Have you ever felt like you have too many firearms?

[jrdolall]

I freely admit that I have too many guns. I have guns that have not been fired in 20 years that are perfectly serviceable but there are just so many range sessions. I have several guns that are virtually identical, mostly older military guns. I have multiple 30-06's, 30-30's, AR's, AK's, etc. I have nearly 20 "pocket guns" in my search for the perfect one and I still haven't found it.

I have no desire to sell any of them but I do plan to make sure my kids have access to them.

 

[Tony50ae]

Old Dog posted

Sometimes rediscovering why you originally bought a piece is as satisfying as the feeling you had when first you acquired it.

I agree with that! As far as do I feel I have to many guns? Not yet. It took me nearly 16 years to acquire the 16 guns I have now. I do find myself about to slow down. I like diversity but having 16 guns in 12 different calibers is a bit much. I kinda wish that I had less calibers. But then it is also nice because during the last ammo shortage, I was able to find a couple of available calibers.

 

[zchry]

Competing calibers means not being able to shoot any single one extensively. Competing "platforms," if it will be excused, means not being as fluent in that set of operating controls.

It has been applauded in the past to acquire as many skill sets as we can - but the reality for a lot of us who can't afford to be more than recreational shooters, is we only get more different ways to do it wrong.

A revolver isn't a single stack single action pistol, isn't a double stack double action pistol. Nobody suggests you rotate thru a different handgun each day. Nobody suggests you rotate thru bolt, lever, pump, AR, and AK at a different rifle stage in a 3Gun match.

I'd like to see one done that way. All it would do is prove even the most expert shooter with one gun isn't so quick with another. And that those who constantly switch back and forth are good jacks of all trades, but not expert at any.

Most of us aren't even that. Possessing a lot of different guns does not mean being good with any one of them. All it means is that you have a bunch of guns. It doesn't mean any more than that. I own three hammers, five saws, two B&D WorkMates, a bag full of carpentry tools, a bag of electrical tools, a bag of plumbing tools, a bag of masonry tools. I'm not any of those trades and none would ever claim me. Owning the tools doesn't qualify you as being knowledgeable. Even competent.

I'm selling off - to have one type of handgun, one type of PDW/carbine. All my practice and shooting dedicated to just those. I get too little as it is, and the reality is so do most shooters.

Just posting the point of view you won't normally see here. Groups tend to affirm what they collectively gather to share, but it doesn't mean it's the norm.

I honestly don't understand that. Might be that I'm still young but you can toss me pretty much any rifle or shot gun and I'll do well with it. Can't comment on hand guns, but pretty much long as the longarm isn't a muzzle loader or similar I'd be fine.

 

[Manny]

Back upon a time I went thru a period when I was losing interest in guns & shooting. I had a safe stuffed full of guns that I'd bought because they were interesting. Lots of cool rifles in neat oddball calibers, a whole bunch of big bore hand cannons. all pretty awesome in their own right, but pretty much none of very much practical use to me. All were expensive to shoot, so consequently I didn't much. I'd gone from a shooter who got interested in collecting guns to a collector who pretty much stopped shooting. The only problem was, I killed my interest in shooting and I was deriving no pleasure from the mere fact that I was gun owner with an impressive accumulation of weapons that did nothing more than sit in a safe.

I rectified my loss of interest by getting rid of my collector guns and replacing them with "shooter" guns. I did away with with the oddball chamberings and expensive ammo and bought weapons that took common, cheap to buy ammo. I also came to the realization that mere ownership of something wasn't what brought me any pleasure. It was the fact that I had a usefull selection of weapons I liked, found useful and could afford to shoot that brought the pleasure back into my hobby. I have a special fondness these days for Ruger d/a revolvers in .357, "Tupperware" 9mm's and Ruger 10/22's. Those are the guns I shoot the most by far, using .38+p's, 9mm & .22lr. They brought the fun back into shooting and are the most useful to me. And while I own multiples of each, I have no need or desire to fill safes with them.

My "right" number of guns is purposely constrained by the size of my safe. When I got my new safe several years back I bought one large enough to hold the guns I owned at the time, with a little extra room for future growth. These days I mostly have the long gun portion of my safe filled up, but still have room for a special gun if I desire, also room for more handguns or possibly a takedown if I want. I have guns to take care of my shooting needs & interests, a few spares for backup or to take a companion or two shooting if desired, and a couple extra for curiosity's sake. It's enough and I find myself pretty content and even considering selling a few. YMMV, but I find this to be a good fit & balance in my life.

