Backup guns

It depends.

How much do you need the money?
How much do you need the space?
How much do you like the gun in question?
Do you have friends or family that you want to take hunting or shooting?
Do you have a good way to sell guns that won't be more bother than the gun is worth?
Finally, will there be any regrets?

Most of us.. when we want something... will usually come up with more than one reason to have it... I'm no different except that when it comes to guns all of my experience has lead me to regard them as nothing more than tools for one or more tasks... I'm not a hunter, like my brother, except when it came to hunting two legged critters - and I'm not doing that any more...

I've got a Mossberg Shockwave and a Mossberg 500 but the Glock 17/22 on my belt is more likely to be used for HD.

Keep all of them. Use the cheap stuff as beater guns so you don't mess up the good ones. You could keep one in your truck. on bad weather hunts you could use the cheap deer rifles to keep water out of your nice ones.
Or you could give what you don't want to me

Axis II

Kind of depends on when was the last time you used one of these "back-up" guns. I mean do you really need three deer rifles when one would do the trick during hunting season. Or are they just taking up space in your gun safe. If you're not using them, I would try selling them on consignment and get something else that I wanted.

I adhere to the adage: Two is one and one is none. Except sometimes my two is five or six.

When I read the headline I thought you were gonna discuss self defense back up guns. In that vein, even if you were chased into the seldom used back closet of my 3rd bedroom you would be covered, if you knew where it was hidden, same as every room, closet, bathroom, etc in my house.

Guess you need to define "backup." If I'm traveling any distance to hunt, I usually take two suitable firearms, just in case one develops a problem. But I don't own multiple guns specifically for that purpose.

Its a decision only you can make. It could be largely centered around the need for space, or possibly to turn the cans into some other desire or need. If you do not need the cash maybe you need the space or vice versa ? If it bothers you to have something sitting around unused then maybe it makes sense to move it and use the funds for something else more enjoyable.

I've seldom used need to justify a firearm purchase. I do like a "backup" or secondary rifle to hunt deer with. The season here is 15 days long, if something happens to my main rifle, it is good to know I have a secondary rifle I can put into action if need be. Truth is I always have 2 rifles in camp these days. Other that that need is hardly a qualifier.

-Jeff

I have back-ups, spares, and duplicates.

Sometimes they get used as loaners. When ever I travel to hunt, I'll bring a back-up. I also believe in task/purpose driven hunting rifles, so I've got 5 deer rifles, each one set up for a particular scenario/environment.

My duplicates are for defensive guns, just because I like to practice and I don't often clean my practice guns. The guns I carry or keep for HD are kept clean.

I generally carry a cheaper rifle as a backup during deer season in case it rains or something happens to mine or my hunting partners rifles everyone can continue to hunt

Seems to me you just want to dump the mossberg because it didn't cost $800.
In my humble opinion. That only took me 60 years to come up with. If you want a gun that can send more ammo down range. A gun that could fail at any time, for any reason or no reason at all and cost more. Buy a semi auto. If you want a reliable gun thats much less likely to fail And cost less. Buy something else. Just me.

I can justify having several deer rifles based on things like where I am hunting, expected distance, whether I am in a ground blind or tower stand, if I will have a rest, and so on. Not to mention the chance I may have an issue with a rifle (like it gets dropped and lands on the scope and I need a rifle sooner than I am able to check the zero on the one I dropped) and so on. The Mossberg could become a dedicated gun for ducks (vs messing up your expensive auto) or be modified accordingly to be a dedicated turkey gun, or even a slug gun with an optic if you may hunt in an area that rifles are not permitted. The cheap 22 may be something to keep in a barn or on a tractor- I don't know your situation.

If I have picked up a new deer rifle I look at the upcoming season with added anticipation as to how the handload will perform on a a deer or bear.

There is nothing wrong with having more hunting rifles than you "need." I do. But I don't own any for the sole purpose of backup, although any might find itself in that role if I elect to hunt with another. I didn't buy my last deer-capable rifle because I needed it, nor was it intended to displace another in the safe. I simply bought it because I wanted to play with a new-to-me cartridge.

I've always found hunting to be a duty and a chore.
I hope that I'll never need to do it again.
BUT - if I do, I plan to not only have a suitable rifle, shotgun and ammo but also rifles, shotguns and ammo for a few others that will also need to hunt to provide for themselves and their families.

When I go deer hunting with my Dad I always bring a backup rifle in the caliber I am shooting as well as a backup in the caliber he is shooting. And extra ammo for both. Because any endeavor he is involved with tends to be as inelegant as a soup sandwich.

I have trap guns, my #1, a backup, a backup to the backup, another that I bought because I always wanted one and one more because it belonged to a friend who beat me regularly with it. Then there is one more. Not going to start on skeet and hunting guns.
I figure if you have the money, space, and interest, why not.
22s, I have a few, but not too few to mention.

Sawdust1 said:

I generally carry a cheaper rifle as a backup during deer season in case it rains or something happens to mine or my hunting partners rifles everyone can continue to hunt

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FL-NC said:

I can justify having several deer rifles based on things like where I am hunting, expected distance, whether I am in a ground blind or tower stand, if I will have a rest, and so on. Not to mention the chance I may have an issue with a rifle (like it gets dropped and lands on the scope and I need a rifle sooner than I am able to check the zero on the one I dropped) and so on.

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I typically bring a second rifle both to have a backup and also I like a lighter faster shooting gun for close stands or on drives, and a heavier longer range option for when I’m sitting all day and have some of the longer shots available.

Typically my wife’s small .308 with a 2-7 scope and my M1A are the combo. But I’m hoping to really dial in a load for my AR 6.5 Grendel to handle both tasks, and then I’d still bring a backup.

I never go to the range with only one gun.

Here's my Black Mamba and my backup Ruger Mark IV. I have three barrels for the Mark IV depending on what I'm shooting at the time. The 10 inch for fun, 5.5 inch for Bullseye and 4.5in Lite barrel for Steel Challenge backup.

JR24 said:

I typically bring a second rifle both to have a backup and also I like a lighter faster shooting gun for close stands or on drives, and a heavier longer range option for when I’m sitting all day and have some of the longer shots available.

Typically my wife’s small .308 with a 2-7 scope and my M1A are the combo. But I’m hoping to really dial in a load for my AR 6.5 Grendel to handle both tasks, and then I’d still bring a backup.

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I miss long range shots deer hunting. My longest range shot since I moved to Fl 5 years ago was 100 yards. Most are less than 50.

FL-NC said:

I miss long range shots deer hunting. My longest range shot since I moved to Fl 5 years ago was 100 yards. Most are less than 50.

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Yeah, I only have the one field where I could possibly get out to 350-400 or so. Most shots I get are under 75, in reality.

I had to pass up on a pretty good shot on a buck at 400 a few years back, only had my .300 BLK on me at the time and I surely wasn’t gonna use that at such a range. Last year I hunted with the BLK.