Collecting.....blowing hot and cold

[micky2]

I had a P.M. from a friend on here recently, with the above expression he mentioned as we discussed various stuff. It got me thinking as it is a good way to describe the hobby. As discussed on other threads there are all sorts of collectors interested in different eras/types/conditions of guns, but the description is more to do with the intensity of the hobby.

I personally loved to chase and discover stuff all over the place, online and in the real world, but every time I got to about 20 -25 rifles i would get some sort of guilt pang and sell a few!....I also thought that total was too many to shoot even on a rotational basis. I have (I am pretty sure) 6 now, My long TX200 bell gun, HW80 MK1 (.25), 45 inch and 43 inch IMD's, A Custom IMD I made and an Airsporter Club, so 3 calibres from 1911 to 1999 which do all my needs.

I know of folk with 100's of the things, including even one guy who fanatically chases stuff, then wraps them in grease and stashes away and never shoots them (probably the extreme end of hoarding) but it's the going from bonkers accumilating to the dormant thing that seems to be a common trait, maybe caused by financial constraints, or maybe like me you think "that's enough" but then see that next "special" one.

I think I am happier now I had a clear out, I still (before lockdown) would see stuff while out, and have a look and chat, but for some reason was happy to leave it at that, maybe I have got it out of my system.....But
you never know I suppose!

ATB, Ed

Well Ed, l am a bit like yourself, it is the chase for me trying to find guns that l like that are within my budget. which is the hard part. but l have been lucky in that respect over the years. but also having brainstorms and paying over the odds for some of them. but l am down sizing now and quite a few have now gone. but l do have most of them on display on the walls and in draws, has l do get a lot of enjoyment just looking and handling them. l don't see the point in wraping them up and hiding them away. but each to their own.

[ccdjg]

Well Ed, l am a bit like yourself, it is the chase for me trying to find guns that l like that are within my budget. which is the hard part. but l have been lucky in that respect over the years. but also having brainstorms and paying over the odds for some of them. but l am down sizing now and quite a few have now gone. but l do have most of them on display on the walls and in draws, has l do get a lot of enjoyment just looking and handling them. l don't see the point in wraping them up and hiding them away. but each to their own.

I think collectors like you, where the fun of the chase is the main thing, are a fantastic asset to collectors like me. You seek out the rarities with a real vigour, yet at some future date you are happy to let them go. I know I have obtained many choice items for my collection thanks to such collectors, and always at prices well below what dealers ask.

Sad to say, my sort of collecting tends to be one way traffic, and I only let things go if I have more than one example, and then usually only as part of a deal for something else.

[les allam]

I used to buy guns and very rarely sell anything.
About two years ago I found I wasn’t using most of my pcp guns and decided to sell some.
I fortunately ended up buying part of a collection from a fellow bbs member,with the proceeds from my pcp sell off.
The only gun that I was interested in getting was a breakdown pattern bsa,at some time in the future.
Then I watched the Crosman 600 video and thought wow (that will do)and gladly got one.
I do feel that I have to many (sometimes ldeek) but find it hard to let them go.
Les..

[45flint]

I have been a seller usually because as a fairly new collector I think your focus can change as you experience more guns. At this point I have a much better idea of what will fit into my collection and yes it’s the hunt that does add excitement and entertainment. Also I love the research and exploration that a new gun causes: I can’t seem to ever know enough about the gun and the history behind it.

Lastly I think we are fortunate that collecting Airguns usually is not the financial burden that many antiques can be. I know in the US collecting antique firearms can be for the elite collector at times. Yes there are exceptions but the majority of my desires are not going to hamper my retirement. Also as a retired banker I love to get that bargain, all part of the enjoyment of the hunt. But this year on several “must have” guns I paid paid probably more than they may have been worth but surprisingly I have had no regrets the actual dollar amount is still pretty small in this hobby?

[vintage]

I have read all the comments and it's interesting to note different opinions on collecting etc. I have had an interest in airguns since owning my first air pistol a Diana SP50 at the age of 10. A bit young I know. It came into my possession via a trade with a friend. I continued to enjoy airguns throughout my teens through to adulthood remaining faithful to the sport to this present day. I currently own 5 rifles and 3 pistols. Each one rotated to shoot on a monthly basis at my local range. I usually take two rifles and one pistol with me on my shoot. Personally it's nice to have a variation of airguns to choose from and each one being different from the other. I doubt I will purchase anymore pistols as I am content with what I have. I had many and over the years have thinned my pistol collection due to the fact that they were not being used. As for my current rifles. They are keepers. And there's always room for one more. I wouldn't consider myself a collector but an enthusiast of airguns because I enjoy using them.

