How do you decide when to buy a gun vs more ammo, or accessories, etc?

[Steel Horse Rider]

Ku4hx: My reloading time has shrunk for two reasons. One, my grandkids like to go shooting with me, and two, since I take a half dozen or more guns with me we usually shoot less than 30 rounds from each so instead of setting up and loading several hundred rounds at a time I am doing a lot of smaller batches. We shoot quite a bit of Arisaka 6.5, M-1 Carbine, .357 Mag, .303 British, .38 Special, .308, and .30-30 to name a few. I was not complaining, just commenting.

 

[JR24]

Usually one of two things happens before I get a new gun.

1) I've set aside money and carefully researched a new gun that I want, usually something that I don't have already. Or
2) My wife spends too much on jewelry and tells me I need to buy a new gun. Then its probably more impulse than anything else.

I usually buy ammo when I need it, or its on sale.

 

[Candyman87]

I buy new guns when I think to myself "I've always wanted one of those" or "wow that's a price I can't pass up, and have wanted one" or "I'm already paying the NICS fee, so I might as well get a 10/22 while I'm here"

Seriously that last one is how I got my 10/22. I was at DSG on Black Friday buying my new 11-87 and while I waited I impulse bought a 10/22 to shoot through a box of .22 my Walther didn't like.

As far as ammo? If I can get 9mm under $10/box I'll buy. If I can get WWB .380 under $20 a box I'll buy. If I can get ANY .32 under $20 a box I'll buy. .22 for a nickel a round? I'll buy.

I don't stockpile, but I do have reserves. But I also reload. I'll stockpile components before I stockpile finished ammo. But I can't pass up a good sale.

 

[bannockburn]

I usually buy ammo, reloading components, and gun accessories whenever they are on sale or in small enough quantities as not to put a big dent in the monthly budget. So I pretty much save up my money for the big dollar purchase which is the gun that I want to add to my collection.

 

[USAF_Vet]

With a finite budget, I find it easier to buy ammo and accessories versus buying a new gun. I may end up spending about the same amount in the long run, but ammo and accessories can be bought piece by piece, $5 at a time, where as some of the guns I want may cost in the neighborhood of $500. Some of it is more instant gratification, rather than budgeting and saving over the course of time.

I have all my basic firearm needs covered, so my wants are easier to skip over in favor of ammo and accessories, or other non gun related stuff.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Need comes first. Next is want. I "discover" a need or a weak spot in a need and figure out what I need to fill it. Then as the budget will allow, money is set aside until I accumulate enough to fulfill the need. By then I've already assessed cost and know how much money it will take.

As an example, my BUG / secondary carry weapon was not able to fulfill the new requirements I felt I needed. Selling it wouldn't quite net enough cash, so I assessed a couple of my "safe queens" and one of them added to my old BUG was more than enough to do the deal. Both sold within a couple of weeks and now I have an updated BUG setup that has the same operating platform as my main carry and two more extra magazines than I originally planned to purchase. And, it fits in the shoulder rig that my original BUG used. (All the rig needed was a small bit of trimming on the thumb break strap to allow cocked-and-locked carry.)

Want is another matter. Usually, want and need don't jive. Fortunately for me, this new BUG fit both. It uses ammo I already stock and reload (380 ACP), functions identical to a 1911, fits a shoulder rig I already have(saved over a hundred bucks), weighs much less than the original BUG, and is good-to-high quality. There are several other guns that would have filled the need, but none other that fit the wants as well as the one I bought.

Being of limited resources, that's the road I follow. And, quite frankly, I've accumulated enough "wants" over the years. Now it's time to enjoy them, and I feel comfortable with the needs that have been met.

I'll miss not having that Barrett, though... Maybe if I had listened to Dave Ramsey sooner in life ...

Woody

 

[wow6599]

It's kind of an ebb and flow for me. I will go several months buying components, sights, holsters, lights, etc. - but that always seems to lead me in the direction of new firearms.

Over the past few months I have acquired a Redhawk, 22/45, Ruger CMD, PPQ and a Colt 1911. I have blown my gun budget, probably til summer.

Now I have started the long and expensive process of supplying these guns with what they need - holsters, sights, trigger jobs, magazines, etc..

When my list from above is complete, probably around late spring, I will evaluate everything and take stock of what I like and what I don't - then the cycle will begin again.

 

[shotgunjoel]

It's a constant battle between reason and impulse.

