How much does "impulse buying" factor in to your firearms purchases?

In the past, impulse buys were were 90% of my purchases. I also bought and sold lots (and lots and lots) of guns, but never really overpaid for anything and came out ok most times...with the exception of a few oddballs I completely rolled the dice on. I've got that 90% number flipped now, and only impulse buy if it's too good a deal to walk away from. I'd also been guilty of impulse selling (or trading)when I had something I intended to keep but was offered something I couldnt turn down.
I wanted a Ruger Red label 20 gauge for a long time. Traded my way into one, NIB at a gun show. Had about $475 in it and my buddy kept telling me to take it to the truck. After about the 8th person in a 20 minute span asked the price, I told him it wasn't for sale. He offered a grand, and apparently it was for sale after all.

In the last 12 years, I've impulse bought one gun. Or rather, I impulse put it on layaway.

DW Classic Commander.


All other purchases were carefully planned.

Honestly, probably not impulsive enough.

I’ve passed on a number of genuine deals (in one case a $4500 gun - in a configuration I like - offered at $1500 because it was obscure enough that they didn’t know what they had) because I default to, “I’ll think about it and decide if I really want it...” If I was just a bit more impulsive I could have either kept it or resold it at a nice profit.

My mistake purchases come in convincing myself, with a great deal of research, that I “need” a particular thing and then setting out on a mission, only to realize that it wasn’t as great as all that.

I have bought a few that were pretty close to what some might consider impulse buys, but no guns that I wasn't already kinda keeping an eye out for in case I found a good one worth the money. I just made the decision on these rather quickly compared to my normal deliberations.

I mistakenly bought one earlier this year on GB. I was watching two guns that were very similar, just in different calibers (I watch a lot of guns that I have no intention of buying). I decided to exercise the Buy It Now option on one of them, but absent-mindedly clicked BIN on the wrong one of the two. Turns out, once I got the gun, it's now one of my favorite rifles that I own and I'm very happy that I bought it.

I can't afford to be impulsive when it comes to buying guns as they are way too expensive and require putting away money every week until I can purchase and just hope it is still available.

Hi...
I probably impulse buy too often but then again, I have never regretted any of those purchases.
Most of my purchases are done during the gunshops tours that my son and I regularly take. While I have certain firearms that I look for, I am not adverse to making an impulse buy if some shiny thing catches my eye.
Sometimes at an auction a remarkably good buy becomes available and I will bid on as firearm that I really didn't plan on buying. I have bought some pretty nice firearms at auctions that I may never have been able to afford if I bought them in a retail setting.

Have definitely made some impulse buys in the past, and realized that I didn't particularly care for or need the item, so sold them. Now I usually think things over and read up on something before making a purchase.

Pretty low in my calculus, especially now that I'm satisfied with what I have and am on the verge of beginning the process of pre-retirement downsizing.

My first totally impulse buy was a second-hand Ruger SP101 that I found at my LGS some years back. Saw it under the glass and asked to see it. I asked "How much?" Owner said "$250." I said "I'll take it! Write it up!" Guy next to me let out an expletive that in deference to Art's grandma I won't repeat. I added the front night sight and grip inserts.



My most recent wasn't really an impulse buy in that got-to-have-it-right-now sense, but I still didn't need it. Found a Remington 7615 Police with a nice walnut stock on one of the boards. I took my first whitetail with my FIL's 760 in .30-06, and for several years had a 760 Carbine in .308. Since getting out of .30 cals, I've kept my eyes open for a 760/7600 in .243 or a 7615, the latter only because I like the detachable AR15-style magazine option. So when I saw this one, I made an offer significantly lower than the seller's asking price and waited. Picked it up last week. I added the scope.

About half of my guns were bought on a whim. They usually fall into two categories: (a) that looks interesting or (b) that’s a real bargain. Almost all of my 40 S&W pistols fall into category (b).

Oh, to have that kind of money....

bdickens said:

Oh, to have that kind of money....

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Definitely a "stage of life" thing in my case. No impulse buying at all when I was starting out.