 

[Sam1911]

Might be that I'm still young but you can toss me pretty much any rifle or shot gun and I'll do well with it.

"Do well with it" and "shoot it at my maximum capability" are two different things.

Most of us who come here can grab just about any rifle or handgun and probably hit a target easily enough and impress the average person.

But that's not in the same league as really achieving (or striving for) mastery of a weapon. My dad used to say, "well, you'd have got your deer," after just about any shot that hit the black part of the target. And that's how a lot of shooters traditionally have looked at firearms.

However, if you ever open the door to competition you'll discover that "doing well" kind of sucks, and "you'd have got your deer" just makes you embarrassed and mad. And that's to say nothing of introducing a timer into the situation and discovering that your "doing well" just went to "doing NOT well" when you were faced with time pressure, or that you were "doing well" but last in the group because it took you several seconds longer than the rest to make shots.

With all that in mind, Tirod's statements become a lot clearer. If you're picking up any of five, ten, or a hundred random rifles and pistols when you head out to the range, you might please yourself with doing "well" with any of them, but you'll never really hit a fraction of your potential that way. (Unless mediocre is your highest level of potential!) Going out day after day to train with the same firearm makes that firearm an extension of your body. You don't think, "where is the mag release?" You don't think, "ooh, keep that finger off the slide stop!" You see target arrays and put shots on them without being directly conscious of stopping to change mags or find the right stance.

I usually have found that I take several thousand rounds to really get completely in tune with a competition pistol when I change platforms.

I mention competition because that's where most people start to understand this. But the same truly applies to defensive shooting and training -- and even hunting. The consequences of missing a deer because you were a little clumsy with a rifle you don't shoot often are pretty minor. The consequences of not knowing precisely where a shot will land with this pistol are a bit more severe in competition. The consequences of bumbling with an unfamiliar sidearm when you're faced with an armed criminal could be quite bad.

I wouldn't say it's a matter of just being young, but rather a matter of not having challenged yourself to focus and excel in this area.




...

And that's not to denigrate anyone else. Some folks really enjoy having a collection of guns. That's their goal and that's their way of excelling: possessing a large and interesting quantity of items. And taking them out and having fun sending lead down range. More power to them!

 

[Cee Zee]

I really like people that have so many guns they get to thinking that they have too many. They are the people that sell used guns that have almost never been fired. I've gotten some real deals on guns because of that. Come to think of it I've probably sold a few like that too. I sold my second SKS and I hadn't shot it 50 times. It probably wasn't even close to that much. It looked like a brand new gun when I sold it and of course it was a milsurp. But I bought it from a batch that had been found stored in cosmoline since the 1950's. I cleaned it up really well then never shot it. It didn't have a chrome lined barrel so it rusted from just a few rounds of corrosive ammo. I didn't care much for that so I sold it. The guy who bought it freaked at how clean it looked. I've had that feeling a few times. My S&W 629, my Savage 12 LRPV, and one of the many Marlin 60's I've owned all looked like they hadn't been shot more than 10 times when I bought them. I saved a lot of money on what were essentially brand new guns.

 

[montanaoffroader]

Once upon a time I started to think that way, but not any longer. I was worried that I might run out of storage space, but my daughters are now helping me make more room by removing "extra" guns. :banghead:

I don't have a collection, just an accumulation of different types of firearms without much duplication of type or chambering. Now I'm faced with the classic issue of 2 kids, one gun (of a particular type). So I may be forced to pick up a few more, that way when they are finished picking over my carcass they can wind up with a fairly even split.........

 

[Baron_Null]

I don't.

I think the problem with diversity is overstated. There is no "equal time" rule forcing you to divide your practice equally or even proportionately between guns.
...
There is a fantasy in US folk culture about "the man with one gun" but it comes from an era when quality guns were a LOT more expensive compared to income. When a single accurate weapon cost several months wages and was lobbing pumpkins (slow fat heavy bullets), the guy who saved up for a good gun and practiced with it had a real edge.

For me, the issue isn't necessarily one of diversity as much as it is finances and especially time. Being that I recently turned 21, I am still at a point in my life where I am working many hours for not that much pay in order to get experience in my field. Because of this, finances are limited to the point where buying a shiny new gun limits ammunition purchases and potential expenditures on class time. Compound that with having to buy several calibers of ammunition, different magazines for different platforms, and still having to finish project guns I started, and it turns into a situation where not only is the hardware overly focused on but the building of skill set almost gets ignored in comparison.

