Decisions, decisions, and my wallet's heating up...

[barnbwt]

After a flurry of activity earlier this year, the gun fund has just about replenished itself due to my brilliant accounting *cheers* and willingness to eat Ramen for six months (kidding, {not really} )

During this time, I managed to come up with another set of must-haves for the collection (I seriously thought I was done after the VZ58, so naiive...), but I thought I'd ask the Revolver Brain Trust what I should prioritize on, since ya'll's tastes seem to match mine the best. I've got the bases "covered," so fun, odd, interesting guns are where it's at for me now:

I've got ~2000$ budgeted for this, so I fortunately have a fairly wide field to choose from:

-Mateba Unica 6. Immature, I know, but I've lusted for one of these, like my entire gun-centric life. I've got a line on one in 44mag (I'd prefer a 357 to keep reloading simpler, but I'm easy), but I'm not sure how that cartridge performs in that platform (i.e. better/worse/more fun than the .357). This one's a tad over my budget, but I can still afford it, and you can't really choose when one of these shows itself
-A nice 45-70 Lever Gun (Pedersoli, Uberti, Chiappa all seem legit--and Italian)
-PS90. Some may say it's silly, but I already have a Five-seveN, so it makes sense (right? ) and I've heard that they are nothing but fun, well built rifles.
-FS2000--Has all the same horrible problems as the PS90, but in .223
-Beretta BM59. M1 Garand chambered in .308, modified to use a 20rnd detachable mag, folding buttstock, bipod, and fancy compensator. They look to be handier than any M14 or M1A configuration I've come across (hence my interest)
-SCAR 17--They say they're the greatest! (also a hair out of reach, but doable)

Some combination of:
-A S&W 1006 10mm (yeah, I'm on a big-bore kick these days )
-Beretta PX4/FNX/FNP/etc. ya'know, poly pistol in a common caliber
-Beretta CX4 carbine (probably get a Beretta pistol to match, too)
-Chiappa Rhino (didn't I say I was pining for a Mateba?)
-Wasting money trying to convert my Steyr M95 to 45-70 (I'll do this one regardless )


These threads are so pointless, but so fun, too. Where else would you get to weigh in on some guy's SCAR purchase, and attempt to convince him a lever-gun is a better use of his earnings . My list is admittedly a mish-mash of genres and niches, so I hope to get some interesting opinions from you guys. I'm open to similarly random suggestions, as well, but $2K is pretty much the extent of my grasp at this point.

I'm most interested to hear if anyone thinks the Mateba is a "Wise" (verrrry loosely used here) decision. I've heard they're well made, accurate, reliable, and impossible to fix. I've also seen zero indication the climb in prices is slowing down (+200$ a year like clockwork, it seems). Most importantly, I actually have the oppurtunity to buy one, so I've got that high-pressure sales thing going . I'd be interested in actually firing the thing (at least occaisionally), since used vs. new prices don't seem terribly different, but not if they wear out in like 500 shots or something. I'm not particulary interested in this purchase as an "investment" since that's what my investments are for

TCB

 

[Nico Testosteros]

Damn man, put that money in the bank. Then you won't have to eat Ramen.

 

[barnbwt]

^^^^^
I'm kidding, really, no worries My expenses have been pretty low of late, so I've been able to save aggressively. I was hoping to reach this point about 6 months later than I did, so now I have the opportunity to indulge a bit earlier than I expected

TCB

 

[forindooruseonly]

Live a little and buy the Mateba. Yeah, you could buy four or five Glocks for the same money, but frankly - you'll be the guy with a Mateba, not four or five Glocks like everyone else at the range. More importantly, it's something you've wanted all your shooting life and now you can pull it off.

Guns don't always have to be about what's most effective or what's most practical. Variety is the spice of life. If all the guns I owned were strictly practical or purpose oriented, I would have quit shooting a long time ago.

 

[MikeJackmin]

This sounds dumb, but I've honestly found it to be very helpful:

When you have a choice narrowed down to the last two items, flip a coin. When the coin is in the air, you'll feel a little tug of hope that it comes up one way, rather then the other. That's how you'll know what you really want.

I'd also suggest not buying a gun unless you've held one just like it in your hands. I've often found that guns which look great on the internet will leave me flat when I finally get to handle them. Similarly, guns you might never consider can just call out to you sometimes, when you encounter them in your local shop or at a gun show.