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Thinking about quitting shooting competitively and selling stuff off


steviesterno

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no worries about sharks circling, I actually posted my 6" 2011 and Open M&P for sale last night. Check the classifieds. I found out I'm not allowed to sell my shotgun or rifle because that same special lady likes shooting clays with a 3 gun shotty and playing sniper with the gas gun. hahaha, I'm totally OK with that, too

Bring your sharks out to DPC, we can use some help with flood and they would have a place to swim.

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Just read this post/ thread whatever it's called, wanted to say thanks. Been shooting USPSA off and on for the last 15 years, never been hard core. Just something different to do. Shot Area matches, Nationals a few years ago and plan to go again this year. Took a few years to set up for 3Gun, thank God for Stoeger M3000 or I would still be shopping for a shotgun.

The stuff you bring for matches is down right annoying. USPSA is like a women going out with a little black purse. 3Gun is like taking a family of 5 to the beach for a week. Got old quick and I just see a pile of money sitting there going to waste. If I could only find a sherpa! This year not one 3Gun match and only one USPSA match.

Reading what everyone wrote took some of the guilt away. We do this because it is fun and for enjoyment. I find its the local "pros" make matches a chore. Shooting off their mouth better than their guns. That is why I shy away, trying to get back out there because for the most part it is rewarding to see how well I can shoot.

Thank you to all of the open honest replies.

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I am way late replying. I was never a Master or Grandmaster shooter. So you may want to ignore my advice (since I'm a "lesser" shooter).

But, I sold all of my firearms on at least 3 ocassions. And I mean ALL. As in DONE.

Now I am rebuying. Nothing is worse than seeing my old CX4 Storm Beretta carbine is no longer listed in .45 (although they can be found online leftover) and that a used AK is selling for literaly close to double the price of what the used to be New!

I lucked out on Glock, as I chose to replace a 26 and 17 with the "new" Gen 4's I prefer. But still wish I had the new Gen 3's I bought, to hold onto.

Unless the gun is complete junk (a .22 that jams on anything but high-end expensive .22 etc...) I would advise holding onto all of your gear.

I've done it with Guitars, Amps, Basses, Guns, Motocross bikes, etc... And I not saying you need to keep EVERY gun ever purchased. But, just here to warn you to make absolute DARN SURE, before you sell that it's the right choice.

People talk about "Don't Worry! Gear changes! If you come back you can -upgrade-!" And while that can be true, say perhaps with a Glock M.O.S. For a red dot instead of expensive cut/grind old school mods to get the optic on a Glock... I find this to, more often than not, be false.

People will argue, for example, XD vs. M&P vs. Glock etc etc until the sun burns out... I understand. But, having owned/cleaned/shot each, I have my own preference. Experience and your own targets will tell you more than 10,000 internet reviews or message boards. If you can afford to own each and try each. Instead of rent for 30 minutes etc... Getting off topic. Sorry.

My point is. Take a break. Clean and oil your competition guns. Preserve them. But, I wouldn't sell. For example, the thousands of dollars I got selling everything, is nothing compared to the comfort level I had with good, quality guns I've sold.

And that doesn't count discontinued or for example getting $280 for an AK that costs $650 now and has a bunch of different USA parts to be "compliant" with current laws. That hurts.

Again, I am not a top shooter. But, can say, out of maybe 35+ guns sold, I only back up the sale of 3-5 guns... The rest I made a mistake selling. For various reasons.

I would take a break. Yes. But, clean/oil the comp guns and pretend they don't exist right now. The $$$ you gain selling won't be worth a darn thing should you re-purchase in 1-4 years from now.

Just my "regular guy" opinion.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey all,

This is my first one of these posts, probably ever. I've read the Slump pages, and I think I agree with a lot of things a lot of people have said, but I'm looking for input.

I've been shooting competitively for probably 6 years or so, and got serious in the last 3. I went from a once monthly IDPA match to a 4-6x a month 3 gunner. I would set up matches, work and shoot them, practice for them, etc. But lately it seems as if I just don't have the desire to even go to one and shoot, much less work it.

