Gun Ownership Trends

[YankeeIronSights]

Hi Everyone,

During conversations with gun sports enthusiasts, I usually find 1) those who never trade or sell their guns. Once they buy their guns, they keep them forever. Others, 2) trade their cheaper guns to buy / upgrade to better guns. And there are many who 3) buy and sell guns periodically to learn more about the diverse range of models available in the market. Lastly, 4) most gun owners seem to have sold guns due to financial issues (pay bills and other money emergencies).

So this is the question: Which category do you feel represents most gun owners, based on your personal experience? 1, 2, 3 or 4?


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[TimRB]

I personally am in category 1, although I have given guns away on occasion. The other shooters I've met don't fall into any of the other categories. They buy guns and keep them, occasionally selling guns they don't shoot much any more to friends who want them.

Tim

[Ben Dover]

I'm in three. I keep looking for thay mythical "perfect" gun!'

[Blue Duck]

I guess I am in 3, also. I will sometimes buy a gun and then trade it off for something else, if I find another gun I want worse then the one I currently own. And sometime one ends up with a gun that just doesn't work out, to suit, after giving a fair shake, so it gets traded for the next new interest.

There is little reason to keep a lot of guns that will never get used, unless you just like to collect them. Maybe you are into Winchester leverguns, or side by side shotguns, or single action revolvers, etc.

[2ndsojourn]

What about category 5? Gunaholic

Hi, my name's 2nd sojourn. I'm a gunaholic.

[Ben Dover]

Originally Posted by 2ndsojourn

What about category 5? Gunaholic

Hi, my name's 2nd sojourn. I'm a gunaholic.

Sure wish we had a "like" button!

[Ruga Booga]

I used to be a 2 but now I am a 1

[Mike38]

I'm a 3, and if I had to guess, I'd say most gun owners are also a 3.

[Rod47]

I'm a 1. Haven't done any trading in over 30 yrs. Choose wisely when buying

[Dean C]

I'm a 1. A "one way street".

[tlm225]

Thirty years ago I was a 4. Now I'm a 3. Some guns have been with me a long time, others not so much. After many years I've slowed the pace of exchange and may be at the point of keeping what I've got which would move me to category 1.

[Ed4032]

Wait a minute.... we can sell guns??? I have been only buying. I’m ok. I can quit anytime. But, please nobody tell my wife.

I’m definitely the first category.

[unclenunzie]

I have bought and kept all except one, traded that one in almost immediately for something better. This makes me a 1 but also a one-time 3. The one was a Windicator and it's replacement is a GP-100.

[bamaranger]

I sold a few guns in my younger days, good guns, to off set expenses when bamawife and I were first starting out. Since then, I have traded/sold only a few guns in my life,and wish I had most of them back!!

I've got shooting pals who are types 1, 2, and 3, so I guess it takes all kinds.

[Tony Z]

Definite 1! My issue, at age 67, I have only daughters, with little interest in shooting, two son-in-laws that do not shoot and if inherit my guns, will sell them, so, I'm faced with what to do!

In the meantime, I continue to buy 'em, cause I enjoy 'em!

[USNRet93]

As one who is a fairly new returnee to gun ownership(had S&W model 39 and wee Charter arms .38 almost 40 years ago)...I returned with help from my son.
My experience is finding those guns that satisfy my 3 number ones...
-Fun to Shoot
-Reliable
-concealable(for my EDC guns)..

So went from a variety of guns....buying, shooting, trying to carry, etc to what I have now. I am lucky to have 2 son's who shoot so I was often able to shoot theirs and make comparisons to what I have, then decide.

I'm also a big believer in having guns that fill a niche..range gun, EDC gun(s), rifle, shotgun...I had a Glock 19 AND 17..they seemed to do the same thing...couldn't really carry the -19, so traded it for a Glock 43....type thing.
Shot the G43 but found it really unpleasent to me..traded for a Glock 26, which I really enjoy shooting..those 6 ounces or so make a BIG difference TO ME.

It's kinda disappointing to be at a place where all my 'slots' are filled..gun wise. BUT, again, I am lucky enough to have sons who have guns that I don't own that are a blast to shoot.
-Lever henry
-Uberti Cattleman...as examples.

[44 AMP]

I guess I would be in group 2, 3, and 4. I've sold/traded guns to get a better one, I've sold/traded guns to get a different one, and I've sold guns because I needed cash more than the gun, at the time.

probably happens less today, but in the 60s & 70s I knew guys, blue collar working guys who didn't have much cash, buy a cheap deer rifle, (usually a Win or Marlin .30-30) USED (cheaper than new and just as good) then sell it after deer season, and buy another before the next season. (or if they had friends, borrow a rifle for deer season, cause they couldn't afford to buy one)

I have been fortunate, basically I've been able to own at least one example of nearly every gun or caliber I've even been seriously interested in. Some of them I've kept, many have gone on to other owners. Sometimes a sale, sometimes a trade, occasionally an outright gift.

