I hate to start this up but...

[Yng@hrt]

A while back I was disassembling all my Benji's to get pix of the bolt's. One of my most treasured of the bunch had a hex bolt screw with a flat head slot. Stripped the flat head slot because no doubt a hex wrench was used to set the screw & was torqued beyond what the flat head slot could handle. I must have pis%ed & moaned for days. I had no choice but to use my dremel & diamond bits to grind that sucker flushed with the bolt sweating out the hold time bumping the receiver. Kock on wood it didn't happen. Thank God my contact had the exact duplicate bolt with the same screw. In Fact he didn't know what the bolt was for until I sent him a pic. Whew!

[wolverine]

There are a few very minor dings from gun vises and sliding after being propped on a tree, but nothing upsetting.


HOWEVER,  my sailboats are a different story. Seems every time i repaint them, a dock rams into them

[anti-squirrel]

I view airguns as tools.  Tools are there to be used.  Tools acquire dings, dents, and scratches.  No big deal.

If somebody flips out about dinging an airgun, maybe they should keep their airguns locked away in safes and treat them as museum pieces, IE: not to be used.  IMO, might as well not even buy 'em then.  Just open a catalog and look- and save a lot of money.

On the other hand, I generally don't drop stuff.  Decades of working on ladders and around rotating or moving machinery gave me lots of insight as coworkers and shipmates either got hurt, ruined tools or uniforms, or broke valuable equipment, so I've always held a belief my father explained to me when I was young:  Slow down and pay attention.  Served me very well for over 40 years.  Accidents by very nature are preventable.

[avator]

Shi  tuff happens... pretty sure you can find signs on all my guns that say I had been there.

[Xraycer]

I decided a long time ago the first thing I would do when picking up any new motorcycle from the dealer is to push it over off the kickstand and get that first drop out of the way.  I have since decided it is cheaper to buy used bikes that somebody else already dropped. Those scratches that other people can't stand don't show after you ride them in the rain and down dirt roads for awhile.

That is a Harley truism!  I remember a few years ago bringing home my new Roadglide Special.  Rode home from the dealer and went to maneuver it around in the drive to park it in the garage and dropped it right there!  Argh.  Ground a spot in the lower corner of rear bag.  Can't see it but I know it's there.  Now it has bag guards in case it should happen again...which it will.  I've lowered it 1.5" so easier to flat foot but wow the increase in weight over my Softail caught me by surprise.  But yeah my theory on airguns is like Harleys.  The drop is going to happen so might as well get it out of the way.  lol

Oh, by the way the worst part was having to go inside and get my son to help me lift it back up.  WTH Dad, you just rode it home and dropped it already?  NEWB!  Argh!

Right before I finished school, a buddy, who rides, convinced me to buy a motorcycle. This was something I've always wanted anyways, so it didn't take much convincing. Up to this point, I've never even been on a motorcycle before.
My buddy rode it home from the dealership for me, and we met at a large empty parking lot for me to learn to ride.
I proceeded to putter slowly around the lot, and gradually built up speed as I became more confident. Then at some point, I, for whatever reason, panicked and locked up the front brakes, with the front wheels turned.  Over on it's side the bike went!
The bike suffered only minor cosmetic damages, while I suffered the more substantial mental anguish.

[Yng@hrt]

I yet to understand why some folks frown on others wanting nice guns & that some of us do whatever is necessary to protect them. I have certain guns that are dedicated to hunting although maybe it’s the terrain in which I hunt which isn’t treacherous (foot hills) even in winter & even those don’t get ‘character marks’. This is not to say the rest of my collection isn’t used, which they are, only under much more controlled conditions such as in range, i.e.; table, cushions, & other protective gear, & all guns are wiped down after use.

I have other treasured powder burners & the same can’t be said about those but it all goes back to terrain, better known as the ‘Rockies’ here in NM, & time of year (winter) which is next to impossible for not having a spill.

[fwbsport]

I'm laughing and crying at these confessions like a priest in the confessional wondering what to do with God's creatures.....

