Gun collecting

[Gymtech]

A friend of mine used to own a shop. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy guns at just over his cost.
Back then guns were for hunting or target practice. I mostly just bought for those purpose. But I did buy a bunch of guns just because they were to good of a price to say no to... I saw no reason to own a AR or Glock style guns...
At one point I had 30 rifles and hand guns.
My opinion started changing about collecting guns and what their use is for . My kids are all grown and have moved away. Taking a bunch of guns out to target practicing doesn't happen very often anymore.
Years ago I started selling off guns so I could buy more practical ones. Ones that I could use for home defense. Them once I learn that I could get a ccw I sold more guns so I could add concealed pistols other than revolvers.. I only have one revolver left . I keep my Ruger Bearcat.
The only rifles I keep are my pump action shoot gun and a 22 rifle I customize for my wife. And only because the shoot gun was a gift to me and wife's gun was the first one I bought her.
I was able to sell guns for a profit and been able to stock pile ammonium and new guns without any out of pocket cost.
My gun collection today is small and manageable.
I own 5 Glocks and 2 ARs now and parts for them. We have different buyout bags and plans for different what ifs. Not having the kids around has made things a lot simpler.
Just curious if any other collectors or old school shooters have changed the way they feel and why.
I changed because the world has changed. I miss the days when I was a kid we never locked the doors or had to keep our guns in a safe. I remember going to my family houses and seeing guns left out. No one ever touched a gun without asking first...

[Old Flash]

After retiring a few years ago, I thought I would have more time shooting and reloading but that quite didn't happen. Funny that I used to do more shooting back when I was working, lol. Wife is not really into shooting and owning guns, and nowadays when I do make it to the range, it's just me, myself and I.
So, most of the guns that I've picked up along the way have been sold on our marketplace. A few are going to be hard to sell because of nostalgic/personal value. But I am happy though to have sold a few to calgunners who appear to appreciate them.
California is my home and maybe it would be different if I lived in a free state but who knows?

Yeah, the world changed but what also changed for me is that I lost interest in the shooting sport. (The last one I went to was back in summer of 2020 at Gunsite's IDPA Combat Competition.) I used to know people that I regularly went shooting with but lost that connection. Also, I like wrenching on cars and went back to car racing (SCCA) which takes up a bit of my free time but lets me spend time with my son.

[Zenderfall]

Just curious if any other collectors or old school shooters have changed the way they feel and why.

I did. I used to buy guns simply because they were cool (to me) to own. Examples are Sig P226 Mk25 because the Navy Seals used that gun. Or a S&W M41 because it's a really awesome .22 target pistol (still is).

That changed when I started picking up teaching marksmanship and shooting in IDPA - the guns now are for those two purposes. Full of beginner .22 pistols like Buckmark and Mark IV, or RAR .22. and AR-22 to teach with. Pistols like G34, CZ SP01 and 1911 9mm to compete with. Ditched a .357 revolver for a 9mm revolver for competition use.

Before, just getting the guns was it, but that got old because I didn't shoot very often, with nothing to shoot for and nobody to shoot with. Now in a club and doing things with other people, the guns became a means, they're tools for the sport. That's what changed. But I can totally see both sides of it - some people collect guns and others get the guns so they can do what they want with them.

[mdr110]

Remember Pomona? (if you were in SoCal area) . . . those were the GREAT days!

[GraveTPO]

A friend of mine used to own a shop. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy guns at just over his cost.
Back then guns were for hunting or target practice. I mostly just bought for those purpose. But I did buy a bunch of guns just because they were to good of a price to say no to... I saw no reason to own a AR or Glock style guns...
At one point I had 30 rifles and hand guns.
My opinion started changing about collecting guns and what their use is for . My kids are all grown and have moved away. Taking a bunch of guns out to target practicing doesn't happen very often anymore.
Years ago I started selling off guns so I could buy more practical ones. Ones that I could use for home defense. Them once I learn that I could get a ccw I sold more guns so I could add concealed pistols other than revolvers.. I only have one revolver left . I keep my Ruger Bearcat.
The only rifles I keep are my pump action shoot gun and a 22 rifle I customize for my wife. And only because the shoot gun was a gift to me and wife's gun was the first one I bought her.
I was able to sell guns for a profit and been able to stock pile ammonium and new guns without any out of pocket cost.
My gun collection today is small and manageable.
I own 5 Glocks and 2 ARs now and parts for them. We have different buyout bags and plans for different what ifs. Not having the kids around has made things a lot simpler.
Just curious if any other collectors or old school shooters have changed the way they feel and why.
I changed because the world has changed. I miss the days when I was a kid we never locked the doors or had to keep our guns in a safe. I remember going to my family houses and seeing guns left out. No one ever touched a gun without asking first...

30 rifles and handguns IS small and manageable.

But I get your point.

[smittty]

After retiring a few years ago, I thought I would have more time shooting and reloading but that quite didn't happen. Funny that I used to do more shooting back when I was working, lol. Wife is not really into shooting and owning guns, and nowadays when I do make it to the range, it's just me, myself and I.
So, most of the guns that I've picked up along the way have been sold on our marketplace. A few are going to be hard to sell because of nostalgic/personal value. But I am happy though to have sold a few to calgunners who appear to appreciate them.
California is my home and maybe it would be different if I lived in a free state but who knows?

Yeah, the world changed but what also changed for me is that I lost interest in the shooting sport. (The last one I went to was back in summer of 2020 at Gunsite's IDPA Combat Competition.) I used to know people that I regularly went shooting with but lost that connection. Also, I like wrenching on cars and went back to car racing (SCCA) which takes up a bit of my free time but lets me spend time with my son.

