Oh yeah? What if you'd bought not one but two Model 58s in great condition languishing on gun shelves at the dawn of the hicap 9mm age for $250-$300 each. And you flipped them in a few years for about the same?Originally Posted by BehindBlueI's
Oh yeah? What if you'd bought not one but two Model 58s in great condition languishing on gun shelves at the dawn of the hicap 9mm age for $250-$300 each. And you flipped them in a few years for about the same?
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
I think a lot of gun owners go through similar ebbs and flows over the years. I'm 40, and I've been doing the gun thing since before I was 20, and I can think of several stages of binges and purges. I'm starting a purge now myself.
I think the key is to come up with the things that you ACTUALLY do with a firearm, and the things you actually NEED a firearm for, and work from there. For example, there is no point owning a boarding gun, or a hunting rifle if, at 32, you've never gone hunting before. By the same token, despite presumably having never been in a gunfight, you *need* a self defense pistol.
Another key is to divorce emotion from inanimate objects. "Collecting" is a purely emotional pastime, and given that you have a family now I suspect that you're getting your emotional fulfillment from them, not from guns (and if you aren't, you probably have larger problems to worry about).
But LL is right when he says selling off NFA stuff is a losing prospect. At least, for SBRs and cans since FA is a great investment. Myself, I'm willing to take the hit on a couple of cans, and try to either make use of the SBR lowers I have (2 of which are big-pin colts, to make matters worse) or just say fuck it and simply out non-SBR uppers on them for other uses.
And, finally, now is s shit time to sell. Both the immediate "now" because the market is in full glut, and in the broader "now" because the cycle of new hotness (coupled with that emotionally-fueled buying process most engage in, to include those that think they don't) is so fast these days, meaning yesterday's new hotness is today's old busted, almost literally.
sell the non NFA stuff..Yeah. Maybe one of the 17s too. That leaves you a pair of Glocks, an AR and a shotgun. Saying one *needs* a longgun is kind of a stretch, IMO.Sell it all except the 3 Glocks and the NFA stuff.
At the very least you can put your toe in the water and sell the bolt gun and see how you feel afterwards. (Assuming the 700 gets used less than the other stuff.)
This here is spot on.
Except the part about the market. I haven't had much trouble moving a Glock and 2 1911s in recent months. YMMV on that, though.
I've swung toward the minimalist side of things recently as well. If history is any indication, getting replacement firearms isn't nearly the problem that getting ammo/components or magazines is. The latter I would keep a healthy supply of. The former...well...if you exclude inherited antiques and game guns I'm also down to 1 AR and 2 pistols.
I have a hard time putting anything in the "need" category other than a couple defensive pistols and a lot of ammo. Past that guns are for recreation. If you're not getting enjoyment out of shooting, sell them and move on.
Not to get too far down a semantics rabbit hole but...
For me, "need" goes with "want". I "want" to shoot USPSA and IDPA. In order to do that, I "need" a handgun. I "want" to be competitive in my classification and maximize the gear potential (not "feel like the gear is holding me back"), and to do that I "need" a pistol that is set up for gaming.
All of that said, you get too far down the rabbit hole at the other end of the spectrum, and does anyone actually "need" a defensive firearm? Especially outside the professional user like a cop or armed security?
Obviously everyone will find their own balance point. I've had times in my life when I've been convinced I need a shotgun for clays, and one for bird hunting, and one for 3-gun despite never having participated in any of those activities. Similarly, I'm still convinced I "need" a .308 hunting rifle despite having never hunted anything other than hogs and having had smashing success with my regular AR for that purpose.
Agreed. Defining "need" here is tricky.
Agree that if you could afford to buy it then, you can afford to keep it now. If you can resist temptation to acquire more Stuff other than by trade.
One approach would be to price everything out and when somebody saw you at the range and said "Hey, that's kewl, what will you take for it?" TELL HIM!
I understand where you are at. I went through this Tyler Durden, anti-materialism shift about a year ago and have started selling off most everything I consider superflous.
I'm down to 2 full size 9mms and a Walther PPS when I need something more concealable.
A nice bolt action rifle for hunting
A 12ga for hunting
An AR.
The guns I do have left put a grin on my face when I shoot them and I receive real enjoyment in owning them.
The only reason I have 2 9mms is in case one goes down during a match.
I'm going down to just one Gibson Acoustic as well.
Everything else will go partly into reloading components and mostly into padding my kids college funds.
No more high dollar 1911s, guitars, or amps.
And I say this as a guy who is debt free except for his house and can afford whatever gun I want. There is something freeing about not having a lot of stuff and exponential gains to me made by having a few firearms that you focus on, train with, and shoot until they become an extension of your will.
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Last edited by Blayglock; 09-01-2015 at 09:21 AM.
And here I am thinking of Form 1ing another lower.
If the VP9c comes out I will get a new gun but right now its Ammo, Mags, Suppressors, Lasers, and Nods. In that order.
Why? Because I really do not need more guns but capabilities. That is why I bought a Treadmill!
Need to gain 5 more pounds of muscle that is why I go to the gym more than to the range.
Last edited by ffhounddog; 09-01-2015 at 09:21 AM.
Funny, there have been mornings in the wee hours where I've stood at my gun safe for 20 minutes trying to decide what to deer hunt with that day.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Good discussion guys, thanks! This is what I was hoping for. At this point, I'm going to hold off getting rid of everything and just keep saving/paying down debt with my new-found additional income from my new job. I don't really want any more guns (well, I would like to pick up a 10/22 for my 8 month old, the 2 yr old already has one NIB waiting for him in the safe), but feel that I would if I were without some of these. For instance, this is the third precision .308 bolt gun I've built up and it's identical to the last one I had. What I've found is that while I don't use it a lot, it's something that makes me happy to have and on occasions where I want/need it, I regret it if I don't have it. The bolt gun specifically is probably due to a certain friend I have that has a certain job and this rifle gives us lots of common ground on which to interact.
Food Court Apprentice
Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer
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