I'm going to clean out my closet queens and piss the money away on something worthwhile, like going on a hunting trip again next year!

I have a pre-64 Model 70 that I guess can now be classified as a "closet queen". I love the gun and it performs flawlessly. But, I just can't stomach the idea of putting any more scratches or dings in it. I have now replaced it with a newer version of the Model 70.

Guns I have purchased I mostly shoot. I do have several with sentimental value such as my Mother's .250 Savage, a Great Uncles Smith .38 he carried as a Game Warden, and a few others. Yes, they are closet queens, but when I open the safe, seeing them brings back fond memories. They deserve to take up the space just for that reason, let alone passing along to my son.

I've got a small and slowly growing pile of closet queens... or safe queens. The worst offender is simply a piece of junk... a Remington 710. It's not even worth the effort to try to sell. I'd be lucky to get enough to pay for the gas to take it to the gun shop to sell.

Then there's the sentimental favorite... my dad's old Remington 742 BDL. I've never been a fan of semi-autos, and with the boxy wood stock on this one, I just don't use it. You couldn't pay me enough to get rid of it, though. There's the Savage Axis with the blown ejector (from testing some new ammo from a certain manufacturer). One day, I'll fix that thing. While I'm at it, I'll also fix my very first deer rifle, the Winchester 94 Trapper. I carried that thing around in the back of my truck until the rear sight sort of wobbles and rattles. I was thinking to replace it with a peep... maybe a Ghost Ring. One day.

There's the Hawken that I just quit shooting because I didn't have a muzzleloading season in the area I was hunting... and I didn't love it enough to use it anyway.

And my old Mossberg 500 that I set aside in favor of the double-barrel. I parked it next to the Remington 870 that I set aside in favor if the Mossberg.

And then there's...

O'Garcia:
A lot of those Fugly 350 remingtons hit the trails up here and get used. I was just in a major (major as we get) sporting goods chain-store in Wasilla today and they were sold-out of 350 Remington, 375 Ruger, most of the more useful 338 ammo and most 375 H&H ammo.
A friend of mine lived off the grid for about 25 years, his closest neighbor was a pacifist-vegitarian hippy sort of guy, but that man owned 1 gun and it was a 600 Remington in 350!
He was determined to not participate in the food chain.

As some have said, it is those sentimental guns that sit in the back of my gun safe, rarely seeing the light of day, mostly guns I inherited from my father. I've never even shot his '03 Springfield (that is a tragedy in itself) and his no-name .22 bolt action that he taught me to shoot with sits there,too. I've hunted with the Winchester '97 but not in a very long time. And then there's my first gun, the little Ithica 20 ga single shot break action that kicks like a little mule. He snuck that baby into the hospital when I was 10 - he felt so bad for me having to be there that he couldn't wait a couple of months for my birthday to give it to me. He was a tough, unsentimental old bird and for him to do something like that, well, I'm starting to well up even now. I could never hit much with it and didn't even want to start the youngsters out on it for fear of discouraging them from the get-go. But even think about getting rid of it? No way!

The last line of this article is great and only true of writers with no sense of humor.

It pains me reading+- those truthful words directed at 458’s closet queens. Granted my Model 70 458 isn’t a plinker, yet it’s fun to fiddle with reduced loads and playing with cast bullets.

Not cheap*, but fun.

*Whatever happened to shooting *cheap cast bullets*???

I still alternate my .308 760 BDL (LH) with another rifle for deer hunting. It was a surprise Christmas present from my wife back in '80. It's a pain when I get a ding in it, but I love to use it and decided it will keep getting work as long as it lasts.

My closet queen is a Thompson New Englander muzzle-loader (also LH). I moved to an inline 5 years ago and the NE has been under wraps since. I think it's time to get it up on the wall so I can still admire it's good looks.

I have my father's 303 British SMLE "sporterized" by someone with a disc-sander and a few spare moments. It doesn't have a magazine, and I shoot left handed. I don't think I would burden a kid with dragging it around the woods, but I can't part with it either, even though I think he paid $7.50 for it at a storage auction in 1966 or so.
I have my own 303 British SMLE "sporterized" in the same manner, mine has a magazine, but sometimes it blows a case, a really generous chamber. So I don't shoot it either but it was my first rifle, the one I killed my first deer and pronghorn with, so I really can't sell that one either...

Closet Queens, love the term. Mine are that way simply because I don't have access to wide open areas for plinking and such. Also, minor inconvenience that hunting seasons are so short now and you've got to draw for virtually all our licenses out here!

Fugly Guns! Write a column on that one, Dave! I'd love to hear some stories!

I have some old guns I don't shoot and some I inherited that I won't let go, but the 'closet queen' is an eight round Maverick 88 12ga with a pistol grip. Its literally in the closet, loaded, and I don't shoot it because its unpleasant to be behind it.
When it comes out all the BS stops.

OMG, for a minute I thought this blog was about Anderson Cooper, Barney Frank, and Elton John.....

We've all fallen prey to advertising that promised one shot kills @ heretofore unbelieveable ranges and yes, gun writers contribute to this plague.......LOL.

As I've gotten older, I don't fall for it much anymore and smile a bit when I see a young guy swallowing it hook, line and sinker....

I guess it's all part of the learning process.......

Until half dozen years ago when my joints and back went to hell, I used every firearm in my possession over a two-year period. Not anymore. Today, it isn't the "safe queens" that are at fault; it is my inability to get around like I used to!

closet treasures maybe, but never closet "queens" Some of them are older than dirt,just like I am but they will stay where they are until the day I die and will then be willed to my nephew because he reminds of me when I was 24

I just inherited a bunch of guns from my dad. There are some real gems like a Colt Python and a 20 gauge Remington 58. There are the .22s I grew up with, his Remington 33 and a St. Louis made Browning Semi-Auto. And there are a bunch of guns that are simply his. I'll slide them into the safe behind my small collection of TC Icons, and treasure them fiercely.

