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

[short barrel]

I never thought about collecting. I have what I use, and that's all. "Lay not up treasures on earth."

 

[lowercase]

I'm still an accumulator, but have started to refine what I'm after.

It's hard for me to pass up an old S&W K-Frame (or J-Frame, or N-Frame, etc.).

For total firearm numbers, I'm somewhere over the 100 mark, but don't know the exact number.

Lately, I've tried to focus more on really nice examples, vs "gun store rescue" help cases. I've also concentrated on getting some of those help cases fixed if they needed it instead of grabbing something else.

 

[HKGuns]

I have far more than the max you listed and have no plans of stopping.

 

[rcmodel]

Who said I stopped?

When Good old guns at good prices come along occasionally?

I don't pass then up.

rc

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Just to clarify.... I'm not talking about totally stopping the accumulation. There are lots of models I want to try out and own, at least for awhile. I've just hit a point now where I'm running out of room. Once I move, and buy a safe, my collection will expand again. I imagine I'll start refining again after awhile.

I'm only 33, so I imagine the curiosity will persist.

Sounds like there's a lot of folks with a lot of guns. Very cool.

My experience sounds similar to many.

Sorry I didn't make the poll more expansive gents and ladies. Don't hate. I guess I figured most people started refining a bit at lower numbers, even if only temporarily. I was incorrect.

 

[Bobson]

The concept of refining a collection seems specific to what I would think is a very small percentage of gun owners.

People collect stamps. People collect coins. Collections, by definition, are usually very focused toward specific subcategories within the larger group. For instance, misprinted stamps of Asia from 1100-1400. Coins of Eastern Europe through the Renaissance.

How many people really collect guns?

 

[cfullgraf]

I subscribe to "The one who dies with the most guns wins" plan.

Trouble is, Charleton Heston is going be tough to beat.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

How many people really collect guns?

I do, but I understand your point.

I buy guns that I consider art, even if I have no way to actually fire them. I have two floor to ceiling curios in my living room that flank my tv. Inside resides 3 revolvers I've never fired. I'm probably in the minority though. I definitely prefer shooters though. I also collect shootable examples of different design types. I like being able to handle works of engineering that represent the evolution of firearms, and in particular revolvers.

 

[C0untZer0]

I have some guns simply for their utility - my Rohrbaugh R9 and the Kahr CM9 are that way, they are carry guns. I carry them.

My P7M8 is probably a mix of collecting and utility, it is my nightstand gun since I've trained with it for decades, and I just personally feel safer having to cock the thing rather than reaching for a Glock while I am probably still a little sleepy.

The rest of my guns though are for fun. I think of them the way I think about food - I will sometimes get Italian or Chinese, other times I'll get Mexican food, it is variety and a change of pace. Different guns in different calibers give me different shooting experiences. Sometimes I am in the mood for plinking with a .22, other times I want to do bullseye shooting with my S&W 929 or my Glock 17L.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I've got a few handguns that I never shoot and am looking to get rid of them, same with a couple rifles that never get range time. I'd rather not just have them sitting here and instead use the money to by more of the guns I want.

 

[bannockburn]

Still haven't found any sort of refinement required. I buy what I like and pretty much take it from there. Have a fair number of 9mm.s because I enjoy shooting guns in that caliber. Also have a fair number of 1911 variants, mostly because I love the design and they're fun to shoot. Always in the market at adding a few more single action and double action revolvers, as well as anything that's new in the way of CCW.

 

[CajunBass]

Since the question was at what point DID I, your numbers don't go high enough.

At one time I had 50-60...something like that different guns. Mostly handguns, but a fair number of long guns also.

I was standing in front of the safe one day, trying to decide what to take to the range when I asked myself "Why do you have all these if you don't ever use them?" I had everything from 22's to 44/45's, a lot of them in pristine, or at least near pristine condition, many with the box and papers.

So I sold most of them off. Turned out that was as much fun as buying them. I met a lot of nice people. I heard, "I've wanted one of these for years!" I understood that. I'd been there.

