How do you collect your guns?

[chasekerion4]

I have an interesting dilemma and would like to get everyone's thoughts.

The wife and I have a few guns and we're both buying whatever we like whenever we come across them.

I have an XD that I absolutely love, the subcompact. I debated heavily on getting it or the service model, but chose the SC based on it being smaller and better for carry.

Having said that, I still want the service model. Yeah, I'm sure I'll buy it, but I know there are other guns as well that I want to acquire.

So my question for you is this; How do you decide what to buy and justify buying 2 of the same make/model?

Might sound silly, but I can't decide whether or not to go out tomorrow and buy the XD service model or buy, say, the Smith M&P.

I know the Glockers all tend to buy multiple versions of the brand, as do many XD owners, but why? Of course the obvious answer is that "I love it and want another one" but surely there are others on the market you HAVE to have as well, right?

Let's hear some thoughts...

 

[Hoosier8]

Well, I have a Bersa Thunder 9mm High Capacity and would like another one just like it. Maybe carry two at a time. I haven't done it because I don't need to spend the money, but I really like the gun.

To some extent, I get a bug about a particular firearm and scratch the itch by buying one, then later it will be something else. It is called an obsession. I am trying not to buy any right now but have since bought a Radom, a Mosin M91, and some ammo. Hopeless I say.

 

[redneckmedic]

Easy, for that example

Glock 19 great gun to shoot, bedside BUG 2nd to 870
Glock 26, primary CC
Glock 17ls, competition style gun...GNS, You get the picture.

My delima is..what is next, a decked out 10/22, my 45lc lever, AR15.223 bench, the latest FAD an XD, ext.

 

[melensdad]

Let's hear some thoughts...How do you collect your guns?

My personal opinion is that a 'collection' is an organized and logical grouping of a specific type of gun or related guns.

For example, some people collect 1911 pistols, those who do generally focus on 1 brand and buy different variations within that brand. Like my collection of Detonics Combat Masters (pictures are on this forum of many of these) where I have ALMOST 1 of every model of this gun, and I have them in multiple calibers for most of these models.

Others collect a general type of weapon. For example they collect WWII era semi-auto weapons, some will buy any weapon from that era while others may concentrate on "Allied Forces" weapons from that era, yet others still may concentrate on Nazi weapons, etc.

So for me, I collect a few different guns, but they are fairly specific in type/style/etc. I have a bunch of AR15 rifles, but I don't consider them to be a 'collection' because there is no real logic to the grouping. My CZ pistols are a 'collection' because I concentrate on 1 general type and have variations of the type.

Not sure if that makes any sense, but that is how I collect my guns.



.

 

[RTDoug]

They follow me home

 

[VN Vet]

I buy mine off of this INGO Site, Gunbroker or by just walking into gun shops like BGF and looking around. I'm a guy. I impulse buy. Sometimes. OK, many times.

I've had good fortune at all my listed places.

 

[joslar15]

To some extent, I get a bug about a particular firearm and scratch the itch by buying one

I buy mine off of this INGO Site, Gunbroker or by just walking into gun shops like BGF and looking around. I'm a guy. I impulse buy. Sometimes. OK, many times.

These two ideas describe my thoughts pretty well.

 

[Sasquatchhunter]

I get locked into certain catagories of guns I want. I started out with pistols. I WAS PISTOL CRAZY! pistols,pistols,pistols. Then it went to .22's. Now im stuck on milsurps... I have bought 2 Mosins in 2 weeks....and now I'm hungry like a coked up werewolf for a mauser. YEEEOOWW!!!!!!

 

[Lock n Load]

So my question for you is this; How do you decide what to buy and justify buying 2 of the same make/model?

My 16 y/o son wont let me buy just one of anything!!! Seriously though, if I want to shoot it I had better have a spare..... like when I buy something for the kids I need 3, one for each of them and 1 for me!!!

Or,

2 is one and 1 is none...... I believe thats from C. Smith.

 

[jeremy]

I buy them 1 at a time, unless I can get a volume discount.

Still looking into how to plant and grow them though... Currently not having a lot of luck with this one yet...

 

[mettle]

First, buy what you need to survive and defend your home and hearth with. The proper mags, ammo and accessories are a must for your survival/defense weapons.

THEN get toys. Get the toys only AFTER you have fired and learned your primary weapons hands down, knowing their weaknesses and possible failures.

Toys only come after you are sure your 'good to go' stuff is actually 'good to go' no matter what.

 

[Hoosier8]

I get locked into certain catagories of guns I want. I started out with pistols. I WAS PISTOL CRAZY! pistols,pistols,pistols. Then it went to .22's. Now im stuck on milsurps... I have bought 2 Mosins in 2 weeks....and now I'm hungry like a coked up werewolf for a mauser. YEEEOOWW!!!!!!

Man, sounds like me only I GOT MY MAUSER!!!!

 

[dice dealer]

I go into a gun shop and look around , if i see something i like ....I buy it .
no particular way i collect most of the time the gun finds me ...kinda like going to buy a dog , all the pups bouncing around wanting to go home with you ,, but there is that one that stands out and lets you kn0ow he is yours ..