99explorer: I bought a K-22 Masterpiece, Model 27 S & W in 1973 and still have it. The revolver has an 8-3/8" barrel. I shot many cottontail rabbits and ground squirrels with it over the years. One time in Wyoming I even killed a coyote with it! I think I paid $325 for it. What did yours go for, if I may ask?

Long ago and far away, I hunted with a set of twins who only had one gun. Their dad's Stevens Model 124. Ever seen one? In 45 years, I've seen three.
It has a plastic stock ala Nylon 66. The action is cataloged as "bolt", but I'm skeptical.
It resembles a Mod 48 Rem, but the "cocking" handle is a round knob attached to a bolt that protrudes out the left side of the receiver. At the shot, the "bolt" pops out. To reload, the "bolt" is pulled back, ejecting the empty, then shoved forward, chambering the next round. The "bolt" is then locked in place by driving the bolt left.
An old friend, rest his soul, "fixed" guns. A old timer he'd scoped a .22 for approached him and asked, "Will you give this a home? I don't want it." and shoved a Mod 124 into his hands.
There is NO bluing left and all exposed metal surfaces are rust pocked. The barrel is a respectable 22", no discernable choke and a brand spanking new Marble front sight.
The "blue book" claims it's valued at $149.50 NIB! LOL! Mine is worth $275/net ton stripped of it's plastic stock at the local scrap yard or 14¢ per pound. My best guess is it's worth is approximately 63¢!
Every time I see it, I get a laugh. Watching those two with their dad's gun was better than watching two bear cubs at play. As long as I can remember my friends, it'll be right there 'til I'm gone. I will NOT shoot it!

My closet queen is a ca. 1912 Remington Model 10 shotgun. It fires perfectly... and then fires again when you rack it if you have another shell loaded in the magazine. I'm reduced to using it as a single-shot, or not using it at all.

The barrel is horribly long, and it's fairly unwieldy, and not in the best of condition. Every gunsmith I've taken it to says it will cost a small fortune to repair it, and that's if it can be repaired at all.

But it was my grandfather's, a gift from his father when he was about 12 years old. He carried it to guard the payroll for the family ranch in the 1920's. It's the only thing he left me, so naturally, I can't bar to part with it.

I have seen several responses that will similar to mine. It is not that any of my 30 +/- rifles, shotguns, and pistols/revolvers etc. are closet queens. I just do have the time and money, but more importantly the place to shoot them. Dove season opens this Saturday I have a Ithaca SKB 100 S/S 28" F&M, an Ithaca Mdl 37 with a 26" imp. cyl, and a 28" Mod. barrel; and a Browning Mdl 12 Win in 20 ga. with a 28" improved cyl. barrel. As much as I wish, I can't carry all of them to the dove field. I really have a lot of fun using my Browning Citori with its 24" barrels and open choke tubes on doves.

I have a similar problem duck hunting. I have a Win. "Heavy" duck gun. 3 in chamber and 32" full choke barrel built in 1954. It went out of service when steel shot became mandatory. Now I use it to shoot a little trap or win turkeys at turkey shoots, and some that know me won't let me shoot my gun. I shoot a 1974 Rem 1100 that I had converted to screw-in chokes for skeet and ducks, and quail if I get an invite. I use the Citori for skeet, also. I was given a Rottweil 720 Super Trap by my deceased F-i-L I that I know very little about. But the first time I every shot trap with it; I went two rounds at 24 each. And missed the same bird in both rounds. But it is 40 miles to the nearest trap and skeet range.

My .270 is more than adequate to take a deer every year, but no elk, bear, goat, antelope or woodchucks like in days past.

Similar problems with my handguns. Just insufficient time to get a place in the country or a local indoor range to shoot them. I don't like to shoot in a range, but sometimes you have no choice. And I won't get started on shooting my .22 rifle and handguns. I have a Rem Model 24 that I finally wore out as a teenager that had belonged to my dad, and his dad. I used to shoot 4 position in college and love to play with my target rifles if I can find a spot. And then there are my .22 pistols. Between Rugers and Brownings, it is hard not to carry 5 or 6 to the range. I finally bought a Radio Flyer red wagon with the wooden side rails to carry all my "stuff" to the firing point. My Range Wagon as I call it.

After all that said, I do have a pair of wall hangers. A Consecutive serial number set of the 1968 Canadian Centennial Win 94s in 30-30. Just haven't had a reason to shoot them.

To date I haven't bought any closet queens, everything i've bought has been bought with the intention of shooting it. I have however inherited a few guns, a couple of which I shoot on occasion and a couple others that I doubt I will ever shoot.

I try to shoot everything I own at least once a year. The process starts the day before with a cleaning,tightening and inspection. Then the next day they all get put into the truck and taken down to the range and several groups are fired through each one and sights checked etc. We throw a few clays for each shotgun and just have fun plinking with the .22's. This takes about 10 hours and usually needs my son along to get them all fired. The next day usually is for cleaning, puting them back in the safes ready to go. This way I feel confident that any one of them is ready to go if needed. Some of the rifles haven't needed their sights adjusted in over 15 years. There are several that get shot almost weekly but I like shooting them all. The black powder ones get shot the least but none are "queens" of any type. If they aren't ready to go they are fixed or gone. If you aren't ready to work don't hang out around here! Even the keepsakes get used.