I think you do have to carve out the time an make it a priority…easier said than done.

Of all the events, the timing of the Southern just works with my schedule. By the time June comes around I am in boat mode and while I will shoot clays locally on occasion in the summer I am really not the Parker addict I am in the winter/spring.

I am usually traveling from the Northeast. I’ll take Thursday and Friday off then work a full day on Wednesday and drive at least half the way that night. Show up around 10ish on Thursday morning. I will leave around 1 or 2 on Saturday and drive straight home, I will get in late, but have all day Sunday with my family.

That gives me time to:

• Shoot each of the 3 days I am there(usually with friends)
• Go to the Parker Banquet Dinner on Friday night
• Pick up and drop off guns that need work
• Check out guns that I never get to see(ask questions and learn)
• Catch up with people on the forum and others
• Leave looking forward to next year

A great experience for just taking 2 days off work!

On the original question about having money to buy Parkers. I have found that a Parker doesn’t have to be a high grade gun to make me smile. It is easy for me to fall in love with just about any hammer gun. I like twist and stub twist barrels. I don’t believe you need a lot of money to find a lower grade gun your proud of and use a lot.

I don’t like a gun that is so nice I am afraid to use it. Both in grade and/or condition. I have had those, used them once or twice and then sold them 3-5 years later because they were just sitting in the safe. I do have a few higher grades that I cherish and use that I planned/budgeted for and I would call most of them keepers. Though I think I would surprise a lot of folks if I listed the few guns in my collection that would be the last to go.

So to the OP I think this “addiction” can be reasonable if you find out what works for you and get creative when you need to.

I don’t have many fine guns (any, actually), nor do I
attend any of these events, like the Southern, but I bet I’d love them! I spend my time and $ birdhunting, as that is my priority…I am afield out of state 50 days, +\-, plus a lower # in my home state. Between the birds, and the country they live in, plus the dogs and the guns, I can’t get enough! I traveled to my SD hunting camp yesterday, hanging there now with the dogs, and hanging with my farmer pals. My mobility and overall health is my prized asset, but I realize it’s all temporary. I’m all for enjoying this ride, whatever turns your crank!

I had rooms set aside in January and was planning to go until March became the Vigil of the Kidney Stone. The previous year it was the Pretty Wife's 60th birthday. Went the year before and gave out hats. Missed a couple due to the plandemic and being fired/retired from job. Next year for sure.

Spin

Those were darn nice hats if I say so myself Sir. Wear mine on a regular basis.

In the words of my good friend Destry, “Life is short and you’re dead an awful long time.”

My first Southern was 2007. I live close enough that I made it a day trip for Friday so I took a day off work. To say it was sensory overload is an understatement. Next year I took my middle son, who at 12 was into anything with a shotgun. We will be there again this week throwing more lead in the air at the Parker Challenge. I’m lucky that my kids still like to hang out with me.

Mr Blake look me up got something for you. Benjamin is heading down also so we can go back in time together on this one.

Question for some of you folks, especially the retired ones. And, I suppose that it will vary tremendously, based on individual circumstances. How does the retired lifestyle fit in with collecting fine shotguns, etc? I’d be perfectly happy with that really nice VH being offered at the Southern at $1800–it has me drooling—but I fear retirement might make the acquisition of an $1800 shotgun a bit of an accomplishment, let alone the higher end stuff that is rare and has condition.

It seems that retirement is a trade off. You now have the time but your means are more limited being on a fixed income.

I think this thread was created as I approach retirement and am a bit disappointed in myself. I’ve done okay, so I’m not seeking pity, but I went to college thinking I’m doing this for the peach corporate job that provides for everything—think Madison Avenue and Gene Hill and Ed Zern. Much to my surprise, my newly minted—and now seriously patinated—college degree never yielded a corporate job at all, and, right out of college, it became painfully obvious, at least at first, that I was worth little more than minimum wage. My fault entirely, but I had no idea how COMPETITIVE the real world was. I guess I figured I would waltz in the door and work with a bunch of like minded individuals, a work environment that shut down for the Southetn and other similar events and we wandered back into work, shared some good stories, brandy, and passed around our new haul of fine shotguns to admire.

I think if such a lifestyle ever existed, it couldn’t survive in today’s day and age, not to mention having alcohol and firearms at work is a fast ticket to getting fired in today’s day and age.

Craig Larter shared that he’s been retired now 25 years, having retired at age 50 and not coming from money. Well done! And, I’m guessing to do that he formed a successful company from the ground up. I think that is what it takes to do this, and he likely had a vision, something I didn’t have, and founded a company despite not coming from money and probably worked very long hours doing so.

But I’m also pleased to see that everyone on this forum isn’t able to drop everything and go to the forum and return with a bunch of high dollar shotguns. So, I’m by no means unique. But I actually stated that in a wrong manner, as I’m not really pleased to see this in an absolute sense as, as I get older, life is precious, and it’s disappointing we all can’t drop everything several times a year and do this, and not worry about how much leave we have left the remainder of the year and how the funds we spent on fine shotguns might impact the bottom line once we retire.

And, this should be no surprise to me. Most of my older family members and associates didn’t magically hit retirement and transition into a life of expensive trips, fine acquisitions, and no financial concerns. Some were certainly “comfortable” but nothing was over the top.

Ian I don't think anyone can answer this for you. However, you forgot to add a third variable, your health and your mobility. The risk you may still be alive, have a pile of money and not be able to enjoy much of anything.

Go back and look at the meme I posted, each of us has to find a comfortable balance between money and time. We all face the risk of running out of one or the other or both. Retirement is really a question of do you believe you have really good odds that you can be both secure and content with what you have and what you can do before time runs out.

For me the main reason I am not going to the Southern is I just don't feel like making such a long trip requiring me to skirt through several heavily congested areas. I am content with just going to Hausmann's which is much closer to me and much nicer drive.

Good luck to you going forward. Perhaps this will help with your decisions around retirement. I have been a member of this forum for around 25 years and found helpful information in it along the way.

https://www.early-retirement.org/

Thank you for the link!

For me, it’s simply a matter of living within my means, which I will do, but, hopefully, there will be enough to do a fair amount of fun stuff along the way. If there isn’t, so be it. But, that would be a disappointment.

I’m definitely not going to work until a grizzled old age—I want out of the rat race. I have somewhat of an idea what I’ll get in retirement and it’s LESS than I am getting now, but then I’m not saving for retirement anymore as well. (What a stupid idea it was to move away from pensions and towards workers saving for their retirement in 401ks!). The variables are how much will my retirement funds increase over time and will that be enough to account for inflation.

I think around the year 2030 I’ll make it to the Southern. How many years after that depends on funds and health, I suppose. And, admittedly, I’m not a particularly good shot—a combination of too many hours at work and not enough time on the skeet field and being right handed and left eye dominant.