How Many Firearms Are Enough For You Personally? - Page 3

magnum777 · April 15, 2013, 06:53 PM

I have no specific number for guns, I get what I like, need or can afford.

Achilles11B · April 15, 2013, 11:23 PM

I thought of Billy Gibbons when I read the question. He was once asked if he had too many guitars, to which he replied, 'One is too many, a hundred is not enough.'

I think it fits here.

natman · April 16, 2013, 02:21 AM

I have too many, and yet still not enough...

22-rimfire · April 16, 2013, 09:25 AM

I don't have a magic number. If you buy guns strictly to shoot, then the number of guns you might shoot on a yearly basis is probably a relatively low number. But, why do you have to shoot something on a yearly basis in order to justfy ownership?

If you buy to collect, then there is absolutely no ceiling to the number of firearms you might own. I buy for both purposes and sometimes shooters become collectors. That is the nature of the beast.

kraigwy · April 16, 2013, 10:46 AM

There is no such thing as "too many guns"

That's like saying, too much money, or, a girl too pretty, or too much whiskey, or too much fun.

Just ain't no such animal.

southjk · April 16, 2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

That's like saying, too much money, or, a girl too pretty, or too much whiskey, or too much fun.

Just ain't no such animal.

Truer words were never said.

Gaerek · April 16, 2013, 11:02 AM

I didn't vote. Everytime I get to the point where I think, "Hmm, I have enough guns!" I will inevitably see something that I want within a few days. There's no limit. If I had 500 guns, I'd still find something I want as 501.

Joe_Pike · April 16, 2013, 12:16 PM

Quote:

There is no such thing as "too many guns"

I never asked how many was too many. I asked how many were enough for you personally. And, if that number is 1,500, or even unlimited, then that's fine. I was just curious what everyone's saturation point was.

teeroux · April 16, 2013, 03:31 PM

Not that I have anywhere close to this many but you know the scene in the Matrix where the gun racks come flying by in the loading room. That would almost be enough.

lcpiper · April 16, 2013, 04:50 PM

I'll have enough guns when I have enough for every situation in which I need another gun.

I'll explain. I have perhaps 4 rifles that would be acceptable to take deer hunting. That means I can take up to 3 people with me who don't have their own rifles.

But what if we go varmint hunting instead, the 30.06 is a little on the heavy side for varmint. And let's not talk about squirrel. Not one of them is right for squirrel. I have one that is fine for squirrel so I could at least get one more for that sized game.

I never hunt alone so I need at least two more of everything which is twice as much as some think I need. Of course I don't care what those people think too much.

Joe_Pike · April 16, 2013, 04:53 PM

Quote:

I never hunt alone so I need at least two more of everything which is twice as much as some think I need. Of course I don't care what those people think too much.

Well, I don't have enough money to supply friends with firearms, but that's a nice thing you do having extra guns on hand for them to borrow.

lcpiper · April 16, 2013, 05:00 PM

Daughter, Son-In-Law (The son I never had), that kind of thing.

larryh1108 · April 16, 2013, 06:12 PM

I made a rule a few years back that if I wanted to buy another gun, I had to sell one or two to pay for it. I realized I had guns I wasn't shooting and weren't really collectible and still wanted others. So, if I "had" to have a particular gun then I had to sell one or more to equal the cost and pare the herd.

It's been successful, for me, because I sold what sat and shoot what I have. I'm down to looking for a nice .22LR/Mag revolver and when I find it I will sell a really nice Llama IX-A .45ACP. As I get closer to retirement and as my hands are getting shaky and achey I've realized that the ones that you actually enjoy shooting are the ones actually worth keeping.

Samopal · April 16, 2013, 07:06 PM

I don't have a number and probably never will. Firearms is one of my main hobbies, and I'm not going to pull an arbitrary number out of the sky and say, "Okay, I'll only own this many at a time". As I live my life I'll buy, sell and trade guns as I see fit. When I get too many to accommodate I'll change my storage setup.

KMAX · April 16, 2013, 07:26 PM

I said between 21 and 30. I now have more than I can count with my shoes off.

I don't have 30 I think. I would have to go to the safe and count or check my record of gun and serial #. I would like to get it to less than ten to be more managable for maintainence, etc. but I can't decide what I would want to get rid of. Also there are a few more I would like to have.

