Anyone ever taken a cold turkey break from guns?

After a decade and basically my entire adult life buying, shooting and handloading, it's just not fun like it used to be. Should I take a break? I'm talking no more buying guns, no more following the latest releases, no more paying or going to the gun range... basically completely giving up the hobby. I'll still carry of course.

Anyone have any experience doing this?

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah I didn't shoot guns or buy any for like 2 years
    They're a very consumerist hobby in comparison to something like playing an instrument

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Especially if you're easily influenced by morons on the internet.
      Like me....

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >They're a very consumerist hobby in comparison to something like playing an instrument
      yeah especially if you don't try to get good at it?? like if you just started buying guitars????? Why are people like this

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >experience doing this?
    yeah but with alcohol
    same idea though

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Something like this happend to me, but with the bass guitar.
    I was all over it from 12yo to 30yo and one day I just didn't feel like a bass player anymore.
    So i sold every bass and every piece of equipment but 1 acoustic bass and now Im happy when I remember the good ol'days but that's about it.
    So yeah, you might have "grown" out your gunner phase, and it its fine to move on, you'll be fine

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Hello fellow bass anon! I’m just entering my gunner phase at 26, my most recent purchase is a Zastava M70. I’ve played bass since 18(everything from death metal to country) I still try to play regularly though, I’m a lifer.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    My hobbies are essentially in a constantly rotating fancy. like waves.
    When I get tired and burnt out on one, I move to the next. so on and so forth until I'm back at the first hobby. it's a circle

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Consooming guns and burning through thousands of rounds for the sake of burning through thousands of rounds is cringe honestly. Build a collection where everything has a role and every itch is scratched, anything that does not spark joy should be sold to someone who will appreciate it more. I do not understand people who have a safe full of samey flat top ARs and polymer pistols. One of each is enough.

      Yeah when I get burned out on one I go deeper into others. With guns, honestly, its almost like being priced out. When guns were expensive I was doing more aquarium stuff. People think that shit is expensive but this entire setup was like $220ish which is cheaper than my cheapest gun, and I honestly spend more time enjoying it than I do any of my guns.

      Guns are like, yeah go out, shoot some holes, get the sights all zeroed. Make sure I can maintain a decent group out of my 'main' rifle at 150yd and main pistol at 25yd. I kind of want to get into hunting to get more value out of them.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I bought like 15 knives between the ages of 18 and 22. Nothing excited me more than learning about the characteristics of certain steels, the difference between austenitic and martensitic alloys, the tactile feel of various locking mechanisms, etc. I even picked up whittling. Eventually I realized that I was filling a void; true contentment comes from the intangible. Skill, wisdom, strength, relationships. Warrior poet Miyamoto Musashi writes "Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful." His point was, I think, that a man needs a sword to defend himself. It is useful to have and train with the sword. But he will never need to use a glaive unless he is a foot soldier, and if he is not a foot soldier training with the glaive is a waste of money and more importantly time. It's useful to have a carry pistol and to know how to use it. If that need is satisfied, enrich your life by learning a new craft. One that is creative, makes you money, brings you closer to people.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      There's a lot of bullshit when it comes to eastern martial arts. I think what musashi meant is to not waste time perfecting useless fancy ways to draw your katana (which you seldom carry because a wakizashi is more convenient). Same with weapons: they had some ridiculous niche stuff like ogre clubs, hook & chain, 40-inch long swords... but a fricking glaive is definitely not one.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Glaive, naginata, similar concept, I forgot the word naginata. The tenet can be extrapolated to any hobby

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    every time i think about guns it's another 400 dollar purchase i need to make to finish something. it's so tiresome bro. what's the point of my 12th kitted out thing

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    this is the most depressing frickin thread ive encountered in the 15 years ive been here.
    OP, i recommend you kys yourself.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Not on my own volition, but yeah. Live in a college Christian ministry for the fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ and for affordable rent. Strictly nogunz cause some donkus slamfired a mosin thru the ceiling and the bullet went into the upper floor and hit some poor girl's bed. No injuries from what I heard. I keep most of my guns at the family farm back home but I do have an SKS I keep in a buddy's safe who lives off campus. Kinda sucks. Field stripping and cleaning my SKS is very therapeutic. Gonna go plinking Saturday if the weather stays nice. I recommend taking a break. I find shooting to be much more enjoyable after not doing it after a while, like enjoying a cigar weekly rather than daily. I'm sorry to hear about your slump, brother. It's hard when the things we enjoy just don't do it for us anymore. God bless you.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Can you tell me more about that Christian thing you live in? I’ve always wanted to be a part of some kind of Christian compound.
      Is it strictly for attending a college and was the tuition expensive?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        It's part of a campus ministry organization called Chi Alpha. It's recognized as a fraternity on my campus. Some Campuses have them, some don't. They're officially part of the Assemblies of God, but the pastor in charge of our chapter runs things non-denominationally. If you're a Christian and you involve yourself in the ministry (weekly bible studies and worship nights, etc.) you are welcome to move in. Lots of awkward sheltered kids in my chapter, but all good folks. Myself and the resident hillbilly taught some of them to enjoy the finer things in life (guns).