While we're at at my Eliminator is permanently rust stained where it got caught in an Arizona monsoon.  That could happen to any airgun. Here's a better one:  I once overpumped an FX Tarantula to 250 Bar thinking the end number was the limit! I realized it in the middle of the night and drove to the nearest open desert area and discharged enough rounds (rapid fire!) to bring the BAR to 200!

And, as a parting shot I loaded my HW57 and fired it without pushing down the pellet in the pellet slot! Sounded like it dieseled!
That was only two days ago!

Today?  What have I done?  Thanked God my FWB Sport is still unmarked!

But today is not over.....

[anti-squirrel]

For those who buy nice guns and then do not use them due to fear of damage, I cannot fathom such logic, but this is why we are all different people.  Now,  Folks who buy high end air rifles that are bench-queens- that means you respect your investment so good on ya for taking pride and care in your lead-flinger- at least you're still putting lead down-range.

I have friends with more than $3k invested in their ARs, and those rifles have yet to see a round chambered.  These same people own newer pick-ups, 4WD quadcabs and they were driven from the dealership to the truck shop to get a lift kit, larger rims, and fancy tires.  Never seem 'em loading cement or Durock into those trucks, but they look nice   But then I could add that they own chrome-ified trailer-queens that get towed to Rapid City and then driven to Sturgis...

I dunno, maybe I'm crossing boundaries, but when I buy something, it is to be used.  Even the high-end exotic super-fancy airguns deserve to be used.  Dings, dents, and other signs of use are still signs of use, so at least you know it ain't just a piece of mechanical art intended for viewing only.

[Xraycer]

  These same people own newer pick-ups, 4WD quadcabs and they were driven from the dealership to the truck shop to get a lift kit, larger rims, and fancy tires.  Never seem 'em loading cement or Durock into those trucks, but they look nice  

Mall-terrain
 

[the fuse]

My deck is two flights up from black top. We live above an industrial garage. I dropped a real nice scoped QB-57 off it. Landed with the scope first. The rifle came out OK. The scope not so well.

[buellm2]

A long time ago I was carrying a shiny new young woman into our house and I dropped her.  She got a couple dings on her beautiful hide.   I briefly thought about trading her in on an undamaged version.   Decided to keep her, good decision.

[avator]

A long time ago I was carrying a shiny new young woman into our house and I dropped her.  She got a couple dings on her beautiful hide.   I briefly thought about trading her in on an undamaged version.   Decided to keep her, good decision.

Something tells me we're not talking about an air gun.

[Bayman]

I decided a long time ago the first thing I would do when picking up any new motorcycle from the dealer is to push it over off the kickstand and get that first drop out of the way.  I have since decided it is cheaper to buy used bikes that somebody else already dropped. Those scratches that other people can't stand don't show after you ride them in the rain and down dirt roads for awhile.

Dude you're my hero. I thought I was a practical guy but I could never kick over a new bike. I completely understand the logic though. I used to bemoan every new scratch in my boat when it was new. Now that it's 15 years old and beat to *(&^ from fishing it hard, I enjoy it so much more because I'm no longer worried about messing it up. Sometimes it's easier to enjoy things after accepting they're not perfect. This includes people.

[Insanity]

I decided a long time ago the first thing I would do when picking up any new motorcycle from the dealer is to push it over off the kickstand and get that first drop out of the way.  I have since decided it is cheaper to buy used bikes that somebody else already dropped. Those scratches that other people can't stand don't show after you ride them in the rain and down dirt roads for awhile.

Dude you're my hero. I thought I was a practical guy but I could never kick over a new bike. I completely understand the logic though. I used to bemoan every new scratch in my boat when it was new. Now that it's 15 years old and beat to *(&^ from fishing it hard, I enjoy it so much more because I'm no longer worried about messing it up. Sometimes it's easier to enjoy things after accepting they're not perfect. This includes people.

When going through school I had a instructor that would drop a bike just because it's good traning. I once albeit easily talked him into making 2 other students take a goldwing off thier lift just so he could let it fall over. Proving that accidents happen and only thing is to learn and move forward.