Starter52
Member
I have sold a third of my collection in the past year. I bought them to sell when I retired, and I'm retired. I kept my shooters and sold the safe queens. More will be going up on GB this fall.
too many guns.
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wanderinwalker
Member
I definitely believe it's possible to have too many guns, and I freely trade and sell when my accumulation reaches what I consider an "excessive" level. The only one I've gotten rid of that I miss was a Remington Mountain Rifle in .260 Remington. Which is an odd one for me to regret trading since I haven't hunted in at least 5 years.
You are right. TVs, stoves, and washing machines likely get used a lot more than most people's guns.
Depends what you look at.
Not many people have TV's or washing machines from 20 or 30 or 40 years ago that work just as well now as when new, and are still used...to the same level of efficacy...as something new.
There also aren't government restrictions saying you can't buy the same kind of TV, washing machine, or stove that you could in the past.
22-rimfire
Member
I started out frugally with every gun having a specific purpose in my life. As I got a bit more money and had the interest, I started buying things just to try out and often sold them within a couple months. Now, I have more than I need but I would still like to pick up a few more. Seems that never changes really. But I resist the urge.
My suggestion is that you really evaluate your gun accumulation and make some decisions about keeping certain ones. I bought in-expensive guns when I was young, but learned that it wasn't enough that they just shoot. I started buying better stuff and I was much more satisfied and happier in the long run. I got rid of most of the older stuff that I really wasn't satisfied with.
I have also gotten rid of a lot of really good stuff too. But those were during my gun show buying days because I felt like getting them and with the intention of eventually selling most of them.... I thought at a profit. Well, I made a few bucks, but lost money in the long run. Not complaining. It was a fun ride.
I don't get a lot of joy just looking at my guns anymore. I am approaching another decision point with mostly "good stuff".
My suggestion is that you really evaluate your gun accumulation and make some decisions about keeping certain ones. I bought in-expensive guns when I was young, but learned that it wasn't enough that they just shoot. I started buying better stuff and I was much more satisfied and happier in the long run. I got rid of most of the older stuff that I really wasn't satisfied with.
I have also gotten rid of a lot of really good stuff too. But those were during my gun show buying days because I felt like getting them and with the intention of eventually selling most of them.... I thought at a profit. Well, I made a few bucks, but lost money in the long run. Not complaining. It was a fun ride.
I don't get a lot of joy just looking at my guns anymore. I am approaching another decision point with mostly "good stuff".
part of me said sell the regular barrel 223 because the HB replaced it but when the HB needed work the reg barrel helped me shoot woodchucks.
I got the O/U for rabbits which I don't go anymore, my ML sucks and I found a better one today for 150 used but looks great. part of me says sell the other to pay for the new used one but part says keep both incase. I try and stay away from the used guns cause I end up buying a deal and say ill hunt with it like I have 4 deer guns now.
I got the O/U for rabbits which I don't go anymore, my ML sucks and I found a better one today for 150 used but looks great. part of me says sell the other to pay for the new used one but part says keep both incase. I try and stay away from the used guns cause I end up buying a deal and say ill hunt with it like I have 4 deer guns now.
shiftyer1
Member
If I like it I buy it, if I don't like it I sell or swap it. I have thought lately about thinning things out and investing in higher end more purpose driven firearms. The only problem is that as my investment increases my usage decreases
22-rimfire
Member
I'd sell the regular barrel 223. How often does it happen that you have guns being repaired and you really need something similar? One time in ten years?
Depending on family demands, I think two "deer rifles" is probably sufficient. Sounds like the Marlin 45-70 is just a fling.... if you have a hankering for one, do it. I would end up selling it after getting it out of my system. I had a strong hankering for a Marlin 1894 in 41 mag. Resisted the urge because I knew that I wouldn't shoot it much. Even went back to the store to buy it weeks later only to find out that they sold it. Fine with me. Saved me at least $500.
I have always wanted a 375 H&H rifle. But as the years pass, I know the likelihood of ever doing a hunt where I felt I needed it is remote now. It will remain an unfulfilled yearning.
The rabbit/small game shotguns are ones I got rid of since I wasn't hunting silly wabbits any more. I kept one for years just in case I migrated back to the sport. Honestly, even when I was actively hunting rabbits, I gravitated to using a 22 rifle and as I got older, added a 22 revolver for the fun of it. It was mostly about watching the dogs work than it was killing rabbits anyway.
