[Evil Monkey]

I don't even own any guns yet (financial issues) and I'm already obsessing over whether I should stick with NATO calibers or not care and buy whatever rifle in whatever caliber. Then sometimes I say to myself "only 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO.....and 7.62mm soviet", then I feel guilty of having only one soviet caliber and then start thinking about 7.62mm x 54R.....because I might get a semi auto PKM.:what: I'm thinking WAY too far ahead.:D

Even with pistols, "I'll stick with 9mm...and maybe .45......oh but what about 7.62 Tokarev?" Then I'll think about .357 magnums, 303 british Brens, 8mm mauser MG42s, then I'll get fusturated and say "That's it! Just NATO calibers!" But then, the cycle continues.

Any other gun owners here feel like that sometimes or am I just wierd?:)

[DRMMR02]

I pick calibers off what job I want to do. .22 for plinking, .45 for defense. I use 9mm and will be getting an M4gery in .223 so I can practice with the closest to what I will use in the military. I like to have the fewest calibers as I can while still performing all the jobs I need/want. I don't by things for novelty's sake.

[Evil Monkey]

I don't by things for novelty's sake.

I'm glad you brought that up. I think that's exactely my problem. I want things for novelty and I can't seem to shake that thought out.

[Delmar]

EM, why not take a practical appoach? Start off with what you can afford and will shoot. Money being tight right now for you, there are a lot of interesting 22 rimfires out there, and so far as bang for buck goes, I think the 12 gauge is a contender.

While your personal uses may vary from mine, the last firearm in my home to leave my possession is without doubt my Remington 870 Express in 12 Gauge. Why? Because it covers so many bases on a single platform. It is good for most creatures big and small, two and four legged, and those with wings. Ammo is cheap and readily available, does home protection very well, and with a suitable set up, makes a great launcher of slugs. Thats what I call versatile.

If you don't walk the fields and don't have much use for a field weapon, or you like shooting at paper targets-whatever you enjoy, start your collection in that vein, and then when money is more plentiful, expand in areas you would like to discover.

[Black Majik]

Luckily I got it all out of my system. I had a lot of different calibers at one time: .22, .380, 9mm, .40, .38 spl, .357, .45 etc... Then I realized how retarded it was to keep buying ammo. So I standardized to .22, 9mm, .45 ACP. Must easier to buy ammo and shoot without risky having a newbie drop a .40 S&W into one of my 1911s.

[ArfinGreebly]

Three years ago I stood in your shoes.

As I broadened my knowledge through a process of asking all the dumb questions, reading everything I could find, becoming the non-buying customer who wanted to fondle everything, while trying to ask questions that made some sense, I began to get a sense of what would work for me.

That I would get something in .223/5.56 was sort of assumed from the beginning, because . . . well . . . that's just something you do, right?

Eventually I learned that another "just something you do" is some kind of 1911.

I started with a Ruger 10/22 just so I could learn the basic skills again.

I would obsess over ballistic properties, muzzle energy, terminal ballistics, blah, blah, blah.

When I finally DID buy something that wasn't a .22 of some flavor, it came down to what it felt like in my hand. And the other thing I got that day was simply . . . cool. Neither of them had been any part of my obsession.

I went on to further obsess over all of the above in contemplation of getting something with a little more reach. I toured the circuit of the local shops with even more questions.

One day, with a bonus in my pocket, I asked to fondle something I'd seen on the rack. Not new. No longer made. But it balanced well, felt good, and my eye liked the sights. Beside it was something older than I, myself, am. Total charm. Bought them both. At least this time part of my study had covered one of them.

I still obsess. I still show up everywhere with questions. Only now I'm a paying customer at all those places -- that is, the ones that had a smile and an answer for me.

Oh -- I did finally get something in .223/5.56 and I'll be taking it for a walk this weekend.

Still don't have anything in a 1911.

Guy's gotta eat, y'know.

[LAK]

I aquired, browsed and pondered over many copies of Guns Digest, Guns Illustrated, Handgunner etc etc etc from my early teens. I had the fortune to attend a local shooting club (in europe at the time) where people brought all kinds of firearms, and for the cost of ammo (sometimes free) was able to shoot them under some very informal and relaxed range conditions.

Although I was buying shotguns at age fifteen, my first handguns and rifles did not come until I was nineteen. My first handgun was a 4" S&W 57 .41 mag, my first rifle a Winchester 70 7mm Rem. Mag. - neither of which I had envisioned buying all those years. Nothing wrong with the fidgets that come with the anticipation of first guns. The pursuit of information, weighing up pros and cons is a very worthwhile activity. Establish first what your actual reasons and purposes are for each gun, starting your research from there.

--------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

[Iggy]

Just accept it.. Your doomed to be a gun addict just like the rest of us!!;)

[Dr. Dickie]

You are one sick, perverted, twisted, potentially insane, human being.
Welcome to the club:neener:

[Hemicuda]

I buy what I like... I do not say... "gotta have only NATO calibers", or "gotta only have Milsurp", or "only commie guns"...

I say "I like it, I want it, and I can afford it"... I'll buy it... matters not if it's a pistol, rifle, .17, .22, or .338, commie, German, American, or Martian... I like it, I want it, I can afford it... that easy!

[Big Calhoun]

Just keep in the back of your head that, usually, novelty = wasted $$$.

I go through it myself sometimes. But then I put it in perspective: I could spend $1000 for something that maybe I'll shoot 2 or 3 times a year and have no practical use for -OR- I could spend $800 on something that I'll carry and/or use regularly. Whichever option has the most value usually wins out.

[Just_a_dude_with_a_gun]

all chamberings are good. for something.

