Collecting Shooters Shameful? Opinion/poll

[Brien]

Is collecting shooters shameful? Heresy? Worthy of excommunication, shunning, stoning etc....

What's your take?

All the weapons I buy are for shooting. They are all also pretty much shooter grade except my AR-15.

Love hearing differing opinions.

[Eugen]

I feel there are at least two type of Lugers that make life enjoyable. There are those you shoot and those you don't shoot. I have two Lugers that are for holding and admiring. I have another two that I shoot'em like I hate'em!

[Edward Tinker]

I think its wrong to shoot very nice collectables when there are plenty of shooters to shoot.

many times its the luger they happened to pick up or was handed down. But folks who purposely buy and spend a fair amount of money and then want to shoot it a lot, is silly to me.

By the way, you can actually do a Poll and ask folks, although this has been asked, but I think its been a while

Ed

[Brien]

Ed,

My bad, I should have been more succinct. Totally agree with you on not shooting a collectable. What I meant was actually collecting shooter or refinished pieces instead of collector ones and shooting them .and/or ending up with a bunch of different ones over time ..for those of us that normally can't really afford over $1,000.00 a pistol and (like me,) have a hard time saving up that much, or letting it go after that. Id just like to have the treasure trove and wouldnt care if they were refinshed (fairly well) i am sorry, I didn't think about looking for a poll function. I just like the discourse.

[Brien]

Refinished yes, but No Import marks!!!! (Or at least only tiny highly discreet
ones)

I'll look for the poll function and try again later.

[alvin]

Actually, in gun collecting world, the highest realm is acquiring collectible at shooter's cost. If that cannot be done easily (for obvious reason), at least, should avoid acquiring shooter at collectible's cost. Regarding regular buying shooters as shooters, collectibles as collectibles, that's just personal taste.

{{{ However, never sell a shooter as a collectible, buyer will get mad on you for understandable reason. That's also moral standard issue. To sell a collectible as shooter or not, that's up to you }}}

For shooter Luger (or other types), I cannot think needing many them. One should be enough. No need to acquire a few of those. If do have interest on another shooter, better sell the current one to finance the next one.

[DavidJayUden]

Every collector has a certain area of interest. Some are very focused and have no interest in "other" Lugers.
Myself, I am an "accumulator" and just buy them when the price is right and I happen to have some money in my pocket.
At some point in your acquisition of shooters you may wish to downsize and focus on other areas of interest, but in the mean time, "hoard away".
After all, it's still legal (at least in most States). For now.
dju

[DonVoigt]

I collect lugers; both shooters (as and for shooting and at shooter prices) and collectible pieces.
I like history and will take a luger that is a little cosmetically challenged over a pretty one if it has its
history "writ in steel" on it.

I have also been known to construct lugers for shooting or "having" that I will not pay the market price for, like my baby and carbine.

To each his own!

I started a thread a while back, either here or the other forum entitled "show us your shooter"!
It got lots of posts with pictures of many shooters!

[Diver6106]

If you have the funds, you can buy any Luger you want... Then as YOUR pistol, you can do with it what you want - even demil it. But I intend to shoot the guns I buy and wouldn't pay thousands of dollars for a Luger to put in my safe. But I certainly don't fault those with the money to buy the multi-thousand dollar guns for display or just to collect, or even shoot them if so desired. To each his own, and most will return to the market place again.

[Brien]

Davidjayuden,

Would love to find that "deal of a lifetime" collector piece, but doubt very much it will ever happen. I just don't seem to have that kind of luck. I now know enough (I think) to not to get taken. I once had to divest myself of my small gun collection, I'm not too keen on selling anything, I've become somewhat of a collecting hoarder. I'll have to respectfully disagree with the one shooter piece. I don't know about the rest of you folks, but each luger I have ever shot has a slightly different feel to it, at least to me. Each has a unique fit and feel when handled and shot. Same awesome mechanism, but each weapon is hand assembled so to my mind, no two are ever going to be exactly alike. I admit I have not been around a gazillion lugers like some of you lucky folks, but that's just how I feel about them.

[mrerick]

"Is collecting shooters shameful? Heresy? Worthy of excommunication, shunning, stoning etc...."

Wow... that's certainly deep...

To me, Luger collecting is a hobby. I am attracted by the history, unique design and the precision of manufacture of these pistols. For me, at least at this point, it is nothing approaching a religion or cult.

You commit heresy against and are excommunicated from some religions. Modern (Western - at least) society and culture gave up shunning and stoning quite a while ago.

When I consider acquiring a Luger, I take a good look at it, try and classify it and value it based upon condition, rarity and whether it's matching, import marked and in high or some other condition. A "shooter" gets a shooter price offer. A "collectible" gets recognized as such and gets an collectible price. Nothing in that transaction gets emotional. It is, what it is...

If you're going to buy firearms to shoot, leave the historic and collectible ones to those that want to preserve them.

In my view, the excommunication offenses (from society) center around fakers and the destruction they cause...

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by alvin

Actually, in gun collecting world, the highest realm is acquiring collectible at shooter's cost. If that cannot be done easily (for obvious reason), at least, should avoid acquiring shooter at collectible's cost. Regarding regular buying shooters as shooters, collectibles as collectibles, that's just personal taste.

{{{ However, never sell a shooter as a collectible, buyer will get mad on you for understandable reason. That's also moral standard issue. To sell a collectible as shooter or not, that's up to you }}}

For shooter Luger (or other types), I cannot think needing many them. One should be enough. No need to acquire a few of those. If do have interest on another shooter, better sell the current one to finance the next one.