The issue I have with diversity is that when I get a thing, I like to use it. I'm not of the mentality (yet) where I can have something sitting in the safe unused for years and feel alright about it. The way I see it, if I'm still making the mistake of focusing on hardware, but I'm buying redundant instead of additional platforms, I can at least be getting experience with similar guns while still giving attention to everything in my safe.

I really like people that have so many guns they get to thinking that they have too many. They are the people that sell used guns that have almost never been fired. I've gotten some real deals on guns because of that. Come to think of it I've probably sold a few like that too. I sold my second SKS and I hadn't shot it 50 times.

All the guns I've sold as of yet have been going to friends/family, and because of that several people who previously had not owned a firearm had started out with something from my personal collection.

 

[onelastshot]

Reflecting over the past , I can honestly say that I've had too many wives but, without question, I've never felt that I've had too many firearms. When the gun safe gets full you simply purchase another.

 

[dbmjr1]

As already stated: I have more than enough, but never too many.

 

[rondog]

When I start schlepping them up from the basement for a range trip, then back downstairs afterwards, that's when I question my sanity.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I certainly have bought more firearms than I wanted or needed due to the potential of not being able to get things. Started in early 1990s before Clinton assault weapon ban. I bough all kinds of magazines that had large. Spent a lot of money doing so. Glad I did as in 2000 CA banned and grandfathered what you had.

Recently, CA has an approved roster of handguns. Any change (and it can be as simple as a modification to the finish on the slide - seriously) as a to what is currently on the list will require the new version to have micro stamping. No pistol has this. As such firearms are falling off the list as they make minor minor changes. My solution has to buy many pistols of the same make and model that I use for CCW. I have to account for theft, loss, and wear that could potentially occur over the remainder of my life. As such I buy more than I need or want, just in case. It's frustrating.

As for ammo, I have seen too many panics that can impact supply. As such, I like to have on supply enough so I can shoot regular when it is hard to get ammo.

 

[1911 guy]

jrdolall hit on something I think is important. I could get by with a lot less guns than I have, but I am also hedging against circumstance for my kids. Whether their own economic circumstances not allowing disposable income to buy guns, ammo and training or political circumstances, I'm providing what I can now.

 

[SDGlock23]

I sometimes do just because I have a tendency to feel that if I don't use them very often then they're not needed, which isn't really true, but it is what it is.

 

[Ironicaintit]

"Too many" is so subjective. I have some that are sentimental heirlooms. for example, my dads 1909 remington mdl 12, .22LR. It was the first gun he ever shot as a kid. That isnt going anywhere. Neither is the model 12 winchester 16 gauge that he got as a teenager. Or the Ruger speed six which was the very first gun I ever shot, or my para p14 that never left my dads side. Not for sale! They stay quiet, clean and oiled. Except the para, i do carry it and stretch its legs on occasion.
Others i have because i happen to have them, they dont run right and i cant sell junk. Like my CIA cetme. I couldnt with good conscience let somebody buy that thing until it runs right. And once its fixed, i probably wont want to anyways. a circa 1990 FIE (tanfoglio) Titan 22 has become my nemesis, and i cannot rest until itll cycle reliably.
Others i keep just do to the rarity of the things and the impossibility of ever replacing them.

I like to stay practiced on a select few. My "go to" weapons should the need arise. You dont wanna have to stop and think, when there is no time to stop and think, right?

Like i tell my mom, when she says shes had enough practice, "it needs to be like driving your car. Its pitch black, you hop in and your hands know right where to go out of habit, and you know how it will react"
This concludes this rant

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Yup!

Last time I contemplated buying yet another safe.

Rifles were getting stacked in 3-4 deep and some of the lesser ones were causing safe-bites to the better ones. Initially, my solution was to get another safe to protect the nice rifles.

Silly really, considering so few of them were;
-Fired by me
-A pleasure to just look at
-Of considerable current or likely future "collector" value


I was very happy to cut the cord and realize that as far as I am concerned, I can in fact have too many as concerns what I already have and at the same time not have enough regarding still sought after firearms.

Now, I happily let rifles and handguns fall from my warm live fingers back into the "market" where others may enjoy them - or not. Either way, they're not standing around here cluttering the joint up.

