How diverse is your collection?

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Not very, most are S&W revolvers and pistols. Long guns run a bit more with M1s, SKS and AR15. Two odd balls the Glocks.

Also not very. Heavy on the revolvers and lever actions.
Consistently about 50% .22 rimfire.
 
I don’t even know how many guns I have, much less manufacturers.

But I’ll say, as an attempt at an intelligent answer to this, that my collection started out very barebones. “What guns must I have to cover the bases?” And I imagine my list was similar to most folks’: a handgun for home defense, a CCW piece, a .22, a 12 gauge shotgun, etc.

Very quickly however, I started supplementing my basic list with guns I had a chance to buy, for no other reason than because they were neat. At first I tried hard to rationalize, e.g. “this CZ-52 is important because it shoots 7.62 Tokarev and so in a civil disturbance it may be essential to have a handgun that can penetrate a lot of basic body armor.” “This Nagant revolver cost me very little, so it’s a perfect woods-walking gun.” I gave that up pretty quickly though, and realized that if I like a gun or want it, no other reason than that, need be given.

But, I do have some de facto general guidelines. I will almost always prioritize some rusty old military rifle over a commercial gun, because my commercial guns are adequate for my purposes and don’t get shot enough as it is, while I don’t feel a burning pressure to shoot the old relics just to justify their ownership. My field of interest is generally cartridge guns from 1870-1970.
 
Count me in the accumulation camp as well. And its pretty much all over the place.

DA revolvers from makers like Miroku, Astra, Llama, Charter, S&W, Ruger.
SA revolvers, mostly Rugers but I think I have a Dragoon in 45 colt.
10 or 12 different models/countries of Makarov and mak chambered guns.
Old CZ's including a VZ22 and VZ38. Walthers. I love Walthers for some reason. From the old model 4 to the P38, P4, P5, P88 and P88c to a M1 PPS. Even an RSG PPK.
A slew of old 32 autos.
Stupid stuff from 90s Americana. Remember the Grendel pistols. I even have a Intratec Cat 9. Talk about an ugly duckling.
2nd and 3rd gen S&W autos which includes a 1086 and a 4586. I don't think the 45 is near as rare as the 10mm but still thinks its cool they're identical pistols as far as features.
Then of course all the others like Daewoo, Bernardelli, PHP's, a few 1911s, even got one of those volley fire 22 mags cuz its such an oddity, some old Astra autos, the 300, 400, 600 and 3000. They almost look like a metal shop project. I think I've heard them referred to as the pipe wrench.
Diversity is great. Makes it fun. All the different makes, models, features, etc. I could go on and on talking about gun stuff. But the want list always gets longer no matter how many get added to the horde.
 
You guys can tell me.

I've got one SA revolver, a few striker plastic pistols, one DA/SA pistol, two 1911's, an AR15, an AR 9, two 12g pumps, a .308 bolt, one 22WMR bolt, one 22LR semi and one 22LR bolt.

Not nearly diverse as most on here but its what I've got currently. I'd love to have more...
 
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I only have around 40+ guns. Most the time there are more handguns than long guns, but not always. I buy only guns that look or can look and feel good to me. Bought a Marlin 55 POS just to bring it back to life, paid less than a 100, spent double what its worth to bring it back...its awesome.
Overpaid for a DW 357 because it's a extremely beautiful and full of custom work gun. VERY HAPPY. I like every gun I have on the shelf or in the rack, BP, Revolvers, Pistols, Shotguns, Mosin, .22 everything, pump rifles... I enjoy all of them...

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Have an old friend, who was 100% a S&W guy. That's all he owned. That collection of S&Ws was really nice though. I messed that up for him when he moved to Montana, and I gave him a Ruger as a going away present.
On the other hand, I like to mix things up. Things are always in flux, but currently have firearms made by 19 different manufacturers in 16 different chamberings. I do have brands & platforms I seem to gravitate to, but not locked into any one thing. I guess I like options.

That kind of sounds like me.
It takes something special to trip my trigger so to speak. I have a wide variety of interest in firearms. I'm currently exploring interest in shotguns, old west, military/home defence skeet/trap, over/under, side by side, 12/20 gauge. What ever intrigues me at the time. One prerequisite is that it must be flawless in operation and if it cannot be made so, it moves along which is seldom, I'm choosey when I purchase. Nothing fancy or flashy, just straight out craftsmanship. Love S&W but recently got into Ruger revolvers, love my new GP-100, Match Champion 10mm, such precision engineering.
Lately I became interested in a S&W SD9ve, I bought an Apex trigger/spring kit for it and it is perfect now and as luck would have it I had a Blackhawk, Serpa retention holster that fit it perfectly. It is now one of my EDC weapons, very nice craftsmanship for an inexpensive tool that fits me like a glove.
I could go on and on but it's late and I'm looking forward to getting out of the hospital tomorrow. I'll undoubtedly ad to this post later. Goodnight friends.
 
