My Attitude Towards Guns Has Changed!

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CountryUgly

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I've collected guns since I was a kid. Over the many years I'd aquired many guns of various makes/models, condition, value and calibers. I bought every gun I remotely liked that I could afford at that given time. Then I noticed myself getting kind of bored with what I had and only actually shot very few of them. I decided to downsize to guns that fit in a few select catagories.

1) Heirlooms (most of these are over 100 years old, have not been shot in decades and most likely never will be again)

2) Hunting (I only hunt small and Med. sized game)

3) EDC (for me and my wife) Home Defense

4) Cost to operate (ammo cost is tops since I don't reload)

While I've traded and sold quite a few guns lately and my overall number of firearms now owned have dropped I've actually ended up with a better quality collection overall. All the pocket pistols, guns I had multiples of and the non essential firearms have now been sold/traded. The exta cash and and space in my "gun room" (yes I have an entire room in my house dedicated to my hobby :neener: ) has allowed me to focus on making the remaining guns the best they can be for me. My next venture though has got to be reloading. I've put that off over the years because of lack of funds for the initial investment and lack of space to do it in. Well I've now eliminated both of those excuses.

My question is though have any of you ever had the bordem issue and done something like this? If so was it worth it or did you end up regretting giving up a vast collection for just a couple of dozen guns that did just what you needed very well?
 
About ten years ago, I did a giant downsize of all my stuff. I was going into retirement, and wanted to lightenmy load. I gave guns, knives, tools, fishing gear, to my kids, grandkids, friends, and old co-workers.

Never missed a bit of it!

I had collected an insane amount of guns and a knife collection, more than I needed for anther three lifetimes. Had a couple gun safes loaded to the gills, and more stashed all over the place. I ended up owned by my possessions.

I kept a couple of my favorite rifles, a few handguns, one set of fishing gear, and a cigar box full of my favorite pocket knives. The better half did the same, and now I can find anything in the house in a minute or two. I felt lighter, free.

--deleted--

What' more, I had the huge pleasure of giving all of it to my family members while I was still alive to see the pleasure and experiance it myself. I can't begin to describe how great it felt to make sure it all went to the people I wanted it all to go to without any agreements or hassles. It was like a huge rock off my back.

Do it! You won't regret it. It's all just stuff in the end. What's really important in your life is the people.

Carl.
 
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I have downsized a couple of times, mainly to pay for other things like school or fund other interests, but never on a very large scale. I did get rid of a number of multiples of the same type of gun, probably because I usually took certain guns to the range most of the time and just had the others around as back-ups or as collectibles.

Over the years I have more or less concentrated on quality over quantity, with fewer impulse buys (unless I stumble across some unbelievable deal that I just can't pass up), and more towards specific wants or needs.
 
Carl Levitian said:
About ten years ago, I did a giant downsize of all my stuff. I was going into retirement, and wanted to lightenmy load. I gave guns, knives, tools, fishing gear, to my kids, grandkids, friends, and old co-workers.

Never missed a bit of it!

I had collected an insane amount of guns and a knife collection, more than I needed for anther three lifetimes. Had a couple gun safes loaded to the gills, and more stashed all over the place. I ended up owned by my possessions.

I kept a couple of my favorite rifles, a few handguns, one set of fishing gear, and a cigar box full of my favorite pocket knives. The better half did the same, and now I can find anything in the house in a minute or two. I felt lighter, free.

It felt like I had been constipated and had a good ----!

What' more, I had the huge pleasure of giving all of it to my family members while I was still alive to see the pleasure and experiance it myself. I can't begin to describe how great it felt to make sure it all went to the people I wanted it all to go to without any agreements or hassles. It was like a huge rock off my back.

Do it! You won't regret it. It's all just stuff in the end. What's really important in your life is the people.

Carl.
Click to expand...
I've already done it :) You are right though about it feeling good to give some of the stuff away. I gave my bow to a 16 yr old kid who hasn't put it down since. His family didn't have the financial means to just go buy him a bow because he wanted to give bow hunting a shot. So I just gave him mine, he's already far better with it than I was anyhow :) I've also gave my sisters and my brother a few. The rest though have been sold or traded to cut the cost of upgrades on the keepers or to purchase one or two new ones to solidly round out my new smaller collection. Heck I'm already feeling better about my sudden and vast loss of stuff
!
 
It's funny that you mention this, because recently I went through a change in my attitude as well. My initial attitude was that I wanted a little bit of everything - each service caliber, pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, etc...all with the capability of SD, but a lot of choices within the spectrum. Since then, however, I've decided I want to narrow it down to 2 calibers - one for handguns, one for long guns, and a very specific subset of models.

I realized that having 9, .40, and .45 in the safe doesn't do me much good if I can only carry one at a time, so I might as well pick which one I think is best and stick with it. Same with shotguns and rifles - why have both? I'd rather narrow it down to one.

