What would you tell yourself back then?

Status
Not open for further replies.
kayak-man

kayak-man

Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
1,247
Location
PAC-NW
I thought this had the potential to be an interesting discussion because it would filter out the generic advice you see see when people ask about getting a first gun, and be a little more personal.

If you had the opurtunity to give yourself some advice when you were starting out with guns, what would it be? Why?

I'd probably tell me at 18 that:

- investing in a reloading press earlier that later is always a good idea
- training is awesome. So is competition. Both of them will make you better faster, and are well worth it. I also probably would have told myself to seek out some ongoing 1 on 1 training on the fundamentals; it's easier (maybe) to start out accurate and then shoot faster, than it is to start shooting minute of steel plate and then work on precision.

- that single shot 12 gauge you bought as a car gun for that older than 18 but younger than 21 phase would have been better served by a repeating rifle, carbine, or a hpshorter shotgun barrel.

- there's a thing called context. The stuff you learn at Appleseed is important, but it's not always aplicable to USPSA.

- good holsters are worth the money. Buy once cry once.

- dating a girl who thinks guns are evil is never worth it.
 
I guess to be patient, take my time and choose wisely. Quality over hype and bluster, never believe the cheapest of anything is true value and to believe in myself and my ability to make the best decisions and get it right.

And of course to hope for the best but plan for the worst, expect mistakes and learn from them.

And ask out on a date the prettiest girl in high school. Not that that relates to guns, but if way back then I could give myself advice, well .....
 
Last edited:
As the OP pointed out I would have got into reloading sooner.

I would have invested in actual training.

I would have stuck to 1 or 2 calibers at the most and I would have purchased guns that were compatible with each other (M&P 9/ 9C) and spent the money I wasted on oddball guns on stocking magazines and ammunition for the 2.

I would have spent money on the quality holster and belt to start with.
 
Buy the friggin' BAR, you'll find a job. And actually go join the Queen's Regulars when you sober up. snicker.
Very little done at USPSA(or IPSC/IDPA) is applicable to the Real World either.
 
Agree with start reloading sooner. Buy a cheap house and you free up more cash for fun stuff. Expensive jeep upgrades with almost zero resale take away from gun money. Set aside some money for when good opportunities come along, whether it's a bucket list gun at a great price, a fun gun at a pawn shop, or reloading supplies at an estate sale. Last but not least don't spend money you don't have, even if reasonably certain you will in months - stuff happens.
 
kayak-man said:
If you had the opportunity to give yourself some advice when you were starting out with guns, what would it be? Why?
Click to expand...

At 18, I'd tell myself - "Buying a gun only seems expensive compared to actually shooting it enough to be proficient with it. You'll never get to shoot it much unless you get a good education and a well paying job."
 
If you had the opportunity to give yourself some advice when you were starting out with guns, what would it be? Why?
Click to expand...

Find what fits first and foremost.

If the deal is good enough, don't walk off thinking you'll find a better one.

Get a used pickup truck AND that machine gun instead of the brand new pickup truck.
 
1) You will eventually decide that 9mm is the best pistol round.
2) #1 doesn't really matter.
 
I think I had the added benefit of friends and co-workers who were older than me and had some very good advice and experiences to pass along. I learned from them how reloading was a very worthwhile proposition, even if you had to forego spending the money on a new gun that you wanted in favor of getting a reloading set.

Also buy quality when you could, which back then was primarily Remington, Winchester, Marlin, S&W, Colt, and Ruger; when you could find them and more importantly, when you could afford them.

Stock up on more ammo, especially rimfire. Use to be we would only buy a box of 50 rounds before heading out to the range.

Oh and good holsters, along with good belts, are well worth the money.
 
Last edited:
-Buy machineguns
-Shoot more & put away more ammo. 11 cents a round isn't too much to pay for surplus ammo
-Buy that HK91 package for $900
-Buy those AR15s & AR18s for $300
-Buy that US&S 1911 from dad
-Get an engineering degree
-A Jeep should be your first vehicle
-Buy those Shelbys
-Buy stocks in Pepsi & Apple
-Buy the kids those M1 Carbines
-Buy that Colt Anaconda in 45 Colt
-Buy that S&W 629-DX in 44 magnum
-Buy a 67 Mustang Fastback and keep it
-Don't sell that 64 Pontiac Catalina. Restore it
-Get out of California
-Go meet Elmer Keith
-Go meet Skeeter Skelton
-Go meet Jeff Cooper
-Go meet Parker O. Ackley
 
kayak-man said:
... If you had the opurtunity to give yourself some advice when you were starting out with guns, what would it be? Why?

