I had a good-sized chunk of my collection at the range yesterday, and as some friends were asking me about my collection, I came to realize that all of my favorite guns are of the well-used variety.
My first gun was an early Smith & Wesson 686, and it's seen plenty of use. My favorite pistol to shoot is a Ruger Mark II - I can't even imagine how many rounds it's had down the pipe. Even my AR-15 is well over 15 years old.
Each firearm probably has tens of thousands of rounds through it, and while they're not beat up or damanged, if you look for it you can see the signs of use.
Yet of all my guns, all those bought new or near-new, those three shoot the best. Of the thousands of rounds I've put through each of them, I've only had one malfunction once among the three of them (due entirely to bad ammo in the AR). Each functions smoothly, flawlessly, doesn't require a lot of maintenance, is far more accurate than I am and each is truely a joy to shoot.
I can't help but wonder if firearms are like a fine wine - do they really get better with age? Beyond just "breaking a gun in," does a firearm become smoother and more reliable as the round count increases? And would you rather have a used firearm or a new one?
My first gun was an early Smith & Wesson 686, and it's seen plenty of use. My favorite pistol to shoot is a Ruger Mark II - I can't even imagine how many rounds it's had down the pipe. Even my AR-15 is well over 15 years old.
Each firearm probably has tens of thousands of rounds through it, and while they're not beat up or damanged, if you look for it you can see the signs of use.
Yet of all my guns, all those bought new or near-new, those three shoot the best. Of the thousands of rounds I've put through each of them, I've only had one malfunction once among the three of them (due entirely to bad ammo in the AR). Each functions smoothly, flawlessly, doesn't require a lot of maintenance, is far more accurate than I am and each is truely a joy to shoot.
I can't help but wonder if firearms are like a fine wine - do they really get better with age? Beyond just "breaking a gun in," does a firearm become smoother and more reliable as the round count increases? And would you rather have a used firearm or a new one?