This ever happen to you?

[GasX]

I recently bought my first handgun, a Smith & Wesson 3913. It's compact, light & accurate - everything I thought I wanted. I have had it a month and put a few hundred rounds through it and I already want to trade it in. There is nothing at all wrong with the gun, but I developed a bad case of 1911itis after I went to a range and shot a bunch of .45's. I am now worried that if I trade up to a 1911, that I will start coveting a different gun and start obsessing about trading for one of those.

Do I need to be talked down from the ledge or should I seek out the 1911?

 

[skoro]

If I were in your situation, I'd keep the 3913 (great little pistol, BTW) and get a 1911 in addition to, not instead of, the S&W. They're two very different pistols and I think you'd definitely enjoy the contrast in shooting. If you trade the S&W, you'll probably end up regretting it.

But definitely get yourself a 1911. As you found out at the range, the 1911 is just so "right" in so many ways. It's one of those must have handguns.

 

[kanook]

The first thing you need to do is admit you have a problem. Things will be OK in time, I've been living with this same problem for about 25 years now. Keep your eyes open for the meetings that happen every few months at your local Civic center.

Take care, and remember you're not alone.

 

[SaxonPig]

I did this a lot when I was young. Guns came and went. I usually lost money on each trade and wound up lamenting the loss of the gun I sold or traded. Eventually I learned to buy only after careful consideration. Now I rarely sell a gun because I only buy guns I know I want.

 

[wbwanzer]

I seem to think that every gun that I get is the last gun I'll need to get. Then literally within days of getting the gun I'm researching the next purchase. Here in Maryland we have to wait 30 days between purchases. On several occassions I have had to ask the gun store to hold up sending in my paperwork because my 30 days were not up since the last purchase.

I've gotten to the point though were I usually have to let one go to get one. I'm retired at the moment so I don't have unlimited money to spend on handguns. If you can afford to buy the 1911 without giving up the 3913, then I would do that.

 

[SleazyRider]

The law here is no handgun purchases within 180 days of each other. No, not the law in NYS, but the law in my house---enforced by my wife. My 180 days is almost up, and I've been pouring over catalogs and gun rags for the last 172 days (not that I'm counting.)

Free advice: treat yourself to that 1911, and hold on to that S&W, too. It's only money.

 

[mgmorden]

Get both. You'll never recoup your investment in you S&W for what you get in a trade, and half the fun of guns is owning and shooting lots of different types. You just build them up after a while. I started with handguns about 6-7 years ago (have been shooting shotguns for over 20 though), and I'm now up to 8 handguns.

Besides - every body needs a 9mm and a .22LR to take to the range shooting. .45's are more expensive to feed .

 

[GasX]

Not sure I am ready to have an arsenal, I had planned to have just a single gun in the house. Apparently, as I have learned on this forum, guns tend to multiply...

 

[MichaelK]

Not sure I am ready to have an arsenal, I had planned to have just a single gun in the house. Apparently, as I have learned on this forum, guns tend to multiply...

This is the absolutely wrong attitude for this forum! Everyone, we must help this new brother overcome this deranged attitude. It's OK to have a S&W AND a 1911!

Just OK though. It's better to have a Ruger, and a S&W, and a 1911!

 

[PhiloebeddoUSA]

SaxonPig hit the nail on the head.

Don't sell it, and take your time with future purchases.

 

[mgmorden]

Just OK though. It's better to have a Ruger, and a S&W, and a 1911!

Indeed. I started with a Ruger P95. Good gun. All I'd ever need right?

But then I had my C&R and the CZ-52 was SUCH a good deal. Who could pass one up for $99 right?

Then I just had to have a 1911. Classic design and all that.

Then of course the Nagants came on the C&R scene. $69 for a well built handgun? Can't pass that up.

Then I really needed a nice steel framed 9mm to go with the P95, so I got a SIG P6.

And then of course the CZ-82's were cheap to, and C&R, so I HAD to get one you see (notice a trend? I'll probably have a Romanian Tokarev on the way soon ).

Then I noticed ammo was just way too expensive to shoot some of these guns a lot, so I needed a .22LR to practice with. Home came a used Ruger Standard.

Then, of course, I noticed that all these guns are too big to carry in my pocket, so I had to get a Ruger LCP.

And on it continues. I already have on my "wishlist" a Browning Hi Power (gotta have one of those), a newer striker fired polymer gun (the new Caracal is looking VERY tempting on that front), and I kinda want something in .40 S&W too since that's the one pistol round that never seems to run low on Wal-mart's shelves. And of course I really SHOULD have some type of .357 revolver . . .

