Y'know............
I know at least three collector-persons in the Omaha area that have serious huge walk-in gun vaults with some really amazing stuff in them: Thompson sub-machine guns (fully automatic), Civil War Spencer and Burnside carbines, LeMat revolvers, Lugers in both calibers, not to mention war memorabilia, Nazi helmets, swords, etc., etc. Show cases, cabinets, walls..........all full of nice guns.
Takes a long time to put it all together. And costs a fortune, just the vault setup, not to mention whatever goes in it. But they never seem to shoot it. Just go in, sit there in the middle of it all. Kinda bask in the wonder of it all.
On the other hand, all my own very small collection of modest, low-end stuff has to work hard for its living. Everything gets shot, sometime during the season, and a lot of it gets shot a lot. My dream is to wear it all out while approaching the end. For example, my Browning Citori 12Ga O/U got 150 rounds put through it today, and that was all at just one station [#8/hi&low houses] on the skeet range. My Springfield XDM40 got about 400 rounds through it on Tuesday. MyThink is that guns are made to use. A lot. But if somebody just wants to build a big vault and use it as a sorta museum, that's fine, too.
Then there was the photographer I knew in Bellevue. He had over 200+ different Colt revolvers neatly stored in Planograph drawers. Knew more about 2-screw and 3-screw revolvers than Sam Colt. Wouldn'tna ever parted with even the worst specimen in his collection for any reason, especially mere money.
And the former USAF Colonel who had flat cases full of handguns under every single bed, chair, sofa, and other piece of furniture in his house (except stove and fridge, of course). He had those flat cases because all of the desk drawers, dresser drawers, and cabinet drawers in the house were already full. The flat cases were for the overflow. I remember thinkin' that his wife was a very patient and tolerant lady.
Guns sure are fun. If you like 'em.
