quote:

Originally posted by cajunmuscle:
Curious if anyone else has lost interest in firearms over the years of their life. . I still enjoy collecting, but dont carry anymore. I've narrowed down my collection as well to guns I would shoot more. Just curious if anyone else as they age not into the firearms world as much as they were earlier in life.

I started losing interest in firearms about 10 years ago, sold off my collection but kept a couple firearms for self defense. I do still carry and always will since the world is just getting crazier and crazier.

I was was never a gun collector, sport shooter or hunter. Just liked nicely engineered stuff in general.

Then a few decades ago, we had a miscreant in-law that evolved into a serious, mostly non-violent criminal and that story turned into a wild affair, including potential threats (unfortunately can't share here). That turned into my sudden interest in handguns.
I probably spent as much time learning about the legal and safety issues of carrying as guns themselves.

Then found this forum and a couple of others that were more about like minded people that happen to share other interests and viewpoints.

I'm lucky that my local county sheriff is very supportive of self defense and they make their range available to local citizens four days a month. They have volunteers and some off duty people that provide a careful watch over safety aspects and can also give basic instruction to newcomers and anyone else that wants it.

I have no loss of interest in collecting or shooting, but my budget is often in conflict with these.

I haven’t completely lost interest, but I’m much less excited about firearms now. I don’t foresee a time when I’ll have no interest in them, but for now, I have other motivations. I still enjoy shooting, but it’s gotten more difficult to make the time.

Currently, I’m into watches. My watch collection has hit its peak and will not grow any further. I may swap out pieces, but I’m happy with the quantity.

I’m at a point where I want to collect less stuff, but more meaningful things.

I don’t shoot near as much as I used to. Don’t care about indoor ranges, no outdoor ranges close enough. I have all the guns I want, some I probably need to sell. I’ve become more interested in my car hobby these days.

There's nothing really interesting about them anymore.

Began with a pellet pistol at age 8, been shooting ever since. Taking 3 or 4 handguns to a nearby indoor range is a great day for me. 3 or 4 times a year to private rural property is a blast. Carry ever day due to where I live.

I do not do much shooting lately, but I should seeing as how I CCW everyday. I also haven't bought a new firearm in over 5 years.

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, I was very into NRA Bullseye Competition. I shot in two different leagues each week. Looking back, the amount of .45 ACP (and .22LR) that I shot back then (including practice) would be almost price prohibitive today. Eventually, I burned out and sold some of the custom bullseye guns. I pretty much stepped away from shooting for about 20 years. In the early 2000's, something clicked back on. I rejoined the gun club where I had previously belonged. While I previously had little interest in the shotgun sports, the club offered an "Adult Learn to Shoot Trap" class. Well, some 20 years later I shoot trap two to three days a week and compete in one league. In addition, I discovered the joys of sporting clays. Sometimes, you just need a break and the opportunity to try a different type of shooting sport.

I'm still interested, and it seems I still buy some sort of firearm each year, and haven't really sold too many in recent years. But now, I have a group of guns that are my main "tools" and I deal with more often than the others- carry guns and assorted defense guns. I still shoot, not as often as in the past, but at least twice a month, mostly my indoor range that has a senior discount of $10 an hour- I never go beyond 45-50 minutes. Four times a year, I'll drive out to my friend's property and spend a morning shooting rifles and shotguns, I have fairly free access.

But at a certain point, maybe in a couple of years, I will pare down my collection to maybe half, depending on what my son likes. There are a number of guns I have not shot in years.

I have lost a lot of interest the last few years. Not all, mind you, but a lot. Don't shoot anymore.

I've certainly reduced my interest. I've been selling off guns on or two at a time for a couple of months now. I want to get it down to a dozen or so I really like. I've found guns in the back of the safes I've forgotten I had, like a Ram-Line 22 pistol.

I don't think I will ever lose my interest in firearms but it is certainly less than it was 20 years ago.

I hunt on my own land and still reload some, mostly for pistol calibers in my lever action 94's. So there is that.

NO

I go through phases and right now i'm in the enjoy my boat and fishing phase.

I have the same issue as others - age (84) and health caught up with me.

I began competing in shooting in the military, winning the New Shooter Gold in Panama in 1963 as A Medical Corps representative, much to the chagrin of the Combat Corps there. Having a Clark Ball Gun and unlimited .45 ammo was encouraging.

After leaving the military in 1965 to go to Florida State U. For my degree, I moved to South Florida and began shooting regularly, reloading 100K plus rounds of .45 and .38 wad cutters per year.

I even invented the ClearsighT Shooter´s Loupe in 1980 - almost every Bullseye shooter had one in their gun box, sometimes two!

I shot thousands of rounds of trap at Palm Beach Trap and Skeet, then even more at Sporting Clays, becoming an Instructor!

Time passed - the vagaries of age began to slow me down!! Finally, collapsed vertebrae in my lower back disabled me and ended not only shooting, but the sport of golf that I took up at 70 to be my retirement sport. Adding insult and more injury, severe arthritis struck my hands! I now unable to pull a trigger, my trigger finger profoundly affected. No more recreational trips for shooting!

I truly enjoyed my 50+ year shooting career and the fellow shooters I have met along the way! Nothing can deprive me of the wonderful memories I have of them and the fun we had together.

I have given many of my target guns to much younger shooters so they can enjoy our passion! May I encourage you to consider doing the same… be remembered!

Tillman

I kind of lost interest a few years into the "assault weapons" ban. Then got it back not long after the sunset.

I haven't lost interest, but it's harder to maintain enthusiasm. I'm shooting less than I did, but still push myself to get to the range once a month.

Not buying new firearms. With Cali's restrictive handgun roster and "assault rifle" ban there's not much I want that I can get, and I refuse to give the state its additional 11% excise tax.

The range I used to frequent closed about 3 years ago. It was small and was handguns only. I found another range I like, but it's a 40 minute drive in traffic. Also, it allows rifles and shotguns, so I can be shooting indoors with some heavy blasting next to me. Most times, I have to work at motivating myself to get going now.

So far, age hasn't slowed me down too much, although some days there are aches and pains that put me off shooting.

But with all that, I'm determined to keep at it.

Yes as time between shooting went further and further and age kicked in dispelling my youthful interest.
Plus the range issues as noted previously. The kids having no interest I sold off just about everything.
Kept a p228 and an over-under 12g but that’s likely to go as well. Then just a bolt action 22mag.
Just enjoying partial retirement with interest in traveling again and other hobbies.

Not lost interest but my aging body and mobility issues have conspired to keep me from enjoying them.