Spare parts, or spare guns?

[klover]

A recent poll on THR brought up this question for me. It occurs to me I have collected doubles or more of firearms that are either the exact same model or can fill the same purpose. It's sort of a mechanic's perspective to keep things running.

Probably most here are not mechanics. It would be interesting to see if there is a trend with the gizmo geeks vs. not.

So please be invited to this entertaining poll.

[weisse52]

If you have one, you have none. But if you have two you have one. If you have spare parts I have no idea how many you have.

I have both.

[Ed Ames]

I've bought a few parts cars (or retired a car to parts status and bought another of the same make/model/yr) in my day.

When I buy off brand or surplus guns I often buy them in pairs. I'll by a single well supported name brand gun (S&W, Ruger, you name it) but when it comes to unusual or out of production guns I'm just happier having a pair of them. Long term parts availability is one factor... but there's also the perverse irony of having a matched (and -- even better -- consecutively serial numbered) pair of "junk" guns in my collection.

Unlike with cars, I've yet to actually cannibalize one gun to keep another running though. :)

I do keep a few spare parts of one sort or another but mostly they are take-offs that can be put back on to any similar gun.

[Black Majik]

+1 to weisse52.

"2 is 1, 1 is none."

I have a spare pistol for most of the important pistols.

[esq_stu]

In the good old days when ebay allowed parts sales, I stocked up on lots of parts. It's less convenient now, and I'm less of an impulse buyer. But for a few guns I own, the only parts I am missing is extra frames and slides. And I have built a few of them from from parts.

This thread reminded me that I was planning to buy some new Wolf springs for my 1911.

[Geno]

Why does the vote not surprise me? :D Half the fun of owning firearms is working on them...tinkering.

Really, didn't we all grow-up tearing things apart to see how they work, then try to put them back together...so that when we grew up, we would be able to do so.

:cool:

Doc2005

[Slugless]

didn't we all grow-up tearing things apart to see how they work, then try to put them back together

Geno, I hope that's not how you became a doctor....:eek:

[Geno]

That's funny. No, I'm a Ph.D. You know...the Piled Higher & Deeper degree. Some people call them Post Hole Digger too. :D

[possum]

i have spare guns, several that will fill each need in case one is back getting work on it, or tied up somewhere else. multiple for hd, ccw etc.

[doc2rn]

I have 2 Ruger MKI but I only shoot the best one, the other is in case something breaks I can swap it out. I even went so far as to buy another set of springs and things to delay the canibal process. The way things are shaping up it's gonna outlast me.

[AKCOP]

I have spare parts AND spare guns, surprised that is not one of the categories...

[M2 Carbine]

I have spare parts AND spare guns, surprised that is not one of the categories...

+1

[klover]

Thanks everyone, I feel at home now.

[Mat, not doormat]

I keep both on hand. I carry 1911s, so I've got four of them. I keep shotguns around as HD, and I've got an 1100, 870, '97, and Mossy 500. I've got single action revolvers coming out my ears, for SASS. I've also got a number of extra parts for about all those..

~~~Mat

[aguyindallas]

I have spare parts and spare guns. I am referring to Glocks and AR's. I don't consider myself too mechanically minded. By that, what I am saying is that I wouldn't know how to rebuild a transmission. I could take it out of a car if I had to, but the rebuild is left to somebody else. A Glock, I can take apart and reassemble in my sleep. That may just come from the desire to learn about it more than anything else.

[shamus]

I'm not mechanically minded (but my father was a mechanic), but if I put my mind to it, I can figure out how things work. Spare parts and spare guns for me.