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been there, done that, i'm a sick, sick, man

6K views 28 replies 27 participants last post by  Leighton 
#1 ·
Got to thinkin' where i've been and where i'm at now over quite a few years of gun buyin'. So i put some of it to words.

Diary of a sick, sick man

Hello,
My name is deputy125, and I have a problem. I am a man who loves too much---guns that is……………
I have been sitting here thinking about how I got started in all this mess and how I got into this position. So I might as well start at the beginning.

I was raised on a small farm. Life was good or so I thought running all around that little farm taking care of business. The firearms we had on hand were few growing up. What were available to me were an old Iver-Johnson single shot 20 ga (grandpa’s) and an old Stevens 22 rifle. Daddy kept the browning sweet 16 behind the seat of the pickup all the time. As for handguns, we had an RG snub .22 that belonged to momma and that was it. That RG stayed in her car all the time whenever she went somewhere. At this time, I cold not for the life of me see any further need or requirement for other guns as these were getting the job done quite nicely. That ole’ 20 ga took care of all the bird huntin’ from dove to duck to turkey. And that ole’ Stevens took care of coyotes, rabbits, skunks, snakes, turtles, and just about anything else.

Fast forward a few years and I’m married and out on my own. The guns stayed on the farm and at this time I was not a “certified” gun nut so I thought I would do a bit of reading of the gun rags and see what the “experts” had to say about guns and buy my own. This is where I believe my down-fall from grace began………..

I thought I would get the basic general purpose gun battery as that topic seemed to be prevalent back then. The articles seemed to make sense about a basic “general purpose” battery so I bought into it. My first general do-all battery of guns was a 30-06 bolt action, a 12 ga pump, a 22 semi-auto rifle, and a 357 revolver. If I would have just quit buying the gun rags, I would have been all-right. But between the rags and some trips to the local gun range (away from the farm I could not believe I would have to pay money to shoot somewhere) things started to change in my way of thinking. Suddenly I was introduced to a world of different firearms, actions, calibers, and gauges. Along with this “appreciation” came a desire to start collecting a few more as suddenly the concept of “jack of all trades” guns did not seem to be as quite appealing as “specialty-dedicated” guns. Oh yes, I bought it hook, line, and sinker.

It started going down hill when I saw my first hunter pistol match and decided to enter with my 357. Did not take long to get hooked so I quickly got a browning challenger for the rim fire portion. That led to disgust with my Blackhawk 357 for the big bore, so I got a T/C contender, which I will blame for my 1st addiction in a particular brand/style of guns. Suddenly I had to have more contender barrels in different calibers and lengths as each had a “special purpose”. A rim fire barrel for small bore, a 357 for big bore, a 222 for varmints, a 22 hornet for turkey hunting, 44 for deer hunting, a 30/30 for black bear hunting (never mind the fact I don’t bear hunt) and on and on. It was not like I was buying guns, I was just buying barrels on the used market so in my mind, I was saving money and geting new calibers to shoot---or so I thought. I had to have a separate suitcase for the barrels. And of course i also had to have spare frames as well----talk about all your eggs in one basket, if your frames goes down, you suddenly have a dozen barrels/calibers you can't shoot unless you have a spare frame. And of course I had to reload for some of these like the 7mm TCU so I got started down the slippery slope of reloading as well. Life was good---or so I thought…………

Then the addiction spread out from contenders to other areas. When meeting the good ole’ boys at these gun ranges, it seems that they love to show their guns and will literally twist your arm to get you to hold and shoot their guns if you show any interest in them. Suddenly I see the 30-06 jack of all trades just does not seem to be the right path. Why own just one gun to do a bunch of things well when you can own several guns to do things super duper excellent. Now I need a 257 Roberts for white tail deer hunting, a 22-250 for varmints, a 270 for mule deer, a 444 marlin for black bear (still ain’t been bear hunting) and a 35 Whelan for elk hunting.

And it all made perfect sense as the “logic” seemed sound. Along with the little voice in my head that said “hey, this is a good investment”---sort of………………………..

Shotguns kind of went south as well. The 12 ga generic pump just no longer seemed attractive. I had to have a dedicated duck gun—though I rarely went duck hunting. A dedicated 12 ga for sitting when dove hunting, a light 20 ga for walking when dove hunting, a 16 ga for just because it’s a 16 ga, a 410 for varmints around the house, a dedicated riot gun for defense, another dedicated 12 ga for pheasant and so on and so on………

Handguns???? That is such a train wreck that it would take pages to go into my justification as to what I have owned, collected and the whys there but lets just says is mirrors the rifle and shotgun collecting.

And last but by no means lest, the “concept” buying. At one time the majority of my guns were pump action rifles and shotguns, till I got into Blackhawks and then it went to levers and sxs or single shots.
Yep, the all Remington kick, the browning kick, the s&w “N” frame kick, the Blackhawk kick, the savage 99 kick----the key work in all of this is “kick” as I was getting kicked in the a** with all of this “necessary upgrades” buying, selling, trading, and collecting. And to make matters worse, I was not made out of money. There was a lot of over-time pay that went to fuel this addiction as well as a whole lot of gun trading. At that time, the gun shops must have loved me as it seems I was always trading something in for something else quite frequently----and as we all know by now, we never seem to get the better end on any trade with a gun shop because they are in business to feed their families—not break even. But still there was that little voice in my head that said "this is an investment"………...........