I've got about a dozen or so now. They're all pretty much "beaters" that it wouldn't bother me to shoot, or get scratched. They're all 38/357's with the exception of a couple of rather mundane 22's.

What I've come to realize is I don't enjoy shooting, or even having a gun, near as much as I enjoy the hunt for the gun. It's the prowling the gun stores, looking at the guns, talking about them, and so on that I really enjoy. Once I had it, it was just another gun, and time to start looking for the next one.

I still have to fight against that. "OH, look...a bright shiney thing." I'm teaching myself that it's ok to just put it back and walk away.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

What I've come to realize is I don't enjoy shooting, or even having a gun, near as much as I enjoy the hunt for the gun. It's the prowling the gun stores, looking at the guns, talking about them, and so on that I really enjoy. Once I had it, it was just another gun, and time to start looking for the next one.

Interesting. I enjoy shooting and owning more, but I have noticed that the wheeling and dealing and the pursuit is also a big part of what I enjoy.

 

[breakingcontact]

Good topic. I consider my purposes and have slots for those purposes. I may move guns in and out of slots but im really at the point of making slight improvements to what I have and working on my skills.

 

[GBExpat]

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

My Accumulation Phase ended awhile back. I think of my next Phase as Thinning the Herd.

My first goal will be to winnow down the pile enough for them all to fit in my gunsafes. After that I may adjust my focus to "refining" ... then again, maybe not.

I didn't select a Poll choice because I have more than 20 firearms.

 

[CopperFouling]

I should have been more concerned with student loans than crates of guns

I decided to pay my and my wife's student loans in four years instead of ten, and both of my cars will be paid in another three months. That means that I have not bought a firearm in about 18 months. What I've found is that, after thinking about the opportunity cost of owning hundreds (or even dozens) of firearms, I am even less inclined than I was 18 months ago to buy a new one. I'd rather not have a mortgage in seven years than a bunch of firearms.

Then I started thinking about building my accumulation more intentionally and critically than before. My favorite handgun round has changed, meaning that I don't shoot some of mine much, so I am selling and trading those. The goal for me is to buy more reloading components to shoot more and buy less. Plus, I'd rather spend my time shooting, hiking, or fishing than working to buy more stuff.

 

[WC145]

What I've come to realize is I don't enjoy shooting, or even having a gun, near as much as I enjoy the hunt for the gun. It's the prowling the gun stores, looking at the guns, talking about them, and so on that I really enjoy. Once I had it, it was just another gun, and time to start looking for the next one.

I also found that searching for, finding, and making the deal on that really elusive piece was where a lot of the fun and satisfaction was, not so much having them in my possession. I really enjoyed finding a great deal on something special. I even found and purchased all of my "grail" guns, most of them in new/unfired condition, and most of them were resold that way. Because once I had them in hand, it wasn't that big a deal anymore, aside from being able to say that I owned one of these or one of those. That's one of the main reasons I decided to sort through them, keep the ones I really wanted and used and sell off the rest.

 

[wooldl]

I don't understand the question.......'stop' accumulating? What?

 

[BSA1]

What does refining your collection mean?

O.P.,

What does refining your collection mean?

Like JudgeHolden10 a 18 month job lay-off followed by major heart surgery forced me to reexamine what firearms I own and my reasons for owning them. As a result my focus has shifted to things that I need to shoot my guns rather than guns themselves.

During this past year I have been buying accessories (i.e. extra magazines, holsters, etc.) for the guns I shoot.

Mainly over the past year I brought reloading supplies and ammunition. My primary goal for 2015 is to stock up on mainly gunpowder, brass and 22 magnum ammo.

I have branched off into blackpowder firearms over the last year which meant bullet molds, BP, caps and all of the little things that makes life easier with BP guns.

I do have a short wish list of firearms which I will buy IF the price is low enough.

p.s I have been cleaning out the mancave and selling a lot of odds and ends.

