"What IS it with you old guys "?

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More money to spend on discretionary items like airguns.

I got into this 15 years ago as a younger man with one income and 5 kids at the time. My motivation for an air rifle was to be able to shoot at home and not leave my wife and kids behind. I discovered the good stuff online and soon made a HUGE $ purchase buying a Beeman R9 Goldfinger combo from AoA. It was like $600!!! That was 2007.

I knew that I enjoyed shooting and being able to do that at home was the best. Over time the urge to try new guns came so I worked and saved and slowly gained more airguns. PCP was just too much $$$ to justify but in 2016 I bought a QB78 and converted it to air with the tank block and a paintball tank. A little later I did another but in a different caliber and with an Air Venturi kit that made it a magazine repeater. Those two were fun guns but I really wanted to try a quality PCP. Once I broke that price tag barrier it was all over. I have found myself actually considering buying $2000+ air rifles that I don't need! 😆

I think you see the older guys (I'm 50) buying these things because they enjoy shooting and have the cash to be able to do it.

I know that for myself, even with one income still and 8 kids (5 still in the home), my finances are in better order than they were 15 years ago and my major purchases (home, cars) are established and not as intimidating as they were when I was younger.

I have a special budget for my personal spending money. I work a lot of OT at work. When I work OT, I am also compensated for working through established meal periods. I separate that "meal money" each payday into a separate account. That is what I use to buy my toys. We have our regular budgeted items already taken care of with my straight time money. Any OT gets separated into other accounts for all kinds of things like additional savings, vacation, holidays... The meal money is my personal fun money to blow as I desire without taking from providing for my family. It's my reward for doing what I am blessed to do for my people.
 
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Gerry52 said:
My wife asked me this morning. She's really surprised at the number 65+ year olds who've gotten into airguns. She spoke with a friend that she'd not been in contact with for a long while. Friend happens to mention that her husband is off on a new obsession with air powered guns! For me, a big part of it was the evolution from guns like the old Crosman 760 pumpers that were never much better than "hit & miss" to guns we have today that can stack pellets at previously unheard of distances. I got into it 5 or 6 years ago & have been obsessed & addicted ever since. One thing, I too have noticed, is the inordinate number of older guys who comprise the forums I've been on. Yeah, it's kind of like a second childhood for sure but there are MANY other reasons & dimensions to the equation. Being 95% retired leaves a lot of idle hours to be filled but that's a very small part for me. Mostly, the deeper I get into this the MORE there is to learn & enjoy. I could probably fill a page here with all the GOOD I've gained by becoming involved but still ask myself "why at this age? Why not when I was younger?" It's a valid question but I can't seem to be able to answer it myself. How 'bout you other old farts?
BTW, I turned 70 this past February but I still move & have the eyesight of a younger man. Thank God for good genes & playing drums for 60 years. (Counteracted all the crap I did to myself when younger & stupider)
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"Young" people have been indoctrinated to believe that instant gratification is the only thing that is good. Thanks to guberment schools and propaganda media.

If it takes time and dedication, they can't see the HUGE reward that comes much later.

Yes, I know there ARE some young people who don't fit this mold, but the large majority do.

Scary isn't it... you SHOULD be scared!

I'm 62 and almost a half! (chuckle)
 
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Ever since I was old enough to read and look at pictures in catalogs I was always into a hobby of some kind. I’m pretty certain by todays standards I was attention deficit in K-12... except when it came to my hobbies, there, I was full on focussed. I thoroughly loved hobbies that if I wasn’t actually doing them I could be reading or talking about them. Then at some undefined point I decided I peaked the necessary skills and knowledge and moved on. I would sell everything to finance the next obsession. And there was ALWAYS a next one. I had/have a policy to take what I learned with me but never look back, with regret that is.
One time a guy told me that typically in your forties you sort of settle into what’s going to be your passion or interest, I’m 67 and still waiting. I’ve been through photography, dirt bikes, boats, fishing, water skiing, canoes, backpacking, caving, tree cutting, skydiving, woodworking, archery, scuba and a couple more minor things, but PCP’s might be it.
I was big in powder burners for about 9 years but once the ammo shortage and price gouging started I switched to air rifles and pistols. With the PB’s I’d make my weekly trip to the range and shoot 20 or 40 rounds and be satisfied. I was never a blaster, so shooting for precision is what I did and enjoyed. But with air rifles and pistols I shoot way more number of rounds because it’s so cheap.
So for now, my 3 FX’s and my Alkin and all the YouTube videos and forums I have a ton to learn and acquire.
 
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Simple, We can afford them... Lol

In all seriousness though this is a relatively inexpensive hobby in the grand scheme of hobbies.

My wife and i built and raced 1:1 Race cars for 35 years. We had more money in just 2 motors than i will EVER have in this hobby.
Let's just put it this way the shop, the tools, the hauler and trailer was well over 250K .. That doesn't include the race cars, spare parts, motors, tires and wheels, etc...

My youngest brother is into Bass Fishing as his drug of choice ... 80K in the truck 50K in the boat, another 25K plus in tackle and gear, you see where i am going with this..