 

[cosermann]

. . . a 'collection' is an organized and logical grouping of a specific type of gun or related guns.

This firearms collection may be for more "aesthetic" tastes as is the context of melensdad's post, or it could be for more practical considerations, such as defense/survival, in which case I like the connotation of the term "firearms battery."

Either way, it's a logical grouping based on one's goals, whether that's to obtain a sample of every mfg of WWII M1 Carbines, or to meet your personal defensive, survival, hunting, competition, etc. needs.

My suggestion is to sit down occasionally, at least once per year and think through and define your firearms goals for the year. If you do NOT do this, and buy what strikes your fancy when you happen to be looking in the gun case, you'll often end up buying things that you find later don't really fit your goals very well, thus waisting time and money in the process.

Even when taking a more disciplined approach to building your collection, you may find you buy something occasionally that doesn't quite "fit" later on. Your knowledge grows, and your needs/goals change (which is why this happens), but following a disciplined approach like this will help minimize purchases that aren't right for you.

With respect to multiple copies, my experience has been that some people buy multiple copies of the same gun because they really like that gun and are a "fancier," while others buy multiple copies for more "spare parts" or redundancy reasons.

The thing is, everyone has their own reasons.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I love my Xd, but I'm not partial to Xd alone. My next purchase will be another .22LR, or .22MWR rifle. Just for cost wise. My next pistol purchase will be another 9mm. I shot my Dads m&p 9mm pro yesterday. I gave me a chuby. That depends on what happens with ammo prices etc. though. If not another .22 pistol.

 

[melensdad]

My suggestion is to sit down occasionally, at least once per year and think through and define your firearms goals for the year. If you do NOT do this, and buy what strikes your fancy when you happen to be looking in the gun case, you'll often end up buying things that you find later don't really fit your goals very well, thus waisting time and money in the process.

Even when taking a more disciplined approach to building your collection, you may find you buy something occasionally that doesn't quite "fit" later on. Your knowledge grows, and your needs/goals change (which is why this happens), but following a disciplined approach like this will help minimize purchases that aren't right for you.

Great point. Last year I purchased several firearms that I have resold or will be reselling, and be glad to simply get my cost back out of them. They were guns that I thought I wanted but really, after getting them and playing with them, they just were not right for me. Onto the chopping block they go.

 

[IndyGunworks]

First, buy what you need to survive and defend your home and hearth with. The proper mags, ammo and accessories are a must for your survival/defense weapons.

THEN get toys. Get the toys only AFTER you have fired and learned your primary weapons hands down, knowing their weaknesses and possible failures.

Toys only come after you are sure your 'good to go' stuff is actually 'good to go' no matter what.

i think this is the best advice... i bought and bought mostly on impulse... only now am i realizing his advice and while i am still doing way to much impulse buying i am concentrating on accessories.. mags spare parts slings optics ammo ect...

i even have several rifles that i have barely shot at all... those are coming out of the safe this summer as i have pledged myself to become profecient with every gun in my collection as best i can.

 

[ARdysfunction]

I consider my collection... well not a collection at all, but an accumulation. Once you have the basic firearm needs out of the way, you begin to play around and find out what you do and don't like. The things you like you keep and maybe buy more of. The things you don't, you sell off and buy something else. Half the fun for me is the journey to finding out what I want, and knowing the reasons I don't want certain things.

All that is said with exception to AR's. That for me is a disease, from which I am very ill. And as of now there is no know cure that I am aware of.

 

[JByer323]

I buy what appeals. I'm all over the board when it comes to firearms I like, and I think that's ok. Got a rocking 1911 collection? That's cool, but any self respecting shooter needs a wheel gun or two. Really dig on the AR platform? Neat, but you still need an M1 or AK variant.

My weakness is .22s though. Seriously, those things follow me home on an alarming basis.

 

[knobcreeknut]

my collecting habits have changed over time. my first goal when I started a serious colection was to own and understand the workings of as many action types as possible. Not just bolt, semi, revolver etc... , but semi autos with different ways of feeding (mag from top, bottom, and sides; tubes from front, and thru stock; gas, blowback, delayed blowback) from matchlocks forward, I wanted to understand how everything worked. basically my goal was to gain a knowledge and understanding of firearms funtion and design, common, and uncommon. If I saw something I had never played with or torn down, and could afford it, I bought it.
then I got into evil black rifles, sold most of the first collection to buy up AR's AK's and anything else that looked cool and military. AWB hit and I sold stuff off during the price peaks and bought shotguns and highpower long range target competition equipment.
Then I found a tommy gun. now it's anything that requires a stamp. I still have select pieces from every phase of my firearms ownership history.

The thing is every collection phase leads to another. get what you can afford, and what makes you happy. We are blessed to live in a country where we can still (at least for now) buy just about anything we want. sure some of it is ungodly expensive, but it can be obtained. Buy em, shoot em, take care of them so someone else can enjoy them when we die. these guns will outlast all of us.