too many guns.

I used to buy just to have, but with the intention of making every one a shooter. I still think along these lines, but I pay more attention to choices in guns that are the most likely to retain as much of what I paid as possible in value. The good thing about guns is that, unlike many other currently-popular items (cellphones, tablets/PCs, gaming devices, cars, etc.), well-chosen ones can be turned back into money if need be, or traded off towards others.

I have a lot of firearms that duplicate others in general function, and little practical use for probably greater than 75 percent of my, uh, accumulation.

Ya know, they all say "NEVER sell ANY guns EVER" but in actuality, I haven't found that to be the case.

I've always made sure to think it through, but if there's a gun that I didn't end up liking or shooting much, and there's been several, I sold them and used the money on guns I wanted more or ammo. It's worked out well for me so far. I only have one real regret I wish I hadn't sold, and that was one of the first guns I ever had.

Owning too many is much more sensible than not owning enough.

Better go buy a few more!

I have many but the only gun I have ever sold was a Glock pistol that I really did care for but one of my employees really wanted it, so I sold it to him. The one and only gun I have ever sold.

Cooldill said:

Ya know, they all say "NEVER sell ANY guns EVER" but in actuality, I haven't found that to be the case.

I've always made sure to think it through, but if there's a gun that I didn't end up liking or shooting much, and there's been several, I sold them and used the money on guns I wanted more or ammo. It's worked out well for me so far. I only have one real regret I wish I hadn't sold, and that was one of the first guns I ever had.

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I think anybody who says that is just plain silly. Or they are far more wealthy than I. Sometimes you have to extensively use/own something to truly know whether it is a good fit. I have sold at least 7 guns and there isn't one I would rather have than what I purchased to replace them.

I've sold a few and have regretted none of them, because I hadn't shot them in 20 years and I bought ones I would shoot.

I have redundancy in my collection. I reload and have a decent amount of components. If I had only 1 308 and it was broken, not replaceable, or stolen I would have a lot of useless components. Because of this, and the uncertainty of prices, legality, and availability I have more than 1 rifle in this caliber and in all my calibers.

As long as a guy isn't putting himself into the poor house with his firearm purchases I'm not sure you can have too many. I have sold guns that I didn't use much or guns that were somehow better for that particular niche, but as time went by I realized I wished I had about half of them back as there was inevitably something that was overlooked when I sold it.

I put careful thought into all my firearm purchases. I enjoy them all but I don't think I have ever purchased a firearm simply because I wanted it. I think most guys are like this.....or maybe it's just really easy to talk ourselves into this joint we can find a use for a gun we really want.

I would say, never pawn a gun. Sell a gun only if you have to and can get a fair price, usually private sales are your best bet. Trading a gun that you would rather like to get rid of toward a gun that you would rather like to have is always a good choice.

I've had to sell to pay for kids needs in the past. I've made it a point to buy back all the guns i sold at one time. However with 34 guns now I'll only get a few to make a WW2 collection as complete as I can.

I'm currently selling 2 guns that I rarely shoot to fund an AR build.
I don't think I will miss them. I haven't shot either in over a year.

Yes, you can have too many guns. I've bought 20 guns in the past 4 years and sold 11 of them. Prior to that I had one and only one gun for 22 years. Today I have 10 which is too many as they all don't get shot and they are taking up space in our house. Guns are just objects, nothing magic about them. I wouldn't ever keep every TV I ever bought, every stove, every washing machine, etc.

If you don't like a gun you have sell it and get what you want.

Guns and Pokemon, Gotta Catch 'Em All!

JSH1 said:

Yes, you can have too many guns. I've bought 20 guns in the past 4 years and sold 11 of them. Prior to that I had one and only one gun for 22 years. Today I have 10 which is too many as they all don't get shot and they are taking up space in our house. Guns are just objects, nothing magic about them. I wouldn't ever keep every TV I ever bought, every stove, every washing machine, etc.

If you don't like a gun you have sell it and get what you want.

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Well...there are a multiple reasons that firearms are different from televisions, stoves, or washing machines.

If I decide I don't want them anymore, I'll sell them in a heartbeat. I don't form emotional attachments to them. They're just "stuff."

I keep finding I want fewer and fewer all the time. Maybe I'm finally learning that lesson about having one gun and learning how to use it well.

I spent 20 years refining my Battery and I believe in owning a few quality guns is better than many low end guns.

Find something of quality you want then bundle the crap up and dump it.

I've also gone full cycle. When money was tighter some years ago, I went with less expensive but serviceable guns. As a pattern of use formed, I saw what I routinely shot and what sat and I decided to sell 2 or 3 to buy 1 nicer gun. The nicer guns aren't collector's items but have proven, to me, to be a better value. If you have several guns that just don't do it for you, sell 2, 3 or 4 to get something nice that you will enjoy. Why have money tied up in guns that you never shoot or don't enjoy when you can turn them into something you are proud of and actually shoot?

Every time I buy a new gun I just tell myself "hey, at least this is cheaper than collecting classic cars". We have an expensive hobby, but it isn't the most expensive.

That and in my experience, some firearms hold their value really well over time.

huntsman said:

I spent 20 years refining my Battery and I believe in owning a few quality guns is better than many low end guns.

