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"shooter grade' definition

4K views 20 replies 19 participants last post by  Scott Gahimer 
#1 · (Edited)
Some guns are rare in new or like new condition , some guns are just rare and seldom encountered and some guns are so rare that You wold be lucky to get one in any condition .
One of my friends told me once that to Him anything that was fired and without a box is a a "shooter". Regardless of how nice it is .
What do most people mean when they say a "shooter grade"?
 
#2 ·
Less than new condition to my way of looking at it. It has some visible wear but mechanically sound. You always find pieces that are "as-new" condition...they've been fired but maintained and cleaned with great care...only a very close inspection would reveal use.

It's a very nebulous definition ...everyone has their own way of defining it. Even the NRA standard of defining condition is open to some interpretation. It also might depend on whether one is a buyer or a seller in how they define it.
 
#12 ·
Yep...I'd concur...except I'd also probably throw in the word "ambiguous" in the definition while I was at it! :D What really "grabs" me, is when the seller (nearly always on GunBroker) says something like "NIB", or "LNIB", or "MINT", etc. and then proceeds to "define" this term further by saying "just a few "handling marks", or "slight freckling" or "bluing wear" on the trigger guard, etc. !

Maybe I'm confused, but what part of the word "USED" is difficult to understand? :bang_wall:

nowinca
 
#4 ·
Mis-matched numbers, high-point wear, worn grips, a 'tiredness' to the overall finish - it's all subjective, based on the viewer's experience.

Some view with a collector's jaundiced and critical eye, while others merely see the manufacturer's name and their eyes bug out with mad lust to possess and worship - there's not telling, really.

It boils down to 'you' and what 'you' are willing to accept.
 
#7 ·
I have a pretty "loaded" GMC Duramax , so does a very good friend of mine.........He lives in a nice home in town, I live in a nice home on a long narrow gravel road with few neighbors. His truck looks like $$$$$ mine tends to look "Shooter Grade"........
 
#8 ·
It depends on what type of firearm your talking about. A prewar Colt National Match that's been shot a little and has no box would most certainly not be a "shooter" to most collectors. Whereas a Series 70 National Match that's been shot a little and/or has no box, would probably be called a "shooter". Or let's say a M1911 USN issued pistol in 50% condition would be fairly collectible, however a late WW 2 Remington Rand in 50% would fall into the shooter category by most.
There is really no end to a discussion on the matter.
 
#9 ·
It is amusing, and sometimes frustrating, how people can differ when grading guns.

To me a "shooter grade" is just that, one that begs to be shot. I once bought a Series '70 GCNM that was described as 100% unfired NIB from GunBroker. It wasn't 100%, in my
mind it was about 98%. Rather than getting in a huge disagreement, it became a "shooter", and I still have it.

I once had a Colt Second Model Dragoon, made in 1852, that had obviously been fired quite a bit in its lifetime. To most it might have been a "shooter", but not to me. I just
couldn't force myself to shoot that fine Colt.

Like Snidely says, "It's a very nebulous definition".
 
#16 ·
I must be shooter grade myself.

No box or papers. Rounded edges, some scratches, lines and dents, well used, worn, some tiredness, missing some original accessories (i.e., some hair), no longer collectible.

I enjoy turning NIB guns into shooter grade guns - by shooting them!
 
#18 · (Edited)
You might have a shooter, if...

You can get online and buy one just like it, or better, most any day of the week.

You can get online or on the phone and buy new condition factory original replacement parts any time you want.

Your piece is appreciating at or less than the rate of inflation.

You're holding something in your hand that was manufactured in the last 50 years, or is still currently available.

Your gun was originally shipped in something other than a wooden crate or a cardboard box.

The words Restoration, Reproduction or Commemorative are in the description.

Polymer is one of the key features your description boasts.

A collector doesn't jump at the chance to buy it.

It took less than a week for skilled craftsmen to produce.

Your commercial Colt is something other than prewar oven blue or nickel.

The manufacturer hasn't been in business for at least 100 years.

Your gun was built on CNC tooling.

The guys who built your gun are still living.

Your gun is refinished or has been permanently altered in some way.

You think all guns are meant to be shot, and you shoot it.

:)
 
#20 ·
That is a very high standard to hold. Apparently, any un-boxed Walkers, or Dragoons etc. out there are not collectible(?) But, standards do vary considerably. For example, on GB, "Shooter grade" is roughly equivalent to "parts gun."
 
#21 ·
A lot of guys seem to think it takes a really nice gun to make a good shooter. Here's one I've relegated to shooter status.



Many often replace an original barrel in a pistol because it has frosting, or even pitting, in the bore. A common belief is that the bore must be pristine to have a good shooter. The bore of this barrel required me a drive a wooden dowel through it with a 22 oz. Estwing...just to be able to see through it. There were no discernible lands or grooves left.


Often, I see an otherwise nice, collectible pistol with aftermarket custom sights installed to give the shooter a satisfactory sight picture to achieve good accuracy. The sights on this pistol were customized by Mother Nature.



So I decided to take my customized shooter out to the range (my front porch) and field test the reliability and accuracy at 7 yds. I used a relatively light load with a lead 185 gr. SWC. A cardboad box and a magic marker served well to produce a rather fancy target with a 4" x 4" area.


Conclusion? I guess I do'need no stinkin' sights. ;) Seriously, however, IMO one doesn't need a high condition gun to have a good shooter.
 
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