What's Your Excuse?

[BigN]

In my arsenal I currently have 17, 204, 223, 22-250, 220 swift, 243, 25-06, 257 Weath Mag, 270, and 7mm mags, along with many handguns of varying sizes. I don't hunt deer and live in way upstate New York. I do shoot coyotes in winter and maybe a woodchuck or two in the summer. So, I'm not really much of a hunter, but I shoot a lot at the range, fooling around with various reloads and such, it's just fun. You guys know what I mean. I was in a LGS yesterday and saw a nice 300 Win Mag for a decent price. I wanted it bad, not sure what I'd do with it, I just wanted it. I left it there and it's haunting me. If anyone else was in my shoes, what would your justification be for buying it? There is no wife involved here, just me so I have to answer to no one except for myself. Not quite sure what I'd do with a rifle like that one...

 

[EddieNFL]

Excuse: "I wanted it."

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Excuse: "I wanted it."

Nothing more needed.

 

[Dunkelheit]

There is no need for an excuse. You can´t get enough guns and ammo.

 

[Walkalong]

Excuse: "I wanted it."

Same here. No excuse needed.

 

[BigN]

Hahahaha...you guys are funny as hell! I was looking for some deep, intellectual reasons for having or not having...maybe you're right, there are none other than "i wanted it." Thanks for clearing that up

 

[MaterDei]

Excuse?!? You don't need an excuse. Besides what would you do with the money anyway?

Save it for retirement? Overrated
Give it to charity? Bah-Humbug
Use it for firearms training? Come on, you know everything there is to know already!
Pay off some debt? Bankers have to eat too.

My point is; only you need to justify your expenses to yourself, no one else (certainly not a bunch of online strangers). The fact that you're asking the question here kind of suggests that you know you shouldn't buy it for some reason, but only you can know that for certain. If that's not the case than enjoy your new rifle!

 

[bobmcd]

Oh, tut tut. "I wanted it" is so pedestrian, so juvenile. The the true, virtuous reason to get something you don't need and can't really afford is, "Oh, COOL!"

 

[RugerBob]

You can always get rid of it later. I have gotten several differnt ones I wated and 6 months a year down the road I trade it back for store credit (usually w/25% loss) or sell it. If I lose 25% I am ok with that as the hunger at that time was fed. I only trade back when theres another "I want it" sitiation.

 

[Blackrock]

Going into a gunshop is like going to the animal shelter. I just walk down the rack or stare into the cases till one of em wags it's tail at me. Then I take it home, clean it up and feed it.

 

[Sav .250]

Impulse buying...........The American way.

 

[epijunkie67]

There is no spoon.

 

[M2 Carbine]

If anyone else was in my shoes, what would your justification be for buying it?

Many years ago I stopped trying to "justify" buying guns. If I want it. I buy it. (so says a guy with 16 Makarovs )

Something that irritates me is people saying such as,
"That gun isn't "practical" so no one "needs" to own one. It's silly that they are even made".

 

[thump_rrr]

As long as you're not neglecting your financial duties you don't need an excuse. If I want something and I can afford it I buy it.

 

[Claude Clay]

having is.......pleasing

with no wife ( and im gonna guess--no kids) to feed,
feeding your inner self is necessary.
qed: you must get it
deep enough for ua

and you owe it to your standing collection, err--accumulated others.
arsneal is too 'cross hairs' spoken for us gently civilized peoples to speak

 

[TrakHack]

If anyone else was in my shoes, what would your justification be for buying it? There is no wife involved here, just me so I have to answer to no one except for myself. Not quite sure what I'd do with a rifle like that one...

The question I ask myself for such things is "Is this such a good/rare deal that I will regret it if I don't buy it?" followed by "Am I likely to be able to get my money back out of this if I don't like it or end up not having use for it?". I also ask "Do I already have something that meets this need?", but I can usually come up with creative reasons why whatever I already have doesn't precisely meet whatever need I think I have.

I don't have a husband or kids (other than the four-legged variety) so my money is my own as well, but for anything that I don't really need (which is most things) I ask those questions. For me, "I want it" is not usually justification enough for purchases of more than about $20.

For my primary hobby (horses) I've found in the last few years my discretionary buying has decreased quite a bit. I've acquired most of what I want and need, and since I get quality things to begin with and take care of them, they don't need to be replaced frequently. I'm hoping that's how things go with guns, too.

 

[Bodge]

No excuse needed.
I see stuff, that i just must have. I buy it, then after i've used it a bit, i realise i didnt really need it after all!. That said, i never get rid of it, because one day, just mayby i will need it, and when i do i can pat myself on the back for the foresight i had when i first bought it!

 

[rugerman]

I bought it to see if the anti's were right! And so far none of my guns (or knives for that matter) have gone on random attacks and killed untold numbers of inocents. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or I just haven't got the right kind of gun yet so I'll just have to keep on getting new ones to test the theory.

 

[FROGO207]

I generally think along these lines--------

I don't have one of THESE or this style yet.

I can afford this now .

So I am going to buy it today.

DONE and DONE.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Just as My wife wants new shoes and purses I want a new gun now and then. We do the equal value trade off. She spend $500.00 this month I can spend that much or set back and let it build up until it reaches the amount I need to spend.

 

[Lar1911]

I have 14 handguns just beacuse.

This year I bought four single actions. An 1873 Uberti because its a cool 1873 45 colt, right after I bought a Birdshead 3.5 inch 45 colt because it was also cool and they dont make it anymore.

The I bought a 44 spl Ruger Vaquero 3.5 because they never made one before and it was cool. The same week I got a 41 Blackhawk on gunbroker because the 41 is a great round, the blackhawk is cool and I do not have one. I do not hunt, so I really dont know what to do with this other than shoot it at the range.

So I have four more guns that I show my friends. And they all say, cool guns

 

[smallbore]

I don't need excuses, just money.

 

[hardworker]

You only live once. Might as well buy things you enjoy

 

[DC3-CVN-72]

I think this post is spot on. #7.

 

[Centaur 1]

"I currently have 17, 204, 223, 22-250, 220 swift, 243, 25-06, 257 Weath Mag, 270, and 7mm mags".

You've managed to justify a 17, 204 and 3 different 22's; a .243, 25-06 and a 257 wm; as well as 2 rifles in the 7mmish category. Duh, you need a .30 cal rifle or 3. I think that you need a 30-30, a 30-06 and the 300mag.