 

[Bobson]

Assumptions for this question:
-You have basic needs covered for the time being
-You are like most of us and always want this, that, and the other, it's never-ending
-Your budget is finite

It's always been easy for me because I haven't (and still don't) have the basic needs covered.

However, if I were to have those duty-specific firearms already (hunting, HD, CC, etc), and have a reloading kit (a basic need in its own right) and components, I would start making a list (either mentally or literally), of sub-categories of those other primary categories, and start acquiring those guns. For instance, a different hunting rifle specifically for yotes, or a new shotgun specifically for clays (as opposed to a generic do-it-all "hunting shotgun").

As far as accessories (like optics), those would be taken care of in conjunction with the firearm the optic would be mated with. The optic itself would be as much a priority as the gun. For example, if I was building a long-range paper punching rifle, I wouldn't buy the rifle, mount substandard glass, and move on to another gun. I'd buy the glass either immediately before or immediately after the rifle, before any other major firearms-related purchase.

I guess the point is, for me, there would always need to be a list of priorities and purposes, as a prerequisite for me to keep buying guns. I wouldn't ever buy a random gun on a whim. Not because there's something wrong with that; but because it's just not the way I do anything. I like to keep things organized and intentional, especially in finances.

 

[Potatohead]

and avoid having a number of firearms that are dissimilar in terms of manual of arms, trigger pull, and so forth.

Im thinking this is an important point from Kleanbore. Ive had an sr9 (Single Action) for all of my short career and then my father and I went in on a sr22. I carry it sometimes when I can go OWB. Its the whole SA/DA decocker thing I have to think about what Im doing with it a lot moreso than when I carry the sr9. And the most troublesome aspect, and the part that Im least comfortable with is that one has to push the safety in the opposite direction to click it on and off. Down is safe on the sr22, down is safety off on the sr9.

It bothers me sometimes knowing that I have to think about what Im doing instead of just doing.

As to the OP, I wish I had a formula for my purchasing habits. So far it's been to buy A LOT of ammo for the one or two guns Im in contact with.

 

[DeepSouth]

I buy a new gun about once a year now days so I have a good long time decide what I want.
I buy ammo according to prices and available funds, generally when prices are fairly low I spend $100-$250 a month on ammo. When prices are high I spend $0. I went over a year without buying any ammo a few years ago, probably close to two years.

 

[bangswitch]

how do I know when to buy another gun, or just ammo for what I have?

When I've loaded up to 1000 rounds for the guns I shoot, then it's time to buy another gun.

Really, the decision is usually made based upon what I see and how much it is at the moment. If I have the ready cash, (and sometimes if I don't), then, bam, it's mine. Right now, I'm trying to get a collection of shotguns, so if I find one that matches what I have already, I'll stretch the budget in order to get it.

 

[Agsalaska]

I certainly do not follow a process of any kind, and the decision is almost always gun. I am not a big shooter. I probably have not shot 90% of the guns I own. I really only shoot five guns, my CC gun, my deer rifle, a little snub nose 38, my shotgun, and my Fieldmaster 22lr. All of those guns have a purpose and are generally only used around that purpose. I sight my deer rifle in from time to time and use it to kill deer and hogs. But I never just shoot it. Same goes with everything else. I have to force myself a couple of times a year to go shoot my pistols.

Because of that ammo is never really an issue. I used to even by it on demand and when the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred I had less than 100 rounds total for all of my centerfire guns. I will never make that mistake again and keep an adequate amount for the guns I shoot and even a box or two for guns I dont shoot. But since I rarely shoot I rarely worry about ammo. I still buy it on demand for my pistols on the rare trip to the range and dont mess with my stash.

My buying habits, and frequency, depends entirely on price. If has a wood stock or grip and has either a cylinder, a bolt, or a lever, and is a GREAT price, I will buy it. I do not buy guns I have no interest in. Availability of good deals in these categories seems to come and go. It has been pretty dry lately.

