Ok I bought a unfired 2004 golden clays 410 with fantastic wood almost to pretty to shoot. Should I leave it unfired or shoot it what do you say.

Turn it into a lamp and put it in a place of honor in your living room . . .


What kind of question is this? It's a gun. Guns are made to be shot. Shoot it.

That's like saying your girlfriend/wife is too pretty to - - - -.

Well said, my friend, well said. Do many rounds with both...

I guess you guys are right.

Shoot the hell out of it.

It's a Citori, a mass-produced gun. It's not likely to appreciate markedly. In short, shoot it.....and look good doing it.

Shoot it man! Why would you NOT shoot it and then after your death one of your heirs shoots it or even sells it for a pittance. Shoot and enjoy your firearm while you can!

Ask your executor.

Ok. Those two comments made my evening. Even my wife laughed.

tp

Post of the day!

Some great comments here! My techie BIL has a shirt that says ‘if you can’t open it you don’t own it’. It refers to the factory seal on various electronics, computer cases, etc. the corollary in guns might be OP’s concept of too pretty to shoot.

If you can’t use it for the intended purpose, be it a shotgun, fast car, or whatever then you don’t truly own it.

I have a couple shotguns with really nice wood. Like having a girlfriend and a wife, it's best to do rounds with them separately.

Use the gun and enjoy it every time you take it out. If it’s the stock you’d like to protect, pick up a lessor quality one and swap it out when you take the gun to the field or range.

I have been called "Still In The Box Bob", but if it is not a collectible I agree - shoot it. One other option, which is what I did with the high grade wood for my K-80. I bought another used stock not so fancy that already had some Dock Rash as they say in the boating world, and my prime wood is sitting in a K-80 Wood Set Box. All of a sudden I started shooting it better since I was no longer concerned about dinging the wood.

Bob

Heh. The first thing that happened when I got the Citori home is drop a choke on the carpet. I bounced off the carpet and *tick* hit the butt stock of the gun right in front of the recoil pad.
The wife said, "At least now you don't have to worry about scratching it." Pragmatic, she is.

tp

Hmm. Let's see, you go to a shooting forum and ask whether you should shoot it or not. If you went to a Collector's forum, you might get a different answer!
Peter.

Shoot it. If a gun is purchased it is USED. Regardless of if its been shot or not, there is no real way to tell. Sellers always use the "Its never Been Fired" line. BS. There are only a handfull of 20 or more year old guns that have not been fired, and they will only bring a small bit more money.

Unless it was set of pistols owned and used by George Washington during revolutionary war, accompanied by indisputable provenance; I am in the always shoot them. Even in the case of GW's pistols I might find it too hard to resist finding a proper BP load and try them! A museum piece is one thing, but everything else is IMO in the use while you are able category.

I am most definitely a maintain appropriately but shoot them all!

I can’t even get excited about the idea of substituting the furniture when shooting. That’s just silly. If it is too pretty to shoot, it was too pretty to buy. Live like a rich man and use your stuff. I promise you, no one else gives a crap about your gun. You might as well enjoy it yourself.

Now, suppose it gets really well used and eventually looks it. Yeah, so what? That is just a good excuse to get to know a top notch stock restorer. See how that works. Win-win.