They go 'cause they're ugly, they go 'cause their calibers are silly, they go 'cause they bore me... Sometimes they go 'cause they just don't have even one single something to make me rethink selling them.

Any regrets have been fleeting and seldom return.
Todd.

 

[Agsalaska]

"Do well with it" and "shoot it at my maximum capability" are two different things.

Most of us who come here can grab just about any rifle or handgun and probably hit a target easily enough and impress the average person.

But that's not in the same league as really achieving (or striving for) mastery of a weapon. My dad used to say, "well, you'd have got your deer," after just about any shot that hit the black part of the target. And that's how a lot of shooters traditionally have looked at firearms.

However, if you ever open the door to competition you'll discover that "doing well" kind of sucks, and "you'd have got your deer" just makes you embarrassed and mad. And that's to say nothing of introducing a timer into the situation and discovering that your "doing well" just went to "doing NOT well" when you were faced with time pressure, or that you were "doing well" but last in the group because it took you several seconds longer than the rest to make shots.

With all that in mind, Tirod's statements become a lot clearer. If you're picking up any of five, ten, or a hundred random rifles and pistols when you head out to the range, you might please yourself with doing "well" with any of them, but you'll never really hit a fraction of your potential that way. (Unless mediocre is your highest level of potential!) Going out day after day to train with the same firearm makes that firearm an extension of your body. You don't think, "where is the mag release?" You don't think, "ooh, keep that finger off the slide stop!" You see target arrays and put shots on them without being directly conscious of stopping to change mags or find the right stance.

I usually have found that I take several thousand rounds to really get completely in tune with a competition pistol when I change platforms.

I mention competition because that's where most people start to understand this. But the same truly applies to defensive shooting and training -- and even hunting. The consequences of missing a deer because you were a little clumsy with a rifle you don't shoot often are pretty minor. The consequences of not knowing precisely where a shot will land with this pistol are a bit more severe in competition. The consequences of bumbling with an unfamiliar sidearm when you're faced with an armed criminal could be quite bad.

I wouldn't say it's a matter of just being young, but rather a matter of not having challenged yourself to focus and excel in this area.




...

And that's not to denigrate anyone else. Some folks really enjoy having a collection of guns. That's their goal and that's their way of excelling: possessing a large and interesting quantity of items. And taking them out and having fun sending lead down range. More power to them!

Your last couple of sentences is me. You want to get as good as you can possibly get with one gun. I want every caliber the Savage 99 was ever made in and in the best condition I can find them in. Shooting them is more often than not an afterthought. Tirod paints a pretty narrow brush. You and he will sit at a range shooting for hours, fret over loadings, sights, grip angles, etc. for the same reason I, as a competitive golfer, will sit on a putting green and hit 8 footers for hours every week. Because its a fine line. Ultimately they are both hobbies and competitions with occasional real world applications. I get pretty pissed when I miss putts, but I could really care less about being as good as I can possibly be with any gun I own. I am just not interested. But I can understand your position and his point. And in that case it makes perfect since to consolidate and perfect. But thats certainly not everyone or even the majority of gun enthusiasts.

As for me to the OP, I will never own too many guns. But that's not to say I don't own guns I could get rid of. But I have a selling problem, as in I struggle with it. I will probably never again buy a new common production gun unless its a .22 or a revolver. I will buy custom stuff, especially deer rifles. And I will always buy older stuff every time I see a good one for a good price.

 

[Crayfish]

Yes, at least I have too many handguns (4). I hear laughing? As I get older I have this desire to simplify my life and that means owning less "stuff" in general. Smaller house,etc. I am still searching for the "one" handgun that would serve me for everything I need. The 3" SP 101 is darn close. As long as I have my 12 GA pump, single shot 410, 22 rifle and bolt 30.06 everything else is extra anyway.

 

[wojownik]

Yes. I started too many collections in too many directions. Simplifying can be a good thing. Freeing up cash can be good. Splitting up time with different hobbies is healthy.

Having too many to maintain and care for properly is not a good thing.

 

[Lord Teapot]

Last time I contemplated buying yet another safe.

Rifles were getting stacked in 3-4 deep and some of the lesser ones were causing safe-bites to the better ones. Initially, my solution was to get another safe to protect the nice rifles.

