If you were to start over again?

[Empty Quiver]

I am starting to have a collection of guns. Nothing like many of you, but considering where I began it is more than I ever expected to have.


Knowing what I know now, I believe I would likely only own one possibly two of what I have now. I have upgraded, and changed my philosophy some since starting this "collection". Several now have sentimental value, and having sold one I know that I kick myself for letting any of them go so am loathe to part company with another. On top of and maybe more importantly is the beating you take when trading.


Starting with handguns, I would get myself a Glock 20 and a 40 S&W barrel, to that I would add a Walther PPS or maybe a H&K P-2000sk in 9mm, and finally a Ruger Blackhawk ( still can't decide which chambering ). None of which I own currently. I'll keep the AR-15 ( though I'm not quite sure why ), I would add a Winchester M-70 featherweight chambered for 7-08, and another Winchester M-70 classic in 338WM, I would keep the Marlin 1895.


I don't really see anything wrong with the guns I have. I started with the idea of one rifle and one handgun that could cover everything I needed a gun for. Well that was stupid, and yes many told me that. I bought with an eye to economy as well, picking up good guns at good prices, even though they forced me to adapt to them, another poor idea looking back.


I was strictly an archer for 40 years, the gun bug bit hard and I felt I had some catching up to do. I have fairly high quality guns, but can see some of them sit an awful lot. I don't really need more guns but want different ones, now that I know more about how I use them. Selling some is likely the painful answer.


 Am I alone here?

[Conan The Librarian]

Good ideas. May I suggest a decent Italian over-under 20 gauge or 12 gauge? They are so good, one will be enough (of that kind of gun)

[timothy]

If your serious about guns id say your on the right track, just keep knocking out the ones your intrested in as you can. Theres no to way to figure out the right guns to buy you'll have learn over many years of shooting and trying different guns. Eventually you'll find where your intrests and passions lie and you'll have a collection that reflects your road traveled. I had to buy almost every gun I was ever intrested in because no one had one i could try first. You sell the loosers keep the winners and buy back the ones you miss. It took me about a decade and every penny i had but I now have a collection im happy with.

[tuck2]

I would set up a inventory record that recorded : Date of purchase, From whom purchased, $ amount paid, Mfg Name, Model, Date Mfg, Cartridge or Ga., with the same data for any equipment attached to the firearm. Some years ago I started using letter sized paper targets which I put into a three ring binder . Each firearms test fired  target with date of test were kept ln its own file with reloading data  or factory ammo data recorded on the target.  I record any tune up work on the  first test target followning the tune up work like glassbedding action, freefloating the barrel, adjusting the trigger pull weight.  I was given my first firearm the spring of 1949 and since then have purchased used and new guns but cant recall the date purchased, price, or from purchased of some of them.

[OldSchoolRanger]

Good ideas. May I suggest a decent Italian over-under 20 gauge or 12 gauge? They are so good, one will be enough (of that kind of gun)

Trust me, it doesn't work. 

[BBF]

Since I moved around and the hunting situation changed in some case I changed rifles and cartridges to suit the conditions.
 
What I would not have sold:
  Ruger#1 with a Prem Douglas Barrel in 35 Whelen
  Ruger#1 With a Prem Douglas Barrel in 240 Wby
  Ruger 77 in 30-06
  Marlin 336  in 35 Rem
  Marlin 444
  Browing BLR in 358 W
  Rem 700 Classic in 350 Rem Mag
 
Turning the clock back without any of the above I would settle for a Bolt 30-06 and a 6.5x55
 clip fed and a Lever gun in 35 Rem or 358 Win
 
 
PS.
After mulling this over a day I would go for two left hand bolt action rifles  in the calibers above. I've never owned a lefty before so that would be a new experience for me.

[teamnelson]

You're not alone!


I have way more guns than I need; a few more than I want ... or should I say, a few I don't want any more ... and there are a few more I'd like to own just to see. Learning to cast/reload has helped in that most of my guns are in 4 calibers now. I haven't figured out a long gun yet - I like pistols - that seems to be where most of my ambivalence lies.

[Swampman]

I would avoid boltactions and semi-autos.  I would buy single shots, leveractions, traditional muzzleloaders, and revolvers.

[ceadersavage2]

When it bites it bites hard don't it

[mcwoodduck]

This thought comes up every time I renew my Insurance policy with the sprorting equipment rider.
Many of my guns are sentamental more than valuable. 
But it would be easy to pick out what I would want.
Duck gun,
Upland gun,
Deer rifle,
Elk rifle,
Target rifles -
Small game rifle -
Target hand guns,
Hunting hand gun,
Pocket hand gun,
defensive handgun
and small game handgun.

