You people must be millionaires

One does not need to be a millionaire to afford entry-level O/U shotguns like Browning or Berettas in the 3,000 range, or even mid-range guns like Perazzi or Kreighoffs in the 8-10,000 dollar range. If it is something you are going to shoot... A LOT.....then buying the best quality gun is the cheapest part of the equation. Quality guns, like anything else, will last longer, need fewer repairs, and give greater joy with better resale - actually costing less over a period of years.

You're better off, IMO, having only a few well-made guns that you shoot a lot and have no problems with, than have a safe full of junky guns that don't fit right, you're not totally in love with, keep needing repairs and depreciate too quickly.

While guns and shooting aren't cheap, compared to some other hobbies/pasttimes, it can be - depends on your priorities and wants and needs.

While I have a few guns for SD/HD, 90% are for fun and hunting - mostly fun. YOU need to decide that for yourself. And I also wouldn't worry about trying to "keep up with the Jonses" because there ARE some wealthy folks here, and some not as fortunate - so what?

Cant speak for everyone, but I am far from wealthy. I have accumulated a few firearms over the years, but have had to sacrifice in other ways to own them. I dont have to have $40 jeans or $80 shoes..... dont need $100 sunglasses or $300 coats.... havent taken many $1000 vacations or trips.. would much rather keep some cash in my hand, and own a few firearms instead. We all have hobbies, or other indulgences... my weakness happens to be shooting, reloading, guns.

It really is all about priorities. By eliminating what the typical person spends on fast food in a week (at 1 meal per day, average), you can have yourself a decent working handgun, rifle, shotgun, or rimfire rifle in under a month.

At an average of $10 a day, for say, a fast food combo then soda and bag of chips at the vending machine at work, you can save $70 a week. That's $280 a month.

For $280 you can get:

S&W model 64 .38 special 4" SS revolver from J&G sales ($189)
Mauser in 7x57 from J&G ($99)
Mosin Nagant from just about anywhere ($100)
S&W Sigma 9mm or .40 from Academy Sports ($249 after rebate)
CZ 82 in 9x18 Makarov off Gunbroker ($250+)
Romanian TTC Tokarev in 7.62x25 ($199) from J&G
Marlin Model 60 .22LR from WalMart ($110)
Ruger 10/22 from WalMart ($180)

The list goes on...I am not wealthy either, but came to realize that if I was going to spend money, I would rather make good investments. Eating out all the time and drinking at bars instead of at home will blow through your savings like nobody's business. If you put all that money toward quality firearms, you have something to show for it, and your purchases will likely increase in value.

Also, your perceptions of people's wealth are probably a little unfounded. Yes, there are many members on this board that post pictures of multiple firearms worth thousands of dollars each. That's not surprising, given the multitude of members.

However, there are many, many more who don't own as many guns. These guys probably don't post as much either so you see less of that side.

Sheryl Crow said:

I don't have digital. I don't have diddly squat. It's not having what you want. It's wanting what you've got.

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Save for and get what you like and in a mere half-a-lifetime you'll be the grumpy old 'gun guy' with the trillions in hardware, too*.









*Assuming our liberties last that long.

"You people must be millionaires."

That's what I think whenever someone posts that they shoot a lot but don't reload.

I'm a low-volume, high-frequency shooter/reloader (3 times a month, maybe 100 rounds per trip, 1/2 rimfire). I haven't bought a gun in a year because I've been spending all my play money on rimfire ammo and reloading components. Loading for my current guns (about a dozen total) and trying to shoot them all semi-regularly has totally kept my mind off new guns (and improved my shooting). Also, I can't see myself adding a new caliber to the mix - stocking a whole new line of loading components is out of the question - too much $$$ and not enough room to store it.

I find the more I shoot, the less I desire a huge stable of other guns. My wants list seems to reduce each year to one or two guns I think I have a need for and then a huge list of "nice to pick up someday" guns that are interesting but I have no need for.

My ammo budget is many times my guns budget. I could stop shooting, practicing, and competing, and buy five or six VERY nice guns each year. Or, shoot what I have, and what I like, and develop my skills instead of my collection -- adding a new gun only after much consideration and only to fill a clear and reasonable need.

Also, I can't see myself adding a new caliber to the mix - stocking a whole new line of loading components is out of the question - too much $$$ and not enough room to store it.

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This was brought home to me this year. I was very fortunate to win a 9mm pistol in a match drawing. Never had a 9mm before, but I've been eyeing them for ammo cost savings.

That was in June. By Christmas I finally expect to have collected the parts and components to reload for it. Up to this point I've just not had the spare cash to buy the dies and press conversion items, and have borrowed time on friends' presses to make the (relatively small) amounts of ammo I've put through it.

Patience.

-Sam

I bought my first gun in 2004, and started really getting into shooting in 2006 (I turned 21 in december of '05). (owned one gun before that, a $90 M44 Mosin Nagant carbine). Since then I've acquired 12 more guns, so I have 13 total; last count, the value of my collection is about $7000, which brings the average cost of each firearm to ~$538. Not exactly millionaire territory there.

I have everything from the $90 Mosin, to my $1400 M1A, and all costs in between. When you're serious about shooting, the guns aren't the expensive part anyway.

It's the ammo.

Save up and get the gun you want.

You are not unarmed now and the SKS will serve you well. Therefore, there is no hurry. $50 here and there adds up over months. Figure out what you want (gun, mags, accessories, slings, etc), build a budget and buy it when you have the cash. It may take longer, but you'll be more satisfied knowing there's no debt to pay off at some crazy interest rate.

Yeah, I forgot to mention. The advice from others in this thread rings especially true: BUY WITH CASH. Or at the very least, only purchase what you could afford with cash. Going into debt over anything except maybe your first and only gun is a bad idea. The first is an exception (in my opinion) because having a means to defend yourself is something over which it is worth going into a bit of debt.

