a closet until I find a place in the shop to hang it on the wall.

Everything in the safe will go to my two sons. I won't be around to regret it if they sell them. Hopefully, they will give the grandsons some of them.

[monadnock#5]

I can't explain sexy, but I know it when I see it. P-51 or F4U? B-17 or B-24? F-16 or F-15? I can predict with the utmost accuracy the beauty contest winners here. I could also skillfully argue why each is the wrong choice.
There are those that will say that all they want is accuracy and reliability, but that's not the whole story. Eye candy is what grabs our attention. Take accurate and reliable and wrap it up in eye candy and you have an all time classic. This is what keeps S&W in business when Ruger is the better value.

[Bzcraig]

I think most of us have a dose of gunitis when we are younger. We buy, sell and trade thinking the next one is the one that will fulfill our needs and dreams. When that one fails to hold our attention we are on to another.

Most, if not all of us reach a point when that sickness fades into the past and we realize that some guns really made us as happy as we are ever going to be with a gun. Those become the keepers.


This is is true.........but reading it made me feel shallow and dirty! LOL

[MtGun44]

HMMMM. IMO, almost all are keepers.

Guns only flow one way for me - inbound. Near zero outbound, ever.

Bill

[Frank46]

Keepers??. Started with a 624 6.5" bbld 44 special, followed up by a 24-3 3" bbl and finally a 24-3 4" bbl. Those are my favorites. Frank

[brtelec]

I do not get attached to inanimate objects too easily. the only guns that I will not part with are guns that were gifts. I look through the safe from time to time and if I have something in there that has not seen daylight for a couple of years it has to go. Of course if one of my kids expresses a particular interest in a firearm I will hang on to it and will it to them. Guns are just things, things are not what is important in this life. Keepers are the ones that I take out and shoot regularly.

[waco]

HMMMM. IMO, almost all are keepers.

Guns only flow one way for me - inbound. Near zero outbound, ever.

Bill

Amen Brother....

[wildwilly]

Two weapons: S&W Mdl. 28/357 mag.; Browning HiPower 9mm. Why? Because they were rock solid reliable when I patrolled the Rio Grande (McAllen Sector/US Border Patrol). I still pack either on my HR 218.

[doc1876]

there is something in octagon and beautiful wood. It just sings to me.
Most of the guns I now have are keepers. I do know in the past there were some that I really lusted after, and when i finally found them, they were not as exciting as I originally thought. I don't know, the romance of the chase?
anyway, I can hold or look at one and for some reason, kind of like a puppy with big eyes, it says take care of me and I will do you good........it becomes a keeper. and others just surprise me, and hang around for just in case, as their real need may arise.
Sappy maybe, but like a car or a good woman, there is not real explaining it.

[marvelshooter]

The guns that were my Dad's are keepers. The rest come and go. I hope my boys think the same way about whatever is in my safe when the contents pass to them.

[375supermag]

HMMMM. IMO, almost all are keepers.

Guns only flow one way for me - inbound. Near zero outbound, ever.

Bill

I heard that!!!

I can only remember selling one gun because I wanted to...a Taurus .357Mag revolver that I bought fairly cheap from a friend that was woefully inaccurate.

I used it as part of the payment for my Dan Wesson .375SuperMag.

I did have to sell quite a few guns back in the 1990 time frame because of a divorce. Miss those guns, not the ex.

Don't have any plans to sell any of the 50+ still hanging around...in fact, I intend to increase the number.

[Harry O]

Any gun that makes me look good is a keeper. That is not just the barrel. Some handguns are more accurate for me because of how they balance, how they fit my hand, or who knows what else. When I get one that makes others think I am a better shot than I know I am, that is a keeper.

[RED333]

I did pawn one in hard times, cuss all the time when I think about it, DADBURN IT!!!
Other than that I still have all I have ever gotten.
As they are all keepers.

[Petrol & Powder]

There were a few that I let go that I wish I had held onto but a lot of them weren't special and I don't miss them. As I got older I became much better at buying only what I wanted as opposed to buying what I thought I wanted.

[jumbeaux]

Keepers for me include the S&W fixed sight K frames...Model 10, 64 & 65...Colt SAA, S&W Model 17 (first handgun I ever owned purchased after I got out of the Navy) and Colt 1911...my dad's Remington 725 280 and my 700 30-06 (gift from my wife after I graduated from college)...my dad's Remington 1100 12 and my Remington 1100 20...my first two firearms...Stevens 940A 410 SS (Christmas present as an 8 year old) and the first firearm that I purchased (1968) with my own hard earned yard mowing money...Winchester 190 22 semi-auto...

rick

[John Allen]

I tend to gravitate to revolvers, levers and single shots.
I years ago sold my Smith 67 when my kids where young and I needed money. I finally replaced it thanks to timspawn with a Smith Model 66. This one is going no where.

My other favorite is an early 5 screw Smith 22 with a 6 inch barrel.

My third one which will never be sold is my trusty old Marlin 39 22lr.

[John Allen]

HMMMM. IMO, almost all are keepers.

Guns only flow one way for me - inbound. Near zero outbound, ever.

Bill


bill, I agree with this statement fully. I keep adding I live within my means so when I have some spare money I add if i do not have any spare money I do not. I am not planning on selling any guns. I had to do this when the kids where young and I still regret getting rid of some of them that are now almost impossible to find.

[John Allen]

i forgot one more. My Great Great grandfathers 1849 Colt. He was working putting power line poles in to the ground in the early 1900's and it came out of the ground. It was in good shape for being buried.

[Garyshome]

Keeper=Something I have always wanted and finally obtained. Sometimes it is the First One! Quality does not really matter.

[Bullet Caster]

Over the years, some have come and gone through sales or trades. First one was a Blackhawk in .357 mag which I sold off. I traded a ss Ruger convertible .45 acp and a .45 Colt cylinder. Kinda wish I had that one back. I traded for a Winchester 94AE in .45 Colt. Will probably trade that one for a Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. The Winchester doesn't hold enough rounds for my liking. I've bought and sold a PA63 in 9mm x 18 that I wish I'd never sold. A Colt snub nose .38 spl came and went.

There are two guns I'd hoped to inherit from my dad, but they got stolen when his house was broken into. The one I cherished the most was an Ithica .12 guage autoloader that I simply adored. The other was a Stevens .22 lr, l, s, which had a very long bbl. I grew up with that .22 and the other was a single shot .410 that I used to take hunting as a kid. My sister ended up with an old Owl head .32 short which disappeared when I inquired about--I really wanted that one as well.

My cherished guns that I have purchased since will never be traded or sold. 1. Springfield Armory M1 Garand in .30-06, manufactured in May of 1943, 2. Remington 77 Apache in .22 lr, 3. Norinco .45 acp which I purchased after I got out of the USMC, 4. Uberti .45 Colt with 4 3/4 bbl, 5. 1860 Army black powder by LePietra .44 cal, 6. Pedersoli .50 cal. flintlock (which I intend on changing out the lock when I can afford it), and I guess that about wraps it up.

When my dad passes (he's 89 now) I hope to inherit a Beretta .380 and his Smith & Wesson 12 guage as well as a Ruger 10/22. I've called dibs on these. B C