When I first joined this forum, I was an accumulator. I had just graduated law school, found a job, and for the first time in my life had a sizable paycheck and, with the end of a long-term relationship, nobody to criticize how I spent it. The result was that for about two years I accumulated guns like flypaper grabs flies. Every sale I saw I found a way to justify. In the space of three years my collection grew from 7 guns, give or take (gifts and those bought from high school and college jobs) to around 25.
I never envisoned my collection shrinking. Why would it? I grabbed everything under the sun. At one point, I had no fewer than 6 (Beretta 92FS, 92A1, 92S, Glock 17, HK VP9, Sig P226) 9mm full-size duty-style guns. Different triggers and actions, no rhythm or rhyme to training, no consistency to carry or ammo selection.
When I started posting on pistol-forum, the experienced regulars told me to knock off the accumulating and start shooting, to pick my favorites, buy duplicates, and put rounds downrange. To me that sounded so boring. Guns were my fun thing, not work! I kept accumulating.
Until this year, when I read a Dave Ramsay book, crossed from my 20s into my 30s, and realized I was, in fact, aging and money is, in fact, finite. Much more importantly, time is finite.
I reluctantly shelved my DA/SA guns after consistently better shooting with striker-fired guns with no external safety. I standardized ammo. I gave up years of dogged defense of .40 S&W and standardized to 9mm with an occasional dalliance in .45. I sold 10 guns. I spent more range time. This year, for the first time ever, I saw a substantial increase in my shooting skills. Not only was I maintaining my skills, I was appreciably improving. My most recent range trip last week was one of the best thrills of my shooting life. I was only there to function test guns, not even shooting for accuracy or slow-firing, and I found myself shooting consistently well at longer ranges than I used to be comfortable with.
Most importantly, and this is why I am posting this thread, for other newer shooters, newly employed younger folks, or anyone still stuck in the accumulating phase....I realized that there is nothing special about accumulating.
The ten guns I sold? I didn't miss eight of them. The two I missed? They were easy to re-acquire in newer and better form. My Sig P220R made me miss having a non-1911 .45 in a modern duty style. My Smith M&P 2.0 .45 4.6" gives me almost the same accuracy, better durability, lighter weight, higher capacity, and better magazines. My 2.0 4'" Compact gave me an affordable stand in for the Glock 19 Gen4 I regretted selling and more time to weigh another one versus the 19 Gen5.
It wasn't hard to get more guns. At all. It took a swipe of my debit card (no more credit, cash only, courtesy Mr. Ramsay). I had more choice than ever.
The hard thing wasn't buying stuff. The hard thing was realizing buying stuff isn't a crutch for the ACTUAL hard stuff. Practice, consistency, and discipline. Just like diet, work, love, or anything else worth doing right.
There is a reason they tell you to pick a 9mm, a holster, snap caps, a few crates of ammo, and practice. It works. You'll be better. You'll have the one thing money can't buy: a honed and developed skill.
This was something of a late night ramble that distills to a Pistol-Forum classic: buy less, shoot more. Trust me on this one.