Multiple guns, or one expensive one?

[GregGry]

Hello, I am curious about something, so I am posting a poll about it. What I am curious about is simple. Which would you rather buy, say one gun thats 1800 dollars, or 3 guns for 600 each or less? I can understand a 1,800 pistol or rifle should be of a very high quality, more so then maybe one at 600. However I personally rather have 3 guns instead of one. Not to say I wont ever buy something that costs the same price as multiple cheaper ones. Its just that more is better, when we are talking about guns (IMHO)

 

[garymc]

Door number 3

I wanna buy 3 1800 dollar guns for $600 each.

 

[GregGry]

If that door existed, I would be first in line

 

[kd7nqb]

In all reality I am facing this decision right now but on a much smaller scale. I am a college student. And I have a list of guns that I want to acquire, some of them are vague like "a .40cal pistol" some are specific. And it has come to my attention that I can either spend my money on a Mossberg 500 (225), a Hi point 40cal (about 170) and a Henry US Survival rife. None of these three are considered glory guns but I have shot all of them and I really like them all for specific reasons, including but not limited to the price. Now the gun that I want more long term is the 4in Tactical Model of the XD .40 that is roughly the same price as all 3 combined so thus very similar situation.

FYI I am going to choose the holy trinity.

 

[possum]

it really depends for me what my collection is lacking, and right now it is lacking a bolt gun and a precision semi-auto rifle. so for me now, i would say i would spend $1000 on the rifle itself, and another $800 on the accessories.
but it would be pretty darn cool to buy 3 xd's and have a bunch of money left over!

 

[FireArmFan]

While an $1800 dollar gun is high quality (as well as it should be). a gun for 600 dollars can be very good quality too. especially pistols. some shotguns too. really high quality rifles can get pretty expensive. but anyways, i'd go with the 3 for $600. as long as you choose wisely, i bet you can get some really good guns.

 

[GregGry]

FireArmFan, thats exactly my thinking. Weird, the poll is slanting the way I voted. I figured most people would rather have the expensive pistol . I know that all the pistols I was (with the excetion of a hk tatical) are all under 600. The cz75 sp01 and 97b I own were both under 600. The only thing I own thats more is my bushmaster m4a3, but its considered on the medium end as far as ar15s go.

 

[shotgunkevin]

I voted for the one gun at $1800, but that's because most of the bases are covered in my safe. I'd like to add a precision .308 or a very nice 1911 at this point, so a budget of $1800 would do very nicely. Now, if I were just starting out, I definitely would go the 3 X $600 route, and not spare the horses to the gunshop for a .22 pistol, service auto, and 12 gauge pump. And ammo. Lots of ammo.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I voted $1,800 because of the two choices available.

I spend whatever it takes to get the gun that will do the intended job, but I don't buy by price.

For instance the best 45ACP I have is a Kimber Tactical Ultra II, $900+.
It has everything I can use, reliability, accuracy, size, power, looks, etc, so there is no reason for me to buy a $2,000 1911, other than ego.
But if the more expensive gun allowed me to do something better I'd buy the more expensive gun.

On the other end I've bought a lot of Makarovs because they are inexpensive and do well about 90% of what I think a pistol should do.

 

[KC&97TA]

You have to determine what you're looking to do with this gun or guns. One gun won't fit every event. I'm not on a tight budget, but I'll give you an Idea of what I have and use them for.

1. Kimber TLE - pretty much does any job, my first 'real quality' 1911, I use it for steel challenge mostly and fun target shooting. With a trigger job and ambi safety I'd say she cost me about $1k

2. SA Mil Spec - build into NRA Hard ball gun, its a great gun for target, but huge adjustable sights suck for any kind of holster draw, so it's just a target pistol only, that is her only purpose in life. I have some Gun Smith Fee's into her, but my total investment is a shocking $758, I've gotten some great deals.

3. SA Mil Spec Champion - CCW, concealable, horrible recoil. I've modified this little bugger, to be a true pimp gun, have about $800 into it.

4. Beretta 92FS - have to practice that DA/SA trigger, great all around gun, use it for practice and training, steel challenge, would love to do IDPA with it. She cost me around $612 + a 22lr conversion kit @ $400, been rebuild once, I use my issued mags in it. I drag this thing every were, steel challenge, target shooting, under the seat of the car, ect.

I'm looking for a 9mm 1911, can't decide, between a Kimber or SA; I've gotten into steel challenge and would like to get into more IDPA events, would like the reduced recoil and cheaper rounds that the 9mm provides, so that would bring me back to 4 1911's, cause that shelf in the safe is a little empty.

I'd get 2 SA Loaded models, in .45 and in 9mm if I could only spend $1800. That way I'd have 2 matching guns, for different purposes.

Now if you're thinking $1800 total; Remmy 870 $350, SA Mil-Spec $600, Savage 30.06 $450 and a little left over for slings, mags, holsters and ammo. That covers all the bases

 

[mkh100]

for that kinda cash I can buy a MBR such as an FAL or PTR 91, a 10-22, a used shotgun, and still have about $500 for a nice pistol of some sort, glock maybe? Definantly not substandard guns.

Outcome would be different maybe is it was one good gun for $500 or 5 shiney jennings .32's.

$1800 is a lot of gun dollars.

 

[RyanM]

If that door existed, I would be first in line

The door is labeled "USED."

Personally, I voted for multiple guns. That's probably actually pretty close to what I've got. Let's see...

