What is the most you've paid for a gun?

[Frank Ettin]

....After hearing what some people are quoting on their expenditures I started wondering how much of this was due to greater means and how much to greater enthusiasm.

I've been very fortunate in my life. I've reached the end of a successful career and have been able to acquire a number of very fine guns. It's nice to have a bunch of nice guns. I do, but I bought them only when and if the purchase would not impair our ability to eat well and sleep comfortably out of the rain (and properly attend to other obligations).

One doesn’t need a Perazzi (a top end 1911 or Mercedes or Rolex), but nonetheless they are wonderful machines, can perform their functions well and are satisfying to use. It's nice to have a really nice gun; but it's even nicer to shoot well. I'd always choose a good gun at a price that allowed me to buy ammunition and shoot it a lot, and maybe get some professional training, over spending my entire shooting budget on a top end gun.

 

[Treo]

If you put every gun I own together the price is less than 3k.

I can't even imagine spending some of the prices I've heard here on a gun, DW would have my cojonés in a skillet.

 

[buck00]

Not to bring up socio-economic issues, but a factor with this poll is one month's salary to one man can be a fortune to another man... or a just a casual weekend's allowance.

For one of my relatives, buying an AR-15 would be like buying a new car (totally out of reach).

I have another buddy who buys a new FAL or Kimber every three or four months.


* The funny thing is, my buddy with all the money and guns is happy for a little.... then he wants more. It never satisfies him. So be wary of this.

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

 

[belus]

Not to bring up socio-economic issues, but a factor with this poll is one month's salary to one man can be a fortune to another man... or a just a casual weekend's allowance.

That's why I asked the specific question I did. I wasn't trying learn the price people paid for their most expensive firearm. Rather, I was curious to know the extent to which buying a new gun is considered a "big purchase" and thought it'd be easier to compare after normalizing income.

Clearly two weeks pay is a more serious amount for someone without a lot of disposable income, and it's easier to spend that much when you don't rely on it for rent or other living expenses. But I think we've learned that enthusiasts don't mind working up to 100 hours to save for a special gun.

 

[TAF]

I spent $1300 for a Sauer 90 in .300 Wby Mag, another $800 for scope and mounts and another $600 for a custom synthetic stock, and that was 10 years ago. Everytime I think about all game I have harvested with it, the $$ is well worth it. I LOVE that gun.........

 

[learn2shoot]

lets just say that I have had guns which cost more than a new suburban, and let it lie there.

Uncle Pete is that you?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Interesting question, definitely.

All guns except one were less than one week's gross salary.

Only one gun was more, and it was only a bit more than a week's salary; less than a week and a half.

Geez, they sure SEEM like they cost a lot more than that!

But no, no Colt Walkers, etc.

 

[IllHunter]

It's funny

When I earned less, I was single, serving uncle sam and I bought a cheaper (rel) gun that cost more of my lesser income.Later inlife, I earned more and bought more expensive guns but spent lower percentage of income.Try and categorize these reponses will make you crazy.

 

[GearHead_1]

Well anybody with a registered full auto could easily spend 10k on a gun.

I hear you brother.

 

[NAK]

Well anybody with a registered full auto could easily spend 10k on a gun.

It very easy to exceed 10K if you start talking nice shotguns.


I had to vote 'more than a month', and I make decent money. But I only did that AFTER I no longer had a family to support.

 

[savetheclaypigeons]

seeing as I make $8.50 an hour, subtract taxes..... there sure was a lot of time put in for my garand, Winchester Supreme o/u, and others. I'm very envious of all you all with reasonable jobs. Sigh,

 

[rero360]

Seeing how I'm a lazy college student the only times I work full time is when I'm on a deployment so going by my uncle sam pay checks, all but one of my guns are one pay check or less, i.e. two weeks of pay. The big one is my customized savage that set me back a months pay, granted it was spread out over time. That includes hardard duty and hostile fire pay, and housing allowance, but not COTTAD (incentive money for being deployed for more than 2 years in a 5 years span, national guard deal)

 

[Art Eatman]

Of "using" guns, my 700Ti was around $1,100 including tax. That's about double any of the rest of them.