So here I am, years later, flat broke and back to square one with the general purpose battery of jack of all trades guns. Strange that the majority of what I own is Ruger firearms---besides good quality I guess its still a symptom of my earlier days of collecting so I guess I’m on a Ruger “kick”.

Oh no!.............why do I have these cheap single shot shotguns as well?????????????????????
 
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#6 ·
Seems normal to me. I kick myself thinking about the guns I have sold or traded, never again.
 
#8 ·
Hey deputy125, really liked your OP. You've said everything needed to be said about us who are inflicted with this collector's disease:) You are not alone but probably near the top of the heap!

I'm partially cured after a lot of thinking and re-thinking. I've sold off a Garand, CZ85 race gun in 9mm, Colt Gold Cup Series 80, Browning Buckmark, a Contender with 4 extra barrels (diff. calibers) to name a few.

Now all I shoot are .22 LR (3 bolt rifles and a S&W M-17), .357 magnum/.38 spl (686, GP100, NMB and Marlin 1894C), 7.62 Russian (SKS, Mini-30) and .177 pellets (Diana 45 and FWB 300s), and am totally satisfied.

To consolidate calibers is the best shooting decision I think I've ever made. Only "one" caliber (.357/.38) to cast and reload for. Cheap surplus 7.62 ammo for SHTF and plinking caliber/rifles. Everyone needs .22 LR, of course.

Had shotguns, but think I'll pass for now.
 
#9 ·
A man after my own heart.

There's only one problem with a lot of guns. You have to raise somebody right to look after them when you're gone to heaven. My grandson is showing promise. He not only likes to shoot, he also hunts, is an avid birdwatcher and conservationist, and he likes fishing as well.

Have you ever tried collecting fishing tackle Deputy125?
 
#11 ·
For a second there I thought that I had written that story until I stopped and thought about it for while. That's when I remembered that I have never owned a 20 gauge. Whew, talk about flash-backs. Good story and I'm sure you are not alone. I know I'm with ya' on the been there, done that thingy.
 
#13 ·
Nothing wrong with owning many guns. I wish I has the cash to purchase more than my two. I go through gun magazines and drool. It seems like it's getting harder and harder to get your hands on certain guns here in California. I hope that by the time I've saved up enough..I'll be able to buy what I want at all.

What I think is really sweet is that it seems like every gun has it's "story". It's neat to sit and have someone show you their guns and listen to the "story" behind the purchases...even the "just HAD to have it" stories. haha

You guys/gals work hard for your money. You deserve to pamper yourselves once in a while. Enjoy your life.;)
 
#15 ·
I'm working on the general battery right now, trouble is I keep finding more and more guns to fit into this "general battery". There are too many categories.
 
#17 ·
I guess I'm just a fortunate one, 'cause I don't have the budget to 'be sick'. While not falling into the "gun nut/survivalist" mentality, I was actually able to convince my wife that WE (be sure to include her in this) need more. She's got her pistol, and I've got mine and a 12g. shotgun. She's short and can't even shoulder my 870. The solution is to invest in a long gun for her!!! We're picking a Rossi Trifecta (youth model) because it gives her a long arm she can shoot.(...and after a slight stock modification, I can shoot). I'm pretty sure that I've got a .357 worked into the deal, but I may opt for a reloading set up instead.
The trick, guys, is to always let things be her idea. Then, grumble and gripe about it. Finally give in and get her the gun you, er....she wants. And if she's really resistant to the idea of getting ANOTHER gun, drop it. Then a few weeks later take her shooting. Be sure you color code the ammo with a discreet dot on the case. You shoot practice/target loads and she shoots magnums. And when she complains, openly wonder if she could better handle that really sweet 28 guage O/U you saw last week.
See, I'm not sick at all.
 
#19 ·
To deputy125 and others who might think that they are not well.You know that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.Having done that,all I can say is,"What problem?"!!! LOL.Just do what everyone else does when they think they have a problem.Go into denial! It's worked for me!Heck,my wife's co-dependent and loves it!
 
#20 ·
I have traded one gun, and sold two in my time of accumulating, which would be about 22 years. I miss all three of those guns. I will never sell or trade another one. My first gun was one of the ones I sold, and that discouraged my shooting and reloading for years afterward. I finally got back into accumulating shooting and loading gear about two years ago, and I couldn't be happier. I've managed to add six handguns to my accumulation over that time, and I ain't-a-gonna stop any time soon. I love this sport, and I don't see myself ever getting too old for it.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Well, shucks .... seems like there is always something 'new' or 'old' that tickles my fancy. Talking revolvers here BTW.... For example, I just put on lay-a-way a .44 50th revolver just because I wanted a 'flat-top' at a reasonable price... Now over the years I've mellowed a bit in the sense I don't have to shoot the 'hottest' load, shoot the biggest gun, etc. ... Traded my Super Redhawk .44 for a NIB '93 Vaquero + cash + ammo. Some would call that a bad move... but I disliked packing that monster... really ... So, I have settled on collecting single action shooters (not for safe queens) that appeal to me. Times change, tastes change.... Now with one boy in college and another starting in the fall, this is going to be a slow process (note lay-a-way above) .... but as Taffin said you never quite find that 'perfect' pack'n revolver.... So the search/accumulation continues slowly.... Not a disease, not sick, not an addiction, not a denial, just something a man has to do :D .
 
#26 ·
I wish guns were my only "sickness".

I also collect knives, and am a photographer. Photography gear has cost me way more than all the guns I own, and have traded off combined.

It's to the point I'm afraid one night my wife might beat me to death in my sleep with one of my lens.
 
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