There's an amazing number of old, oddball rifles and ammo. I enjoy reading about such things, plus I have a federal C&R collectors license and my fair share in my own collection. Nothing to rant and rave about, of course, just a collection of interesting old rifles and a few handguns I've picked up over the years. It's a fun hobby if nothing else.
Absolutely C&R is a great way to pick these up, and the hobby is surprisingly affordable--cheaper than picking up Garands, P38s, or 1911s at least. It's great then to read about the history of your unusual items (even if they're not really "rare", they are things that are obscure and you wouldn't have researched otherwise). It's interesting to think about the history of the rifle, who might have used it, and where it might have been transferred to reach you.
That's kinda the way I've always felt about it. I grew up with an uncle that bought and sold guns as a way to make a few extra bucks way back when such things were common. He'd bring all kinds of crazy stuff around with some ammo and leave it with me to 'play' with for a week or so. So I got into such things as a boy and carried through my life. Hell, I still have a bunch of old rifles I picked up at gun shows in the late 60s, early 70s. There's just something that draws me to the old engineering and such, along with the history. Like you said, wondering who else has held this in their hands, and under what circumstances.
Really interesting to see all the old cartridges that existed. Old rifles really packed a punch.