Ah what the heck, I'm not sleepy and it's finally quite here in this expensive hotel /hospital.

So I've covered shotguns for the present.
Now to rifles. I have a pristine, M1 Garand from the CMP that I shot for to qualify many decades ago. Excellent, excellent weapon.
Then there is the M1A from Springfield Armory, tricked out with accessories like scope, tripod, sling, glass bedded. sub MOA at 100 yards.

Then a beautie of a 30 caliber M1 Carbine with all accessories. That covers the military stuff except in addition to a fine GI, model of 1911a1 .45 caliber pistol.

Then I took a liking to Star, PD''s and have several along with a pristine BKM 9mm.

My uncle wiled me a single shot Savage 22lr model 24 Favorite which was in fine shape for it's age but I carefully cleaned and restored by steel wooling off the aged varnish finish and refinishing it with a Simi gloss finish and other small improvements like a custom made spare firing pin under the but stock that you can hear if you listen carefully. I keep it in a very well padded gun case. I liked my uncle very much, he was a down to earth farmer and owned a very nice half section of land in central Illinois, very productive piece of property.

Then I came across a 22lr caliber M1 Carbine, I forget the brand at present but it is very accurate and fun to shoot.

I'm running out of memory here and will have to consult my inventory list when I get home.

I have a very carefully staged and lighted picture album of everything I have and sometimes when it's quiet I sit down with it and an iced sipping coffee just to remember the times and places and friends through the years and the trips like to the Whittington Center in New Mexico, I'll leave that for another time but it was great.
There's more to come. Have a great day.
 
Ah what the heck, I'm not sleepy and it's finally quite here in this expensive hotel /hospital.

So I've covered shotguns for the present.
Now to rifles. I have a pristine, M1 Garand from the CMP that I shot for to qualify many decades ago. Excellent, excellent weapon.
Then there is the M1A from Springfield Armory, tricked out with accessories like scope, tripod, sling, glass bedded. sub MOA at 100 yards.

Then a beautie of a 30 caliber M1 Carbine with all accessories. That covers the military stuff except in addition to a fine GI, model of 1911a1 .45 caliber pistol.

Then I took a liking to Star, PD''s and have several along with a pristine BKM 9mm.

My uncle wiled me a single shot Savage 22lr model 24 Favorite which was in fine shape for it's age but I carefully cleaned and restored by steel wooling off the aged varnish finish and refinishing it with a Simi gloss finish and other small improvements like a custom made spare firing pin under the but stock that you can hear if you listen carefully. I keep it in a very well padded gun case. I liked my uncle very much, he was a down to earth farmer and owned a very nice half section of land in central Illinois, very productive piece of property.

Then I came across a 22lr caliber M1 Carbine, I forget the brand at present but it is very accurate and fun to shoot.

I'm running out of memory here and will have to consult my inventory list when I get home.

I have a very carefully staged and lighted picture album of everything I have and sometimes when it's quiet I sit down with it and an iced sipping coffee just to remember the times and places and friends through the years and the trips like to the Whittington Center in New Mexico, I'll leave that for another time but it was great.
There's more to come. Have a great day.
Ah what the heck, I'm not sleepy and it's finally quite here in this expensive hotel /hospital.

So I've covered shotguns for the present.
Now to rifles. I have a pristine, M1 Garand from the CMP that I shot for to qualify many decades ago. Excellent, excellent weapon.
Then there is the M1A from Springfield Armory, tricked out with accessories like scope, tripod, sling, glass bedded. sub MOA at 100 yards.

Then a beautie of a 30 caliber M1 Carbine with all accessories. That covers the military stuff except in addition to a fine GI, model of 1911a1 .45 caliber pistol.

Then I took a liking to Star, PD''s and have several along with a pristine BKM 9mm.

My uncle wiled me a single shot Savage 22lr model 24 Favorite which was in fine shape for it's age but I carefully cleaned and restored by steel wooling off the aged varnish finish and refinishing it with a Simi gloss finish and other small improvements like a custom made spare firing pin under the but stock that you can hear if you listen carefully. I keep it in a very well padded gun case. I liked my uncle very much, he was a down to earth farmer and owned a very nice half section of land in central Illinois, very productive piece of property.