Over the last 18 months, I moved across the country and got a job I really love. It is, however, time consuming. So much so that I'm spending a lot of my weekends in continuing ed classes and learning. When sunday comes around I don't even want to go to the match, I'd rather hang out and rest and spend time with the GF and dog. Even though matches used to be 1-2 hours away and now it's just a 5 minute drive.

I'm a little confused, because I still really like to shoot stuff. We went to the range this weekend and just plinked 45 reloads at some steel at a 1-shot-per-second-no-drawing range. Which I thought would suck, but was nice since I wasn't doing a drill or trying to achieve anything but making some noise and some hits. But in packing up for this range adventure, I realized that all my gear is competition based. I don't have any "fun" or only "range toy" things to shoot. What I did put in the trunk was the equivalent of a used jeep/range rover in competition gear. I thought"hey, I should sell all this stuff and go on off road weekend camping adventures!" And then realizing that was silly, thought I should sell most everything and use it to put a down payment on a house together! It is the adult thing to do, right?

I like to shoot, I like guns, I like tinkering in my little shop and working on them, but moving piles and piles of crap (3 gunners know what i mean) up and down the stairs to load the truck, pull it around all day in a stroller and then go home sleepy, dirty, sore, and at least $100 more broke just doesn't appeal to me like it did a year ago. I like having guns for HD, carry, range visits, and all that, but I'm really thinking competition might not be for me for a while.

I'm a pretty decent shooter, too. I would win or place at local matches, but I really don't want to spend any time practicing dry fire. Sure, I could get to be a master (I know I could if I wanted to) but I just don't want to. I just plain don't care to be any more competitive than a big fish in a small pond. I was told I could be a serious player in a local 3 gun team and start touring and stuff with them, if I just won IDPA events. But my first thought wasn't about that, it was about not wanting to learn another game I don't like and compete when I didn't really want to. I seem to have lost the thrill of the hunt, and my desire to get better and be the best is lessoning as I age (just turned 30).

Not sure if this is much more than a rant, but I'm looking to see if anyone has been in my shoes, or has been hit with more than just a slump. I've taken time off, I've worked matches, I've shot fun ones without trying to hard, and I've tried switching platforms, so just not sure what else to try? Don't worry, I'm not depressed, happier than I ever have been, actually. And I'm not going to do anything silly like sell nostalgic guns or stuff that couldn't be replaced.

Honestly, it's probably because 3Gun kinda ... well ... sucks in a lot of ways.

You spend your entire Saturday/Sunday shooting four or five stages and 99% of that time, you're waiting around and NOT shooting. Screw that.

You have to bring 6, 7, sometimes even EIGHT different types of ammo to the match?

The ranges are dirty, dusty, gravel-filled lots and always in remote middles-of-nowhere?

The entire shotgun portion of 3Gun is completely gamer-rific with almost no application for self-defense in the real world? Ugh.

And to top of it all off, you pay $20 - $50 just for the match fee, and YOU have to work the match to reset and paste targets. WTF?

I can see the disdain and the pain in the butt that these matches are giving you, and the best thing for you to do is to definitely take a break and/or never go back.

Stick to just pistol matches, 2 Gun matches, or go to a more regulated game where you actually get to shoot rather than sit around all day, like Silhouette or High Power.

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  • 1 month later...

Maybe just shoot for fun on your own and take a few months away from competition. I would never sell my guns. They are a great investment. People at work invest in the stock market. I invest in S&W, Colt and my foreign investments include Glock and Sig. If you need the money that is different, but otherwise guns usually don't lose value. On the otherhand stocks could bust any day. Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been tempted to do this type of thing in past. I used to spend most of my free time playing guitar and drag racing, once I turned 21 the world of handguns was wide open and I've spent 99% of my free time working on guns, loading ammo, or shooting them. I usually call it a "30 day rule" on selling stuff, say you want to get rid of it and revisit next month. If you can live without it go for it. That said things are cyclic, so I try not to dump anything unless I really need the cash. I started in IDPA, moved to cowboy action, starting doing both, and now just go to whatever match I can easily attend. It helps to switch it up so I've started trying ICORE, USPSA, and highpower.

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  • 7 months later...