One shooter!

I suppose I'm nuts, but I have 6 or 8 shooter lugers and a couple shooter brooms; I've even got 3 or 4 shooter .25 autos.

One is not enough!

Without looking I can remember these shooter lugers:
-4" 9mm G date mismatch
-4" 9mm on Brazilian grip safety frame
-4" 7,65mm commercial
-6" 7,65mm commercial
-6" 1906 Navy shooter
-8" 1914 Erfurt artillery, matching, but a shooter as it is polished and re-blued
-2.75" 9mm or 7,65mm baby I made
-16" 9mm carbine , I assembled, almost too pretty to shoot, but I have; I also have an 11.5" 7,65mm upper for it.

- oops, almost forgot the 1900 AE in 7,65mm

On the drawing board are plans for a .45 and .357 sig; these may be single shot unless I can figure out a way to "make" a magazine or convert the frame to feed!

I know, I'm sick; lugeritis and OC Luger disorder.
There is no cure.

[Edward Tinker]

If its shooter grade, to collectors, its either

--- import marked

--- reblued

--- mismatched parts

so, an import marking doesn't hurt value more - although bigger marking, the more it might take a hit

[Olle]

I always cringe when somebody is heading to the range with a collectible gun "just to see what it's like", so I think shooters serve a great purpose as "stand-ins" for those who want to shoot vintage guns. A shooter in good condition will feel, perform, smell and taste just like a collectible gun, so why not buy a shooter if you absolutely, necessarily want to shoot a Luger/P.38/Hi-Power/1911 etc? Shooters are usually cheap, and they are fairly easy to sell once you have scratched the itch.

[DavidJayUden]

Davidjayuden,
Would love to find that "deal of a lifetime" collector piece, but doubt very much it will ever happen. I just don't seem to have that kind of luck. I now know enough (I think) to not to get taken.

IMHO finding that deal of a lifetime is not a matter of luck but one of hard work, networking and always being on the hunt. Luck = preparation meeting opportunity. Of all my Lugers, none fell in my lap (OK, maybe one), I had to hunt them all down.

As for how many shooter Lugers is enough, I have a nice 4" 9mm, an Artillery and a Navy, all of which I shoot regularly. That satisfies my Luger lust at the range, and any extra money goes into Nambu's, P-38's, Lahtis, Webleys, old 1911's, and a few later S&W's.

dju

[Edward Tinker]

here's a poll if curious

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=36751

[RShaw]

"Is collecting shooters shameful? Heresy? Worthy of excommunication, shunning, stoning etc...."

No!! Not at all!! A collection is a very personal thing. I myself have always been a shooter until recently when the world of "collecting guns" opened through this forum. Now I have both, my collectible will not be shot as long as I own it, while my shooter (P38) goes to the range. One shooter is enough for sure unless one wants to experiment with different calibers, (I have my eye on a Swiss 7.65 mm), barrel lengths, or guns other than Lugers.

Collections, IMO, are for personal enjoyment, for opening new relationships with other similarly minded people, and for passing the interest to our kids- either at the range, or in the "gunroom."

[4 Scale]

One of the problems is on some guns there is a gray area of between shooter and collectible. For example I bought a M1900 as a shooter, all matching except for a hold-open numbered to another gun.

With the pitting and reblue and one non-matching part this pistol easily meets Ed's definition of a shooter. Problem for me is, although I bought it as a shooter I'm finding myself reluctant to shoot it because of all the matching parts. So I compromise with myself and am putting only about 25 rounds a year through it.

I actually shoot my collectible Mauser and M1906 AEs a little more, swapping out a bunch of obviously breakable parts. For me swapping parts is fun. However, don't do this much - maybe 50 rounds or less a year? I would just hate to break a part like the breech bolt etc. I do have a refinished 1938 Mauser with numerous non-matching parts and I shoot the dickens out of it.

What I'm finding is I am reluctant to shoot matching-number pistols, even if refinished or if purchased at a relatively low price. It's difficult to figure out this shooter thing.

[wayne8661]

Its funny about deciding what to do. I purchased a 1941 Eagle L about 6 months ago from a guy on my street. When he brought it over to drop off to me he told me "it shot great and that he had it at the range that day". When I took possesion of the pistol from him I made sure to let him know that I was officially retirng his gun.

[4 Scale]

Finding shooters is challenging. I recently tried to purchase a model 1906 AE shooter off GB. Pictures were poor, the pistol would not hold open, Mables front sight and seller didn't know if all parts matched. The price was a bit high for a shooter with mechanical problems but what I could see in the pictures seemed good, so I rolled the dice and won it.

I get the darn thing and it is all matching except grips, no rust, BUG proofed and with a good bore. The bluing is so nice that at first I suspected a re-blue, but comparison to my other AE under a microscope, halos etc. has convinced me the finish is original. Even the grip straps have almost no finish loss. Magazine is original and like new. The takedown lever has some scratches and the straw is more faded than the blueing. There are no other flaws. A $25 spring from Tom Heller fixed the hold open issue.

In other words my attempt to buy a shooter failed miserably as I won't shoot this. Below is a quick grab picture, I hope to take better pictures when the weather warms. The pistol's finish looks better than this picture shows, the "blemishes" are fingerprints. I guess my search for a 1906 .30 Luger shooter must continue.