Do You Have So Many Guns You Can't Enjoy Them All?

It's very personal and relative and I support folks wanting to own 10, or 100, or 1000 + if it brings them happiness.

I got up above 15 and realized it was too many for me to enjoy. I had to decide, am I a shooter or collector ?

I'm a shooter. So, I am selling some now. I try to think of what role a firearm plays. I have a few "because"- I like them, the way they look but make or break is the way they shoot.

"never sell a gun that shoots one hole". This made me keep a cheap gun over a more expensive one. I'm most about performance.

I have one or two I wanna buy and 2 or 3 still to sell.

All of my collection at one point fit into a suitcase! As few as maybe 7 years ago.

Lord willing I'll be able to hang on to the ones I have now and pass them on, and make a ton of great memories along the way.

Don't think I CAN get below maybe 12 anymore.... That is a lot I think for non gun folks.

I shoot only a few of my guns. I enjoy them all, even if my only "use' is grabbing it from the safe, checking it's condition, wiping down with silicone cloth and putting it back. I know folks collecting coins/ stamps/guitars/HotWheels cars/toasters, etc and they enjoy "simple possession." It's nice to live in a country with such abundance. Joe

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Im down to a more manageable number now. Sold off all the inaccurate, unreliable, or ammunition unsupportable ones. Gotta say, I feel pretty good about it

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This is where I’m at. I had maybe 70+. Got tired of insurance, oiling, storing guns I never used and never would use.

Watch a couple episodes of American Pickers. There was a guy in Texas that had to have literally 5,000 motorcycles. He had bought most of an abandoned town and every building was stacked tightly. Hundreds and hundreds per building. His circus, his monkeys, but not for me.

"Enjoy" can be in a variety of ways. I don't have that many either, I have some shooters and a couple that may see a range session once a year. With other items I told myself that I will not buy unless I will actually use them. The custom knives I've sold off 70% and kept a few that I will put to use. A couple that I like simply from the craftsmanship and memories of that knifemaker.

Is this a trick question? Did my Wife send you here?

Like my kids, I love them ALL!!!! (now I have to go dig holes and buy PVC pipe.....................)

I figure if I have, +-2, half a dozen handguns and half a dozen rifles I get variety without letting any languish unused. At least that's worked out that way so far.

Not anymore. Sold 11 rifles in the past 18 months. A few to go, and I'll be down to only those I use regularly.

I was thinking about this recently. I have what most would consider a large collection, and yet there are just as many on a list I keep and change frequently, full of firearms I wish to some day own. I have come to terms with that fact that I really don't need 5 shorter barrel grizzly defense magnum revolvers. I also don't need several semi auto battle rifles, or mag fed shotguns, and many more big bore revolvers. A slew of lever actions mostly sit there, 2 of those in fact I have never fired. Most of the bolt actions only come out when I get a big game tag, and then i only take two on each of those trips. I haven't used my duck or goose shotguns in a couple years. My quail and dove shotguns haven't been used for their intended purpose in about as long. I justified buying 4 larger double stack semi auto handguns recently, one for each vehicle.

I certainly don't get to shoot my whole collection regularly. In fact I typically go all summer long shooting maybe 2 or 3 times. its Just to darn hot where I live. So I considered thinning the heard, but in all honesty unless I absolutely were to need the money (and I dont) I just don't want to. Each one is unique in its own way and I enjoy the variety, sometimes I enjoy just knowing they are in the safe.

Kind of funny timing but one of my FFL buddies called me and asked about a rifle he received and figured only a guy like me would appreciate a rifle like that. I told him I had forgotten to call him with a "heads up". I am guilty of leaving a few there but it cuts down on paper work, the oldest is one MachIVshooter traded me a little over a year ago. Guess I need to go see him.

I'm getting too many because they all won't fit in the safe and I don't have room for another safe--I like what I have but its getting unmanageable----probably will be getting rid of the cheapies and less interesting stuff.

