Which phrase best describes you?

Reward offered for return of my guns

I was on a fishing and pleasure cruise near Alaska, off one of the Aleutian Islands, just south of the Aleutian Chain.

The engines caught fire.

All my gear, including all three of my guns, sunk to the bottom with the boat.

I am offering a $1000 reward to anyone who can salvage them.

Should anyone decide to try to recover them, this tragic boating accident occured at approximately 51 Degrees North, 177 Degrees East.

As luck would have it, at the deepest part of the Aleutian Trench, about 25,000 feet.

Go for it. The offer of the reward will stand until February 23rd, 2024.

Scene of the unfortunate accident:

Yeah, yeah..we get it. boating accident. No guns. Got it. ATF wrote it down. Let's all just file that away and stop posting it on every thread.

This is one thread I can't have my wife looking at. I've told her for years that most guys have hundreds of guns.

Well most of my guns are milsurps, so that knocks my overall value down quite a bit. They're still nice guns though.

Methodology here is skewed at best.

"Few nice expensive guns" for most folks is hanguns above $800, rifles at 1k. Almost *any* 22s in the collection throw that off, as do military guns that may well have been purchased if they're not cheap.

Accessories can throw the figures off amazingly too - large caliber suppressors, night vision, beta drums, etc start adding up stupid fast, as do those fools who ordered magazines by the 250+ cases when they were < $1 @ but are now in the $10+ range. Conversely, if I have six of the same handgun, am I really going to have 6x as many magazines and accessories as if I only owned one?

Upper range of what you're asking for is a bit unrealistic as well, there just frankly aren't huge numbers of 1k+ guns, and most collectors don't put mega scopes etc on rifles that are for largely storage.

Without a MG, that's a realistic unobtanium number. Past the 50 gun point, that's probably multiple MGs.

I say this being in the 'I am my own gun store' club.

Realistically it may be "What is the single most expensive firearm you own" is a better representative - simply because I own multiple guns well above the scale you're listing but magically don't hate cheap ones either.

There's also the natural progression I saw working in the industry where cheaper purchases give way to gradually more expensive ones as the inexpensive gun variety is exhausted.

And last, it doesn't touch the people who *bought* things when they were cheap. FALs, if you could build them, used to be cheaper than AKs, etc. You couldn't give away some S&W guns. Garands were $250 at pawn shops indefinitely. Etc.

Suppose I should add where this list really gets skewed is when you're a collector of odd as well as functional - my "Reagan gun" RG .22 doesn't exist in my collection because of what it cost, ditto my Carcano. Throw those two in a blender and watch them eat up the average value of the HKs and FALs and Eurotrash specials.

Gee, NetJunkie, I didn't think anyone ever read any of my posts anyway. Thanks for assuaging my doubts!

rfurtkamp, sounds like you're worked up enough to start your own, superior thread with poll! I look forward to it!

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Nah, just pointing out the flaws in practice.

I avoid epeening list threads in general as a matter of principle. I'm fortunate to have what I have, and know people who make me look like I have a single Jennings 22 in my collection by comparison.

26-50 guns, with avg value of $500-$1,000 was my vote...things are a little higher priced in Vegas.

230RN;

Im interested in your reward. But I first need all my expenses paid up front. Then once your guns are recovered, I'll collect the $1000.

K?

Expenses are estimated to be $176,000 for the first two weeks of searching. $53,000 for each week after that. I won't quit until I find the wreck or until you run out of money.

Deal?

Well then let me point out the flaw in your armchair quarterbacking, Mr. Statistician. Start your own allegedly better poll which you describe or kindly can it.

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I'll ignore the personal attacks as per forum expectations.

then how does that further our goal of gaining useful information?

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Number and average value indicate nothing in practice in relation to your actual question:
"You more of a "few nice expensive guns" or "many less expensive guns" kind of guy or gal?"

Large collections indicate neither in practice - which says there's a problem with the question
in relation to the poll. Collecting/ownership/use don't create an either/or scenario.

An example would be the collection of one of the old folks I know, he has everything from first-generation autopistols
to drillings to carbon-fiber AR15s. Realistically, due to the depth of his collection, and without NFA items (as they
require paperwork which has never interested him), even the $20k guns won't make up for the suicide specials.