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I pay about $300 a month on rent for a double room, and there's a nice kitchen we all share in the house. Great deal for where I live, and being in a community of those with a faith in Christ that we share is priceless. Nogunz and the main population living in the house being sheltered pastor's kids is the only drawback.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I see there is a fraternity in my state.
          So I would need to attend the college that they are on correct?
          I couldn’t just go there and live and pay the cheap rent? Lol

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Gotta be a student. There's a couple exceptions here that I won't share in detail to keep anonymity.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >no more buying guns, no more following the latest releases, no more paying or going to the gun range
    You don't have to do any of these things to continue the hobby, barring the last one unless you have some land you can shoot on. Following the latest on anything gets to be a fricking chore, and you certainly don't need to keep buying anything other than ammo as you use it.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      This. Just get some cardboard boxes and some paper targets, maybe a gong if you have the cash for it. Just find some public land to dick around on and have a good time.

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah you should give it up. Give your guns to me 🙂

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I’ve always been into guns since I was 12 years old, but it’s never stayed the forefront of my interests even though it has always been my all time favorite thing.
    I’ve been a gun nut for a a few years and then I’ve gone years without thinking much about guns. It all depends on what’s going on on my life.
    Ever since I got this job where I get to sit around on my phone a big portion of the day, I’ve gotten back into guns a lot more than I have been. I definitely recommend other hobbies too. For me it’s working out, video games, and to some degree, fashion.

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I find going to the range and spending $50 to punch holes in paper getting boring. However the new survivalist larp meta is fun as long as you play it right. Bushcraft, getting fit, self reliance, night vision and tactics. Easy to get off course spending thousands on gear you see on instagram, just use what you have and find what you need and go from there. It’s 10% guns and 90% everything else.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I've been on a break for three years now due to lack of availability of small pistol primers. I'm not happy about it.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      just buy 9mm at this point it's 22 cor shipped

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I'm still trying to process the irony of when my 16" AR was seeing like 400 rounds a trip, and now I have sbr's and cans and shoot way less now.

  15. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The great thing about guns is that you can put them in the safe and not think about them for years, then open the door and pick them back up at a moments notice when the fancy strikes you.
    You don't even have to ask this question, just drop em for a few months and come back later hombre.
    Or, maybe its time for you to try different niches.
    Personally, I'm in my "build weird shit" phase, where I'm trying new things for the hell of it, like "min-maxing" a 300blk upper, which is a concept I'll display sometime down the road when I get a lathe.

  16. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I got really into guns when I was a teenager, not a hobby either of my parents shared but did not oppose. I don't drink, or smoke so all of my money in the military just went into guns and ammo. I worked a very demanding job after the military sometimes in excess of 70 hours a week. I just haven't had the motivation to go out shooting in quite some time. I think the range atmosphere really kills it for me, I want solitude when I'm shooting and the returns diminish with regular bench shooting. Maybe time to join a club where I can do drills.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Inversely when I go on annual camping trips with my friends in my home state I am always super excited to go out and shoot whatever dumb targets we come up with. Shooting steel is also just way more fun and interesting.

  17. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    when you get bored of a hobby you expand your reach
    if you’re bored of shooting maybe you try a different discipline, maybe competing in that discipline gets you into travel, maybe you try hunting they gets you into camping or kayaking. Maybe you try your hand learning to gunsmith, a whole different skill of machining.
    Your thinking is unironically why people abandon marriages because it doesn’t feel the same after a decade. That deep familiarity is a new stage of appreciation, not a sign that it’s time to move on. It’s a sign to explore. Finding that depth gives you an even greater enjoyment, whether it’s bicycles showing you how much you enjoy motorcycles, hunting showing you how much you enjoy guns, baking showing you how much you enjoy cooking, whatever hobby this always applies.

  18. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    im totally bored with guns. i only went shooting like 5 times last year. they're all the same shit and make holes in paper and ring the steel the same way once you get used to the slightly different controls so theres no reason to buy more. they just feel like boring tools at this point

  19. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    You’re a homosexual and probably don’t own a gun

  20. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I lost an interest in guns around 2014, when I DD214'd into the civi divi. I stopped following news and developments and stuff, I still watched youtube videos here and there but not like I was. It was also the last time I bought a gun, went to the range, or even carried. It's been almost 10 years and I'm kind of gaining an interest again, I'm surprised at all the advancements and availability of optics and armor now.