There's some I own that I just don't use.....but most of mine were/are really projects.
They are the journey rather than the destination, if you will.
Some are very specific in their uses, and some just arnt very challenging for what I normally do, so only come out (or I only shoot them) for specific tasks.....or when I need them to be boring and reliable.

That said I enjoy owning all of them, and they all get taken out and played with, even if not shot, fairly regularly.

Perfect amount of guns, just short on the TIME to shoot them.

I like having my own private military firearms museum, but I am trying to sell some of my modern guns, ones that I don't shoot and that hold no collector interest for me. As I get older I become more interested in experiences and less interested in possessions, and the experience of ownership is of somewhat limited value. There are times I think I ought to get rid of three-quarters of what I own, but I don't really want to.

Sergei Mosin said:

I like having my own private military firearms museum, but I am trying to sell some of my modern guns, ones that I don't shoot and that hold no collector interest for me. As I get older I become more interested in experiences and less interested in possessions, and the experience of ownership is of somewhat limited value. There are times I think I ought to get rid of three-quarters of what I own, but I don't really want to.

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Yeah, I've been holding on to some old stuff that I'm finally going to get rid of. I inherited most of it anyway and have never even fired the bulk of it. It's just taking up space. I might keep a few things, but otherwise its not worth keeping around just to let it sit.

Well, I like having my own weapons archive and I see nothing wrong with having at least one of each type that intrigues me.
I do not feel any need to dispose of a weapon simply because I have not used it in a while.

Yes, yes I do. I took my mini 14 which I had for a year without shooting to the range yesterday. As well as a mini 30, GSR, and 1895G. But had another bunch who didn’t get to go.

I have guns that go several years without being fired, I don't consider myself a collector but I have some that aren't very practical. I've sold off everything I had that didn't do anything for me but that still leaves several that stay home a lot. I hardly ever shoot my 30-30s but wouldn't be without them, rarely shoot a couple of my 22 rifles but I've got just the one I need when I need it and I go years without shooting my 410 shotgun but it's another I wouldn't want to be without. Doesn't bother me at all, I've got what I want when I want it.

I can say that I dont enjoy having a lot of guns. I very easily keep it under 20 and usually hover around 12-15.

I enjoy many without shooting, as some have stated. Collecting is enjoyable in and of itself sometimes.

My collection isn't as large as others, but I will admit that have more than 10. I normally rotate them to make sure they all get some use, however due to ammo shortages, I've taken some of the rotation schedule.

Also, even though I reload, I keep some off the rotation schedule, to keep ample ammo for those I shoot more regularly like IDPA matches.

When shortages are no more, especially in primer arean, I'll get them all back in rotation.

CH

I solved the problem buy taking multiple high quality color and some black and white pictures if I was staging period shots of each firearm that I have. So I have hundreds of pictures on CD's and my phone. Background and color has a lot to do with making a firearm look great. Then when I get nostalgic I can look at them and bring back the memories of all the good times I had with them and if it gets real bad I'll dig out one or two and satisfy my need. Ah the good times.

My safe is packed but there’s still a little room. Yes there are some guns I don’t shoot much, and some I have never shot. Some I have shot a lot, others just a few times. There is not a whole heck of a lot that takes the fun out of something, it does sometimes make it fewer and further between. I’m actually considering downsizing, with the intention of getting something significant and special. Likely something that will not fit in a safe... no clue. The point is that I have stuff because I enjoy having stuff. Some of the items I enjoy because of some connection to a person...family heirlooms for example. Some of the items I enjoy because of what I did to get them... my first rifle and shotgun each cost me a summer of neighborhood mowing profits. Others I bought and nurtured back to working condition and enjoyed the process. Some I just bought because I like them. None of that changes the reason I have them, and none of that really matters in the grand scheme. If I sell off 2/3 of my collections then I could very realistically get some stuff done around the house and have some new toys at the end of the day, but then I wouldn’t be able to go through the safe and smile at the memories that the items bring up. The ones I don’t feel attached to are the ones that move along.