There's a dichotomy in your original question that's not indicated in the poll itself. $1k per weapon is quite high
for a collector of pistols and handguns when used examples of even most 'high end' guns are far less than that. Apologies
to the guy here who collects nothing but NIB Broomhandles and Webley-Fossberries. To a collector of drillings or guns in that
price range, 1k is pocket change, he'll laugh at someone with shooters with faded bluing and that lack factory engraving and
inlays. For a collector of derringers (and we have at least one here), 1k is an extreme rarity per weapon.

Further, what constitutes a 'nice expensive gun' these days is so subjective it hurts - in my time in the business,
the average handgun buyer was looking to spend between 300-500, that was the sweet spot for sales. $900+ guns moved extremely
slowly, half the time it was staff who bought them. Most rifles ended up about the same, with exceptions for EBR stuff or used
package deals with exceptional glass (which is exceedingly rare, most shooters end up with Tasco and Bushnell).

I'd design something better to armchair quarterback, but the field of play you've created isn't clear enough to map a coherent strategy on.

I'm very near that $1000 mark. I do not tolerate "junk"!

That doesn't mean I don't own inexpensive firearms. My Ruger 10/22 is the least expensive firearm, my HK-91 is my most expensive. In between those are custom and factory Reminton 700's, Remington shotguns, Kimber, HK, Glock, CZ's, Dan Wesson, Browning, Savage, etc.

I won't quit until I find the wreck or until you run out of money.

Deal?

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No deal. There's no limiting factor, since if I run out of money, the government will just print up more Federal Reserve scrip and bail me out, inasmuch as my personal economic well-being is vital to the US economy.

No answer on the poll because I don't list my inventory. I fall in the more than I need but nowhere near as many as I want category.

Fishing accident.


Honest.

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Lost them in Ike.



Really.

Ok. Work will resume once you get your newly printed money to keep economy afloat.

You know, I was thinking...since my personal financial well being is so important to keep the economy afloat, i'm going to quit paying taxes...you know, just to do my part to keep the economy afloat.

Is it time to start trading dollars for euros yet?

11-25 guns, with avg value of $250-$500

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Dang Mosins, they keep having puppies. Got to get 'em spayed.

Mine are pretty much in the $250-$500 range. Im poor...

I've read a couple of somewhat funny posts. First, is that it is impossible to be in the over 50 category and over $1000. Well, it is not that impossible. I've had some good years and like nice guns. I do own some polymers and other guns in the $500-$700 price range, they get averaged into the mix with my nickel Colts ($1500+), Performance Center pistols($1200+), Custom rifles ($2500+), Custom finish guns($1600)+) and older guns that I find new in box, etc. Since all of my guns are listed in a spread sheet with purchase prices and approximate values, I easily fit into the highest section in the poll.

Second, it is comical to read the posts of guys that won't talk about their guns. (Lost at sea, all stolen, and what gun posts.) I would love to be able to know if their collections had more than a couple of guns.

Second, it is comical to read the posts of guys that won't talk about their guns. (Lost at sea, all stolen, and what gun posts.) I would love to be able to know if their collections had more than a couple of guns.

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I said I lost all three of them: Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol.

I first heard that bit about "lost in a tragic boating accident" about three years ago and laughed like heck over it. It's almost a classic, and I love to generate quasi-plausible variations on the theme.

I pity the poor Son-Of-A-Gun who actually loses his in this way.

For myself, I actually lost them all in a tragic pool game to a cute little blonde girl who needed to be shown how to chalk up her cue. "You rub this little blue thing on the tip? What's that supposed to do?"

I bet my guns against her motorcycle.

I never even got a chance to shoot.

True story. Very and sadly true.

*snif*

Hi 230RN

I bet my guns against her motorcycle.

I never even got a chance to shoot.

True story. Very and sadly true.

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Hey! I offered to sell them all back to you!
*innocent smile*
Selena

I answered based on the value of the guns NOT including optics, bipods, etc. If we included optics, that would knock me into the next tax bracket, so to speak.