At what point did you stop accumulating, and start refining your collection.

[Zaydok Allen]

I'm just curious, so here's your random question of the day.

I have a nice gun on backorder right now that I don't need at all, and it made me think. I looked my collection over the other day and I realized that stock models are starting to take on personalized complexions, and common stock models are also being traded toward higher end models or skipped over completely in favor of semi-custom models.

Of the 11 handguns I own (soon to be 12), three are vintage collectors revolvers, that do not get shot. They may get shot though in the future.

Three are special/higher end editions.

Four are stock models that all have some personalization to them, like polishing and fancy grips.

Two of them are totally stock base guns, that while I like them a great deal, are simply seen as tools to me. Consequently, they are the two polymer guns I own.

So, at what number of handguns did you realize you didn't need more, but just wanted "better" guns, or a more refined collection. Did you just change your buying habits, or did you start wheeling and dealing, and trading some away? did you start reducing your handgun collection size?

 

[bikerdoc]

15 cause that's my storage capacity.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I found storage capacity was a driving factor also.

 

[WC145]

When I realized that I had so many 1911s that I wasn't sure exactly how many, which made me start thinking about all my revolvers, and then odd long guns that never got shot....
I ended up selling off lots of guns that were gathering dust and bought a classic car and all kinds of stuff to fix it up and paid for a full custom build on a Colt 1991A1 with the proceeds.
Now I have 6 1911s, a few other autos, 7 revolvers, and my long guns and, for maybe the first time in my life, I'm pretty satisfied and comfortable with what I have. I'd like a Springfield Scout Squad but I'm in no rush to get it, other than that, I'm good.

 

[LockedBreech]

I don't ever really intend to stop. Getting new guns makes me happy. I'm young and healthy and unattached. If my life changes, my priorities might, but for now I'm having fun.

Recently, my acquisitions have outpaced my shooting, so for now I'm on pause while I get a few thousand rounds through barrels, but with a new wave of Beretta 92 variants coming back on the market (Brigadier and Vertec confirmed and Centurion alleged) there is no way my bank account is safe.

I have refined in the sense that I have decided what I want to collect primarily, which is Berettas and Sigs, but there's plenty between those two brands to keep me buying for a long time.

 

[jhb]

poll is missing "haven't yet".

 

[JR24]

Yeah, I'm a "haven't yet" for the most part.

Though I have consolidated some, getting rid of my non-Glock, non-1911 and non-BHP auto loaders.

Until I buy that CZ I've been eying up.

 

[huntsman]

5 handguns. 2CCW, 2sidearms, 1 hunting handgun and as much ammo as I can buy.

 

[horsemen61]

Still collecting to many I still want lol

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I don't ever really intend to stop. Getting new guns makes me happy. I'm young and healthy and unattached. If my life changes, my priorities might, but for now I'm having fun.

Me neither, and I am also pretty young and unattached. Get the toys before you are paying for dinners I say. Sure would be nice to have someone to shoot with though. My friends are old, and frequently not real motivated to go out to the woods with me and shoot.

poll is missing "haven't yet".

Ah crap. You're right! I botched that one.

 

[OilyPablo]

Why not less discrete categories - ie ranges? Most people stop at greater than 20.

1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-75
76-100
100+
etc

 

[oldbear]

I'm fast approaching the special collection stage now. All my handguns were produced by Smith and Wesson, all are .357 Magnum, and with two exceptions all are pinned and recessed. My two m-27's don't get shot or carried much. Yet I don't see myself selling them. My two J frames don't get shot much more than the N Frames but they do get carried a lot. My K and L frames get shot a fair amount and carried some.

All of the above are in 95% or better condition, so I have no need to upgrade a special model. My problem is any revolver I would really like to have in a condition I want has gotten VERY expensive. I.e Nice 38/44's generally are well above $1,000.00.

Oh-well something will turn up, sooner than later, and when it does, I'll worry about how it will fit into my collection (?) then.

 

[Teachu2]

I've been both refining and accumulating for almost forty years now. I buy most guns I own after researching them and deciding I really want them. A few I have bought for politically-motivated reasons (as in GET "EM WHILE I STILL CAN). I've only made one buy that wasn't a keeper, and the refining process rejected it from my collection.

With California's stupid DoJ roster of approved handguns, and the imminent closing of the SSE loophole, I have purchased a few duplicates of guns that will be unavailable starting next month. If CalGUNS prevails in the attempt to kill the Roster in court, I haven't bought any I wouldn't want to pass on to my sons. If the Roster stays and gets worse, I'll have some valuable excess inventory - handy, if I run across something I just gotta have later.

