Buying a 2nd gun and more and more

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Golden_006

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I bought my first gun after Obama got elected. But why do I want more and more?

I've only shot it once and it was fairly recently. So it really sat for awhile.

I realize many have a collections going over the course of years, but every time I want to buy one it seems like a should get some more experience and ammo and learn with what I have, and it seems a pretty expensive indulgence to just buy on impulse. Do you have budgets for new guns or schedule to buy guns?



Background info (skip if you like)

I had to pay the gun shop to clean my rifle (SKS) for me. This is very typical of me -- get obsessive about new hobby and quickly burn out and find a new one. I bought a harley - first time riding in 2 years (and that was a honda). I barely took it on the highway / barely rode it. It did need work however and took me awhile to sort it out / gave up /saved up for the dealer to fix it.
 
Do you have budgets for new guns or schedule to buy guns?

I used to have a long list of guns and a price I was willing to pay for each one. Eventually, I got just about everything on the list. The list started some time around 10 years old and I added to it every once in a while.

I read your thread asking if we all must be millionaires. You bought your SKS at the highest price they have been in years. If you do your research and are patient you can guns for relatively cheap prices.

Many of the items on my list were not what I hoped for. Since I bought them cheap, I sold them for a profit, which allowed me to buy more guns on my list.

but every time I want to buy one it seems like a should get some more experience and ammo and learn with what I have, and it seems a pretty expensive indulgence to just buy on impulse.

This seems like a good way of thinking. Guns aren't cheap, and ammo isn't either. The easiest/cheapest way to get experience is to get a .22. Most people that grew up shooting learned on one. I sold a ton of ARs and AKs in the past year to people who were buying their first gun. Most of them never shoot them due to ammo costs.
 
We all (more or less) feel the same desire to buy more guns and often fight to control the impulse to buy a new gun. I'm a little better at budgeting now but there have been times that my guns and ammo budget was set by my credit card limit.

Anyone here who doesn't want to buy more and more?

I'm presently on a strict timeout. I'm allowed to buy 9mm when the Winchester White Box sells for less than $20 a box and the 7.62x54R is less than $150 a case (880rds). And if I find a Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine for less than $300. But other than that, absolutely nothing for at least 6 months.

I believe that there are many millions of Americans - not yet gun owners - who once in a while think "I really need to learn about firearms and buy a gun." And then when some triggering event happens like the Rodney King riots or 9/11 or Y2K comes along another couple of million make their first buy.

You owe it to yourself to learn about your gun and become skillful in it's use. Get some training, read online forums, buy a couple of books. There is probably a forum specializing in your kind of gun. I think it's a blast to learn how to take apart your gun and clean it properly and make a few small improvements.

I love the AGI DVDs. http://www.americangunsmith.com/index.php?id=1

Find friends who love guns and can help teach you what you need to learn and encourage you to get out shooting.

Don't let your gun gather dust. It deserves to be well used and cared for.

AL
 
This is very typical of me -- get obsessive about new hobby and quickly burn out and find a new one.

While you don't stand to lose nearly as much money reselling guns as with cars, bikes, boats, etc., if you know you're likely to abandon the hobby, it would not be prudent to spend a bunch of money on it. Just my $0.02
 
I also have a mental list. When I check one off the list I don't quit looking at those models though. There is always a little nicer example out there. As mentioned, never fall in love with a house or a rifle. If ya get a chance to make good money, Go for it. More than a few times I've come home from the range with an empty gun case and a pocket full of money
 
I started out just wanting a 12ga for home defense. Then came the Tok to keep in the car in case I break down and needed to defend myself. I was jumped while changing a tire and that will NEVER happen again. Then I found about the older military rifles and I started wanting them. I bought the 10/22 as a toy since .22lr is so cheap and I love to shoot it.