Congrats on retiring, something I'll likely never get to do!

My interest seems to be reactionary to what's going on, if guns are in the news then I'm buying.

As we get closer to the election I think guns and gun laws will be in the news again.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

My 'philosophy' on guns has changed a bit over the years.

Initially, it was based on what I could afford. Then it developed into variants of designs I liked which allowed for variations of use. Then I flirted with collecting based on themes; e.g., military arms or single shots or similar.

About that time, I figured out that I couldn't afford everything and began asking what I would be using the firearms for. Hunting was a priority and many of my firearms reflect that. Competition became less significant as I became good enough that local competitions began losing their appeal, but traveling to the major matches involved too much by way of logistics.

Today, I don't hunt as much as I used to. I don't compete at all. Right on down the list. As a result, my 'collection' isn't what it used to be.

At one point, I knew someone who would buy and sell guns to finance whatever suited his fancy in the moment. He never possessed more than 4 or 5 firearms at a time as he didn't figure he could support or shoot more than that. I can empathize with his thinking, but I haven't quite been able to bring myself to that point... yet.

Am I about due for another 'adjustment' in my philosophy of collecting?

[JohnnyMtn]

My small collection is a hodge podge of different ideas, goals, themes that have definitely changed over time. Initially, my first guns were simply because I wanted to get into shooting. I got a nice semi-auto shotgun (Beretta 391) to get into clays. I also got a pistol (Beratta 92) to get into pistol shooting as well as a .22 rifle because I was getting into precision shooting (with 22s).

At some point I got more into the defensive mindset of prepping so that got me into getting a defensive shotgun (870), an AR (or two), then some practical defensive pistols. On a small tangent of that theme, I found that I picked up some defensive carbines that were CA featureless compliant.

Shortly after that I got more into the collecting mindset. That lead me to getting into guns like a Garand, an M1A dressed as an M14 in walnut, and I had hoped to get other
C&Rs like an M1 Carbine, M1903, M1917, K98, Arisaka, etc, but sadly I have never been able to get further into that mainly because of money. I still have hopes to resume that because I really like the historic aspect of collecting. I also found myself putting guns into the collection not because I necessarily liked the guns but just wanted an example in the collection before some politician took them away. That lead me to getting guns like an AK, SKS, etc..

During all that my kids were getting to the age where they could shoot so I found myself getting more .22 rifles and pistols. For the future I want to get into precision shooting again so I would love to get a bolt action or two. And I also have a strong urge to even get some lever actions into the collection.

[Barang]

i was already somewhat old when i first bought my handgun for home defense. my reason for buying more since then hasn't changed except for some that are collectible to my taste.

[ar15barrels]

At one point I had 30 rifles and hand guns.
My gun collection today is small and manageable.
I own 5 Glocks and 2 ARs now

30 IS a very small and manageable collection.
I sometimes take 30 to the range.
I don't think I could ever pare my collection down to just 30.

[smle-man]

I had over 70 firearms on hand at one point, but I've reduced it somewhat. I've switched from quantity to quality. I've given some to my sons and nephews and such and sold others. Some of those that are left are already spoken for by my children and my nephews who are enthusiastic shooters.

I collected in phases: M1 rifles (7, now 1); Swiss K11 31 (10 now 1); Lee-Enfields (12 now 3) and so on. As I use up my stored ammo for different firearms, I sell them. Soon I will be out of .303 so one of the Lee-Enfields will go. The other two are in 7.62 so they will stick around awhile. I have about 200 rounds of 7.5 Swiss and components for another 150, then that one is gone.

The only ammo I buy now is .22

If A firearm can't fit in my safe, I don't buy it without disposing of some. At one time I had 4 large capacity stack on boxes, now just one 35 long gun safe which holds less than that.

[beerman]

I think all people who collect ( or accumulate) guns do change preferences as time goes on. I started with a cheap Llama 45. Then a Colt trooper, then a Colt GC, then a Colt Delta elite 10mm. Then came the milsurps. I set out to have the main battle rifle from every major combatant ( allied & axis) from WWII. After completing this task, I moved to aquiring one of every Military cartridge rifle from Springfield Armory ( starting with an 1873 trapdoor) I ended up with all of them but an M14 ( had to settle with an M1A). Then 22 trainers. About 10 years ago, I started thinning the herd and an down to ones I love to shoot. About 24 left split evenly between handguns and rifles.Most all collectors I know go to thru changing primary goals thru time.It’s the thrill of the hunt.

[BigPimping]

I can?t see myself selling guns anymore. I seek only to acquire them. my kids have no interest in them and I guess my wife will just have them auctioned off when I kick the bucket. I?m getting old anyway.

[stormvet]

Mine has been at right around 100 for a long time now, some come and go but it really hasn’t changed much.

As we get older it makes since to thin the heard, I just haven’t got there yet. But admit the thought has crossed my mind.

I’m still at a place where I can shoot pretty much as much as I want and enjoy working through the collection. Of course there are several I haven’t shot in years, but some of them I want to pass on.

When the time comes where shooting isn’t as fun or easy as it is now, I’ll start letting some go. But hopefully that’s still a long way off.

[Rodell]

I have about a hundred, and am aging out. No heirs and I can’t spend the time to sell them (and some I just can’t, for one reason or another). Maintenance and storage are become a greater concern, too.

It weighs on me.