Tejicano · April 17, 2013, 02:59 AM

Right now I have about 75 – if you count the one loaned out to a Marine buddy, boxes of parts with a receiver, assembled and waiting on a part or two to finish it up, etc. But I also have a short wish list of about 8 or 10 which are either a) I would buy up in a heartbeat if I found it at a normal price, or b) figuring out the options I really want before I put an order in.
.
I expect I will have about 100 by the time I retire and plan to enjoy my retirement slowly completing the ones I really like, selling off the ones I bought in duplicate when I saw good deals, and shooting the ones I have left. Depending on the level of interest either of my sons may have I might be selling off the NFA items just to ensure we get a good price for them – I doubt anybody in my family would know how to get a good price for those if I croaked before selling them.

Willie Sutton · April 17, 2013, 04:34 AM

One of each of every version of Mauser 98 would be a good starting spot...
I'm up to 100 of those and still finding new ones...

Willie

.

'88Scrat · April 17, 2013, 07:05 AM

I could't put a number on it but I would say my tipping point would be when you find some of your old firearms becoming unused. To me this is the point where you are no longer getting anything out of your purchase. For example I had an old Remington .22 that took a backseat to my Ruger 10/22 and started collecting dust so I sold it.

8MM Mauser · April 17, 2013, 08:48 PM

Quote:

I could't put a number on it but I would say my tipping point would be when you find some of your old firearms becoming unused. To me this is the point where you are no longer getting anything out of your purchase. For example I had an old Remington .22 that took a backseat to my Ruger 10/22 and started collecting dust so I sold it.

I agree, if you never shoot it, don't care about shooting it, and it's not strictly a self-defense arm, then pass it on to someone who will actually use it. I shoot all my guns or I sell them, unless they have some other sentimental or historical value to them. For example, I will likely one day inherit my dad's old 20GA stevens shotgun, it's as old as my dad is himself and sometimes it has a hard time actually cycling and chambering a round. I would never get rid of it thought. Might try to make it function better though as someday pass it on to my daughter (she is currently 22 months old.) So with few exceptions, I say use it or lose it. "Safe queens" are just sad to me.

Toolman · April 18, 2013, 08:52 PM

Real Americans can never have enough firearms.

Tejicano · April 19, 2013, 02:45 AM

I would love it if I had enough time and money to shoot all of my guns regularly. I don't have one gun I don't want to shoot but with as many as I have they can't all go to the range every time.

Granted, I don't have any dedicated safe queens - guns I would not shoot because they are NIB, too valuable, etc. I would not buy a rare, mint condition Colt or similar gun for that reason.

I will admit that a number of guns I have I just appreciate the mechanism, design, or period in history they represent to me. But that makes them more interesting for me to shoot them when I get the chance.

I also expect that they will increase in value over time so keeping them makes sense. Not so much for the investment value but because I know that if there was a time when I wanted it enough to buy it I would always want to have it - now that I have the money tied up in it I see no reason to sell it knowing I would probably buy the same type gun again one day.

Justice06RR · April 19, 2013, 03:51 AM

Its not about having a limit, but just having "enough" guns in your arsenal. Its a personal choice; if you want to own (and can afford) 1000 guns -- why not. But some may choose to own maybe just 5, or 20.

Realistically, not all of us are made of money. There are other hobbies/passions out there other than guns that we would like to pour money into.

I'd like to have more than I currently own, but other priorities need more attention sometimes. I would probably be happy with 20.

At this point I'm more concerned about having ammo for all of them...

Ruger480 · April 19, 2013, 09:24 AM

Forgive me for answering a question with a question but:
How many are there?

Yankee Traveler · April 19, 2013, 02:38 PM

I really do not believe in "Collectables". I do not buy anything to look at, or to put in a safe.
I buy, build and maintain cars to drive. Chrome is nice, but it does not make a car (truck, bike, boat) go faster, turn quicker, stop shorter. I need a sports car, sport sedan, sport utility, and a truck. With roof and without. I could do it all with suv but I don't want to.
I open the drawer on my tool box and I have deep well sockets, short sockets, 6 point, 12 point, wrenches, picks, wedges, hammers from tack to sledge, ball peen and mallet. I could do most things with vise grips and a screw driver, but I don't want to.

Guns? Big calibers, small calibers, long barrels, short barrels, black powder. I want them all, and every one I get, I will use. I cannot asign a number.

SC4006 · April 19, 2013, 02:48 PM

I also cannot put a number on how many is enough, for me I have enough when I think I have enough.