 

[jmace57]

Mine was 41. Why? Because one rainy say I pulled the guns out of the safe for periodic oiling, and I started updating my excel spreadsheet. I went "crap - I've got over 40 handguns?" (mostly acquired over the previous 3 years)

I realized I had been accumulating, rather than collecting, buying things I wasn't particularly interested in because I found a good deal. I had been sort of specializing in 1903 Colts and S&W revolvers of the teens thru the 1940s). I ended up selling over 20 of the guns for a pretty tidy profit (cost for the 20 approx. $5500 - sold for $7000). I took the $7000 and bought some decent S&W revolvers of the vintage I like. Ended up selling most (7 out of 12 of the 1903/1908 Colts - kept the best).

 

[Zaydok Allen]

What does refining your collection mean?

Well, I hit a point where I didn't really need any more guns to fill specific roles. And I also realized I didn't really derive any satisfaction from owning a large number of guns. So at that point, I started trading away some of the guns I didn't care that much about in order to fund a more expensive, higher end gun that filled a particular role rather nicely, or better than my current gun for that role. I also started taking the guns that I really did like, but common, and I started personalizing them more. My revolvers got Nill grips. My stainless revolvers are getting hand polished with Mother's Mag polish to improve (in my eyes) the look of the steel. I bought decorative grip screws for my 1911 as well as custom box elder grips, and started experimenting with different springs in some of my guns.

So when I say refine, I mean stop acquiring more guns (temporarily I would think) and start personalizing the ones you own a bit more, and also, rather than buying more guns, save a bit longer or trade in guns to fund ones that are a little nicer or higher end, and may have been out of your price range in the past. Much of this is based on opinion as what is "higher end" is garbage to other folks.

I'm not talking about holsters and lights and other attachments and accessories, though I guess we could include that too as they are part of a firearm system. I'm more talking about gun parts you wanted to add, tuning of your guns, personalizing them, and limiting acquisitions to ones you just plain want more than common guns. Income certainly has an effect on this.

I just found myself bringing more and more guns home, and then I found myself reducing my collection, and tweaking it. It wasn't a deliberate choice per say, it's just what I did naturally.

 

[iblong]

I turned 60 this year and my taste and needs have evolved over the years.
Two years ago I sold off a bunch and now keep a even dozen on hand.
I do not have safe queens mine are all shooters,in what I consider mid range.
I now only buy if I want something enough to sell one first this keep's the wife
a little more happy,though I don't tell her how much more I had to kick in.
There's nothing I really need so its all about want.Right now I'm actually trying to sell a couple of Kimber's to help fund a custom build.

 

[mnhntr]

I have two primary carry pistols, one for on duty one for off duty. My wife has 1 primary carry pistol. I have several others that I use for hunting, training students, target shooting, and some I inherited. I still have a couple of pistols that are on my holy grail list that I will own someday.

 

[BCRider]

The poll numbers aren't high enough. I can't vote.

I shoot a variety of different events and like to move from one category to another even within such things as my IDPA shooting. Hell, I've got three pairs of revolvers that I use for cowboy action shooting alone. So if I get things down to an even two dozen overall that will be REALLY slimmed down. Likely I'll come to a happy cross section of semis, revolvers and different calibers at around 30 to 32 guns.

 

[ku4hx]

During this past year I have been buying accessories (i.e. extra magazines, holsters, etc.) for the guns I shoot.

Mainly over the past year I brought reloading supplies and ammunition. My primary goal for 2015 is to stock up on mainly gunpowder, brass and 22 magnum ammo.

This is pretty much my current plan. I'm 68 and still buy guns but in many cases it's with the idea of passing them on in mind. In fact I've already started doing that. For the most part my wife, as an enthusiastic new shooter, is the gun buyer now. Her tastes go in a slightly different direction than mine but that's quite refreshing. As long as it's quality, I'm not brand loyal.

For the most part, my purchases of late have been "support" items: bullets, brass, primers, powder, certain dies, parts (for guns casting and loading equipment), magazines and etc. .22 rimfire fodder aside, as a dedicated hand loaded, we've never had any ammunition shortages and I intend to hold that trend as long as I can and pass that along too.