Silly really, considering so few of them were;
-Fired by me
-A pleasure to just look at
-Of considerable current or likely future "collector" value


I was very happy to cut the cord and realize that as far as I am concerned, I can in fact have too many as concerns what I already have and at the same time not have enough regarding still sought after firearms.

Now, I happily let rifles and handguns fall from my warm live fingers back into the "market" where others may enjoy them - or not. Either way, they're not standing around here cluttering the joint up.

They go 'cause they're ugly, they go 'cause their calibers are silly, they go 'cause they bore me... Sometimes they go 'cause they just don't have even one single something to make me rethink selling them.

Any regrets have been fleeting and seldom return.
Todd.

my solution to safe bites was to put em all in them $5 gunsocks walmart sells. downside to that solution is i could stack them deep, so they are stacked deep, and as such the ones in the back never get used.

 

[TRX]

My wife used to claim I did, but after she bought herself a Russian DPM she hasn't had much to say on the subject... it's hard to explain away a 19-pound "light" machine gun. And the two cases of ammo she bought because they were on sale...

 

[klausman]

The problem is that I regret having sold every gun I have parted with.

 

[X-Rap]

The problem is that I regret having sold every gun I have parted with.

There's a bunch I wish I could have back, my advise to those young and just starting to accumulate.
Work toward keeping a stash, start low $500 or so and work up to $2000 or more so that when you find one you like you can snatch it up before the next guy comes along and also so you won't feel the need/guilt to trade. Of course this stash must be replenished and the time it takes will change with your station in life and early on will require more prioritization than later.

 

[JSH1]

Yes. I'm thinking right now that I have too many guns with 2 revolvers, 3 shotguns, and 4 rifles.

Just last week I bought a 12 ga shotgun because it was a great price. Now I'm questioning why I needed a 12 ga when I already have a 20 ga and 410. What will the 12 ga do that the other's won't? Really I question if I need the 410 either, the 20 ga does everything I need a shotgun for.

Same thing with rifles. I recently aquired a 300 BLK and a 44 Mag. I wasn't planning on keeping the 300 BLK but one I got it, shot it and I liked it. But again, do I need it? I'd like to get a lever action but I can't really see the need for one. Would I shoot it enough to make the purchase worthwhile? Would I just stop shooting other guns I already have?

I'm not much of a collector. I don't see any reason to buy and store items that I don't use on a regular basis. Guns aren't any different.

 

[Ed Ames]

There is a reoccurring theme here of "having something you aren't actively/regularly using is waste". And every time I see it, I want to say something snarky. Since that is fairly unproductive I have instead been thinking about why that view doesn't satisfy me.

Here's what I have come up with:
I see guns as tools, no different than wrenches. Different jobs benefit from different tools, and having the right tools in your kit is empowering/enabling.

I can't imagine buying a 19mm wrench, using it, and trying to sell it off because I no longer have an immediate need for that exact tool at the moment. For that matter I have a TIG welding rig that cost more than any of my guns. I keep it even though months (or longer) can go by without me having a need to TIG weld anything. Having that welder tucked away, ready for anything from laying practice beads to building an airplane frame, makes me happy because it makes me more capable.

Couldn't I just buy or rent tools at need? No. I simply cannot rent, or count on buying, something as simple as a sighted in long range rifle when I need it. Or a 19mm wrench. The only things I can count on are what I can make myself, or what I already own. I could make a 19mm wrench in a pinch (I have a TIG welder after all) but I lack the skills and tooling to even make the rifled barrel of a long range rifle.

Which is why a safe full of guns, most of which I never shoot, makes me happier than the few guns I use most often and a pile of cash from selling whatever I don't immediately need would make me. Same reason my tool box contains special tools for disassembling engines I hope never to need to tear dowthe
ETA: thinking about it more, the exception for me is tools I will never use. Not "don't want to ever use" but truly won't use. E.g. I have a .460S&W snub nosed revolver listed in the trading post section. I have decided that the time will never come when I need what it uniquely offers. When the time comes to strap on a ridiculously powerful snubby revolver, I'll reach for my Ruger Alaskan even though .460 from a 2.75" barrel is undeniably more powerful than .454 from a 2.5" barrel. Since it isn't actually increasing my capabilities I don't mind selling. I can also see how, as one gets older, other factors can eliminate possibilities and render tools useless. If my arms had to be amputated I suppose I wouldn't see much capability expansion from guns, TIG welders, wrenches, or a lot of other tools I value today.