Are guns impulse buys?

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I look through the local gun ads and 1/3 of the guns for sale where purchased with in the last month.

another reason i think is buying most handguns is like buying a motorcycle.. most places wont let you test it out before buying one.. and with both .. what you want and think you need might not fit as well as you though it would.. i have found that out with both guns and bikes. about the only thing that keeps me from doing alot of impulse buying .. LOL is the fact i have to save for awhile before being able to buy one.. that gives me more time to research what i think i need at the moment. and time to think about it.

shawn
 
Walked into my local favorite guns store today for the first time in a week or so.

Sitting on one of the counters was a spiffy new Barrett .50 BMG - price tag $8999.00.

:what:

Talk about having no problem at all controlling my impulses.


Shore wuz purdy though.......
 
I normally know what I want before going to a gunshop. However, occasionally I'll see something I want...so, occasionally a gun is an impulse buy. My habit is to put a deposit down so I can think about it for a day or so.
My most recent "impulse' buy is a Ruger New Vaquero .357 Magnum with a 5½" barrel (blued/CCH). I like the gun and got a good price (was on consignment).
If I'd ordered this revolver, it would have been a 4 5/8ths barrel.
 
Very few of my purchases haven't been planned out months if not years in advance. Most of the remaining impulse buys I came to regret later.
 
Most of my gun purchases are impulse buys. I never know what I might find but I am always looking out for a nice 1911.
I did bid on one in a auction and ended up with it a few weeks ago. Paid a little more than I wanted to but I wanted it so oh well.

Last gun show a week ago I picked up a few guns. spent all of my money and ended up not seeing the pistol I really wanted untill I had spent my limit. Did pick up two of the cmp mossberg model 44's in 22 cal. they were like new with sights and two mags per rifle. paid $180 each so I had to take them home.
Then found a ruger single six in 22 mag made in like 1959 for $150 and a colt snub nose detective special nickle 38 for $275.
Lastly was a colt 1911 ww1 remake in the carbonia blue with the box and everything for $750. Then had the chance to buy a 1925 colt commercial 1911 for $1,200 but I had already spent my limit and then some.

Now the only thing i really wanted was the 1911 I bought but everything else I took home was a impulse buy.
 
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Never an impulse buy. I always research what I'm looking for in a gun. It usually takes me at least 6 mo. before I'll buy anything. I don't want to purchase something that I'll regret later.:)
 
Well, I will admit to taking a look at an XD-45 and buying it on the spot...while my wife was waiting out in the truck. At least I ran back outside to tell her it would be a few more minutes. Total time from arriving to driving off with my new pistol...less than 15 minutes.

PS Great pistol, love it. It's my open carry pistol.
 
To me buying a gun is like, looking for a wife. There is a large selection to choose from, Just keep trying them out till you find that perfect match.
 
All of my guns have been seriously considered prior to purchase. The only exception being a Remington 710 rifle. That kind of just happened. I went into the shop to buy some ammo and reloading stuff. Showed my firearm certificate to the guy behind the counter(whom I know well) and he noticed I had a slot for a 30-06 One thing led to another and somehow I ended up buying it. I actually got a brand new rifle for about $200 - that was £100 in real money back then. It was the last in the shop. I know a lot of people don't rate this rifle much but I've always been very pleased with it. I've never bought a gun that proved a disappointment.
 
Are we talking impulse buy or impulse choice?

I have put together the funds many times to buy a new gun and then you end up buying what is there. For example: I held a new HK45 in my hand. I resisted the urge to whip out the plastic, left and went back to store days later and it was gone. I walked out with a Ruger SS Bullbarrel Mark III. It was also on my list.
 
I have never bought a gun on impulse. I find that researching and shopping for a gun are always more fun than owning it.
 
To me an impulse buy is when I shop for one thing and buy something I had no intention of shopping for, like buying a flashlight at the checkout counter display when all I went for was a box of nails.