You can read every book ever written and/or watch every Utube ever made, but NOTHING teaches you about an gun and a round like having one yourself.

And yes, I've been in situations where I had guns and no money, so to get money, I sold some guns. Will have some for sale in the future as well, I'm sure, though not the part of my collection that are family heirlooms. Those aren't going anywhere outside the family as long as I live, and hopefully a lot longer. My Grandfather's Ithaca Double has been in the family 110 years. I now have a grandson of my own, and I expect him to have it, someday.

With guns like that I am definitely in group 1. They don't get sold, they don't get traded. For the rest, 2, 3 or (rarely but sometimes) 4.

[JWT]

I'd be a combination of 2 and 3 but am slowly reaching number 1.

[7.62 man]

I'm in a different category if I buy or build I hold on to them, with one exception.
If a gun doesn't function right & I can't get it corrected or working again, it's gone!
I have found a few like that & it doesn't matter how much I have in it, it's gone.
I have even had to give away a one like that. I don't keep messed up guns.

[BoogieMan]

I buy guns when I want something different or the latest. Just picked up a 6.5sm bolt gun. Usually only get rid of them by handing them down to my children. I have only sold 2 guns in my life. One was an arisaka parts gun. The other was a franchi shotgun that I hated.

[larryf1952]

I personally am in category 1, although I have given guns away on occasion. The other shooters I've met don't fall into any of the other categories. They buy guns and keep them, occasionally selling guns they don't shoot much any more to friends who want them.

+1

I've never bought a gun with the intention of selling it down the road. Having said that, I've sold a fair number of guns that I no longer needed or that I had decided to no longer shoot, for one reason or another.

My issue, at age 67, I have only daughters, with little interest in shooting, two son-in-laws that do not shoot and if inherit my guns, will sell them, so, I'm faced with what to do!...

This also applies to me. I, too, am 67 and have 2 daughters. They grew up around guns and learned to shoot, but guns and shooting are not a part of their adult lives. Leaving my collection to them is out of the question, due to where the younger one lives, and with whom the older one lives. There are no grandchildren to consider.

Thankfully, I have never had to sell a gun because I was short of money and desperate, so I don't fit into that category.

As yet, I'm in good health and can still shoot 100 rounds of 44 Mag without having to deal with arthritis, back pain, etc. Praise God! But, I know that these days won't last forever, and the time will come when my shooting trips will become more restricted and less frequent.

I fear that that's the time when I will have to begin to sell off my guns. I don't want my daughters or my wife to have to decide what to do with them. If I'm going to have to sell them, I'd rather do it when I can still enjoy the proceeds. I just hope that when that time comes, that I'll still have that option available to me.

[dyl]

I'd like to sell then buy more often but lately that's been heavily influenced by where I live. Currently I'm too far from a major city to make face to face transactions convenient or even have a relevant place to post for sale ads online. And I also don't have a way to ship firearms out in this town either, would have to travel 20 minutes. But I can buy though.

I also have 4 kids that I think will take a strong interest in shooting in the future. So, of course, we'll need a 22, a 9mm, a revolver, and they're all going to need a home defense pistol...

If I had to guess, most gun *owners* don't shoot much and they'll just keep them in the sock drawer or use annually for hunting. I'd also guess that there's a period of time after a recent purchase that a serious *shooter* when they start their journey will either buy/sell until their needs are met, or become a buyer over the next several years as their interest increases. I'd also think less personally interested gun buyers will purchase a firearm for self-defense and then slip into the category of an owner rather than a shooter since their goal has been met and they "have a gun". Into the drawer or nightstand it goes and sits for years.

Just a guess though.

[Scorch]

I'm in 2 and 4. I generally pick up interesting hardware to repair/upgrade and trade up. But I have been forced by circumstances to sell guns to pay major bills. Don't worry, though, I more than made up for it when things turned around.

Having been involved in firearms for the last half century, I have met my share of all of the categories.

[jmr40]

I have some guns with family history that aren't for sale. All others are for sale at the right price, or if I want to upgrade. When I was younger I bought a lot of guns simply because I'd never had that particular one and wanted to try it. I found that if I bought it used I could almost always get most, or all of my money back if I didn't like it. Can't do that buying new.

But as I get older I've pretty much figured out what works best for me and what I like best. I've already given quite a few guns to my kids and have others set aside for that purpose. I've sold off others that don't get used. It's not that I need the money, but I have better things to spend it on if that gun is not going to be used anymore.

[AreYaSerious]

I use to be a 1 now I am a 3.