Personally, I think sticking topast and present 'Nato' style standards, with perhaps a few deviations, is a good idea. There's nothing wrong with 9mm, 40, 45, 5.56, .308 or .30'06

[armedpolak]

if we ever have to invade their socialist asses and liberate europe once again, all their ammo will work in our guns!

[mpmarty]

Self defense .45 acp CZ-TT45, SA XD45, Taurus PT145 Pro
Fun (IPSC) 10MM (make major easy + 16 rounds) Witness full size
Spray and Pray AK 74 5.45x39 (actually shoots into 2" @ 100 yards)
Long shots to liberate other folks armaments 7mm Rem Mag 26" bbl 12X scope
Short range stopper 450 Marlin lever gun
Arm friends who drop in to help a pair of Schmidt-Rubin K31s w/much M11 ammo
Housecleaning duties Mossy 500 persuader 3" #4 buck
quiet and close 65# Bear recurve w/broadheads
Keep in practice cheap Browning .22 takedown autoloading rifle, Ruger pistol


Any questions?

[Kentak]

Yes, you are weird.

just kidding.

I think we all have that syndrome, at one time or another.

Baby steps. First, if you haven't already started a gun fund, do so. You'll feel much better about your purchase if you can pay cash and not have it on a credit card.

Let me just say this. Every time I've gotten anxious to buy a particular gun, and settled for something less due to money considerations, I've come to regret it and feel dissatisfied. Usually I end up eventually selling the first purchase and getting what I wanted later, having spent more than if I would have just waited a little longer and saved more.

K

[mbt2001]

Let your budget make a lot of good decisions for you and then as things reverse, get on track for some other things.

I read an article in Guns and Ammo YEARS ago, about building a home defense battery on a budget. If I find it I will scan it and e-mail it to you. Focus on it from that angle. I think you will find the sample battery below to be pretty broad and one that can cover your needs and start you on the road. Also, you should be well armed against just about anything once it is assembled.

.22lr, should be part of your battery as well as a 12 or 20 guage shotgun. Both can be had for gret prices. I would also recommend getting and SKS, as you can get one at a good price AND they are great / battle tested rifles. It is a 7.62x39, but you can get both the gun and the fodder cheap. Also, you can look at a .38 Rossi or Taurus or another used .38 / .357 and a hi point 9mm. Those being your CORE guns in case SHTF or something like that. As your financial situation changes, you can add more expensive peices.

.22 - $99.00
12 / 20 gauge - Used ($180) New ($280)
SKS - $150 - $200
Hi Point - $120 - $170
.38 snub Rossi - $210 or so
.357 Rossi - $350 or so
.357 Smith or Ruger used - $350 or so

Total - $1,449.00

That is about the same that you would pay for an AR and a 1911 Kimber...

EDIT -

I am not saying a Hi point is the bestest gun in the world, but read this and then see if I should still get flamed for the recommendation.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_reviews/hipoint_100605/

Anyway, on a budget they are kinda cool.

[PirateJoe]

the only caliber decision i make is if it is cheap enough. and even then, i deviate. (curse ye, 7.5swiss, curse ye). for pretty much any use, one cartridges of the same type are pretty much identical, and, for the casual shooter, any one of them would satisfy needs (e.g. 7.62x54r, 8mm, 30-06.) the caliber is the least important factor in gun buying. more important is the feel of the weapon, the quality, the balance, the reliability, the history, etc.

[the pistolero]

Guy's gotta eat, y'know.

bologna & cheap beer, buddy... :D

I first bought a 9mm, well, mainly because it was relatively inexpensive to shoot (for a defensive caliber, anyway -- that's what I bought it for), but then I moved on to the .45 and fell in love with it. I've since picked up another couple of .45s and am still undecided on whether or not I'm going to get another 9mm, but I picked up a 10mm without flinching, as I'll be getting into handloading in the next couple of months, the good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise, and then a .357, and then a .22 mag.... I buy what I like as well and don't worry about standardization, though I don't think it's a bad idea. As for worryin' bout ammo mixups, well, that's what they make different color boxes for, kemosabe. :cool:
Sage advice on starting the gun fund, Kentak (and on not settling for less than what one wants). That's exactly what I've done every time I've found a new one I've wanted. I like the peace of mind of not having to worry about credit card bills on top of everything else...

[Fletchette]

Evil Monkey,

Normally I am extremely fiscally conservative, but I advise against being gunless over debt. Do whatever you need to - credit cards, ramen noodles etc - to scrounge up a few hundred bucks and get yourself a basic SHTF kit.

Much good advice has already been mentioned, but I'll add a few.

A reasonable single gun would be a 12 ga pump: less than $300.

A good, cheap handgun: Browning Hi-Power clone, 9mm: less than $300

A good long gun: SKS: less than $300

I bet you could buy all three for around $800 total, if you look around.

And of course, do not forget my sig line...:cool:

[Evil Monkey]

Great advice guys.

BTW, I do have a gun fund I started a long time ago. My gun fund is currently at $876.:D

For my first rifle, it's either going to be the WASR AK or the AR180B. I've handled both at the gun shops and I definitely like the AR180B better. It's lighter, selector switch easier to reach, better sights, it was real easy to shoulder and look through the sights than the AK, it has bolt hold open, it was great.

AR180B = $575 lowest price I've ever seen for AR180B

WASR = $299 not bad

[Mr Kablammo]

If you are member of the NRA or JPFO or GOA or state level org then there is nothing wrong with you, otherwise...

[RH822]

Just keep in the back of your head that, usually, novelty = wasted $$$.

Just keep in the back of your head that, usually, novelty = A whole hell of a lot of fun too!!!

Buy what you like regardless of the caliber and think of "needing it" as being a bonus.

RH