What Would You Tell Young Self?

AK103K

I loved his catalog, especially all of the prop guns he got from MGM Studios.

I would tell myself to embrace single-shot rifles,,,

I would tell myself to embrace single-shot rifles,,,
But I probably wouldn't listen to myself,,,
Any better than I did my elders then.

I take a lot of newbies to the range,,,
I always start them out with a single-shot rifle.

Some take right to it and some don't,,,
But invariably the ones who do,,,
Become much better shots.

I would instill in myself the notion that,,,
Hitting your target every shot is more fun than not.

I'll admit that I do like to burn a few mags,,,
I mean it really is a lot of fun,,,
But hitting the bullseye,,,
Is more funner.

Aarond

.

Don't buy common stuff.
Save your money for what you really want but make sure you really want it.
Buy a few classic pieces, shoot the tar out of them.

Don't sell your guns, find another way to pay for something that you need at the time. I wish I had every one back!

I would tell myself to buy less, and better quality. For a while I was buying a gun every few months, but it was flavor of the month type stuff without getting rid of any of the last month's flavor. Now I kind of wish I'd sat down and been more deliberate about what I bought. I'm consolidating now and it's amazing the amount of stuff I've accumulated.

There were better things/higher quality gear to spend a lot of that money on.

Dont marry her. Quit spending your money on nonsense and eating out all the time. Work harder and quit being lazy. Start your gun collection sooner and dont by crappy cheap optics.

Buy as many MG's as you can. Buy top of the line from Colt, S&W esp engraved firearms. Buy others to shoot and buy all the ammo you can. DON'T GET MARRIED. Buy a large tract of land for you own range.

Buy Apple stock

Make the Army give you Real job

When you're on terminal leave and your platoon sergeant offers you a civil service job as your own replacement do not turn him down

Buy Ford stock in the 2008 recession when it falls to $2 per share.
Sell as soon as it climbs back up to $20 per share, a year later
Buy Colt Pythons in 2010,
Sell Colt Pythons in 2015

Don't buy that Remington 700..... buy one good Winchester 70 and shoot the barrel out a few times. Don't buy cheap stuff, save and buy higher quality items.

Put some money away every week or every month.... do not settle for mediocre ammo, mags or rifles.... buying it based on price rather then accuracy, superior quality.

I have plenty of "good enough" stuff....basing choices on dollars per item....AR mags for instance, D&H mags are GTG... but I should have ponied up a few more dollars per mag and bought what I really wanted ... Lancers.

I have plenty of XM193 / M855.... would I grab that in the event of an emergency ? Nope..... I would grab better quality ammo.

So don't buy so much M193 / M855... buy more, better performing ammo.

That goes for handgun ammo as well.

This not to say you need 2-3000 dollar scopes or red dots....or AR's....just spend your money wisely.


Do not wait for another round of gun ban buying frenzy.....buy stuff now. If you can only afford 100 rounds off ammo and 3 Lancer mags.... then so be it. Buy it now.

It will add up.

Remember.... good deals aren't so good, if you never use it.

Keep the Garand. Dip$h1t.

Buy the finish worn 4" Python for $400, you dummy.

Don't trade the old Model 10 S&W for a little P11 KelTec - just buy a Makarov, it's a better gun, anyway, and then you'll have two guns. Then you won't feel tempted to buy every used Kframe you see in penance for being a dummy.

Buy the .270 your buddy offers you when he gets married and needs to pay for his wedding.

Don't buy the new Saturn! Get a used Toyota or Honda instead!

Don't go off med hold from your last deployment until you are cleared by *your* doctor!

When in doubt on what to buy, the answer is ammo. Not a gun, not mags, not that optic, the answer is ammo. Unless the other option is known-good professional training, then you go with the training.

Perfect the basics.
Learn to reload early in life.
Don't sell guns, you'll regret it.
"Hoard" as much ammo as you can.

Lastly, I know the OP said not to say "buy this or buy that," but I would buy as many DIAS's as possible! I'd have shoe boxes full of those things if I could!

Buy all of the 'old, crappy, obsolete, cheap guns' in the Century Arms and National Ordnance advertisements in the gun and 'adventure' magazines of the 1950s and 1960s (prior to 1968) possible.

Garands, carbines, 1903s, 1911s,Lugers, Webleys and even more arcane stuff that was wanted by NOBODY!!!

It is the friendships and experiences that you will treasure later in life not possessions.

Let's see here...

Buy the Hege muzzle-loading pistols when they come out. You'll get them eventually, but they will never be cheaper.
Get in on the Vector Uzi + Gemtech Mossad package buy circa 2000 when it's $3,000.
Buy two of every C&R item when the first hit the market. Sell one later to pay for the entire buy.
Stockpile bulk .22LR in early 2012, sell it in 18 months for twice the price. Then buy match .22 ammo that didn't go up in price.
Get the dedicated shooting glasses no later than your 35th birthday.
Don't bother with the Walther OSP. Keep the GSP, though.
That cased pair of French underhammer target pistols you looked at - buy them!

A few good quality guns are sufficient to your needs.
Shoot the few you have a lot.
Reload.
Get training.
Go meet Jeff Cooper; we corresponded before he died, and I regret I never met the man.

you did good kid. Your grandpa told to never get rid of a gun that shot where it was pointed....to never believe a word someone running for office told you and to never forget the way our ancestors handed down this country to us; they took it every step of the way with God, Guns and Guts!