This is a minor resurrection, but I have to say that my purchasing habits have changed. The first gun I ever bought for myself was an 870 combo because buying it was cheaper than buying another barrel for my Benelli. I ended up selling it five years later having shot it very little. Still, I wish I had kept it and given it away as a gift instead.
Anyway, at first, I was buying guns because they fit a broad role. Shotgun for hunting? Check. Rifle for hunting? Check. Carry pistol? Check.
Then I got into niche guns. Trap shotgun? Clays shotgun? AR? Long-range rifle? Competition pistol? Check, check, check...
Now I can say that I am into sub-niches/flat-out overlapping. I am not a focused collector (western guns, Italian guns, weheelguns, etc) but I am a shooter who enjoys just about everything that goes bang. I have a long list to fill, and while there are some guns I don't shoot often (or, in the case of some antiques I have received as gifts, at all) I still want to have them around. The guns I have bought and not liked I have sold almost immediately. Because I scout out good deals, I almost always make my money back. More often than not, though, when I buy it, I will eithe rkeep it or give it as a gift to a friend or family member. I like to promote safe and responsible gun ownership and, much like a quality knife, many people don't realize they were missing one until they have one.