Then I came across a 22lr caliber M1 Carbine, I forget the brand at present but it is very accurate and fun to shoot.

I'm running out of memory here and will have to consult my inventory list when I get home.

I have a very carefully staged and lighted picture album of everything I have and sometimes when it's quiet I sit down with it and an iced sipping coffee just to remember the times and places and friends through the years and the trips like to the Whittington Center in New Mexico, I'll leave that for another time but it was great.
There's more to come. Have a great day.

When I was a teenager a friend of mine had a model 6 Savage, Gill gun or click-clack. It was unique in that it shot 22 shorts, longs and long rifle ammo. Shorts and longs were shot using a bolt locking mechanism while long rifles were shot open or closed bolt with a single or semi- auto action. Well I have kept my eye open for another one, and then one day one popped up locally in like new condition needing no cleaning or repair for $100 so I snapped it up for future fun and this summer I'll try it out.

Then in the 70's I ordered and bought a brand new Colt, Delta Elite which was 10mm. Had some problems with it initially, Colt pissed me off so I bought a new fitted and tested Bar-Sto barrel and never looked back. It's a fine weapon now with other upgrades.

When I was working in a local gun shop a lady brought in her late husbands small collection which included a S&W model 1006 in of course wait for it... 10mm so I snapped that up too. I've found no reason to change anything on this fine weapon, keep it just as it is.

A Kel- Tech, PF -9 which I find is a perfect every day deep carry concelable, it has its place and I've found it to be very reliable.

I know I have forgotten some but will find them later.
Have a great week.
 
Ah what the heck, I'm not sleepy and it's finally quite here in this expensive hotel /hospital.

So I've covered shotguns for the present.
Now to rifles. I have a pristine, M1 Garand from the CMP that I shot for to qualify many decades ago. Excellent, excellent weapon.
Then there is the M1A from Springfield Armory, tricked out with accessories like scope, tripod, sling, glass bedded. sub MOA at 100 yards.

Then a beautie of a 30 caliber M1 Carbine with all accessories. That covers the military stuff except in addition to a fine GI, model of 1911a1 .45 caliber pistol.

Then I took a liking to Star, PD''s and have several along with a pristine BKM 9mm.

My uncle wiled me a single shot Savage 22lr model 24 Favorite which was in fine shape for it's age but I carefully cleaned and restored by steel wooling off the aged varnish finish and refinishing it with a Simi gloss finish and other small improvements like a custom made spare firing pin under the but stock that you can hear if you listen carefully. I keep it in a very well padded gun case. I liked my uncle very much, he was a down to earth farmer and owned a very nice half section of land in central Illinois, very productive piece of property.

Then I came across a 22lr caliber M1 Carbine, I forget the brand at present but it is very accurate and fun to shoot.

I'm running out of memory here and will have to consult my inventory list when I get home.

I have a very carefully staged and lighted picture album of everything I have and sometimes when it's quiet I sit down with it and an iced sipping coffee just to remember the times and places and friends through the years and the trips like to the Whittington Center in New Mexico, I'll leave that for another time but it was great.
There's more to come. Have a great day.
Ah what the heck, I'm not sleepy and it's finally quite here in this expensive hotel /hospital.

So I've covered shotguns for the present.
Now to rifles. I have a pristine, M1 Garand from the CMP that I shot for to qualify many decades ago. Excellent, excellent weapon.
Then there is the M1A from Springfield Armory, tricked out with accessories like scope, tripod, sling, glass bedded. sub MOA at 100 yards.

Then a beautie of a 30 caliber M1 Carbine with all accessories. That covers the military stuff except in addition to a fine GI, model of 1911a1 .45 caliber pistol.

Then I took a liking to Star, PD''s and have several along with a pristine BKM 9mm.

My uncle wiled me a single shot Savage 22lr model 24 Favorite which was in fine shape for it's age but I carefully cleaned and restored by steel wooling off the aged varnish finish and refinishing it with a Simi gloss finish and other small improvements like a custom made spare firing pin under the but stock that you can hear if you listen carefully. I keep it in a very well padded gun case. I liked my uncle very much, he was a down to earth farmer and owned a very nice half section of land in central Illinois, very productive piece of property.

Then I came across a 22lr caliber M1 Carbine, I forget the brand at present but it is very accurate and fun to shoot.

I'm running out of memory here and will have to consult my inventory list when I get home.

I have a very carefully staged and lighted picture album of everything I have and sometimes when it's quiet I sit down with it and an iced sipping coffee just to remember the times and places and friends through the years and the trips like to the Whittington Center in New Mexico, I'll leave that for another time but it was great.
There's more to come. Have a great day.