"Fear the man who owns but one gun - he probably knows how to use it."


Honestly, I can't believe the thread has gone this long without anyone quoting that.

Fear the man who owns but one gun - he probably knows how to use it.

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Not so much these days...

What I have has taken 31 years, some years I buy several but many years nada. My rule of thumb, keep $200-300 on you at all times, you might never know when a bargin will pop up, like the SKS-D I owned for a while, at shows they were over $250 when a regular on was half that, this one with surface rust was only $100 cash-n-carry. But I also remember ordering a FN-49 from Paragon and a can of ammo deal where the ammo cost my 4 cents a round! Course that stuff split necks often but nothing dangerous.

Being a rich gun nut must be cool, we just got this big time apartment landlord that is going to my church, he has a couple civil war guns, and more guns then he can count, as for me the most I've ever had at one time is 3 =(

one more thing, i'm not saying that people who have money dont deserve it.

I bought one gun and said "this and one other, and I'll be good". Well, as opportunities for purchase presented themselves and I became more interested in different calibers and styles, I've bought whenever and wherever I could. I like the technology and variety and the entertainment and peace of mind it provides. I also figure that if something catastrophic happens to my financial state, I can sell off a lot to keep me going for a little while but keep a few that I want to keep.

At an average of $10 a day, for say, a fast food combo then soda and bag of chips at the vending machine at work, you can save $70 a week. That's $280 a month.

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John Wayne, that's always a good point to make. It adds up fast.

I used to go to work, and do the math for how many more hours I would have to work to get the money to buy certain items, it took me awhile to see how many hours of work I was spending to feed myself and other things that could be on a reduced spending diet.

Far from it.

But Dad taught me how to avoid debt, pinch a penny, and stretch a dollar. I married a bargain hunting queen, and I'm a pack-rat of Biblical proportions.

So now I have a lot of stuff, but it took years to get here.

Yep, most of us arent even close Im still working my way through college, and all I've got is a $500 rifle, a pair of .22s (up to $150 each) and my first one, a $200 Mossberg 500. And my old $10 BB gun from when I was 7 or 8. Add in the cost of the ammo I've got in stock, and I don't even break $2k.

As much as I'd love to get, say, a Barrett REC7, I'm dedicating more $$ to a vehicle/school. The main reason I only make it out to the range 2-3 times a month. Even if .22s are only $13.90 for 525 at Academy's, you still go through 100s or 1000s of them each time you go out. Luckily there's a range near my house that's only $10 for a lifetime range card, and $10 a day thereafter, so range fees aren't bad at all

As to debt, I don't even have a credit card, though I need to get one to build credit as having a 9003 rating means its harder to get student loans, or vehicle financing. So, I'm planning on just making enough purchases to keep maintain a balance, then leaving the card at home. Less temptation that way

So, now I'm just waiting till I win the lottery. Though my chances'd probly improve if I actually bought a ticket...

I fear the man with only one gun. Why? Because it is very likely that he knows how to use it. I have seen some guys with some pretty ridiculous gun arsenals out there (over 50 guns)... more guns than they could ever find time to shoot regularly. I think that having 1 rifle, 1 shotgun, and 1 pistol is probably all of the guns you could ever really need. Anything beyond that is little more than a luxury.

I'm definitely not a millionaire. This has been a lean year for me but we are getting by. I wont be buying any more guns until things look better. Thats okay though because I basically have what I need. What I have now has been accumalated over the last 21 years. I only have 11 firearms. Each one has it's purpose & it's place. If you want to be able to get some cheap range time I would suggest digging around the pawn shops for a Marlin model 60. Then if you get a bulk pack of ammo you can plink a lot for not much money. Then shoot a couple of magazines through the SKS just to stay in touch with it.

Personally, I have two guns. One carry gun and the shotgun my grandfather bought me for my first gun when I was 12yo (now 28).

Maybe OT, but you don't need to carry a balance on a credit card to use it to build credit. Just having one without any late payments on the record is what counts. The longer the history, the better. You can buy some gas or whatever on it once a month, pay the bill at the end of the month, and build credit without ever paying a dime in interest.

If you are in college, definitely get a credit card, apply the mentioned technique, and it will help your credit score considerably when you are looking at mortgages or whatever after college.

I'm not a millionare, barley a thousandare. Last spring i sold a pistol then hoarded away $10 a week till i had the money for a negelected 870. Cleaned it up and am proud of it.

like most, i'm far from a millionaire. i own 8 guns in 7 calibers. it took me 15 years to get that far. some are dirt cheap like the $139 WalMart Marlin 60. some are pretty spendy like a $2k tricked out AR and everything else is somewhere in between. i only pay cash so it's not often i get to buy a new gun. i have to plan ahead and save for quite a while and add do-dads to them as i can afford them. i like quality over quantity. there are really only two more guns i want for me to consider my small collection to be complete.

one big thing that helps in my case is that i'm not married and don't have kids. i like it that way and it's going to stay that way. i have lots of hobbies and kids are pretty detrimental to that. i already know i'd make a lousy dad but i make great shooter! i have lots of nephews to pass the shooting on to.

one thing that struck me wrong was that golf is a rich man's game. far from it!! i golf too and build my own clubs. i have a custom set made by me and for me that came in under $400. i don't play courses that are over $50/round.

sure there are plenty of people here that have a lot of money to spend on their firearms and more power to them! it's very likely they've worked hard for it and earned it. i know i have. most of us have built up our collections over the course of many years. sure i'd love to wander down to Cabela's and go on a shopping spree but it's just not in the cards as of yet.

Bobby