I'm probably like many others in that my tastes and desires have changed some over time and with my ability to acquire (afford) guns. However, I'm an upland hunter, and almost all of the guns I've collected have been with upland birds in mind (but I do have some waterfowl and turkey guns). I prefer 16s to any other gauge; love Damascus, twist (and especially Bernard steel) barrels. I prefer straight/splinter guns with two triggers. I do not own, and, at the risk of heresy, would not buy, a single trigger gun, one with a ventilated rib, or a beavertail forend (hey, it saves me a lot of money not to buy guns with those features that are "desirable" to many others!).
I've set some specific goals for my collecting, and have, I'm sure like many others, become more selective where in the past I used to buy good examples of a wider range of guns. But I like a gun that "speaks" to me. Generally, that would be a small bore, two trigger, straight/splinter gun on the lighter side (but well balanced). I own more 16s than any other gauge. A good collection to me would include guns with these features.
In the end, I'm a hunter(shooter)/collector. I like the nostalgia of guns from the past, and feel more connected to that past when I use them as they were intended to be used.
__________________
"Doubtless the good Lord could have made a better game bird than bobwhite, and better country to hunt him in...but equally doubtless, he never did." -- Guy de la Valdene (from A Handful of Feathers )
"'I promise you,' he said, 'on my word of honor, I won't die on the opening of the bird season.'" -- Robert Ruark (from The Old Man and the Boy)
|
Hybrid Mode