What motivates your gun-related expenditures?

[Jim Watson]

I have slid from Exploration and Collecting into Utility.
Current questions:
Do I want to go to Optic divisions in IDPA and USPSA?
If not, is there something that will improve my iron sight shooting?

Do I want to increase the magazine capacity of my CCW?

 

[NorthBorder]

Addiction is what I chose knowing full well that Addiction is the leading cause of...uh...stuff.

 

[GBExpat]

So what is the primary motivation for your gun-related purchases? ...

 

[BreechFace]

My needs, interests, hobbies, and duty.

Needs: Things need killed around the ranch/home, plain and simple. Hunting. Preparation. And the all too important stress relief.
Interests: I like seeing advancements in firearm tech over the years, especially WWII to today.
Hobbies: Hunting, shooting sports, reloading, etc.
Duty: God, Family and Country

 

[irving]

Minimalist here. I like to keep things simple.

 

[.308 Norma]

You forgot "gifts" - I'm a gun guy who is lucky enough to have a wife (of 54 years BTW), 1 daughter and 3 grandsons who all love guns, shooting and hunting as much as I do.

 

[Ignition Override]

The enjoyment of owning cool guns, and interests regularly changed, then solidified.. Have never owned scopes or any other accessories which are attached to guns, just slings. "Never" means exactly what it indicates.
The recent interest in Battle Rifles diverted the always-lukewarm interest in handguns. I hardly touch any handgun these days.

Non-gun accessories: several years ago I owned a Lee Single-Stage press, but it got so tedious weighing powder on a medieval alchemist's scale that I sold part of the gear and gave away the rest. No regrets.

Background: in '63 or '64 (age 8-9) I had a full-size plastic M-1 Garand; but what happened to it?.... and a beautiful metal copy of a black Luger. The Luger might have been a cap gun. Looked dang real.
And the show "Combat" appeared on tv, along with "12 o' Clock High" and "the Rat Patrol", based on some of the crazy British SAS' exploits in WW2 North Afrika. Years later a pretty weak BB gun which was an imitation M-1 Carbine, circa 1968.

Age 68. Only recently found a regular opportunity to hit metal Gongs with rifles. The closest are 200 yards (8"x10" plate) and a much larger Gong at 300 yards etc.
Only irons sights on my guns, and I miss pretty often.

 

[CherokeeGunslinger]

Probably my autism. I have a pretty deep fascination with guns.

 

[CapnMac]

My motivations are both simple and complex.

At the simple end, "There's always One More Thing." Buy a self-loader and you nned magazines. Get a cleaning kit, did you remember patches? Shoot some of the ammo, now you need more.

At the complex end is "does it ring my bell" for being either "cool" or "in theme" or the like.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Mission.

 

[LoonWulf]

Primarily motivated by "exploration" and "addiction" tempered (slightly) by "utility".

If it looks interesting and theres something I want to know (how closely the Stevens 334 and Turqua compare for instance), then its pretty likely ill be buying whatever it is to assuage that desire.....UNLESS the end results are completely impractical and ill never use it for anything because I have a whole pile of other guns that do the same thing (Taurus Expedition)

 

[luv2safari]

Addiction is what I chose knowing full well that Addiction is the leading cause of...uh...stuff.

Hey!

I strongly resemble that remark!



(It's called compulsive collecting disorder.)

 

[LV Gun]

Utility at 69 I am working on minimizing what I have in case something would suddenly happen to me I don’t want to leave my wife with a ton of crap , but I do buy things that make loading easier like Inline Fabrication Ergo press handles. I have sold a lot of stuff when you start doing it you go holy $&!t …

 

[Howland937]

It really depends on the day. Currently it's utility because I need to replace a .22 pistol I traded off. Some days it's peer pressure... courtesy of THR
Mostly it's exploration though.

 

[luv2safari]

Utility at 69 I am working on minimizing what I have in case something would suddenly happen to me I don’t want to leave my wife with a ton of crap , but I do buy things that make loading easier like Inline Fabrication Ergo press handles. I have sold a lot of stuff when you start doing it you go holy $&!t …

I'm trying. But, I'm also trying to lose a lot of weight, too.

This month I gained five pounds and bought three new rifles. I sold nothing.

 

[sparkyv]

I resemble that remark.

I am not a minimalist by any means. But all of my guns were purchased for a specific reason and I don't believe I have ever duplicated any particular.gun in caliber, size, type of firearm, etc. so put me in utility category.

 

[bangswitch]

So what is the primary motivation for your gun-related purchases?