I like to go to the gun stores and pawn shops and checkout the orphans nobody else seems to want. I also set a limit of X dollars i will spend for a gun. That way if something catches my eye, I can either say "well lit is too expensive for me." or if the price is in budget grab it :D
 
...I haven't spent anywhere near what a new bass boat and trailer cost....or what her new SUV cost...I drive an old truck and wear jeans...and buy guns...life is good!!!
 
It's because you are a man. Don't need a reason, it's what we do. My wife recently had a name for it, that I cannot remember. But the name was given to men that buy boats, and as soon as they buy their boat they immediately want a bigger one. She said I was the gun version of those boat guys. Damned if she didn't nail me on that, but I figure what the hell, how many f'n pairs of shoes do you have. Ha. As long as you're paying your bills, and don't go in debt doing it, enjoy your new hobby. I do!
 
Every toy i buy, i try to understand it fully. All the bits and pieces and history.

I wouldn't dream of having someone else clean my guns. Its free and easy to do yourself.
Would you have someone else pack your parachute?

There's tons of hobbies out there. On THR, we're shooting enthusiasts. If you're flighty between your interests, an inanimate object like a gun won't miraculously give you tunnel vision. I recommend taking a more active role: shoot more, BS with the fellas at the gun store, learn about related things like reloading &c.

And ride your bike there, or sell it and buy some nice guns with the loot. Unlike a gun, a bike must be insured and have a license plate...if you're not riding, that's wasting good money.
 
Hmmm, the Lay's Pototo Chip syndrome, as applied to gun ownership? Perish the thought. Never heard of it. :p

Warning: It will likely last way longer than your motorcycle frenzy.
 
Also, I think of guns like tools or golf clubs; they have niches.

I guess you've got a car to compliment your bike? yep, you'll need a .22lr to compliment your SKS. Then a heavy, long range rifle...kinda like a bike v. car v. truck. But maybe you'll want to upgrade from a Honda to a Mercedes....SKS to AR?
 
Generally speaking, I figure out what I want next, and save until I can afford it.

That will change a bit if I see something that I consider to be a great deal though.
 
I had to pay the gun shop to clean my rifle (SKS) for me.
Heck, cleaning them is a quarter of the fun (shopping, research & collecting, and getting them dirty being the other 3/4).

Just last night I took the butt plate off a '23 Tula Mosin-Nagant rifle and the raw wood had the most fantastic smokey woody smell ever - even my wife agreed (though she still turns her nose up at Hoppes and BreakFree CLP).

You might also find that your interests wane or rise w/ the type of gun. I, personally, am a rifle man. To me handguns are last-ditch tools for self-defense & shotguns are for busting clay pigeons. I enjoy each but only really get excited about rifles - C&R .22LRs to the latest EBRs in .457 OMG, it's all good.

You might try getting a handgun & a shotgun and see if either of those appeal more to you. If not, hell, you can always sell them for a profit during a "Blue" administration.
 
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We all have our wish lists, which ebb and flow. I have an ongoing collection of USGI surplus rifles I'm always looking to add to - right now I'm looking for an IBM M1 Carbine and an Eddystone M1917. I came across the Eddystone a couple weeks ago, but didn't have the cash for it. But there will always be another one.

Sometimes I'll want a certain gun, shoot it for six months or a year, lose interest and sell or trade it for something else. I find that I have a tendency to sell one gun with the intention of using the proceeds to buy another, but I end up spending some cash and replacing it with two more instead. I picked up a nice Maadi AK-47 last summer, shot it twice, and remembered I can't stand the AK platform (I did the same thing about 5 years ago with a WASR). Hoping to find someone who wants to trade for that M1 Carbine...

And sometimes it's hard to pass up a deal. I just picked up a brand new P22 in trade for a case of reloaded 9mm I picked up at an estate sale for next to nothing. I wasn't particularly looking for a P22, but it found me - I put 500 rounds through it at the range last night, cleaned it up good, and now it'll probably sit in my safe until I use it for a class or trade it away in another deal.

Thus is the life of a gun nut...
 
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