When I was a teenager a friend of mine had a model 6 Savage, Gill gun or click-clack. It was unique in that it shot 22 shorts, longs and long rifle ammo. Shorts and longs were shot using a bolt locking mechanism while long rifles were shot open or closed bolt with a single or semi- auto action. Well I have kept my eye open for another one, and then one day one popped up locally in like new condition needing no cleaning or repair for $100 so I snapped it up for future fun and this summer I'll try it out.

Then in the 70's I ordered and bought a brand new Colt, Delta Elite which was 10mm. Had some problems with it initially, Colt pissed me off so I bought a new fitted and tested Bar-Sto barrel and never looked back. It's a fine weapon now with other upgrades.

When I was working in a local gun shop a lady brought in her late husbands small collection which included a S&W model 1006 in of course wait for it... 10mm so I snapped that up too. I've found no reason to change anything on this fine weapon, keep it just as it is.

A Kel- Tech, PF -9 which I find is a perfect every day deep carry concelable, it has its place.

I know I have forgotten some but will catch up later.
Have a great week.
 
I never set out to buy some diverse collection.

A lot of my guns are guns id have said "I wouldn't have that" but they were cheap and available. I bought an AK 74 with several mags and over 2k rounds of ammo for 400 dollars at a pawn shop going out of buisness. Bought a hi point 45 for 50. Traded a j-22 for a Grendel p-30. Won a savage 64 for 8 dollars on a punch board (may have got burned at 8 bucks lol). Bought a 422 with cheap from a buddy and later another one from a guy who heard I bought the first one. None of those would I have ever actively looked for. Plus Back in the pre- gunbroker/ internet days you could either buy something similar to what you wanted or wait indefinitely. Lol. Even more so if you were looking for a used gun. Like my bren ten, I started wanting one after I shot a buddies issue Glock 20 in the mid 90s. They weren't made any longer so you just had to happen upon one. Often by saying "hey, if you ever see a". So a lot of my guns were just cheap and too good to pass up even though they didn't resemble what I wanted. My SPAS 12 (no folder. Lol) was bought looking for a bren ten. Was 300 dollars. My blued Redhawk 44 was bought for 269 dollars while actually seeking a stainless Blackhawk 44. Finding guns back then was actually really tough to do. Living in the middle of nowhere with only 4 or 5 stores within 2 miles didn't help.

When the internet did come along I was hesitant to ever shop online. I don't think I ordered a gun at all until the big .40 caliber le exodus 4 or 5 years ago. Couldn't pass up 250 dollar Glocks and M&P, 300 dollar 226, and 350-400 dollar usp.
 
Have an old friend, who was 100% a S&W guy. That's all he owned. That collection of S&Ws was really nice though. I messed that up for him when he moved to Montana, and I gave him a Ruger as a going away present.
On the other hand, I like to mix things up. Things are always in flux, but currently have firearms made by 19 different manufacturers in 16 different chamberings. I do have brands & platforms I seem to gravitate to, but not locked into any one thing. I guess I like options.
I like S&W a lot, but there are too many other cool or useful guns from other brands to limit myself to one. A good example is that even if someone likes Glocks, they don’t make shotguns or rifles. S&W has AR’s or a shotgun, but mostly is handguns too. So if someone wants a hunting rifle or shotgun selection, you have to get other brands.
 
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I like S&W a lot, but there are too many other cool or useful guns from other brands.

I feel that way about all brands. No one brand is the best at every thing. How many brand offer a decent double for trap or a pump for hunting and a defensive pistol as well? Then a long range rifle. Then a rimfire... cz could cover it all I suppose. Mossberg maybe. But even though they offer every category I don't think they make the best in any. Couple in the fact that smith made a completly awful shotgun, then for a decent semi-auto blatantly copied Glock and still wasn't very popular. I'll keep my smith revolvers and shotguns and semi auto from others. Lol.

One thing you can say about Glock, they sure never wasted time with diversifying their lineup or R&D once they made the 17. Lol. A gen 5 looks very much like the first 17. Add grooves. Subtract grooves... but they still only make one product . Not much way to expand but also not much way to lose millions on a failed product
 
I for one find this a very enjoyable conversation.
I get up early, get my cup of iced sipping coffee and sit in my recliner and enjoy hearing from you all.
 
Are you sure its not an all wheel drive? Does that still count or does that make you a man-bun having, tent on top of your Subaru driving posuer?