It's a disease .

 

[cskny]

God this hits home. Yes, and yes, and um...yes. It is a disease!

My advise, the obsession will not stop. But unlike the others, I say just keep obsessing on your 1911 and NEVER buy it. Because the second you buy it, the obsession will simply move to the next one.

Save your money and just accept that obsessive feeling of "lacking". It doesn't go away.

 

[gwnorth]

Be very wary of trading something you admittedly like for something else you also like/want. Many, many posts around from people expressing regrets for that very behavior.

Far better, IMHO, to save up for the 1911 and keep the S&W. While saving up, try and get some hands on range time with a greater variety of 1911s so you can make a good informed decision about just what make, model and features you want in a 1911 (trust me, they are all NOT the same - probably the most subtly variable handgun platform ever imagined, let alone created).

Like many folks here, I own numerous handguns. While I have only traded or sold a very few, they were very carefully thought out choices and only of things I knew for certain I would not miss once gone (and would be and am much happier with their replacements, like a gov't sized 1911 for a commander sized).

Seller's or trader's remorse last forever, so fight your impulses to change things drastically or suddenly, and be patient and work towards acquiring AND keeping what you truly like.

My $0.02's anyway

 

[brassdog]

Keep the 3913. It is one of the better slimline 9mm pistols. With it's double action trigger and safety it's good for HD and CCW.
I had one a while ago and sold it. Man, I really regret that now!
1911's are a dime a dozen right now. Take your time and pick the one you want.
Just remember that the 45 is big and heavy and expensive to feed.

 

[NMGonzo]

The 1911itis goes away after the 2nd or 3rd 1911.

 

[oasis618]

The 1911itis goes away after the 2nd or 3rd 1911.

Or it could get worse...

 

[Just One Shot]

NMGonzo The 1911itis goes away after the 2nd or 3rd 1911.

Funny, mine went away as soon as I got rid of my one and only 1911. They're good guns but I prefer a more modern platform.

 

[SwampWolf]

Do I need to be talked down from the ledge or should I seek out the 1911?

Jump! But hang on to the little Smith on the way down.

 

[okespe04]

Guns are a fluid hobby for me, some come and go some stay.

 

[aHFo3]

If you like the Smith, keep it.

I rarely feel good after trading or selling a gun.

Just twice, but they were guns that I already owned duplicates.

Start shopping for a safe.

Guns are like worms, they are asexual and only require one to reproduce.

 

[makarovnik]

Don't sell or trade perfectly good guns...buy them.

 

[Oro]

The 1911itis goes away after [strike] the 2nd or 3rd 1911[/strike] 15 or so guns or 30 or so years.

There, I fixed it for you.

As much as I love 1911 style guns, I would hang on to a 3913. They are a great design, and an excellent way to dispose of those pesky 9mm rounds that are so cheap and plentiful.

Last week I purchased somewhere around my 20th or so 1911-style gun. This time, an honest to goodness 1911 - a Colt O1918 WWI reproduction. It's in shipment and I won't get my hands on it for another week, but I'm as excited as an 8 year old before Christmas. Sometimes the "-itis" never goes away.

I do what SaxonPig described, I spend a very long time analyzing what I want before I buy it. Sometimes I'll snap up a gun that's too cheap to play with it a bit, then sell it off once I've learned about it. But "keeper" quality guns are worth accumulating and not trading off. I don't think the 3913 is a "future classic" like a S&W 27 or something, but it is a good gun and worth owning, and fills a very different niche than a 1911-style handgun. Everyone needs one 9mm around, and I'm looking for one more 9mm myself that is more friendly to shoot than our H&K VP70. The 3913 is one of the very few I have on my short list to add when I find a good deal on a quality model.

 

[Whitman31]

Never sell a gun, you'll regret it someday...

 

[GEM]

That is the truth. I sold a SW 651 because 22 mag was expensive and it made the gun so dirty. So you know what those sell for now? Wah!

The 3913 is a great little carry gun. Keep or send it to me - I will make it feel wanted - like a lost puppy.

 

[warnerwh]

The guy above is right. I've regretted selling many guns. The worst being a High Standard Sharpshooter I bought new and sold for 40.00. I don't know if you're new to shooting handguns but a .22 is the best way to learn in my opinion. And Keep the Smith.