 

[ku4hx]

Your count doesn't go high enough by a long shot. I've been buying guns since 1969 and haven't stopped yet. Since I buy only what I want, and have been able to afford more and better as time passed, I feel I've been refining since day one.

There's no such thing as too guns, only too few safes.

 

[WestKentucky]

At age 26 with 113 in the safe...mostly junk but a few were really nice. I have since done lots of 3 for 1 trades and am back to s 36 gun safe being very comfy and having ample room for new inhabitants....plus a boat, 2 motorcycles, and a kayak aquired in the trades. I should have been more concerned with student loans than crates of guns

 

[UpTheHill]

I'm still accumulating and also refining my collection.
I have and buy the new combat tupperware, but I'm always on the lookout for older 50 - 100 year+ guns in great shape to buy for my "401k wall"

why both?
back in 1999 if I put $1 mill into stocks/bonds/currency. after the dot com bubble, the housing bubble, the osama bin towel-head bubble blew up. I'd be lucky to have that same $1 mil in my account.

IF on the other hand, I went to the LGS and bought one of every new revolver they had, never took it out of the box, just stuffed it into my safe, today I'd have at least $2 mill.

then refine the collection by spending some money on those old and odd pieces you see every now and then, and you'd be sitting on a small fortune. case in point, back in '97 I bought a 1928 Thompson SMG for $4,000.00 A hell of lot of money for me back then, today it's worth $15,000+ and you're not going to get that kind of return on any stock "buy and hold" mentality.

so both my accumulate and my refine collection are rather large and grows larger all the time.

 

[Warp]

Not exactly the same thing, but after 5 handguns I started getting duplicates (essentially) of guns I already had. Two is one and one is none. I have duplicated two...when I dupe the next one it might be a slightly different size though.

 

[Armored farmer]

I guess after you have been around the block long enough to settle on, and can afford, the ones that really suit your wants and needs.
Put me in the "haven't yet" column also.

 

[22-rimfire]

I don't have a number of guns quota. I went through a development period when I was younger acquiring firearms to use.... hunting, plinking, target, and self defense. As the pile grew, I had those bases covered and any "cheap" guns eventually got sold or traded. Most of my stuff most people would consider fairly good quality overall.

My primary limiting factor is money. I have a small desire to add shooters-handguns, rifles, and shotguns, but I would love to add collector grade stuff (Colts mostly).

The dominant guns that I have added to the accumulation in the last few years have been 22 rifles as I enjoy punching paper and plinking with them. There have been handguns including centerfire handguns. The last was a CZ 22LR. Would still like to pick up an Anshutz 22, but it is not really a priorty. I have some pretty accurate shooters and I don't compete.

 

[tarosean]

When I reached around 150+.. I ask myself just what the heck I was doing, esp. with no heirs..... A mass sell off ensued. Now-a-days I pick up guns to try them, most get sold rather quickly as I am rather picky.

 

[1911 guy]

I was a member of the "gun of the month" club. I was single, had a good paying job and spent relatively little in monthly bills. Since i liked (and still do) to shoot and hunt, a lot of that extra money went to guns, ammunition and related stuff. I honestly do not know what the max number was at its highest. I bought and sold almost as a second hobby.

Then I got married, had kids, same job but more bills now. Over the years I have "thinned the herd", but not simply selling off. I'm not sure i own more than one or two of the firearms I owned when i got married. Mostly i "traded up" for fewer but nicer guns to fill the niches I think I need or want. Now I'm down to less than 20, including muzzleloaders, and don't think I can foresee buying another unless it was to trade off and upgrade something existing in the stash.

 

[Twiki357]

I can’t say by count since I’m well over 20 (Both guns and age) and still accumulating. But now, rather than accumulating anything that strikes my fancy, starting about four years ago, my accumulating has been limited to pre-lock Smith & Wesson’s that strike my fancy. I guess that could be considered refining, but definitely not stopping.

 

[likesguns]

My divorce stopped my gun buying,in the last three years I have only purchased one new pistol and the one it replaced was traded in to help fund it.

 

[tomrkba]

The number is not static for me. The "refinement" occurred when I had relatively few guns at the time. Overall, at the time, had I likely owned over 100 guns until that point.

 

[buckfynn]

As long as all quality firearms, the more the merrier IMO.