[Empty Quiver]

This thought comes up every time I renew my Insurance policy with the sprorting equipment rider.
Many of my guns are sentamental more than valuable. 
But it would be easy to pick out what I would want.
Duck gun,
Upland gun,
Deer rifle,
Elk rifle,
Target rifles -
Small game rifle -
Target hand guns,
Hunting hand gun,
Pocket hand gun,
defensive handgun
and small game handgun.

Ah, but which one? Gotta be at least 20 perfectly good duck guns out there. That is my dilemma, I have perfectly good guns but have found there are likely better options out there, or not. I have several in between guns right now. I may start passing some of the handguns to my daughters, at least I would not feel robbed by the pusher man, er, gun store.

[teamnelson]

I may start passing some of the handguns to my daughters, at least I would not feel robbed by the pusher man, er, gun store.

That's what I had decided to do; while my daughter was home on leave she picked a revolver out of my collection and we've called it hers with all the accessories. I built a .54 ML for her future husband while we were expecting her, finished just in time to take my wife to the delivery room. My son will have a 22 rifle, 22 pistol, 357 pistol, 12ga pump and probably a 30-30, along with his bow, when he graduates this year and moves on. I've got one gun set aside for grandkids (one day), and might start shuffling the pile with that in mind.

[mcwoodduck]

This thought comes up every time I renew my Insurance policy with the sprorting equipment rider.
Many of my guns are sentamental more than valuable. 
But it would be easy to pick out what I would want.
Duck gun,
Upland gun,
Deer rifle,
Elk rifle,
Target rifles -
Small game rifle -
Target hand guns,
Hunting hand gun,
Pocket hand gun,
defensive handgun
and small game handgun.

Ah, but which one? Gotta be at least 20 perfectly good duck guns out there. That is my dilemma, I have perfectly good guns but have found there are likely better options out there, or not. I have several in between guns right now. I may start passing some of the handguns to my daughters, at least I would not feel robbed by the pusher man, er, gun store.

I think a lot of what I would pick would be based on where I am hunting.
OK Deer rifle would be a 308.  Either a Ruger or Remington or Both like I have now.  Ruger open sights and Rem scoped.  Ruger is Eastern deer rifle and Rem Western.
I have my Eye on a Kimber 8400 Montana in 338 for an elk rifle.  Not sure of the glass all I know is no Adjustable objective.  My current 338 has one and I did not like it for moving through heavy timber and then open areas.  The reason I bought a 375 H&H with a fixed 4X on it.
Right now I have two target rifles an AR 15 A2 H Bar and an M1 Garand.
I think I could combine the two into a M1A national match.
Duck gun.  Well I bought a Benelli Nova because of all the plastic and think the gun is ugly.  Had a problem with the blued guns in the salt flats and wanted a gun that I did not like.  Now I like the thing.  Bought a used Beretta 390 a few months ago it is now at Dad's house as my swamp gun for woodducks and worked well for upland as well.
Small game - hands down another CZ 452 trainer.  But I own 8 22LR rifles now so I expect there to be some others with that one as time goes on.  Like the CZ Varmint I have.  Then add the 17Hmr and the 2 22 amgs and you cvan see I have a rimfire problem when you add in the 7 rimfire handguns.
I would want another Browning Buck mark, and another S&W M17.
Are you looking for ideas as to what to get?
If starting over I would look at the budget and fill in the needs as to the types of hunting you are doing.  Priority.
But a safe guard I have is a few family memebrs have a few of my guns.
Uncle in Tx has a Sig, Uncle in NC has a 22, 357 Revolver and a 30-06 rifle,
Dad has a Sig Pistol and the above Beretta scatter gun. And a friend in So Cal has a Marlin 95 in 45-70 and a browning B200 I keep at his house for shooting when I am there.  So even if my house goes up in a ball of flames I will still have some of my collection.
 

[flatlander]

I had to start over once due to theft. Lost a Ruger no 1 and an Ithaca 20 gauge that I've never managed to replace. I've definitely changed my approach since my last replacement, and now prefer the more common guns/calibers since it makes getting parts/ammo a lot easier.
 
My bare bones setup would look like this, I think:
 
870 12 gauge - reliable do everything shotgun
30-06 bolt rifle scoped with 3-9X - common caliber capable of taking anything on this continent. Probably something from the Savage 110 family
Marlin 60 with 4X or 3-9X scope - game getter
One of the new compact 9mms like a LC9 or PF9 - cheap and common ammo
Pocket 380 - CCW good for warm weather
Buckmark or Mark III -  plinking
 
If price was no object, I would likely add a Marlin 39A just because I love a good lever, and maybe upgrade the Savage 110 to something fancier. And there would be a couple more 22s.
 
