Did you go through a lot of guns in order to figure out what you like?

[breakingcontact]

Made a list today of the different guns I've had over the years. Although of course there are some in there I wish I had still, but overall I look at it all as evidence my tastes/knowledge are being refined. I know what I prefer now and what works well for me. Also i have figured out the different roles I want to fill and the best way to fill those roles, compliment other guns and backups that make sense.

I have never been one to chase the latest fads, but I definitely have made some impulse buys. Now that I've thoughtfully laid out the roles I need and the firearms to fill those roles, I am happy with my small "collection" and now have several that I don't ever plan to sell.

How about you? Did you go through a lot of guns (and money, ouch) to figure out what makes the most sense for you?

 

[Dlowe167]

A little money. I took the cheaper route. Goto different ranges and rented them. Usually $10 a gun to rent plus ammo. Some even do $10 for the first $5 each additional.But found i like most guns,except Kimbers.All 3 i rented jammed on me.Im not a Glock or Sig Sauer guy. Both good but Glocks are the belly buttons of guns,Sigs are pricey for what they are.

 

[SabbathWolf]

Yes.
Over the years I've had several guns.
Too many in fact I honestly believe.
As I got older, I started focusing on quality instead of quantity.
I only ended up keeping a small handful that filled my needs perfectly, and everything else got sold.

 

[mj246]

I have never owned a gun that didn't fit my needs at the time (although I've only been in the hobby for a few years now). Before buying my first guns, I tried several, either at the range or at least handling them in the store, to figure out what I liked that fit my needs/desires at time of purchase. The only guns I've sold were ones that no longer served the purpose I needed them for at the time (sold a JC higgins 22lr revolver because I wanted an adjustable sights target model and sold my S&W 36 3" to a very good friend when I got into my 44spl snubbie).

What I have gone through a lot of is different grips and other accessories to figure out just what I like/need. I still have several extras that need to be sold at some point to recoup a portion of their cost if they aren't being used anymore.

 

[sidheshooter]

I'd have to sit down and write out the ones that have come and gone. Often, I'll see an older gun in a case somewhere, and be going "hey, I used to have one of those..."

Now I'm a lot more consolidated/committed to a few basic platforms that suit me.

 

[tarosean]

How about you? Did you go through a lot of guns (and money, ouch) to figure out what makes the most sense for you?

Of course.. I am always trying out new guns, some I like, some I cannot stand and some are so so.

I dont loose much money as I dont buy budget, clones or from unknown manufactures.

 

[Kiln]

Go through? I have almost every gun I've ever bought. I don't upgrade, I expand!

Current count is 29.

 

[BigBore44]

^^^
Only sold 2 guns in my life. Won't sell another. Only make my collection bigger.

 

[Plan2Live]

^^^I have never sold a gun. I follow the Buy And Hold philosophy. One of the side benefits of being a Range Safety Officer is seeing almost everything being fired at some point in time and being offered a chance to shoot nearly all of them. Over the two years I have been RSOing I have witnessed enough failures to get an idea of which brands are more prone to malfunctions. I strongly endorse the "try it before you buy it" approach whenever possible.

I also got lucky and "nailed it" with the first holster I bought. Now I did do a bunch of research first but still feel like I got lucky.

 

[postalnut25]

I've bought 40+ guns, and I've sold 7. I like to accumulate, but there were 1-2 that I just really didn't like, or were duplicates, so I let them go.

I like just about every gun though, so I was easy to please.

 

[1911Tuner]

I was lucky enough to have a father who had diverse interests, and I had access to many different guns to put to the test. I found that I liked most of'em...but like everyone else...gravitated toward a few favorites. Revolvers were my first love, and I can't seem to shake loose from'em.

 

[dab102999]

Me not so much. I have shot enough guns that just holding them gives me a pretty good idea how they will shoot. So when i buy a gun i adjust to it and do just fine...now the wife on the other hand has gone thru a lot to get the one she reallly likes. But that works out good too cus it puts more in the safe. And i can just grab what i feel like carryin for the day.

 

[mcdonl]

Yes and yes.

 

[bannockburn]

Yes and No.

Yes I probably have gone through a lot of guns only because I had a really broad and diverse interest in them. My first love was, and probably still is, revolvers. But then I discovered the practical nature of semi-auto pistols and so I sold or traded off many of my revolvers to fund more autoloaders.

The No part of my answer is that I really didn't buy and sell a lot of guns to figure out what I wanted, because I already knew what I wanted. Basically I just had to figure out a way to pay for them all. Found something I wanted, didn't have the cash, so I would sell or trade something in to get it. Pretty much at a point now where I have most of the pistols I want (always room for a few more though), and now I'm looking to add more revolvers to my collection.