The funny thing is that every firearm I currently own doesn't fit into my plan, so once I can afford to get new ones, my old ones are going to friends and family members. Kind of an odd thing, IMO.
 
my primary ccw and home defense calibers are 9mm and .38spl as are the majority of my handguns because they are easier for my wife to shoot, they are my dept. issued guns and ammo is less costly.

i have .45 acp, .357mag, 10mm, .44spl, .22lr, and .32acp but they serve limited rolls for woods or BUG useage.
 
BEWARE!! Once you start to reload you will shoot more-- so-- that means more trips to the range. Next you will start to pick up loose (used) brass and you will find that you accumulate a stash of empty brass for which you have no gun--so--you will have to start buying guns again! Because you can now reload quite economically and with confidence you will start to want to save even more money --so--the next step is to learn to cast your own bullets out of scrap lead and the whole thing starts all over. ENJOY!! Life is good and reloading is FUN!
 
CountryUgly said:
...The exta cash and and space in my "gun room" (yes I have an entire room in my house dedicated to my hobby :neener: ) has allowed me to focus on making the remaining guns the best they can be for me...
Click to expand...

Pics of the "Gun Room" are in order! With, of course, the caveat that you don't give 'too much' away.
 
I would give them a good, loving home where they would be appreciated, exercised and cared for.

Then you guys won't have to endure having all of those needless guns around.
 
I look forward to the day when the amount of equipment I own becomes a problem.

Given, of course, that I live that long.

There's a thread running now that asks "what twenty guns" and I haven't even bothered to post in it. Maybe later. Like when I have twenty guns to talk about.

I'm still short a few that I consider essential. I've given away a few to my kids (and grandkids via son-in-law)

Still no shotgun. Sill nothing that could be called a "sniper" rifle (top end hunter is a .30-30).


To be fair, though, I started late. I was well past fifty before I decided to reacquaint myself with firearms.

Ask me again when I'm eighty, and I'll let you know if I have "too many."

 
I'm still short a few that I consider essential. I've given away a few to my kids (and grandkids via son-in-law)

Still no shotgun. Sill nothing that could be called a "sniper" rifle (top end hunter is a .30-30).
Click to expand...

Although, any "what X guns" thread is generally based on personal bias. Some people want a well-rounded collection, which includes hunting, protection, SHTF, long-range target shooting, competition, cheap plinking, collectors, etc. I just want protection.
 
I've condensed my collection to three handguns and four rifles that represent a specific category. Perfectly happy with my "arsenal" as one visitor put it.:rolleyes:
 
I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 guns, give or take. I haven't counted for awhile but I'm due to do an inventory soon.

Do I feel I have too many? Heck no. I just wish I could get out and shoot more of them, more often. I have guns I like which I haven't got out to the range with in a few YEARS.

Damn fine problem to have, if you ask me. :)

If you ask my wife, she'd give you the polar opposite answer.

I'm currently working with a builder to build an extension on my house - a "big vault", if you will. I'm calling it a "tornado shelter" around mixed company, but in reality, it's being built as a massive safe for my collection, complete with vault door.

Should start an organization like "Gun Collectors Anonymous" or something.

"Hi, my name is Trent, and I have a problem."
 
chris in va said:
I've condensed my collection to three handguns and four rifles that represent a specific category. Perfectly happy with my "arsenal" as one visitor put it.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yeah, because we all live in complexes that look like this:

(My dad worked here)

redstone.jpg


14-N-Z Sign at Bldg 4505 COL Drewry and Mr. C A Warren (BTL) 25 Apr 63.jpg

MDA-Headquarters.jpg



Building stuff like this:

rockets-huntsville.jpg

7f9c5cdce7d7967de168757694d6f8599830455b.jpg



. . . and my gun collection totally resembles that.

:D

 
I am presently in the same boat. I don' like safe queens and I don't have any heirlooms or relics. I have accumulated many guns over the years, for whatever reason, and as I am nearing 60 I see it as too many choices and not enough time/money to shoot them all. I want to get really, really good at what I shoot a lot instead of really good with all of them. I never had a dedicated range gun because I have too many I want to shoot. I have my EDC and HD guns and everything else is wanted but not needed. I have sold some but I still have around 25 handguns. That's probably 15 too many. Once I decide what I truly wish to keep I will sell off what I like but have no use for. I'm sure the final list will be around 10 but the bug keeps biting and I'll sell 2 and buy 1 for some unknown reason. All I do know is less is now more and quality will rule over quantity when I'm done accumulating and I start to dial in on a few chosen handguns.
 
I'm at the age of 25 (26 in 9 days) and can see this day coming at some point. I started my meager collecting with a cheap and fast method. Whatever I laid my eyes on that looked good for the right price came home with me. Firearms.... In the past couple of years I've come to the conclusion that I need structure, and to focus a little more on the less is more theory. More of a quality over quantity view I guess. I hope to one day have a collection to be proud of, not just a cluster of plastic, wood and metal.
 
I've been known to sell a few cheaper guns to buy one more expensive, superior gun.

Nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong at all.
 
How about whenever you finally lack the eyesight to shoot with iron sights:(, and don't want to use scopes?

What if no family members are enthusiastic about any type of sport shooting?
Maybe a good friend will be the best recipient when that happens.
 
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