View Poll Results: What's Your Magic Number OF Firearms For You If You Have One?
1-10	29	17.90%
11-20	28	17.28%
21-30	25	15.43%
31-40	10	6.17%
41-50	8	4.94%
51-75	7	4.32%
More Than 75	55	33.95%
Voters: 162. You may not vote on this poll

April 15, 2013, 11:23 PM	#52
Achilles11B Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2010 Posts: 595	I thought of Billy Gibbons when I read the question. He was once asked if he had too many guitars, to which he replied, 'One is too many, a hundred is not enough.' I think it fits here. __________________ Good equipment will never be a substitute for good training.

April 16, 2013, 10:46 AM	#55
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	There is no such thing as "too many guns" That's like saying, too much money, or, a girl too pretty, or too much whiskey, or too much fun. Just ain't no such animal. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

April 16, 2013, 04:50 PM	#60
lcpiper Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2011 Posts: 1,405	I'll have enough guns when I have enough for every situation in which I need another gun. I'll explain. I have perhaps 4 rifles that would be acceptable to take deer hunting. That means I can take up to 3 people with me who don't have their own rifles. But what if we go varmint hunting instead, the 30.06 is a little on the heavy side for varmint. And let's not talk about squirrel. Not one of them is right for squirrel. I have one that is fine for squirrel so I could at least get one more for that sized game. I never hunt alone so I need at least two more of everything which is twice as much as some think I need. Of course I don't care what those people think too much. __________________ Colt M1911, AR-15 \| S&W Model 19, Model 27\| SIG P238 \| Berreta 85B Cheetah \| Ruger Blackhawk .357MAG, Bearcat "Shopkeeper" .22LR\| Remington Marine Magnum SP 12GA., Model 700 SPS .223

April 16, 2013, 05:00 PM	#62
lcpiper Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2011 Posts: 1,405	Daughter, Son-In-Law (The son I never had), that kind of thing. __________________ Colt M1911, AR-15 \| S&W Model 19, Model 27\| SIG P238 \| Berreta 85B Cheetah \| Ruger Blackhawk .357MAG, Bearcat "Shopkeeper" .22LR\| Remington Marine Magnum SP 12GA., Model 700 SPS .223

April 15, 2013, 06:53 PM	#51
magnum777 Member Join Date: May 2, 2012 Location: upstate New York Posts: 90	I have no specific number for guns, I get what I like, need or can afford.

April 16, 2013, 02:21 AM	#53
natman Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2008 Posts: 2,606	I have too many, and yet still not enough...

April 16, 2013, 09:25 AM	#54
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	I don't have a magic number. If you buy guns strictly to shoot, then the number of guns you might shoot on a yearly basis is probably a relatively low number. But, why do you have to shoot something on a yearly basis in order to justfy ownership? If you buy to collect, then there is absolutely no ceiling to the number of firearms you might own. I buy for both purposes and sometimes shooters become collectors. That is the nature of the beast.

April 16, 2013, 11:02 AM	#57
Gaerek Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Arizona Posts: 939	I didn't vote. Everytime I get to the point where I think, "Hmm, I have enough guns!" I will inevitably see something that I want within a few days. There's no limit. If I had 500 guns, I'd still find something I want as 501.

April 16, 2013, 03:31 PM	#59
teeroux Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2006 Posts: 1,512	Not that I have anywhere close to this many but you know the scene in the Matrix where the gun racks come flying by in the loading room. That would almost be enough.

April 16, 2013, 06:12 PM	#63
larryh1108 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2008 Location: NC Posts: 813	I made a rule a few years back that if I wanted to buy another gun, I had to sell one or two to pay for it. I realized I had guns I wasn't shooting and weren't really collectible and still wanted others. So, if I "had" to have a particular gun then I had to sell one or more to equal the cost and pare the herd. It's been successful, for me, because I sold what sat and shoot what I have. I'm down to looking for a nice .22LR/Mag revolver and when I find it I will sell a really nice Llama IX-A .45ACP. As I get closer to retirement and as my hands are getting shaky and achey I've realized that the ones that you actually enjoy shooting are the ones actually worth keeping. __________________ Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Last edited by larryh1108; April 16, 2013 at 07:48 PM.

April 16, 2013, 07:06 PM	#64
Samopal Junior Member Join Date: November 24, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 8	I don't have a number and probably never will. Firearms is one of my main hobbies, and I'm not going to pull an arbitrary number out of the sky and say, "Okay, I'll only own this many at a time". As I live my life I'll buy, sell and trade guns as I see fit. When I get too many to accommodate I'll change my storage setup. __________________ You can never be too rich, too good-looking, or too-well armed.