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As a builder of subaru rally and autocross cars, as well as a pretty accomplished tech, I'll have you know i haven't had hair in 20 years. And with 300+ HP 2500 lb cars since the late 90s they ain't your typical justy or Brat. They are quite fun. A new STI is faster 0-60 than a 60s 427 corvette despite being an absolute disaster to launch (I also have several Mustang). As long as you don't go messing with them they are good cars too (cvt excluded) they aren't like our corvette/ Mustang/ camaro etc that the factory knows your going to modify within a week .

And tents are for sissies.

I also have a big block axle locked 79 Ford, a 66 Ford, and a 21 fx4, 04 v10 and an l900. Lol. My car/ quad collecting isn't as diverse as my guns but I do cover the big block 454 c10/Ford trucks from 66 352 3 on the tree to a v10 and the 2021 5.0, and cover the Mustang and trans am arena. Very few hobbies cost more than car collecting and caring for them. Airplane collectors are one though.

Much like my diverse and interesting gun collection though.....my nice vehicles usually sit covered up and on a battery tender while I carry a Glock and drive a Toyota for reliability . Lol.
 
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As a builder of subaru rally and autocross cars, as well as a pretty accomplished tech, I'll have you know i haven't had hair in 20 years. And with 300+ HP 2500 lb cars since the late 90s they ain't your typical justy or Brat. They are quite fun. A new STI is faster 0-60 than a 60s 427 corvette despite being an absolute disaster to launch (I also have several Mustang). As long as you don't go messing with them they are good cars too (cvt excluded) they aren't like our corvette/ Mustang/ camaro etc that the factory knows your going to modify within a week .

And tents are for sissies.

I also have a big block axle locked 79 Ford, a 66 Ford, and a 21 fx4, 04 v10 and an l900. Lol. My car/ quad collecting isn't as diverse as my guns but I do cover the big block 454 c10/Ford trucks from 66 352 3 on the tree to a v10 and the 2021 5.0, and cover the Mustang and trans am arena. Very few hobbies cost more than car collecting and caring for them. Airplane collectors are one though.

Much like my diverse and interesting gun collection though.....my nice vehicles usually sit covered up and on a battery tender while I carry a Glock and drive a Toyota for reliability . Lol.
My 2014 Subaru Forester has 170,000 miles on it and still going strong. Knock on wood. Its great for using on the beach within reason and for our frequent floods here in Houston. It has an outstanding amount of internal storage space, holds a full size blow up mattress in the back with the seats folded down and I have no problem carrying my 8" trout and surf rods in it without having to take them apart.
 
Mine run from an original 1873 Winchester to the most modern AR-15. Twenty Six different calibers but not that many different manufactures.
 
Old as dirt here, some of my guns are older than I am. I have an assortment of calibers, 22 to 45-70, actions, single shot, pump. bolt, lever, semi auto. I only like guns with wood and metal construction and most of mine are dust collectors. I really need to blow the dust off of them.
 
From a K98 Mauser to a High Standard 22wmg derringer, from a Ruger 5.7 and a couple binary triggers in a 10/22 & AR15.
Of course you can’t leave out the classics … SiG 551, Remington M70, Marlin 39A, Colt 1911, Browning HighPower, CZ75 and a few of its variants … let’s not forget the venerable 22LR! The Colt Woodsman & Cadet, Beretta M70, or the High Standard Trophy.

So is it an accumulation or an eclectic collection?
 
Unexpectedly I came across 4" S&W, model 610 10mm and decided I just had to add it to my collection of 10mm weapons.
It's bright, polished stainless finish looks great and I'm looking forward to staging some high quality pictures of the whole group.
 
How's this for a range? My oldest gun, or oldest that I've bother to date is 150 years old. My newest gun was probably built 2 months ago. My bedside gun is 50 years old and my carry is just 2 years. I'd say about half of my guns are older than I am.
 
I've 5 shotguns, one of each type of action except for an over under. A twelve gauge except my automatic is a 16. Have a SxS Husqvarna, Remington 870 Wing master from the 70's, H&R Gamester bolt action, Stevens 94F single shot, and Remington Model 11 made in the 30's. Rifles and handguns not as diverse,Stevens 325-A .30-30 bolt and a M56 carbine (Chinese military SKS), only two center-fire handguns a Hungarian.45 made by FEG and a Taurus 66 in .357 magnum. Then Ive got two hawken style rifles and a traditions deer hunter then a 1851 navy. So I suppose my biggest variety is in shotguns and black powder. No surprise as Im a small game hunter so the shotguns are for that and I just really enjoy black powder shooting more than center-fire
 
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