If you want to get rid of the Mossberg shotgun, do it. Consider the Browning pump (which is a lot more expensive) or your basic Remington 870. I really like the Browning pump shotguns as they eject downward like the Ithaca's I grew up with.
I have a 870 police model now for "home protection". I suppose I could use it for hunting if I wanted to. It would also serve as a deer shotgun in the event I couldn't use a rifle for deer hunting (WMA's mostly). I have a smoke pole also for the same kind of scenario. Never really got into black powder stuff. It sits unused. Shot a few times. I have started using revolvers for primary deer firearm over the last 10 years and the rifles sit. Just loosing interest in the need to score. I mostly have a need to have fun.
As I mentioned earlier, I was a lot more satisfied owning higher quality guns in the long run. I replaced things like H&R and High Standard revolvers for Colt or S&W. Won't even consider buying third tier handguns any more. If I did, it would only be to help someone out of a financial bind. I would rather buy a new scope.
Thin out the low grade unused stuff and replace with fewer higher grade rifles, shotguns, and handguns that still meet all of your needs.
bannockburn
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22-rimfire
I think that's great advice for the OP and for a lot of people in general. Quality has always seemed better in the long run than quantity.
I think that's great advice for the OP and for a lot of people in general. Quality has always seemed better in the long run than quantity.
Rex B
Member
I got back into the gun hobby about 15 years ago. Got a CHL and bought some carry pistols. Also bought a few guns I had wanted as a youth but could not afford. A few of these weren't the best quality - Keltecs - but I still have a couple and they work. At some point I had all the SD needs covered, and I was maxing out my 401K and my Roth, yet still had money left (times were good). So my new purchases were value-oriented - Colts, S&Ws, leverguns and some more obscure items that were likely to appreciate.
Now I'm retired, less money coming in, so my purchases are bit less frequent, but I'm buying just safe queens. And overall, my collection has increased in value a little better than my traditional investments.
But yes, I do have too many guns - and too small a safe!
Now I'm retired, less money coming in, so my purchases are bit less frequent, but I'm buying just safe queens. And overall, my collection has increased in value a little better than my traditional investments.
But yes, I do have too many guns - and too small a safe!
4D5
Member
There are some forums where you could get expelled for claiming to have too many guns
There was a time when I was married with kids and there was never money for hobbies. Since dumping the ex in 1989 and recovering from the financial strafing of divorce and the kids long since grown, I've been able to buy whatever I want. Same goes for woodworking tools/ATV/cameras-lenses/vehicles.
Yes, generally shoot a limited number of them, but they are mine and enjoy all of them, if nothing more than appreciating the mechanical aspects, design and functionality. You can hold them and marvel about them minds that created them. This is especially true of pre-lock Smith and Wesson revolvers.
I don't ever expect to have to sell any, but could if I needed.
And in any event when I'm gone, they'll all go to brother/son/grandson.
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There was a time when I was married with kids and there was never money for hobbies. Since dumping the ex in 1989 and recovering from the financial strafing of divorce and the kids long since grown, I've been able to buy whatever I want. Same goes for woodworking tools/ATV/cameras-lenses/vehicles.
Yes, generally shoot a limited number of them, but they are mine and enjoy all of them, if nothing more than appreciating the mechanical aspects, design and functionality. You can hold them and marvel about them minds that created them. This is especially true of pre-lock Smith and Wesson revolvers.
I don't ever expect to have to sell any, but could if I needed.
And in any event when I'm gone, they'll all go to brother/son/grandson.
.
I can think of 8-10 that I sold over the years that I wish I still had. Hoping to sell a .38 revolver soon to my neighbor, that'll fill a need/want that he has and raise $$$ for rifle parts that I need/want. That's not a pistol that I'll miss, unlike the two S&W M19-4's and the 3-screw Blackhawk.....
Ed Ames
Member
I think forums like this are an awkward place to discuss this sort of thing because everyone is at a different part of a different path in life, and it is really hard to avoid talking past each other.
I bought an AR because I wanted to be familiar with the type. Then I bought another as a pile of parts because I wanted to be able to speak knowledgeably about building them. Now I have two ARs that do basically the same thing, which is truthfully nothing. But, given my overall situation, I have not the slightest inclination to sell them, nor the slightest perception I have too many. Does that mean I would feel the same in another situation? Of course not.