Like almost everyone, I have bought something that I later regretted. We can rationalize or put a good spin on it, but all people make mistakes in judgment at some time.

Guns that were redundant. Guns, ammo, or mags bought **at a time** when it was thought that the price would never go back down or when it was possible for our government to pass legislation that would restrict possession/ownership/sale.

I do feel sorry for those who panic bought items in "pandemonium times" only a few weeks ago that may really need those dollars for more important things now.

Not at all.

Nearly all of mine have some impulsiveness to the purchase.

I NEED a 20/12ga pump shotgun, and a 556 chambered AR rifle. Theres literally nothing i cant do with those two firearms

I figured that out a while ago, but neither of those options really interest me, and i like guns.
So when I see stuff I want, I generally buy it if i can find the cash.

The majority of my purchases are impulse buys. If I have the cash it’s hard to pass up a good deal.

Only for silly guns like my NAA 22 Short mini - just because it was cute. Competition or SD or hunting guns are serious considerations.

My impulse buying is usually confined to food items that make me fat and cause my wife to yell at me when I bring them home. Or books on Amazon. Or sometimes knives.

A lot more than I should have, but I don't shoot enough anyway. I amass a clutch of guns that I think I need/want, don't shoot them enough, then trade them off when I find the next fix. I don't hunt, I have a couple of good home defense options, and I have a few dedicated carry guns that I don't deviate from that much. The rest is filler looking to be shoehorned into a role or bought because I thought it looked fun/cool.

Impulsiveness is a trait I avoid in all aspects of life, which is too short to be wasting time and assets.

My last gun purchase was an impulse buy. I was with a friend who was actively shopping for a pistol, I was looking on a shelf of older guns at a couple of Walther P-38's. I've always thought I'd like to have one, but neither of these were all that great. Then I noticed the case next to these, which was full of S&W revolvers, some old, some new (this was a big pawn shop). I jumped upon a beautiful M66 with a 6" barrel, had to see it, but when I got to handle it, saw it was a -4. No pinned barrel or recessed cylinder, which for me is a requirement when looking at older S&W stuff. So, I put it back, but then saw the gun next to it, and my fingers started to tingle. I took it out of the case, it was a M28-2, 6" barrel, pinned and recessed. The price was higher than I was willing to pay, but the store owner dropped the price; not nearly as much as I wanted him to, but I decided to take it anyway. The only mark on it is the locking lug ring on the cylinder.

I'll impulse buy, but only if it's something I'd buy anyway. An N frame S&W has been on my "must have at least one" list for a long time. Now, if I could only run across a M57 and a M29......

I'm not one for impulse buys on pretty much anything. The vast majority of times I buy a gun it's only after weeks, if not months, of research and understanding the pricing and then waiting for the right one to show up.

There have a been a couple of times I've made a decision to buy a gun on just mere "hours", but it was always when I knew what the gun was and knew it was one of those deals that was too good to pass up, AND I had the cash in my safe to cover it. Not coincidentally, each one of those guns was eventually sold for a small profit after I shot it a few times and realized I wasn't falling in love with it. There's far too many interesting firearms out there for me to hold up my funds on guns I merely "like".

the list changes very slowly but the purchase sequence is subject to opportunism, and short-term needs/wants.

Not so much impulse, as I convinced my self I needed or wanted said item. Usually over the course of a few days. Kind of odd how that worked. Now, if I see something and have to have it right now, I tend to buy it and not regret it later. I think that is the end result of finally figuring out what I like and what I want.

So now if I have to think about something for a bit, I know not to buy it. I buy very few guns I intend to keep long term anymore. Sometimes they turn into long term items if I fall in love with them.

Legionnaire said:

Definitely a "stage of life" thing in my case. No impulse buying at all when I was starting out.

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I'm the complete opposite. I had more disposable income when I was single and without a kid. That lasted until I was about 34. Now I'm 43 and due to family responsibilities I'm not so much an impulsive buyer. Part of growing up I suppose...

IDK about impulse buying... but if I see a really killer deal on a gun I have on the list, there's a good chance I'm buying it.