Since we opened this up again, I'd like to know how the OP is doing these days?

hey, might as well update after reading through this stuff again.

I shot my last 3 gun match October of 2015 and haven't shot one since. I didn't really have fun at that one (night 3 gun zombie match) but it was so poorly run it pissed me off. The guy designing the course on his own range, got to shoot for score against us. surprisingly, he and his RO buddies won most of the better prizes, including the raffle prizes. pretty sketchy if you ask me. anyway, i went to an indoor range a few times since then, but just to shoot around. no matches, no practice, no training, no reloading.

I guess here's a list of what's Ive been doing:

1) That girlfriend is now my wife. But since the OP she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that summer, so we spent most of our time fighting (and beating!) that.

2) Bought a house October of 14, the year of the original post. sold most of my competition stuff to come up with down payment and rehab money so we could work on it. Worked on it.

3) her brother died.

4) Finished a work certification that added 4 professional letters to my name, for free.

5) got married, one local ceremony and one up north.

6) she got pregnant.

7) while 6 months pregnant, she was T boned. totaled her car, sent her to the hospital, contractions started early, but luckily nothing ever got bad

8) spent the next 3 months going through rehab and physical therapy, every minute terrified something would go wrong with the baby

9) had the baby, and thankfully all good. he's a tough baby, didn't sleep a wink and screamed and screamed for 2 months. he's getting better now

10) had her work cut short her maternity leave because she "used some of it up" from the car accident.

11) we're here.

so kind of a lot of stuff going on. I still check the forums a bunch, mostly looking to buy or sell parts, as I'm having fun building up some rifles and stuff. Still considering selling a pile of gear I have, and consolidating to a platform or 2. All the guns I talked about earlier are gone. sold them all to cover the down payment, the repairs to the house, and coming up with some extra money with time out of work, car repairs, etc.

I still like guns. I want to have them. but ever time I get money in the gun fund, or save up, I seem to funnel it into the kids new 529 plan, or save it up for retirement, or think that for every maybe 20k we have saved, it's a year my wife doesn't have to work. or I pay daycare bills, because that's $1200 a month....

so still not sure. I've been upgrading the stuff I have, and had my buddy paint the heck out of my rifle, so it's super awesome. but otherwise I'm still thinking of selling stuff, of downsizing, of almost but not completely giving it up....

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It's not something that I think ever entirely goes away. I sold my Limited gun a year ago this past January and haven't shot a match in over a year. Been sitting here recovering from my 2nd elbow surgery in less than 12 weeks and know that shooting is literally months away but I'm still looking at guns to replace my beloved STI. I have others to play with but it's just not the same. New house in a couple of months myself and am eyeing the pile of reloading gear I've been hoarding for years as a way to fund renos but I just can't move myself to sell it having lived through the droughts we've experienced this decade. Our priorities may shift but we will always have lead in our veins.

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I don't ever sell anything. I'm a pack rat by nature. Prior to shooting I was and still am a huge gaming nerd. I haven't played any of my little toy solider armies in months but I know I'll come back to them so they get tossed in storage. I only sell stuff I don't want anymore. I find my hobby interests are cyclical. Just because I'm not using something now doesn't mean I won't later. Hold onto your stuff if you can because you'll be back as you find the time and interest.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I went through the same stuff a month ago with 3gun. I was helping run matches, set them up, run a squad all the time of honestly piss poor re-setters (besides two or three) and I got sick of it. Now I'm soley focusing on USPSA which to me has always been more fun to me and simple honeslty. There's a lot less gear to wag around a lot less re-set and in my area the shooters help more re-set at USPSA matches. Plus me not having to help match direct it helps a lot. I got a lot of repect for those guys its a lot of work. I almsot sold my 3 gun gear but decided to keep it in case i wanted to get back in it.

Edited by BrocDowns
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  • 4 months later...

Us military guys move our stuff all the time-it's lousy but it's the price we pay. Instead of calling it quits, look at other areas to enjoy or pursue. Personally, when I get tired of auto's I switch to revolver for a while, and I make it a point to go out and shoot just for fun at least once a month or once every other month, break out a few safe queens and break up the monotony of training.

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