 

[george burns]

I have been bouncing back and forth for almost a 6 months, trying to figure out which way I want to go with my next gun. Since I need nothing and everything it just becomes like chasing your own tail.
I keep almost buying guns, then finding reasons to not do it at the last minute. I think mainly because I don't shoot enough anymore. But still enjoy looking at them every day. I don't think a day goes by that I am not looking or researching something.
I don't have trouble making decisions about anything else, I bought 2 cars in 4 months, and I walked in and just said give me that one, "of course I had looked at them online", but not that much.
I guess I just knew what I wanted, hint, "they are both Black". But gun wise I can't make up my mind which way I want to go.
I keep thinking if it's an Auto, it should be a Hi Capacity 9mm. Or a 1911 in 45 of course. Ammo is important, but I have 1 thousand rounds per gun, "and hardly shoot.
I practice things like dry fire drills, and getting to my gun, along with staying in shape, but don't know which gun I want, so I haven't bought anything since upgrading my Glock 30, S, from a Glock 30 a few months ago.
I saw some nice revolvers, but always think perhaps 5 rounds is not enough, and reloads require practice to get right.
Then of course size matters, I pocket carry now, and do I really want to go back to a full sized gun in a holster? After 35+ years of carrying that way, it was sure nice to not have to lug around that gear for the past 10.
Sometimes I want to buy something that I know is not really enough gun, "in my heart", and need to stop doing that also. If I went to heaven because I was carrying a cool looking underpowered gun of the week, with lights and lasers, I would be embarrassed, because I know better.
Oh if you see a 10 round 357 magnum with an internal suppressor, that weighs under 25 ozs, and is the size of an lcr, let me know please.

 

[1911 guy]

I spent more than a decade of being single with a lot of disposable income acquiring exactly one and a half metric butt tons of guns.

Then I settled down, realized I hadn't shot most of the guns I owned, sold and traded up in quality and went down considerably in quantity. In other words, trade a couple ho-hum gun for one very nice gun.

Any gun I buy now will be simply to pass on to my kids. It's all ammo and accessories now. I do still buy a gun once in a while, but it's just to stash away things my kids may want as they grow and eventually go out on their own.

 

[Warp]

I probably have not shot 90% of the guns I own.

Sounds like my wife's grandfather.

 

[Reloadron]

How do you decide when to buy a gun vs more ammo, or accessories, etc?

Well per my post #18 we stopped at Cabela's this morning. Nothing really tripped my trigger in the Gun Library. Plenty of rifle powder and other hand loading components but really nothing in pistol powders. I did engage in some conversation with a gentleman looking to maybe sell his supposedly new in box Colt Series 70 Government with a 70G starting serial number. I may be interested in that pistol, he claims it to be minty and is asking about $1,000. Made arrangements to meet him tomorrow so I'll see how that plays out.

So while I won't come away from this trip with any accessories I may come away with another gun if I like this gun. That's how I decide to buy another gun. Oh yeah, as I planned to use my Cabela's Card I told the guy I didn't have a grand in cash on me and he will take a personal check which is cool. I guess he just felt comfortable with Kathy and I.

Ron

 

[larbear]

More ammo more shooting. More guns but less ammo less shooying. Hmmmm

 

[coloradokevin]

I look at the most important guns I have and make sure I have enough ammo to keep them working in case of emegency. The rest of the guns I have enough for fun.

I think that's a good way of looking at it. When I really think of it that way, I'm also very well stocked for my important guns, while some of my more occasional range toys only have a box or two of ammo laying around here.

 

[justice06rr]

For me, if budget is ok and I'm not strapped for money, I always cover the 3 bases:
1. Pistol
2. Rifle
3. Shotgun

Obtain one of each, and enough ammo to last you for a little while. Once you have a good amount of ammo you are comfortable with (whether that's in hundreds or thousands of rounds per gun), then you start the duplicate.

Get a second pistol, rifle, and shotgun. Backups are always a good thing for more than one reason.

 

[Agsalaska]

Sounds like my wife's grandfather.

Yea I tell my wife that my grandchildren will think I am the coolest person ever to die when they open my safes.

 

[JohnBiltz]

I keep enough ammo to keep me going for a year. When I get below that I buy ammo. Been doing that since the 2008 ammo shortage. Its non-negotiable at this point since it served me so well this last shortage. A new gun comes after that. A gun without ammo no matter how cool is a cool paper weight.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I'm cheap and save just about every dime----and keep a list.

The list contains non-gun items also---such as needing a new mattress.

When I find something on my list on sale, marked down or merely in stock(depending on what it is, like say, the elusive stainless Mini-14 Tactical)---I have the funds available to just buy it on the spot and cross it off the list.

The list is getting much shorter and once the major needs or wants are covered--I'll start loading up the 401k and buying stocks.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I figure after getting the needs covered, the next best thing is formal training on how to use them all. And yes, it's kinda spendy. After that buy lots of ammo and practice and enjoy them. I regret that I expanded my collection to the state that it is today which is still relatively small. I've started to finally getting into wood working and have been reading a book that warns of a similar problem when buying wood working tools.