Thread: "Too pretty to use"

We quite often hear this, or see these words in a gun classified. It's a common phrase, one that I heard someone use just this weekend.

There are many of us who have been there done that with this phenomenon. We buy the 'dream rifle' that we have lusted after for so long, but for one reason or another 6 months, a year or two years later, it get sold and the main reason we claim is that is 'too nice to get banged up'. I was one of those once. I remember the first custom stock I built, it was for a BRNO 601 that I bought off my then girlfriends father. It was also my first custom rifle and wildcat - Nelson Collie fitted a new MAB barrel and chambered it for the 6x45. Suffice to say, many hours were spent on that thing, and it was my pride and joy. As much as I loved it, it only lasted about a year or so, before it was found a new home. At that time of my life I couldn't make peace with the idea of this beautiful rifle I had built 'degrading' in the process of me using it for what it was built to do.

It's a funny concept when you break it down. Its like people that don't drive their cars to protect the resale value. I guess I've grown a lot since then, but as a stock maker, I'd far sooner see a rifle that had a few dings and scratches, and one where the bluing was starting to wear thin from the hours it had been carried, than one that had hardly seen the light of day. One of the guys at my workplace has a Rigby Highland Stalker .275, which cost him $26,000. He regularly takes it bush, and has even loaned it to newbies to get their first deer. It has a couple of marks on it, and the satin blue is stating to gloss up in a few places for him carrying it, but you know what, I think it looks better because of it. He has expensive taste, and loves a high grade rifle, but he bought it to hunt deer with, so that's what he does. I'm hopefully only a couple of weeks away from finishing a very nice stock, and once its sold, I dearly hope that it ends up doing the job that I made it to do - dings, scratches, wear and all!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not about the abuse that some people dole out to their gear. I say look after it as well as you can, but be comfortable with the fact that marks and scratches are part of the game. What I think is a worse crime, is stocks that have been refinished many times (badly) and have had their lines and dimensions sanded off in order to remove some harmless scratches. Ultimately a worse scenario than just leaving them be.

Perhaps its not really about the worry over damaging a nice rifle, but more about the itch to try something new. Maybe the idea that it's 'too pretty to use' is the reasoning we settle on to justify to ourselves that we need to sell it and get something else. If I'm being honest with myself, I can tell you that this was the case for me. I wasn't one for settling on a rifle cartridge combo, and I guess I knew it, because I was always trying to keep it in mind condition to retain its resale value. My first 'real' centre-fire was a brand new Ruger M77 MK11 Wood/blued in 6.5x55, and I wish I still had it. I really feel that I'm missing something, by not having that well used Ruger still bearing its physical reminders of all the adventures we had together.

I've got some very nice walnut lined up in my safe now, but they all missing the mana that a bit of wear and tear brings. So now, I'm making up for lost time.....

I'm 100% in line with your thinking.

It's like not sleeping with your girlfriend so she'll be in perfect condition for the next guy....why?

If you want an investment, then treat it as an investment, but otherwise, use it and smile.

It's even worse when you are looking at buying vintage rifles and you ask the vendor about bore condition ?
And they reply " it's a collectors piece. You can't shoot it " and " the bore is immaterial "
My reply is " it's a rifle and that's what they are for ! "

My Blaser K95 has grade 5 wood and show the scars of many many alpine hunts.
That's what it's for

Exactly; use a rifle for what its designed for. A hunting rifle should show the after-effects of use, if it gets used often enough, even if you're one (like me) who looks after them. You cant help bad luck and shouldn't worry to much about that
Plenty of so called "hunters" will be eager to tell you about the number of pristine rifles they own, and that they're often undecided which one to take on their annual hunting trip

Look after them as best you can, but they are a tool, not an ornament.

The brits regularly sent their rifles back for refurbishment. I think it is the yanks that hold the “original” condition idea.

I can happily say this doesn't apply to me at all. My first centrefire was a Ruger M77 Mk11 .270 win. I shot my first deer with it and had no reason to sell it but when my brother was selling exactly the same rifle in stainless/synthetic I brought that and a 3-9 vx1 a mate was selling and sold my rifle to my wifes uncle. Hopefully he still has it. Don't think I'll ever need another rifle because my one is a .270

I like bringing a well used rifle back to its former glory that’s has a bit of a hard past, something about it is super satisfying. Iv had the too pretty to use brand new cz527 I got in a trade that was just too nice for my type of use so I sold it, kimbers on the other hand I am just so about wearing out it’s not funny, I’ll wrap it in a coat and take it anywhere with me whether it’s on a quad or scrub hunting pigs with dogs


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Using mine but it needs a to lose a little weight
Might have to look at trimming the stock and take an inch off of the barrel.

With the move to no lead here the reloading is going well just found me some new copper pills will let you all know how they go. English made yew tree ones.

I bought a custom engraved 8x57 small ring Mauser.The original owner would have spent easily 20K on it when was comissioned most of that would have been spent on the engraving. I bought it for a fraction of that and at once thought how sad it was that it had seen so little use. I use it as my main hunting gun,its getting banged up and worn but so has my body over the last 43 years.

I would rather a gun be passed on when I cant use it any longer and its patina tells a story of it having done what it was ment to do,rather than a pristine safe queen who no one really enjoyed.

My dad has a Commercial Mauser stutzen that is all beaten to shit, and has been rebarrelled. Its fun imagining what adventures that Rifle has been a part of.

Originally Posted by norsk

I bought a custom engraved 8x57 small ring Mauser.The original owner would have spent easily 20K on it when was comissioned most of that would have been spent on the engraving. I bought it for a fraction of that and at once thought how sad it was that it had seen so little use. I use it as my main hunting gun,its getting banged up and worn but so has my body over the last 43 years.

I would rather a gun be passed on when I cant use it any longer and its patina tells a story of it having done what it was ment to do,rather than a pristine safe queen who no one really enjoyed.

My dad has a Commercial Mauser stutzen that is all beaten to shit, and has been rebarrelled. Its fun imagining what adventures that Rifle has been a part of.

Any chance of a pic?


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It's no secret I like my rifles to be asthetically pleasing (well to me anyway ) but I do like to use them too.
It can be a little unnerving when dragging them through the scrub but hey its not hard to tidy up a paint job if it bothers you.

Well I just out a serious scratch on the glass of my Swarovski z5... Not happy but its a chance you take if they come out of the safe!! Still not sure how as it had a neoprene cover on it 95% of the time.

Guess it depends if you buy something as a tool / toy or as an investment

Originally Posted by 223nut

Well I just out a serious scratch on the glass of my Swarovski z5... Not happy but its a chance you take if they come out of the safe!! Still not sure how as it had a neoprene cover on it 95% of the time.

Guess it depends if you buy something as a tool / toy or as an investment

Dont worry you can always re purpose it as a hammer

Originally Posted by dannyb

Dont worry you can always re purpose it as a hammer

It's a Swarovski not a nightforce!!!