Thread: "Too pretty to use"

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.