Glock 23, about $485 into it including customization and accessores
Ruger Sp-101, about $400
NAA Mini, about $250 total, soon to be more
Ruger Mk.II, $210 out the door, no extra stuff yet
Swiss K-31, about $250 with scope, since the mount was free

If everything had been bought new (or as new as possible), that would be almost right at $1800. Replace the SP-101 with a GP-100 or something, and almost all your bases would be covered. Midframe high-capacity auto for CCW, large magnum revolver for hiking and camping and stuff, tiny little mousegun for backup, full sized .22 handgun for cheap practice and small game hunting, high-powered rifle for medium and big game. Just throw in a shotgun for birds, clays, and possibly home defense, maybe swap out a .22 rifle for the .22 pistol (and add in a .22 conversion for the autopistol) if you like, and you'd be set with every gun you'd ever need. Now, every gun you'd ever want, that's a whole 'nother story.

 

[SchHrdKncks]

I say buy one or two expensive guns because the cheaper guns are easier to save for. I just had the same issue. I had 2200. I bought 2 guns the last 5 days. The first was a DSA58 FAL used for 1100 and a new ptr91 for 1000.

 

[Dr. Dickie]

One of the those life learned lessons for me has been: If you really want it, do not cheap out. In a couple of years the amount you saved will be forgotten, but what you purchased will be there to remind you that you did not get what you really wanted.
So, it depends on the which one you really want.
If you desire (need) all three the same, then get the more expensive one now; however, it needs to do all you want it to do. If the more expensive one is a niche piece you simply want, while the two cheaper ones are more vesatile then get two cheaper ones and save the niche piece for when you have extra cash (ha!).

 

[benEzra]

Pay what you need to get good quality, but not unnecessary quality. IMHO, a $1000 AR with a $200 optic, plus a $600 handgun, beats an $1800 AR. Yes, the $1800 AR might have a carbon fiber receiver, an unobtanium-plated barrel, and is autographed by Gene Stoner, but you can get a darn good AR for $1000 (RRA CAR Elite A4 flattop with 16" chrome lined barrel and a Vortex flash suppressor, if your local dealer gives you a good deal).

On the other side of the coin, a $1000 AR beats three used mini-14's.

Pay what you need to pay, but no more.

 

[thegriz]

One gun is nuts

To me having only one gun is similar to having only one piece of silverware. It just doesn't make much sense.

You need to fill up the silverware drawer. Sheesh, what if you have company? Where are your manners!?

 

[javacodeman]

I'm with Possom. It really depends on the motivation for you guns. Is this to fill a need (hunting, SD, packing, etc.) or is this just to add to your collection. For me, my first and foremost need was a very reliable handgun for carry/SD/HD so I went with a more expensive H&K for my first gun and a Walther P22 for my next gun for cheaper target practice.

So, I guess I'd say get the gun with the highest priority as soon as funds become available. If these are to just add to your collection and you eventually want all 4, I don't think it really matters. But you may want to go with the cheaper guns to get more use up front while waiting for more $$ for the more expensive piece.

Just my .02.

java

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Gotta Have Backup

With $1,800 or so to spend, I could certainly come away with at least a couple of respectable 1911s.

Or a whole family of lever guns in a range of calibres.

Or a set of single-action revolvers in a range of calibres.

Or mix and match.

And besides, like Griz sez, 'tain't mannerly to have nuthin' fer the guests.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

The only guns I think are worth $1800 would be very high quality rifles and pistols--I don't shoot trap, so a shotgun for me only has to be "room-broom" quality.

I've got about the same budget, and I'm likely to end up spending it on a 1911 (up to $800), an AK in 7.62 (?$400), and a CX4 carbine (?$600).

I know my marksmanship level, and that any pistol beyond production grade for me would be wasted money at this point in time, likewise a rifle beyond hi-quality production grade (i.e. M14 or good AR15).

So my personal caps for weapons are around $800 for a pistol, or $1200 for a rifle--I know that added money beyond those numbers is going to result in extremely limited returns on the performance side.

 

[geekWithA.45]

If you're early on in your aquisition phase, I'd get an $800 rifle, a $600 handgun, maybe a $200 shotgun*, and spend the rest on mags, ammo and cleaning gear.

Versatility is key.

*or apply that to the rifle or gear

 

[shaggycat]

For me, it depends on what I have. If these purchases were going to be the only guns I ever bought, certainly give me three cheaper guns to allow more versatility.

However, I would rather work my way to 5 or 6 really nice guns than 20 or 30 cheaper ones. Give me an Ed Brown or Wilson 1911, a few nice rifles, a nice target .22, a sweet revolver in .357, and a loaded 870 and I don't think I would ever shoot anything else.

Realistically, if I own 30 guns, I am only going to shoot about 10 of them. So why not just buy 10 really nice guns? I am not buying a gun just to have one, I am buying it to shoot it.

 

[javacodeman]

Another angle that I don't see too many people taking is the Jennings pistol. I bet you could round up somewhere between 30 to 36 of these beauties for that kind of cash. Then you would have plenty for guests. But you will want to keep them all loaded and easily accessable for when things go sideways. You may go through a good many of them before one actually fires. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

One gun? No way. You gotta have backup.

 

[Justin]

Depends on the application and how serious I am about it.

I have no need for a super-expensive, dedicated clay shotgun simply because I don't shoot those sports often enough to justify the cost.

But for Bullseye pistol competition, a $1,000+ pistol is justifiable on the grounds that I practice twice a week.

Likewise, I keep telling myself that I don't need an STI because I'm just shooting the IDPA/IPSC matches for fun.

 

[Monkeybear]

For 1600

CZ 452 Trainer 300
GP100 4" 500
Remington 870 200
Kimber UC 600


There; for 1600 I already have more guns than I can afford to feed