[ptdunk]

This is a very interesting thread, and for me rather timely as my venture into the world of vintage airguns has hit a bit of a wall.

I only started collecting a couple of years ago, and it was mainly due to the Lea Valley monthly Vintage and pistol comps which me & the missus have religiously attended for the last 3 years.
This gave us the opportunity to compete with pre-war, classic and also semi-recoiless match rifles in both HFT type comps and bell target.

Over the 3 years I've collected a few fine vintage rifles, one of each type of the classic 10m rifles and most of the pistols I'm interested in.

So there was a nice symbiotic circle: research - buy - service - practice - compete - share - make video - then put into the rotation for competition....... and so-on on until there is a great selection of airguns which are all set up for competition or a bit of plinking.

I was always conscious that if we didn't have anywhere to shoot them competitively then one of the driving forces behind my passion for this hobby would go....... and sure enough Lea Valley has just undergone some 'management restructuring' which means we won't be shooting there anymore from the new year onwards.

I can still shoot my collection at our other HFT/FT clubs but a casual plink with maybe one or two fellow enthusiasts is nowhere near as inspiring and fun as a vintage comp with 30 odd competitors.

Coinciding with this I feel I have all the rifles I want (25 at the mo, don't know how that happened) and most of the pistols I want too. (with a few exceptions that are proving to costly to aquire)
So I've reached the point where further purchases are proving unlikely, but I definitely don't want to sell anything, I just need to find new ways of enjoying what I have.

There are whisperings of a new vintage shoot somewhere else, and I think we will try to join Bisley who do a pre-war shoot as well as pistols, HFT & FT.

I suppose I can rotate the 10m springers for informal Bell Target at one of our other clubs. It's always mildly disappointing when you bring out a really nice old vintage rifle and no-one's interested! Nothing beats a group of fellow enthusiasts.

I have some interesting Vintage projects on the go, and am still very enthusiastic about making the Vintage airgun videos, to try to spread the word.(Les's 600 thread was very nice to read)

Me & the missus are both heavily into HFT and I'm just starting FT so plenty of competing there
....We will really miss the Lea Valley Vintage comp though... really was nothing like it.

Cheers,
Matt

[cinedux]

I don't shoot.If I did,I be kicked out of my salubrious accommodation before I could say 'Jack Robinson! I 'handle'my shooters and bang off the odd CO2 gun. Love the kick of my Crosman 451! I sort out my pellets etc,thumb through old literature....spend a lot of time in the past and enjoy most of it. Get palpitations if I contemplate empty gun racks! A once handsome metal waste paper basket looks woeful after having been given the Ampell Super Magnum treatment. Something rather satisfying about BBs twanging around one's ears/Very much an aquired taste. Trev

[rapidresponse1]

im down to 2 rifles now and hope to get down to one soon

[SRV1]

Mmmm....As I am getting old and doddery, it blows cold when I go to bed at night and before drifting away, I think how to reduce the collection, not vast by any means about 35. Which do I sell? When to part with the lot, as my two sons and daughter are not interested and haven't a clue what they are worth - at least I have a complete history files of each; cost, when and where bought, serial numbers, condition, any work done,up to date value, etc. Which may help....? But, then it blows hot when the first thing I do in the morning is to log in to this most excellent forum in the cosmos. Browsing General, Collectables and dare I say it, the Sales section. All is forgotten about last night's terrible thoughts - until the next time.....

Keep safe and well, Merry Christmas to all....

[johnbaz]

It's been so long since I used any of my guns that i'm getting bored now with them, I finished work (For good) a couple of weeks ago and can't see me using them even now, It was the thrill of the hunt with me too, Finding nice stuff in out of the way places but it holds no thrill any more, Now i'm done with work I may go through the gun room with a view to making some room soon!


John

[micky2]

I think collectors like you, where the fun of the chase is the main thing, are a fantastic asset to collectors like me. You seek out the rarities with a real vigour, yet at some future date you are happy to let them go. I know I have obtained many choice items for my collection thanks to such collectors, and always at prices well below what dealers ask.