 

[mavracer]

I have gone through a bunch of guns to come to the point I'm at. I wouldn't say I've lost money from the sell/trade aspect as I buy right most of the time so if I do later trade/4ell it's often at no loss and several have netted a profit.

 

[pockets]

Did you go through a lot of guns in order to figure out what you like?

That is impossible for me to answer.....as 'what I like' in anything has changed many times over the 50 years that I have owned firearms.
However, I have only sold half a dozen guns since the late 1970's. The majority of them are retained, regardless of my varying phases of 'likes/dislikes'.
.

 

[huntsman]

Did you go through a lot of guns in order to figure out what you like?

not really, the only guns I bought new that I didn't keep were 3 Ruger magnums and each had a different issue that was not a gun functioning issue.

I've sold a few to raise funds in a pinch and I traded some to upgrade my collection but all my purchases have pretty much been what I expected, even the impulse buys

 

[gdcpony]

Still am! I love sooo many! Then the bows! Oh man! and add in motorcycles and I will never decide.

 

[breakingcontact]

I've sold a few to raise funds in a pinch and I traded some to upgrade my collection

I can relate to this. I know the smart move financially is to just save and wait to buy what you really want. I have went from just getting something (like a basic model) to trying to wait and get what I'd really like (which is increasingly difficult to do with such limited supplies).

Still am! I love sooo many! Then the bows! Oh man! and add in motorcycles and I will never decide.

I think this is common in the hobby stage of firearms ownership or of any other pursuit. I like to think that eventually, when it's more of a lifestyle, this will subside. Like with motorcycles, you'll figure out what works for you, but then again, with age, a different motorcycle may fit you better, same with different guns.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I didn't go through a lot, but I did get rid of one to get a different one.
I got rid of a Smith & Wesson Sigma 40VE and got a Sig Sauer 2022 in .40. I'd say that was quiet an upgrade. There is only a $100 difference in the price of those guns, and the real world difference in the two is MUCH more than that.

 

[hso]

Yep

Shoulda kept them all, though.

 

[InkEd]

Not too many/much...

I am fortunate that one of my LGS has big selection. I was able to at least handle most of the firearms before I bought them. Early on, I would rent or borrow various guns to see what I enjoyed too. The Internet is full of actual owner reviews of most things, which helps you get an opinion about stuff without too much biased because of advertising and such.

 

[longshot7.62x51]

I sold 4 guns and regret it every time I think about it. I will probably spend the rest of my life trying to get those 4 back at a much higher cost to boot. NEVER AGAIN!!!!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yes I did. I didn't grow up in a gun family, so when I got started I had to do all the experimentation on my own dime. There is nowhere to rent anything where I live. The first time I shot a gun, my friend handed me a SRH in .44 mag, and said "Here. Hang on to it."

Started out with a DPMS AR15 with a heavy 24" bbl, because I thought I wanted to play sniper out in the woods. I didn't really care for it (heavy and only good on a bipod and mid to long range...... I didn't have a clue what I was doing at the time.), couldn't afford to feed it, and didn't really care about playing sniper as it turnned out. Traded it for a Bond Arms Derringer and cash. Ouch, that gun hurt to shoot. Traded it towards a SA XDs. Happy with that one.

Wanted a semiauto so I got a .40 S&W. Had no idea that I was a revolver guy until I shot the 40. Also had no idea I hated 40 cal until shooting it. Sold it to my dad and used the money towards an FNP-45. Happy with that one, and it is a very practical gun for me. Love 45 acp also.

I wanted a .22 handgun. So I got a Buckmark. It was accurate, reliable, and fun...... and I didn't care the least little bit about it. Traded it towards a S&W E Series 1911. Love that one. That was when I REALLY realized that semiautos, aside from 1911, are pretty much tools only to me, as are rifles. To me they are meant to get a job done in a utilitarian way (not saying they can't be pretty, they just don't do it for me). I like the challenge of pistols, and specifically, revolvers. That's where my true passion is.

All in, I'm probably only out about $1000, so I guess it could be worse. I consider that a fair price to discover what my tastes are. The only one I regret getting rid of is the AR. Of course now I have a Sig P556 which I enjoy a lot more, so whatever.

 

[45_auto]

My problem is that I like them all.

So my goal is one of each for me plus an additional one of each for every one of my kids and grandkids.

As long as my income supports it, I intend to keep accumulating them!