In the schema presented, I'd have to call myself an Explorer. I have no "need" for my recent ventures with 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC, but I've enjoyed getting acquainted with the cartridges. My recent purchase of a Garmin Xero was motivated by utility. My intention is to move more toward Utility by downsizing and focusing, but I'm not there yet; I am definitely not a Collector.

What say you? Vote and give us a summary.

I voted "explorer", but collector is part of the plan. I'd rather say "aficionado" rather than collector, because my collection isn't what you normally think of when you hear the word., which would be those rare or perfect condition firearms that command huge prices and stay in a safe unused. Certainly, I've paid quite a bit for some (most) of them, but still not at the level of a museum-quality collection. I want to be able to use them as well as admire them. Using them is part of the admiration for them. Only two do I own that I won't shoot. It's nice to have a variety of different guns to shoot, within the realm of types I want to have. In my case, that is revolvers and 1911's with a few others thrown in. Not a single polymer in the bunch.

I've hunted in the past, when I was much younger, and I've competed, but no longer, except against myself. If I shoot better the next time out than I did the last time, I consider myself a winner. It's more about complete competence than perfection. I reload for all my guns except for the shotguns, rimfires and a couple of Russian guns that I only shoot occasionally. That satisfies exploring; looking for the more accurate load, by using a new powder for different performance or bullet type for better ballistics.

"Variety" could be another choice in the poll. I have eleven different handgun calibers I load and shoot, and three rifle calibers. It never gets boring, although I do have favorites that seem to go along on every range trip. I have the choice to shoot clays, punch paper, or ring steel, from 5 yards to past 1000.

It's a helluva hobby, with its roots in LE and military service.

 

[Howland937]

I resemble that remark.

Yeah but if you make up most of the reasons you need it so you can justify getting it, does it count the same?

Can I change my answer?

 

[LoonWulf]

Some days it's peer pressure... courtesy of THR

I'm trying. But, I'm also trying to lose a lot of weight, too.

This month I gained five pounds and bought three new rifles. I sold nothing.

......well its pizza night, and im eyeballing a mini.......whos helping push me over the edge!

 

[tark]

I am primarily a collector. I have no particular theme, If it's a nice specimen at a good price I grab it. One of my favorite places is Simpson's Collector Guns in Galesburg, Illinois. Dave DeLaurant can relate to that. ( Hi Dave! ) I have probably bought thirty guns from them in the last thirty years.

I have three crown Jewels in my collection. A C-96 Mauser, made in 1913; a type 14 Nambu made in 1935 and a "T" series Browning Hi-Power made in 1968. None were ever fired after leaving the factory. The "Broomie" and the Nambu are still full of cosomoline in the inside. All three are 99% guns. Quality wise, the Nambu makes the C-96 look ugly. I have the matching shoulder stock for the C-96. I will never shoot any one of those three.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I'm a combination of 2 and 4. About half my guns are utilitarian tools. In recent years, any new purchases have been along those lines. Guns for a particular type of hunting, or guns for competition. In bygone years, however, it was all about pride of ownership. Those guns are either family heirlooms, or of some historical importance.

 

[armoredman]

So what is the primary motivation for your gun-related purchases? I know these categories are neither discrete nor all encompassing. I tried to avoid specific applications (hunting, self-defense, competition, etc.) and come up with categories that could apply to any application. I think of myself primarily as a hunter, but I haven't hunted in several years (I won't pay a lease to shoot scrawny deer over bait in TX). And I'm at a stage of life that I can afford what I choose to buy.

In the schema presented, I'd have to call myself an Explorer. I have no "need" for my recent ventures with 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC, but I've enjoyed getting acquainted with the cartridges. My recent purchase of a Garmin Xero was motivated by utility. My intention is to move more toward Utility by downsizing and focusing, but I'm not there yet; I am definitely not a Collector.

What say you? Vote and give us a summary.

Wanna.

 

[Simple Shooter]

When I was an LEO, my purchases were very utilitarian and I have quite a good selection of defensive firearms.

Now purchases are driven by curiosity or the “fun to shoot” factor. Is a Ruger Blackhawk a good CCW choice ? No. I bought it because it is fun to shoot. Will I grab a 20 gauge O/U instead of an AR or semi-auto 12 gauge for home defense? No. It looked nice and I didn’t already own one.

Life is short. Don’t forget to have some fun along the way, even if it’s just shooting water jugs with a .44 Magnum.

 

[buck460XVR]

All of the above?

^^^.....That's where I'm at.

 

[Bobaloo22]

Emotion also drives my gun desires