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Old December 9, 2012, 01:21 PM   #1
Venom1956
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Have you ever had someone copy/compete with your purchases?

Have you ever had someone purchase similar or exactly the same gun as you after seeing/trying it? Sort of like They need to have a better or equal gun? They somehow feel like need to match your price tag?

I had an experience like that this weekend and once before and while normally I love when others get stuff to shoot with me, these two purchases seemed to be fueled out of spite or feeling inferior.

Now I don't cut down others purchases even if it is something I don't like I am respectful because I wouldn't want someone to do that to me. I just purchase what I want and I never really considered what others would think.

I know usually imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. But these two times felt odd.

Has this ever happened to you? How did it bother you at all?
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Old December 9, 2012, 02:33 PM   #2
buck460XVR
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Yeah, have a good friend that bought the same turkey gun a week after I bought mine. He bought they same camo clothing to the point where I had to write my name on mine so they didn't get confused(still missin' a pair of Gore-Tex rain pants I know he has). Bought a new 1911, just cause I had one, altho he's had it over two years, I don't think he's shot it yet. He even switched bird dog breeds to what I had. It hasn't really bothered me other than the confusion, he just had more confidence in my choices than his. What was the worst was when fishin'. If I had a new lure and had luck with it, the next week he would have one too and start fishing with it immediately once we hit the water. I naturally would tie on something different just so we could find out if the fish had a preference. Odds are if I got a strike before he did, he would go thru his tackle box trying to imitate whatever I had on. Many times, if he did not have something similar, he would just quit fishin', thinkin' there was no reason to, since I had the only "good" bait. Again, he's a good friend and has other quirks too, but he'd give me the shirt off his back and is always there if I need a favor. I'm sure I do things he's thinks are strange also........
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Old December 9, 2012, 02:40 PM   #3
Sparks1957
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Some folks are just so unsure of themselves that they will copy anyone that appears to have a clue. It really is a compliment of sorts.

It is a sad commentary on many peoples' inability to do research and draw their own conclusions about what is best for them, and to think for themselves in general.
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Old December 9, 2012, 03:12 PM   #4
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I have several friends telling me I need to get an AR15 like theirs. Not really into ARs myself though, but may get one sometime.
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Old December 9, 2012, 03:28 PM   #5
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I have an old friend who has to have a better "everything" than other people. He has copied me almost exactly several times on a truck, an AR and a Beretta O/U. I bought a loaded GMC 1500HD and the next week he bought a loaded duramax 2500HD, (I liked mine more.) I bought a Colt Ar and he immediately bought a LMT and hung everything possible off it, mine's still stock. I bought a 20 Beretta O/U he went out and bought the higher grade model. In each case he couldn't stand that I had something that he didn't so he tried to one-up me. Except for the Beretta, I like my purchases more than his "better" versions. It doesn't bother me, I find it humorous.
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Old December 9, 2012, 04:50 PM   #6
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Happens a lot. I bought a Colt 1911 once -- then I found out a lot of people were doing the same thing. Man, I was bummed. I guess it makes Colt happy, though.
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Old December 9, 2012, 07:28 PM   #7
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Never paid it any attention.
But I bet we all do it to some degree, such as when somebody shows us something we didn't know about or knew but hadn't seen. Read a write-up and go buy the same thing the writer had bought. Hear rave reviews about things, etc.
Not to 'one-up', but because we 'just' want one too.
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Old December 9, 2012, 07:29 PM   #8
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It happens sometimes. It just reinforces the thought that a good purchase was made. One time it worked for me. When my friend brought over his new AR, my Wife couldn't live with herself until I had one too. I had an identical one within a week.
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Old December 9, 2012, 07:37 PM   #9
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sortof like how people in threads always recommend their firearm out of pride when asked for gun purchase advice on TFL...LOL
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Old December 9, 2012, 07:38 PM   #10
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Yup, I had a guy that if I bought a rifle, he would buy the deluxe grade and crow about how much better it was. If I bought a 4X scope, he would buy a variable and crow about it. Same went with reloading equiment. The only time he didn't crow was when the targets or game came home.
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Old December 9, 2012, 11:41 PM   #11
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I have a friend that bought a H&K to try to compete with my Sig P220 and then bought a Judge revolver to try to match my 460 Rowland conversion(Springfield XD Tactical)

The H&K certainly is a quality match for the Sig but the Judge isn't even in the same zip code.

Of course according to him he has a 30-30 that can shoot 4 to 6 miles... Have to bite my tongue everytime he says it... He now wants a 338 Lapua to beat my 7mm Rem Mag... Oh well hes a good guy but not really a gun guy... Sometimes you just have to laugh..
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Old December 9, 2012, 11:44 PM   #12
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Moving to General Discussion.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:35 AM   #13
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No because they can't afford a lot of guns I have especially my $600 Glock after I put $900 into it. $1500, That's my record. Heck most of the time I can't afford some of my gun's I had to save up for.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:41 AM   #14
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I recently got an AR, and my two best friends (they are brothers) went out and got some Romanian WASR-10s soon after. I love the fact that we can do some tactical shooting together, though they constantly try to tell me how much better the WASRs are than my Windham. I will admit, the AKM design is a more robust design, and the 7.62 round is bigger (I have a Norinco SKS, so I know pretty well about the 7.62), but my rifle just has more quality. The dust cover on the younger brother's wouldn't latch on until he filed it down a bit, and the mags rattle in the magwell.