I'd probably tell me at 18 that: ...
Click to expand...

I would tell myself at 7-8 years old (1959-60) to save my money and to learn everything I could about milsurp firearms so that I would be prepared to carefully & intelligently go thru the wooden barrels/boxes full of $10-$15 milsurps in the Sporting Goods Department of Mason's Department Store before they disappear at about the time that GCA68 goes into effect.
 
Figure out what gun you really want and save until you can pay cash. Don't settle for something just so you can buy something...the wait while saving will make you savor your purchase.
 
Buy ALL those cut .30 and .50 Brownings lying in the junkyard that you found, not just one of each.

Register everything during the 68 amnesty.

Buy those old 92 Winchesters for $50 each.

Buy a lot of magazines and stack them in the basement.
 
I would tell myself not to trade in my Ithaca Featherlite Mod 37 12ga pump gun for the Ithaca XL900 20 ga semi auto. The XL had a pellet barrel and a deerslayer barrel. I should have just bought the 20. I miss my old 12 ga. It was the first new shotgun I bought with money I earned. It cost me $65.00 iirc around 1961.

I also bought an old Colt semi auto pistol in .380 from a fellow officer when I was in LE in 1964. I wish I'd not traded that for small Browning .25 cal. semi auto that I never cared for. I also bought an M-1 Carbine from the NRA. They offered LE a deal for one year's dues plus $5.00. It was NIB and had to clean up all the cosomoline it was packed in. I sold that a few years later. That was a stupid move, too.

I learned my lesson and have never sold another firearm.
 
1984 me. Forget about that stupid '69 Camaro and the Triumph bikes and the Chevelles. Save ALL your money , buy every Colt AR-15 you can afford and Form 1 them. ALL of them. Buy a bunch of those crappy Egyptian AK's and form 1 them too. Put them in a vault for 20 years.

Then, in 2004 sell everything and buy Apple stock

Dump it May 2015.

Forget about that Melynda girl. Ian was right. She's never happy with anything. Listen to people who know what theyr'e talking about!

And forget about that stupid MOS the recruiter is going to talk you into. Go combat arms. You arent going to make a career out of it so have some fun shooting big guns.
 
Back in 95, buy the used 681 instead of the new KGP141

Back in the 80's, quit buying the $200. sxs and buy the LC Smith for 1K
 
Last edited:
Go ahead and buy a Remington 788 in .308 and maybe .243 instead of a Rem. 742 despite what my family said.

Don't bother buying a BAR later on.
 
I'm in....started at 14.

Buy the Hege muzzle-loading pistols NOW. Not later.
Never settle for second-best guns. Buy only top quality.
Get your C&R sooner.
Buy one of everything surplus whether or not you want it. They're trade goods.
Don't sell the Walther GSP.
Don't buy the Walther OSP.
 
Buy Dell stock in 1987...$1000 worth. Sell it in 1999 for $900,000. Buy any of the guns you want.
 
If time travel was possible...I'd go back to 1970 and tell my father NOT to get out of the Navy until 1992, or when the Coast Guard offers to make you a Chief, take the deal, because a pension will make money a lot less tight in 2014-15.

Gun-related...
*I'd go back to 1999 and tell 16-year-old me to pick the 11-87...Self, spend the two extra Jacksons and you won't kick yourself later when you can only find 3" shells.

*Would have told myself at 20 to save a little more and look around for a 1917...Self, you're gonna take that .270 you drooled over for two years, put six rounds through it, and find out you don't like the rifle.

*Would have told myself at 23 to just buy the CZ-75, and then a couple of spares...Self, when you're 31, you'll ask yourself out of nowhere why you don't have a 9mm, and don't buy pistols at Gander Mountain; the price for the same gun at Bud's Gun Shop is $200+ less expensive.
 
Back when I was 18 a brand new Model 70 Winchester cost about
$110. Of course I was getting paid about 50 bucks a week.

Zeke
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
If you could go back in time and advise yourself
2 3
Replies
55
Views
2K
JeepDriver
J
H
  • Locked
What Would You Tell Young Self?
2
Replies
44
Views
2K
Ozarkian
O
G
  • Locked
What object would you prefer to defend yourself with?
2 3
Replies
54
Views
2K
CMichael
C
C
  • Locked
Would you tell the cop you were packing if...
2
Replies
40
Views
2K
pax
P
K
  • Locked
What Guns would you choose
Replies
2
Views
486
GroovedG19
G
Back
Top