My other brother is a Golfer, Oh my God talk about ludicrous, hell i can remember playing a round of golf for 25.00, (including the cart rental) man you can't even go to a public course and play a round now for less than a 100.00 bill ... Don't even get me started on what he has in equipment, club memberships, travel expenses.....

I'll say it again our hobby is pretty dang cheap, even if you are a complete nut job like me with Way too many...
 
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bfloyd1095 said:
Simple, We can afford them... Lol

In all seriousness though this is a relatively inexpensive hobby in the grand scheme of hobbies.

My wife and i built and raced 1:1 Race cars for 35 years. We had more money in just 2 motors than i will EVER have in this hobby.
Let's just put it this way the shop, the tools, the hauler and trailer was well over 250K .. That doesn't include the race cars, spare parts, motors, tires and wheels, etc...

My youngest brother is into Bass Fishing as his drug of choice ... 80K in the truck 50K in the boat, another 25K plus in tackle and gear, you see where i am going with this..

My other brother is a Golfer, Oh my God talk about ludicrous, hell i can remember playing a round of golf for 25.00, (including the cart rental) man you can't even go to a public course and play a round now for less than a 100.00 bill ... Don't even get me started on what he has in equipment, club memberships, travel expenses.....

I'll say it again our hobby is pretty dang cheap, even if you are a complete nut job like me with Way too many...
Click to expand...
It is only cheap if you can afford it.

Think about it...
 
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56 years young. Like everyone else, the Beeman Catalog planted the seeds. Purchased my first PCP five years ago, now I have several and all the necessary support equipment. Last year I purchased my first springer, now I am up to a dozen. Just like golf clubs, it's fine. Nooo problem here. Nothing to see here, move along. LOL

Really enjoy chasing the bullseye, the spinner or the can. I like being able to shoot with no hearing protection. The surprising thing about a springer is it is so zen-like when shooting. So much concentration on the pad of my finger trying for that "perfect" trigger pull surprise. Going shooting tomorrow, cannot wait. Will be up at 0500. LOL
 
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Ca_Varminter said:
As I read more of this thread... Those Memories come Flooding Back!!
So to show your Age.... How many of YOU Grew up Reading every page and waiting by the mailbox for the Next issue.....
What I am talking about is the Beemans Catalog..

So my first True Pellet-gun was a Sheridan BlueStreak.
So Dr Beeman Pushed the envelope and stature to the lowly .20 Cal...
He sold this magic Pellet call the Silver Jet.... It did shoot well out of my Sheridan.

Within in those pages was the first Holy Grail of hunting airguns... the FWB 124D..
Then Came the R1 and Crow Magnum(Theoben Eliminator).... Finally There was this new thing called a PCP...
They Marketed the Theoben Rapid... As the Super7, Super12, and finally the Super12 MKII....
Once I saw this I was hooked...But It took me awhile to wait for the Theoben Rapid MKII to make it over here....

I remember saving my money for the next magic box of pellets.. then my next Airgun....
So many memories!!

Stuart
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What do you mean Beemans, look back to Air Rifle Headquarters, before Beemans. Beeman was much better at marketing. though.
 
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jkingrph said:
What do you mean Beemans, look back to Air Rifle Headquarters, before Beemans. Beeman was much better at marketing. though.
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You head the nail on the head!!
Dr Beeman and his wife knew Mass Marketing!!
Also the had the foresight to focus on the Young Shooters...
So that full color Cover of his catalogs sold his goods to the Masses...

Also I lived in a small town... without a good magazine shop...
Only after I got my driver's license, I could get to the next big town....
Where I could buy gun and Airgun(domestic and UK) magazines..
Found a Larger Airgun world, not just Beemans......

Stuart
 
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Gerry52 said:
Yeah, it's kind of like a second childhood for sure but there are MANY other reasons & dimensions to the equation. Being 95% retired leaves a lot of idle hours to be filled but that's a very small part for me. Mostly, the deeper I get into this the MORE there is to learn & enjoy. I could probably fill a page here with all the GOOD I've gained by becoming involved but still ask myself "why at this age? Why not when I was younger?" It's a valid question but I can't seem to be able to answer it myself. How 'bout you other old farts?
Click to expand...

Not really like a second childhood as much as letting your inner-child emerge from it’s hiding place.

Remembering the excitement at Christmas when you saw the package under the tree that could not be disguised as anything but the BB-gun you’d ask for. Then fast forward decades and still be able to experience that same feeling every time the “man-in-the-brown-truck” comes down the driveway as Santa Claus..LOL.

Being able to share air guns and pesting with a buddy I met on the college archery team (almost 50 years ago)..and being able to enjoy the camaraderie and sense of friendly, but at times intense, competition that we brought to the things we did..and still do. Priceless.

Why at this age? Luck..that it didn’t happen earlier. Let’s face it..airguns are addicting. It would have been a distraction from focusing on the really important things: marriage, being a dad, getting kids through school, saving for their college, running a software company, saving for retirement.

Anyone else think there needs to be a “Airguns Anonymous”?
 
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