I won't bash their decisions because I love the fact that they got some carbines as well, but they don't do near the research I do. I put many hours into researching what rifle I want, and they kinda just made up their minds and bought some WASRs without knowing the pitfalls. I am just so glad neither of their rifles suffer from the front sight issue.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:56 AM   #15
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Me and my roommate purchased matching guns with consecutive serials guess we like having gear we can interchange also

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Old December 10, 2012, 02:21 AM   #16
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A buddy of mine bought a rifle just like mine after shooting it. I don't think he was copying me - he just really liked the rifle. Besides, he's already got plenty of really neat guns. Another friend bought the same target pistol as mine he and the wife shot it and both liked it. Today another friend went absolutely gaga over a 9mm carbine that I brought with me. He took down the manufacturer name and model number and is determined to own one very soon. None of these guys is doing this out of competition. It's all about enthusiasm. We keep the competition directed to paper or clays. I have to admit I'm pretty lucky to have some terrific shooting buddies.
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Old December 10, 2012, 10:09 AM   #17
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My son and nephew and I freqently buy the same or similar guns as each other; we enjoy friendly competition with each other to see who is the better shot with a particular model.

As far as if someone buys a gun to "one-up" me; can't recall that ever happening. I have, however, had friends buy a particular model or brand of gun because they liked shooting mine; more power to them.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:15 PM   #18
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I'm that guy "kinda" . A friend of mine will not tell me what's the next gun he wants cus there is a good chance I get one first . Thats not cus I want to one up him . It's cus he does great research and tells me in great detail why he wants that perticular firearm . When he's done telling me about the gun I think I should get one too .I was out looking at shotguns with him . I had one pick out in my head that I was going to buy I was looking at it at the counter when my buddy came over and asked me why that one . He then had the clerk pull down a different gun and he started comparing them and really helping me understand some real key differances . I put the one I thought I wanted back and bought the other one . It's by no meens everything either . There are guns he told me he would not buy and I did and there are otheres that he strongly recommends that I will not buy . There has been many time in life I have used someones stuff and bought the same thing tools , appliances etc not just guns . The shoe has been on the other foot as well and I like it . What bumbs me out is when I tell a friend to buy someting cus how much I like it , they do and hate it .
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:35 PM   #19
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If one looked at mine and my dad's buying histories, one might think that we're trying to show each other up. It is, however, more coincidence than anything as Dad and I just happen to have very similar tastes.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:46 PM   #20
Jimboh247
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When you're broke like me, you don't worry about other people copying/competeing with you!

I would take it as a form of flatery if someone thought enough of my choice to go out and invest their own money into the same thing.
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Old December 10, 2012, 01:34 PM   #21
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Not tryin to sound sarcastic but I've always managed to find more important things in life to occupy my mind with.

Through life, I have been offended by certain actions of family members,friends and acquaintance's but what and why they buy something has never been one of those actions.

Could care less and have always made it a habit of not judging someone for purchasing something or their reason for doing so. If their purchase makes them happy(or sad), they live with that...not me.

Quote:
If one looked at mine and my dad's buying histories, one might think that we're trying to show each other up. It is, however, more coincidence than anything as Dad and I just happen to have very similar tastes.
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I can relate to that WebleyMKV.

Dad's been gone now going on two years. For 45+ yrs., he was the best shooting partner I had and we had very similar tastes in firearms.

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Old December 10, 2012, 01:51 PM   #22
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I bought a COP 357 once because I really liked one that a friend showed me years earlier. I still have it and like it. (I lost touch with him and he never actually knew I purchased one - I wasn't trying to one-up the guy)

I don't believe that I've ever had a friend buy a gun similar to any of the ones I own. But, I do tend to gravitate toward the odd and unusual "off-beat" firearms - not usually the kind of thing you can run out to your LGS and buy.
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Old December 10, 2012, 02:07 PM   #23
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Consider yourselves trend setters!
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Old December 10, 2012, 02:14 PM   #24
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I tried a Dan Wesson that a friend of mine had.

After a year of waiting I got mine.

I shot a loaded Springfield m1911-a1 that a friend had.

Mine is on order.

I guess I am one of those folks.

I do not intend to be a copycat but when I try a gun I really like, I try to get one.
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Old December 10, 2012, 02:43 PM   #25
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I dunno, Venom, but done it myself once or twice.

Usually, however, this is after having shot a friend's gun and deciding that I liked it enough to buy one of my own instead of borrowing it. I do it with my own style applied, though.

Bought a stainless GP100 having tried out my FIL's blued version a few times. Picked up a parkerized Rock Island 1911, having taken a friend's blued Colt for a spin - a Colt was way out of my price range, and I liked the Park'd finish better.

Shot another friend's A2 AR-15 - rather than "copy" and get one of my own, I just bought his

Gun maker's only make so many variants of their base model guns, but when I "copy" I always make sure it's a gun that I will enjoy, not just a clone of something that fits someone else's personality
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