Why not? Everyone is limited by some resource or another. I am mostly limited by time. I work in an industry where taking two weeks of vacation in a year is considered a huge indulgence, and where "more money" is far easier to get than "more free time". That isn't to say I make a huge amount of money but I could easily live on half my current income. Unfortunately no employer in my industry is willing to hire me for half time. The money sunk in a second AR means less to me than the time it would take to sell it. Someday, when my circumstances change, that will no longer be true and one or both will be up for sale.
If someone else is limited by money, or physical space, or spousal tolerance, those limits are just as valid but will cause different answers. Life is a many-splendored thang, ain't she?
I hear the advice about buying a few good guns all the time, but that is getting harder and harder as far as I can tell. The gun stores are happy to sell me expensive guns, but good? Can someone explain to me how an AR with a faux patina finish is worth $4000?
To stop meandering....I can easily see where the op may have too many guns even though it sounds like he has fewer than I take with me on a typical range day. I can likewise see why I don't. It is all valid, unless it isn't, and - just like most relativism - the result is vaguely dissatisfying to people who are looking for universal truth.
I bought an AR because I wanted to be familiar with the type. Then I bought another as a pile of parts because I wanted to be able to speak knowledgeably about building them. Now I have two ARs that do basically the same thing, which is truthfully nothing. But, given my overall situation, I have not the slightest inclination to sell them, nor the slightest perception I have too many. Does that mean I would feel the same in another situation? Of course not.
Why not? Everyone is limited by some resource or another. I am mostly limited by time. I work in an industry where taking two weeks of vacation in a year is considered a huge indulgence, and where "more money" is far easier to get than "more free time". That isn't to say I make a huge amount of money but I could easily live on half my current income. Unfortunately no employer in my industry is willing to hire me for half time. The money sunk in a second AR means less to me than the time it would take to sell it. Someday, when my circumstances change, that will no longer be true and one or both will be up for sale.
If someone else is limited by money, or physical space, or spousal tolerance, those limits are just as valid but will cause different answers. Life is a many-splendored thang, ain't she?
I hear the advice about buying a few good guns all the time, but that is getting harder and harder as far as I can tell. The gun stores are happy to sell me expensive guns, but good? Can someone explain to me how an AR with a faux patina finish is worth $4000?
To stop meandering....I can easily see where the op may have too many guns even though it sounds like he has fewer than I take with me on a typical range day. I can likewise see why I don't. It is all valid, unless it isn't, and - just like most relativism - the result is vaguely dissatisfying to people who are looking for universal truth.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
My response in the thread was I really haven't a clue how many guns I have and really don't see where it matters. This summer I have gravitated mainly to my .308 bolt gun and M1A as well as my .223 Bolt gun and an AR I like shooting. So really 4 to six rifles with a few .22 LR in the mix.
I seldom hunt anymore so I guess I have no need for my hunting rifles but I have no need to sell them either. I do need to finish work in the gun room and add another safe, things are just too crammed in the existing design. Every gun I have is worth whatever I paid and many worth a good buck more. Why sell them when there is no need to? Heck, when I check out Kathy can live long and prosper off the gun safe and she knows which kids and grand kids get what. The rest is hers to sell or give away. I doubt I'll care when I am dead.
So it all keeps going back to why sell or part with any of my guns when I have no need or reason to?
Oh yeah as to the path in life? I am 66 and seem to be doing OK. I really have to agree with Ed Ames post above. Covers it nicely.
Ron
I seldom hunt anymore so I guess I have no need for my hunting rifles but I have no need to sell them either. I do need to finish work in the gun room and add another safe, things are just too crammed in the existing design. Every gun I have is worth whatever I paid and many worth a good buck more. Why sell them when there is no need to? Heck, when I check out Kathy can live long and prosper off the gun safe and she knows which kids and grand kids get what. The rest is hers to sell or give away. I doubt I'll care when I am dead.
So it all keeps going back to why sell or part with any of my guns when I have no need or reason to?
Oh yeah as to the path in life? I am 66 and seem to be doing OK.
I really have to agree with Ed Ames post above. Covers it nicely.Ron
AlexanderA
Member
My goal is to have a sample of every small arm ever used by the U.S. military. I'm not there yet. I couldn't tell you offhand how many guns I actually have at this point, but it's a lot. My wife is hounding me about making arrangements for the guns after I die.
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