Man, what's taking up all of the space in my safe? 
 

[Sourdough]

If I lost all my guns and had to start over?  I'd replace them in the following order with the following models.

1.  Handi 30-06
2.  Ruger M-77 or a Ruger #1 in .338 Win Mag
3.  Handi .223
4.  A .22RF Semi of some type.  I'd try and find another Nylon-66.  (For the Grandkids to shoot when they come to visit).

As for the Handi's I'd try and find Ultra Comps, Ultras, but if not able to find those I'd settle for standard Handis.

[45-70.gov]

as with  most things  in my life
a am happy where i am today and would not change a thing
all that came before has brought me to where i am today


I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING


except for some of the guns that got  away
wish  i had  invested  in a few SAFES  before a few  guns got stole

[jhm]

     I would have just bought more SAFES so as to elimanate the need to sell one so as to be able to store another one.   HTH   Jim

[lakota]

when I first got into guns I was interested in single action revolvers lever action rifles and traditional muzzleloaders. Then I got bit by the "tacticool" bug and started buying AK's AR's and Glocks. That got old in a hurry and now I am back into what were my first loves in the firearms world with a particular fondness for traditional muzzleloaders. My love of muzzleloaders has also caused the traditional archery bug to bite. I now wish to ditch my compound bow in favor recurve bows. I have ordered a Browning Nomad recurve that should be deleivered today!

[Conan The Librarian]

jhm:
 
Good point. I wish I had another safe just for some of my non-gun things.
 
And it reminds me of the need for accessories, not just the guns. I can't tell you how often I see people at the range that have multiple expensive guns but won't invest in a spotting scope, so they're continually interrupting the line so they can check a few holes. Good eye protection, ear protection, shooting box, quality ammo, cleaning supplies, and spotting scope are essential, not optional. And that includes top quality cleaning and related attachments. And if you reload, good equipment will last a long time, whereas the cheap stuff usually leads to recurring dissatisfaction for most people.

[mcwoodduck]

jhm:
 
Good point. I wish I had another safe just for some of my non-gun things.
 
And it reminds me of the need for accessories, not just the guns. I can't tell you how often I see people at the range that have multiple expensive guns but won't invest in a spotting scope, so they're continually interrupting the line so they can check a few holes. Good eye protection, ear protection, shooting box, quality ammo, cleaning supplies, and spotting scope are essential, not optional. And that includes top quality cleaning and related attachments. And if you reload, good equipment will last a long time, whereas the cheap stuff usually leads to recurring dissatisfaction for most people.

+1 
I have a buddy that buys the best of everything, but can not afford ammo or range time.  Once while hunting, I fell off the horse and my $100 Binocs bounced off a rock.  Before that he was trying to talk me into buying a pair like his.  He freaked out as he had just spent $900+ on a pair.  But was afraid to take them back into the field for fear of breaking them.  He was borrowing mine for most of the hunt when we were glassing areas.
I think you should buy what you can afford, and still be able to use the gear in the field and be able to replace it if lost or damaged.

[redboot612]

I like to keep things simple.  If you find something you like buy two of them and put one up in case the one you are using should break... a rifle in 7-08, a pistol in 9mm, a revolver in 22 cal., a rifle in 22 cal., and a pump shotgun, an a tc muzzleloader in 50 cal.  that would be all I would want...

[mcwoodduck]

I like to keep things simple.  If you find something you like buy two of them and put one up in case the one you are using should break... a rifle in 7-08, a pistol in 9mm, a revolver in 22 cal., a rifle in 22 cal., and a pump shotgun, an a tc muzzleloader in 50 cal.  that would be all I would want...

Really, that's all you want?  My list would be the Steve martin in the movie the Jerk, "All I need is this .... and then this.... and then this ....."

[tobster]

In the early 70's I bought an Ithaca Model 100  20 gauge  s/s rather than a new clutch for my VW. I had to bum rides for a couple of weeks till I could afford the car parts. Sure am glad I did. Around the same time I bought a new Ruger 77 .243  and a Redfield 3-9 scope with the idea that I could hunt everything from woodchucks to big bucks. Forty years and a boatload of rifles later I realize that one rifle would have covered all my centerfire needs.. Of course my reloading bench would be a lot less cluttered!

[streak]

     I would have just bought more SAFES so as to elimanate the need to sell one so as to be able to store another one.   HTH   Jim

That is exactly what I did!!