So, how do you pay for your hobby of guns?

[Buck Kramer]

I cut off peoples cable for Mediacom, donate plasma, unload trucks at Besy Buy, Mow lawns/landscape. The first pays the bills, the second pays for gas for the first, the third goes straight to savings, and the fourth goes to guns/ammo about $300 a month.

 

[BigN]

Been single for over 30 years, need I say more? I keep one on layaway most of the time, pay some here, pay some there. While I'm waiting for the new (or used) gun, I have plenty more here to shoot/reload.

 

[huntsman]

I beg my wife (she works I don’t) but mostly I go without sometimes I get an unexpected windfall like last fall when I bought a Blackhawk.

 

[Ramone]

I am single, no kids, and I make decent money, though it's a little uneven at times, so I do have to have a plan.

I limit my collection, based on what I actually shoot (for the most part).

I trade alot, do my own gunsmithing as much as I can, sometimes trading a bit of help for parts. Usually I can sell one AR to finance my next build. I won't buy if I don't have room in my safes for it, so it's incentive to keep a little room for the next one that comes along.

Because I move alot ( I am paying taxes in 3 states at the moment, but I'll have that down to 2 shortly) (I hope!), I try to keep it down to what can fit in my car in one trip (with room for other stuff.

Right now, I am at 2 ARs, one bolt .308, a SUB2000, and 5 pistols -which is 2 too many, but I am narrowing down which have to go. When I have enough parts together to start my next build, one of the ARs will go.

No shotgun- I am not much for Clays, don't hunt with one, and have other options for HD.

I handload about 50% of what I shoot, so that does save some, provided I can do it when it is not taking away from earning, which would make it a loss, or my shooting time, which would be worse.

I buy cheap, and stack deep, and keep about 2000 rounds of .223Rem, 500 or so of .308Win, 2k each of 9mm and .45ACP at a minimum, and barter or sell small lots from time to time

 

[Ala Dan]

hard work~!

 

[303tom]

I work on guns..........

 

[bob barker]

I sell eyeglasses to optometrists and optomologists, so they can sell them to their patients.

 

[jcwit]

I'm retired on a VA disability. I eat lots of Ramon noodles.

 

[gbran]

So, how ^^^do you pay for your hobby of guns?

I'm 60, have been single for over 20 years. My gf's have all had jobs. I'm in a comfortable employment situation. My 4 kids are all educated and doing well. I don't have anything or anyone dragging me down financially.

 

[robMaine]

Being a bouncer at a local bar gets me my extra spending cash, I have a child on the way, so that most likely will go away shortly.

 

[newfalguy101]

I have an FFL, I buy and sell a few here and there to pay for the ones I keep.............at least thats how I explain it to my wife...............I dont think either one of us is convinced its true

 

[Byrd666]

I have a job

 

[oldbear]

came into money, got lucky, are retired

Some of each of the above. With number one far ahead of the others.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

No wife, no kids, no debt, good job and 20+ years of living below my means.

 

[BemidjiDweller]

I work hard all day 6-7 days a week, when you are getting overtime and double overtime, the cash kinda shows up sometime in the haze of big white tents and scorching sunlight.

I set up event tents for weddings, parties and such. Stages, tables, chairs, tents, structures, barricades, bleachers. If any of you saw the President's speech today at HoneyWells, you saw my handiwork. I set up (with my crew) the stages, bleachers, those handrails, barricades and all the tables and chairs that the media sat on/wrote on.

The people who were in charge for setting up the whole event were terrible, it took us 7 hours to do 3 hours worth of work because they were so slow deciding where to put stuff and to get those dang light guys out of the way.

 

[Ignition Override]

There was no previous hobby, therefore when the milsurp virus infected me at age 52 (in 2007), there was no money tied up in anything other than a home. Having good seniority prevented layoffs during multiple economic and corporate "roller coasters" (mergers, bankruptcies).

No gun which costs much over $600 interests me, because of the price, and except for the Service Grade Garand, the rest are $300-$425.
You young guys who were already bitten by the bug have so much more time on your side.

 

[CDR_Glock]

I do puzzles for a living. Sort of. I'm a Radiologist. It's a fun field. I interpret the human body as a puzzle.

Mind you, I'm not into anything else, like cars, boats, expensive clothes, watches, jewelry, collectible stuff, or expensive places to visit/things to eat. I like to buy used things or things on sale. I never pay retail. I'm content with peanut butter sandwiches, water and fruit. I like wearing t-shirts and jeans. I don't have a mortgage and I don't have a car payment.

 

[mortablunt]

I used to use my wages, but I then decided that having half a grand not tied up in a thing I could seldom use was not so good as having useful cash on hand.

 

[LawScholar]

I do puzzles for a living. Sort of. I'm a Radiologist. It's a fun field. I interpret the human body as a puzzle.

Mind you, I'm not into anything else, like cars, boats, expensive clothes, watches, jewelry, collectible stuff, or expensive places to visit/things to eat. I like to buy used things or things on sale. I never pay retail. I'm content with peanut butter sandwiches, water and fruit. I like wearing t-shirts and jeans. I don't have a mortgage and I don't have a car payment.

As someone who sometime reviews medical records and bills at a law firm for my summer job, good for you! Radiology is a well-compensated field. Rightly so, the work you do is critical.

 

[DesertFox]

I've bought lots on layaway. Don't need it right away, don't want to pass it up, don't want to fork over all the cash at once. Much easier for me to motivate myself for the next month's payment, squirrel it away and divide into 3-4 parts.

Huge fan of trading too. Some of my favorites have come home this way. I try to stay on the lookout for good deals on things that I personally may not be so interested in but see the trade-up value. C&R helps too. As does age. I remember when I used to buy something once every several years. Recently, 3-5 at a time are finding their way home.

 

[Chevelle SS]

Bachelor with a poor paying job

 

[bergmen]

Outside of being a contract Senior Mechanical Engineer working out of my home that pays very well (and at my age - 62 - few financial obligations) I have a patented invention that has been selling reasonably well since 2005. The income from the invention is just gravy (AKA gun safe stuffing money).

Dan

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I only buy 1 or 2 guns a year, so it's not that much of an expense. Usually around the $1k mark for guns.

As far as handloading, it is even better. My dad, brother, and I split the cost of large purchases such as equipment or bulk components and we also recently started casting, so we're shooting pistol rounds for darn near free.

 

[C0untZer0]

What I struggle with is buying guns for my kids.

I am going to get them .22 pistols.

They want Chipmunks which are pretty cheap - around $160

I keep thinking they would be better off with a S&W 617

 

[dodge]

Work the overtime when available and save up until I have cash for what I want. While saving I'm doing the research as to where I can possible get the best deal.