Ever been to the Museum of the Mountain Man in Cody, Wyoming? I once owned that Jim Bridger rifle, his 1853-built one. I paid $10k at a Tom Keilman auction. Showed it at a couple of rendezvous. Asked myself, "Why do I have this? It oughta be on display." So I sold it to the museum...

Looking back to the old days, even then I rarely ran across something that was over a couple of weeks of sorta-middle-class pay, that I really wanted.

 

[WoofersInc]

A little over $4500 for a 50BMG rifle. Add up the extras like scope, rings and such and I probably have about $6000 into it.

 

[Sniper X]

Shoot, I hae a 1911 that is worht over 4K in parts and build! I bought the base gun for $700.00 but it is now worth about 4K easily.

 

[hecate]

Before or after taxes?

I have a little over $3K in my AR. It's the perfect platform for us girls because we can accessorize the daylights out of it.

I have a custom 1911 build in the Wilson Combat pipeline right now. It will surpass the AR for sure, but because I want some things they don't normally do, I don't know yet what it will actually cost.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Im a college student with a part time job so $800 is alot of money to drop on anything

Me too...That's what on-line poker is for.

 

[JohnBT]

"Ever been to the Museum of the Mountain Man in Cody, Wyoming?"

No, but now that I've looked at the site I'd like to.

 

[Valkman]

$5500 for my Uzi - worth what, $7k now. Have also picked up a supressor, 70 rd mag and a .22 kit so over $6k invested.

 

[taliv]

in the past 12 mo, i've spent, maybe... 30% of my income on guns and glass and suppressors. that would be... 6 guns, i think

my wife would totally freak if she ever added it up

 

[GearHead_1]

I think it's important to remember that what we have invested in a firearm doesn't necessarily equal what it's worth. It's worth is exactly what we can sell it for in fairly short order. It's my belief that most of my custom guns are worth more to me than they are on the open market. There are certainly some collector pieces that will hold their value forever. Having a built .45, 10/22 or AR means little to the average shooter and I understand this. They can go out and buy a top of the line factory piece that will either equal or very nearly equal what my big $$$ guns will do. I've put way more into a favorite gun than I would ever be able to get out of it. In the end I like it and that's all that really matters. Putting $5000 into a sweet shooting AR doesn't make it worth $5000.

 

[AlaskaErik]

Is that gross income or take home pay? Or your after tax pay before IRA contributions. And what about accounting for deferred comp and 401 contributions? My answer would vary based on all the variables involved. Oh, did I mention my degree is in accounting and I used to be a tax accountant?

 

[belus]

Is that gross income or take home pay? Or your after tax pay before IRA contributions. And what about accounting for deferred comp and 401 contributions? My answer would vary based on all the variables involved. Oh, did I mention my degree is in accounting and I used to be a tax accountant?

Haha! I voted based on after withholdings pay. But the 10% number I quoted earlier includes capital gains which last year accounted for about 30% of my annual income. (Now, try to guess whether I'm an amazing guru in the stock market or if my annual salary is really that low )

 

[John Ross]

I like the way you based it on income. But the "most for a gun" answer leaves out the frequency of such purchases.

I spent over 10% of my 1982 aftertax income on my Rodda double 4-bore rifle. I made quite a few other (much smaller) gun purchases that year as well.

When you're single and have a house that's paid for and no other debt either, you can put a much bigger percentage of your income into guns (or any other thing) than can a person with a mortgage and family obligations.

I often wonder how much of my mother rubbed off on me that I wasn't aware of at the time. Ever since I can remember Mom was always hitting estate sales for sterling silver, oriental rugs, fine antique furniture, and the like. She spent VERY little on clothes and next to nothing on shoes or jewelry. Her house is full of things worth many times what she paid for them.

I was single until age 33 and childless until 36. As a teenager I discovered I was good at making money, and I disliked spending it on things that depreciated. That's over 20 years of serious gun-buying.

Guns are more like small pieces of real estate than other consumer goods. buy X dollars worth of quality guns today at a fair price and you'll likely be able to get more than that fo them in a decade, should you wish to sell.

JR

 

[jkingrph]

Take home or gross.