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I kinda agree with this, as long as it isn't taken to either extreme. As long as "quality guns" doesn't mean $3000 1911's and the like, and "low end" doesn't mean genuinely poor quality, unreliable, and possibly un-safe junk, then I agree 100%.
But if "low end'' just means less expensive but still very servicable, (like,say, police trade-in Glocks,M&P's, Model 10's,etc) then I've long felt that it's generally better to have several of a "good" items, than it is to have just one of the ''very-best-of-the-best'' of that item. I've argued this point several times in knife forums/threads, particularly. For outdoor/survival type applications, I think it's wiser to own 3-4 Ka-Bar Beckers or ESEE's, than have the same money tied up in a single, uber-high-dollar custom knife.
The same often goes for guns. Given the direction I believe things are clearly headed, both economically and with government intrusion/regulation, I think it's better to have a healthy stable of reliable but economical guns like used Glocks and S&W model 10's and the like, versus a much smaller stash of extremely expensive,high-end stuff.
I'm not criticising guys that own really nice guns (or knives,flashlights,etc.) , especially if you have the bucks to spare, but for most folks, that don't, I think it's wiser to have a larger, more economical collection (assuming a minimal level of quality, of course), versus a smaller, more premium one.

Warp said:

Well...there are a multiple reasons that firearms are different from televisions, stoves, or washing machines.

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You are right. TVs, stoves, and washing machines likely get used a lot more than most people's guns.

I kinda agree with this, as long as it isn't taken to either extreme. As long as "quality guns" doesn't mean $3000 1911's and the like, and "low end" doesn't mean genuinely poor quality, unreliable, and possibly un-safe junk, then I agree 100%.
But if "low end'' just means less expensive but still very servicable, (like,say, police trade-in Glocks,M&P's, Model 10's,etc) then I've long felt that it's generally better to have several of a "good" items, than it is to have just one of the ''very-best-of-the-best'' of that item.

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No 3k guns for me, in fact I shared on another thread that I've never spent more than $600. on a gun(new or used).

My motto was good deals are where you find them, Police trade in or desperate seller if it's in good or better condition of an acceptable brand I'm buying.

I used to say Ruger was my bottom of the barrel brand but I will fess up to owning a Kel-tec P-11 so....

Through trial & error of buying quite a few guns that didn't meet my needs, I found the ones that do. The ones that didn't are long gone and unmissed, they paid for the ones that did stay or ammo & accessories for those.

Looking at your collection, it's mostly comprised of fairly low end guns. Yes cheap to buy & accumulate, but generally fairly mediocre performers and unlikely to maintain or increase in value. The money spent to upgrade lower end stuff to better performance is almost always more than selling & buying something better suited. Rather than dumping more into what you sound dissatisfied with, I'd do as several have suggested and sell & upgrade to better & fewer. I've done it and never a regret.

In looking at what you now have I do see three that I would look at keeping. The Savage .223 & .22 rimfire are solid guns, as is the Mossberg 500. Savages are well noted for accuracy and here reasonable money spent on upgrades such as better stocks would be a solid investment IMO. As far as the Mossy 500 vs Rem 870, I prefer a 500, especially looking at the crap quality of new 870's these days. An older 870 Wingmaster would be an exception possibly.

I've found that deciding on what cartridges do the job for me and building around those worked well. My choices are: .22lr, 5.56/.223, 9mm, .38/.357 & 12ga. Those form the core of my collection and let me meet the various needs & interests I have from CCW (9mm & .38/.357), self defense, target shooting, and hunting (all of the above). I still have a couple other big bore handguns from the days when those were the best choice for deer hunting in my state (Ohio) but a recent change legalizing straight wall cartridges in rifles was changed that equation & my new choice for deer is a Ruger 77/.357 rifle. Depending on the laws & shooting opportunities where you live your selection may differ somewhat.

Speaking for myself, I'd far rather have a few quality arms well accessorized and with a generous supply of ammo than a bunch of so-so guns.

I used to deer hunt in Wisconsin. I live in Illinois but I have a place in Wisconsin and I got hooked up with some of the locals and...

It sounded good and it was a lot of fun, but it required a whole different set of guns than what I need in Illinois.

I had a 30-06 semi and that was good for open areas but I decided that I needed a "brush gun".

I wound up buying a Marlin 444. Fun gun, nasty cartridge and not the best operating lever in the world. I never could get the thing to operate like the slick 30-30s I saw guys shooting.

I fell away from hunting in Wisconsin after some of my freinds died or moved away, but the gun sat in one of my safes for a long time. I didn't shoot it but I kept thinking "don't sell a gun".

Baloney. A couple of years ago I was looking around for an ATV and after BS'n with the owner of the shop I wound up in for awhile, he decided that he wanted that 444. He made me a good offer for it in trade and he's got it now.

ATV is still here in the polebarn and I'm a lot happier with that than I was with the Marlin.

YMMV

I have the guns I feel I have a genuine need for:

• .22 rimfire semiautomatic rifle
• .22 rimfire semiautomatic rifle that I used to teach my older son to shoot.
• .22 rimfire bolt action rifle that I used to teach my younger son to shoot.
• .22 rimfire semiautomatic rifle that my wife learned to shoot with.
• 12 gauge shotgun for hunting
• .223 Remington semiautomatic rifle for self-defense
• 9 mm handgun for self-defense

And a few that I inherited or just wanted:

• .45 ACP pistol inherited from my grandfather
• .38 Special revolver inherited from my grandmother
• .223 Remington bolt action rifle
• 5.7 mm Johnson Carbine

I can't see a "need" for any additional guns. Until I get the reloading for the 5.7 mm Johnson worked out, I don't want to take on another cartridge to learn about reloading.

That said, I have given both of my sons $1,000 and told them to, sooner rather than later, go out and buy either a Ruger Mini-14 or a .223 AR since I think sooner or later they may - even if it is just for a day or two - find that they really "need" it.

I follow the "Martha Stewart Owning Principle".

Martha Stewart says on keeping items around: "If they don't have significant financial or sentimental value, and you never use them, get rid of them."

I think I've gotten rid of 11 guns that way. I never used them, they had no financial or sentimental value. I don't go to the range enough to really justify having a ton of guns.

The guns I have the most of a guns for CCW, which I rotate out based on my attire. I "use" them.