Sad to say, my sort of collecting tends to be one way traffic, and I only let things go if I have more than one example, and then usually only as part of a deal for something else.

Although it is mainly the thrill of of the chase, l still have quite a few that have stayed with me. l did have at one time 13 Webley services down to 4 now. and 6 Haenel model 28s which have all gone. l have also sold some rare guns to fellow collectors over the last few years to help fund my interest in antique firearms which are very hard to find at the right price.

[Garvin]

Well it's sad to hear from long-time enthusiasts that you have lost your passion, but I suppose the time comes to us all eventually and as John G says, it release new waves of collectables onto the market.

I must say, my interest in airguns is as strong or stronger now as it was 40 years ago, but as my collection has grown, there's fewer items that I want to own. The good thing from my perspective is that my interests morph into new areas all the time, in part guided by what is financially possible as my fortunes have waxed and waned over time.

Starting the gallery has definitely proved to be a bit of a shot in the arm (to coin a pertinent phrase!) in that it has opened my eyes to airguns I didn't know existed before.

But strangely at the same time, seeing other people's collections has to some extent scratched the itch: As if knowing where they are and that they are safely stored with other collectors who share their pics willingly means I can tick them off my personal list in a weird way!

I never would have predicted the envy that I might have felt as a rival accumulator once upon a time, would nowadays give way to a sense that all of us are part of a giant worldwide collective of airgun collectors, if that doesn't sound too cosy... But it's true, up to a point.

[Josie & John]

On a positive note, my passion is as strong today as it has always been.

Despite virtually completing my Webley and BSA collections, I was still able to find two Webley Mark 1 rifles and a pristine etched BSA Standard with 1929 'transitional' stockxthis year, not to mention the BSA Improved Model D in .25!

The above were very much exceptions though as I have very nice examples of most of the BSA and Webley variants I have always aspired to own. I have to have focus to feed my passion and that is currently being fed through my renewed born again interest in the Baikal Makarov; a pistol made from firearms grade materials, just like the Webleys and BSAs of old. My goal is to find a model from every year of production plus any specials such as factory suppressed versions, so that will keep me occupied for some time

John M

[edbear2]

Although it is mainly the thrill of of the chase, l still have quite a few that have stayed with me. l did have at one time 13 Webley services down to 4 now. and 6 Haenel model 28s which have all gone. l have also sold some rare guns to fellow collectors over the last few years to help fund my interest in antique firearms which are very hard to find at the right price.

Thought I would resurrect this after seeing Trevor's post. I still enjoy the ones I have, and can't walk past anything I see for sale without a look and a chat, but as Micky says the proceeds from all I sold were put to use funding other interests, I was very strict on this, to the extent of opening an account just for the stuff I sold. I spent some of it on operations on my hand, and because in the last 3 years I have been out and about a lot more musically, invested in a vintage guitar of a diffrent type (wider neck) to suit my hand issues and some amplification stuff.

The rest I wasted on a classic motorbike which is a wonderful window back to my youth when out on it.

I still have a gun for each day of the week, and do have slight pangs over some of the really nice ones I let go (engraved Lights / Milpat / Mod B / Boxed Juvenile) but know they are beng enjoyed by some other people now, so all is not lost.

I think the things I have gained on balance have given me more and more varied fun than having stored guns I hardly shot, although I tried my hardest to give them all outings, having so many meant months between each time for each gun, and soon you settle down to the old favorites ...which are the ones I still have.

ATB, Ed

[guitardan]

Vintage to me only goes back to the 60s, I don't yearn for stuff much earlier, Mk 1 meteor being the oldest.
I do love my webley collection, only three, mk2 junior, early tempest and hurricane. I will add to that, but only at a reasonable price, and at the moment, with job insecurity as it is, I m not sure how long work will go on. Hopefully I don't have to sell my toys and start again, but sometimes needs must.
My interest, rather than just collecting, is fettling and using, not competition wise, just garden and sometimes local range shooting.
I've had some magic help along the way, Guy ggggr to name one, has been brill in giving me info and advice.
Ive parted with a couple of guns, but they were ones I wouldn't use. Today I shot about 30 or 40 pellets through all my guns, magic, loved it, so when finances dictate I can buy another, I will.
Untill then, anyone fed up with any gun, p ll ease feel free to send it to me for safe keeping and a bit plinking lol
Stay Safe..
Dan