If I intentionally go someplace where there is an object that I might be in the market for and I decide to buy it, then that is a quick decision, not an impulse.

If I go into a gun store or pawn shop I know there are products in there that I want. Going into the store may be an impulse, completing a subsequent transaction is not.
 
Impulse Buys??

I wouldn't call any gun purchase I've made as an impulse buy, like buying a candy bar just because it was beside the cash register. I usually shop around to see where I can get the best price for a certain gun I want, usually after trying out one that either a friend has, or I'll try them out at a range that rents guns.

I don't understand the hate of Mosins here though, if there's a type of firearm I do collect, it's military firearms, usually more centered on WW-II firearms. The chance to hold and use a firearm quite likely used in combat carries with it the history of the world, of great struggle against evil. And if you've ever shot one of these rifles, you quickly learn that the craftsmanship of the people who built these guns long ago is far superior to some stuff you see on sale today.

I proudly own a 1942 model Mosin 91/30 with a rounded receiver, and a Enfield made in 1942. As soon as I get a little more saved up, and the CMP store at Camp Perry reopens, I'll buy a Garand or 2, and I will always want an Inland M-1 carbine and a Remington-Rand 1911 pistol, not because they're superior shooters, but for sentimental reasons, the Inland's were built (or at least some of them) in a factory here in Dayton, the R-R 1911's were made (again same deal) in a plant in my home area of Marietta, Ohio.
 
Wow, yeah I would have to say they are an impulse buy. So this is what helps when you head out to the shop. Know what you want before you go. Research what your looking for. Get an idea of what you should pay for it, some shops will “bend you over”. Gun broker and some other sites are great for getting a general idea of what you should pay. Also make a list you can take with you, write it down. I fell victim to this a few weeks ago. I did all of the above but didn’t write it down. Got to the gun shop and emotions took over, impulse buy and well in the end it cost me!
 
Dark Skies,

Reading your post about the "firearms certificate" put a few things in perspective for me. We've got it very good in this country. I hear they are pushing for knife registration now? ***? If you are sick of that crap, I'd start pulling for Daniel Hannan to replace Brown.

And to clarify, I have never bought a gun of which I was completely ignorant. I am pretty knowledgable about firearms and have evaluated just about every gun I've read about for "buying potential." If something grabs my interst, I may not run out and get it, but if I run across a good deal and I can afford it, it will probably come home with me. The key is knowing the market.
 
I suppose most of my guns were technically bought on impulse. We have this great gun shop here in Tucson which has mostly used guns. Love going in and just looking around. Problem is, they have pretty good prices - so every time I find something interesting/cool/pretty/etc, I end up buying it. For example, I went in last year thinking I'd like to have a .357 Magnum. They happened to have a very gently used Ruger GP100 for a great price. I wasn't specifically looking for a GP100, but it felt great in my hand and the price was right, so I bought it. Went back recently looking for a .44 Magnum. I'm a fan of Ruger, so was looking at the Redhawks, but ended up buying a S&W 629 - again, because it felt good in my hand and was a good price. Then there was this great sporterized 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser Carbine - for $229, I just couldn't pass it up. Just this past week I went in looking for a gun for my wife to shoot - they had a beautiful shiny old S&W Model 15 4" bbl .38 special - it was perfect, so I bought it. Impulse? technically, yes, but I have been more than pleased with all of my impulse purchases.
 
No impulse buys for me. All the guns I've bought have been thoroughly researched. I know that it may take some fun out of the process, but I've never ended up with a gun that I don't like.
 
Honestly, I think most of mine have been impulse buys. A few were planned. Like the M1 .30 carbine I bought Saturday. That was impulse all the way and it felt great. :)
 
I've only ever made one impulse buy, the Lee Enfield I got last year in the wrapper, and that was only because I'd had one on my "I might like to own one of those" lists for a while, and ran across one.

I define impulse buy as in "Did I see it and buy it without calling my wife first?"
 
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