April 16, 2013, 07:26 PM	#65
KMAX Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 1,185	I said between 21 and 30. I now have more than I can count with my shoes off. I don't have 30 I think. I would have to go to the safe and count or check my record of gun and serial #. I would like to get it to less than ten to be more managable for maintainence, etc. but I can't decide what I would want to get rid of. Also there are a few more I would like to have. __________________ This is my gun. There are many like her, but this one is mine. I'm not old. I'm CLASSIC!

April 17, 2013, 02:59 AM	#66
Tejicano Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2013 Posts: 168	Right now I have about 75 – if you count the one loaned out to a Marine buddy, boxes of parts with a receiver, assembled and waiting on a part or two to finish it up, etc. But I also have a short wish list of about 8 or 10 which are either a) I would buy up in a heartbeat if I found it at a normal price, or b) figuring out the options I really want before I put an order in. . I expect I will have about 100 by the time I retire and plan to enjoy my retirement slowly completing the ones I really like, selling off the ones I bought in duplicate when I saw good deals, and shooting the ones I have left. Depending on the level of interest either of my sons may have I might be selling off the NFA items just to ensure we get a good price for them – I doubt anybody in my family would know how to get a good price for those if I croaked before selling them.

April 17, 2013, 04:34 AM	#67
Willie Sutton Junior member Join Date: January 26, 2012 Posts: 1,066	One of each of every version of Mauser 98 would be a good starting spot... I'm up to 100 of those and still finding new ones... Willie .

April 17, 2013, 07:05 AM	#68
'88Scrat Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 549	I could't put a number on it but I would say my tipping point would be when you find some of your old firearms becoming unused. To me this is the point where you are no longer getting anything out of your purchase. For example I had an old Remington .22 that took a backseat to my Ruger 10/22 and started collecting dust so I sold it. __________________ BOOM

April 18, 2013, 08:52 PM	#70
Toolman Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 514	Real Americans can never have enough firearms. __________________ Crime Control. NOT Gun Control.

April 19, 2013, 02:45 AM	#71
Tejicano Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2013 Posts: 168	I would love it if I had enough time and money to shoot all of my guns regularly. I don't have one gun I don't want to shoot but with as many as I have they can't all go to the range every time. Granted, I don't have any dedicated safe queens - guns I would not shoot because they are NIB, too valuable, etc. I would not buy a rare, mint condition Colt or similar gun for that reason. I will admit that a number of guns I have I just appreciate the mechanism, design, or period in history they represent to me. But that makes them more interesting for me to shoot them when I get the chance. I also expect that they will increase in value over time so keeping them makes sense. Not so much for the investment value but because I know that if there was a time when I wanted it enough to buy it I would always want to have it - now that I have the money tied up in it I see no reason to sell it knowing I would probably buy the same type gun again one day.

April 19, 2013, 03:51 AM	#72
Justice06RR Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2010 Location: Central FL Posts: 1,360	Its not about having a limit, but just having "enough" guns in your arsenal. Its a personal choice; if you want to own (and can afford) 1000 guns -- why not. But some may choose to own maybe just 5, or 20. Realistically, not all of us are made of money. There are other hobbies/passions out there other than guns that we would like to pour money into. I'd like to have more than I currently own, but other priorities need more attention sometimes. I would probably be happy with 20. At this point I'm more concerned about having ammo for all of them...

April 19, 2013, 09:24 AM	#73
Ruger480 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2013 Location: Central Iowa Posts: 720	How many firearms are enough for you personally? Forgive me for answering a question with a question but: How many are there?

April 19, 2013, 02:38 PM	#74
Yankee Traveler Senior Member Join Date: April 17, 2008 Location: Middle Tennessee Posts: 265	I really do not believe in "Collectables". I do not buy anything to look at, or to put in a safe. I buy, build and maintain cars to drive. Chrome is nice, but it does not make a car (truck, bike, boat) go faster, turn quicker, stop shorter. I need a sports car, sport sedan, sport utility, and a truck. With roof and without. I could do it all with suv but I don't want to. I open the drawer on my tool box and I have deep well sockets, short sockets, 6 point, 12 point, wrenches, picks, wedges, hammers from tack to sledge, ball peen and mallet. I could do most things with vise grips and a screw driver, but I don't want to. Guns? Big calibers, small calibers, long barrels, short barrels, black powder. I want them all, and every one I get, I will use. I cannot asign a number.

April 19, 2013, 02:48 PM	#75
SC4006 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2012 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 525	I also cannot put a number on how many is enough, for me I have enough when I think I have enough. __________________ I don't always go to the range, but when I do, I prefer dosAKs. They say 5 out of 4 people are bad at math.