  21. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    i stopped buying new guns and merely seek to improve the ones i own.

  22. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I haven't gone completely cold turkey but I've certainly been easing down on my autism. I think when I started two years ago, it was mostly just me panic buying, especially since this was around the times of the Summer of Love. I still shoot guns once every month or two but it's more of a hobby I have than some sort of "training" regiment. I have a shitty DB-15 AR with a shitty sight I've yet to sight in, a couple handguns, and like 200 rounds of 5.56 and 1000 of 9mm. Any situation that requires anything more than that is probably not worth living through. I'm happy just taking a trip down to my FLGS and buying a box or two and shooting it downrange once a month. And I still like going to local gun shows but mostly just to eat at the taco stand and walk around amongst the crowds, not to look at the guns themselves

  23. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    you may be depressed OP, try to get more sun, exercise more, be active in your community

  24. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Why not just shoot guns and give up on all the other consumerist bullshit? I don't know why you'd stop shooting.

  25. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah. It stopped filling the holes in my life so I just started saving money for a house and land instead. Up to about 60k now.

  26. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    If you're bored with the guns you have , just paint them.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous
  27. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah I went back to college and changed careers. Significantly reducing my fun-money. So I went from shooting and reloading almost every weekend and buying a new gun 4 times a year to shooting 4-5 times a year. Only recently have I been shooting more. About every other weekend. It sucked, but I'm glad I did it. I am not a helicopter pilot, and I have a lot more fun than I did in HVAC. Though the money is about the same.

  28. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I stopped liking guns when I joined the army, but then started liking them again after I ETS’d and could own them again without any bullshit as a civilian.

  29. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    im on a hiatus for a bit, it's kinda nice just relaxing for awhile, getting some other things (some wool stuff currently), and building up some cash for guns once i get back to it, it's also nice to just kinda wait and see what's new in the meantime

  30. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Stopped giving a shit about guns halfway through college because I just couldn't afford to shoot regularly anymore. Came back once I got a job post-graduation. Realistically speaking, it's not gonna matter if you shoot the home invader with your Gucci $3,000 LMT AR or your $400 PSA AR. At the end of the day, it's a 5.56 projectile coming out of an X-length barrel. Same goes for carry pistols.

  31. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I took a breather in college, 3 years off?

    Addiction came back HARD when i graduated

  32. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I haven't updated my ID since I bought my house so I haven't bought a gun since then, been out shooting a dozen times or so but ive been spending more time working on my trucks and fixing my house. Sometimes I'll watch a forgotten weapons video but other than that ive been pretty attached. Thinking about getting a new ID and buying one of those Zastava M90 ZPAPs but $1600 is worth a lot more to me now

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Yeah houses really do be like that
      >want a 92xi
      >fence fell down, posts are rotted to frick
      >back stairs sagged away from the house
      >materials alone will be like $4k
      >also car is in the shop to the tune of $2k
      my purchases for the rest of the year will be limited to re-upping my range membership.

  33. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I took a break from firearms completely. I started my foray into guns with hunting, but got into recreational shooting and built a few parts kits. I got sucked into the sinkhole of thought where I needed X, Y, or Z gun or parts kit because... well... yeah I just need it okay? And I need it right now. I've gotten that way with other hobbies, and it's not a healthy way to enjoy something, which I think you've realized as well.

    I still hunted, but that only consisted of firing a few rounds to make sure my scope was still zeroed or shells still patterning acceptably, and one round to bag whatever game I was after if I was lucky enough. I eventually moved to a town where I didn't even feel the need to carry anymore. I still liked guns, but I went into a deep introspection of what I liked about guns. I liked guns that looked good, I liked guns that functioned well, I love guns with history.

    I started building a muzzleloader last year from a blank and it's been a completely different way to enjoy and appreciate firearms. I still like the AKs and FAL I built, but show me a JP Beck rifle and my heart rate's rising.

  34. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah, buying stuff is only so fulfilling, after a while there's only so much fulfillment you can get out of looking forward to the getting some stupid part in the mail

  35. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    after kit-train-larp the next step is to join a paramilitary and starting doing terrorist or insurgent stuff. have you considered the international drug trade, anon?

  36. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Owning and shooting has become a hobby for the wealthy, and I'm just not wealthy. A fun weekend shooting can easily cost 2x the price you spent on a gun.

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