Minimizing Gun Collection

[andre3k]

I'll trim down the collection quite a bit as I get older. My reloading room would take months to clean out. I don't want to put that burden on my family.

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[skinsfan]

I clean out once a year at least, kind of a savings acct in my eyes!

[PlanoDano]

I went from 9 bolt action rifles to just 2 (a hunting rifle and a practice rifle). But suddenly I turn around and am back up to 4.

[okrattler]

Nah, one day....maybe really soon we're gonna need every bullet and gun we can find. Either to barter,get food or defend ourselves. History always repeats itself. I ain't getting rid of nothin.

They're not a bad investment. I'd sure hate to be without in this day and age.

[Briar Friar]

I gather because it is not about me. Tyranny transgresses generations and the Framers knew that. Whereas I dont like too much variety in calibers and limit acquisitions accordingly.

Im not sure all the kiddos will get a 7mm STW.
6.5s are a fart in the wind…despite lethality.

[Kong]

I have more rifles than any man deserves but a lot of them are big bores my torn up shoulder can’t tolerate much any more so I’ll be selling some lead clunkers in the not so distant future. I’ll keep everything under .40 cal though and when I sell the beasts I’ll be buying my first class 3 full auto to replace them. Guns equal happiness

[SwampBuck]

I have more than I need and I know I do. But I like my bolt guns and I like guns that shoot well. I’ve regretted almost every gun I ever traded or sold, so I try to avoid that. There has been times when I got myself in an emergency and nearly had to free up some funds, a gun would done that quick had I priced right. Don’t want to be in that pickle again.

I “need” a few more calibers. 30/06 (cuz I sold the one I had)
.264 win mag (same as the 30/06)
.257 weatherby (just cuz)

I only have one gun per caliber with two exceptions. But both of those are of sentimental reasons.

One thing I did realize when ammo went south recently. It’s handy to have atleast a couple of guns that ammo hits the shelf regularly for. Because even reloading components got stupid there for awhile. At the moment .223, 308, 30/06, 270 and 300 win mag seem to be the easy almost guaranteed rounds to find.

I made sure I passed that info along to one of my younger relatives that was asking me how I liked my 280ai last week. Different calibers are cool and fun but don’t forget to keep a standard in the safe for a pinch.

[Texas89]

I have more than I use but, I just keep them and buy more. Lol


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[imyomama]

i don't minimize my gun collection, my government will do that for me....

[MikeyG]

I've thought about downsizing, but there's always that voice in the back of my head warning about (if/when) the SHTF, I want to have a gun for the available ammo and you cant predict what will be available.

[canny]

I considered downsizing but then I woke up and realized it was just a nightmare!


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[TacticalCowboy]

At one point I had ~30. I’m not sure how many I have now but it’s less than that. I have thought about selling a few, but most of what I have does have it’s own purpose. I don’t see the point in having 3 30-06 rifles with 3x9 scopes. There’s definitely overlap in my collection, but I try to minimize it.

[PecanBuck]

I think I've gone pretty minimal. I keep a spreadsheet tracking how much I've spent on hunting-specific gear–guns, ammo, decoys but not clothes (because I wear those sometimes when not hunting) or processing equipment (I use those for processing my own poultry and for fishing).

I weigh every harvest and estimate its value financially...so I look at the value of specific meat guts, value of certain kinds of sausage, and other approaches. I really love hunting itself and would do it if it wasn't so profitable, but I find this aspect enjoyable. Anyways, guns are large investments and unless its a gun for self defense, I want to see it pay for itself eventually and ideally yield double the investment in meat eventually. I find this incentivizes me to only purchase guns that are practical and to keep my overall expenses low. Running a good bottom line–however I define it–is important to me and that puts pressure on me to avoid unnecessary investments.

I have a .243 bolt-action that is used for deer and hogs. I have a .22mag bolt-action that is used for furbearers/varmints. I have one of those Heritage Rough Rider .22lr/22.mag revolvers, I use it to shot snakes and also to dispatch livestock. I chose it specifically because it uses the same ammunition as my .22mag, so I can use the same ammo for both my varmint rifle and my revolver. Given the ammo shortage, it was important to me to minimize the different ammos I need to keep on hand. The revolver's other cylinder takes .22lr/.22 short/.22 long and I liked that versatility. I keep a little bit of .22lr on hand in case I need to deal with snakes in a barn and don't feel like using the louder and more expensive .22mag.

I live in town so popping squirrels or raccoons with a firearm isn't really an option. I have both .177 and .22 air rifles to take out predators and squirrels. I don't really use the .177 anymore and if you were starting from scratch, I'd say to skip it and go straight to the .22 air rifle...but for the money the $30 for the .177 is the best I've had–paid for itself 12 times over. People don't think about air rifles but if you live in town they're great...between the two of them I've taken about 35 squirrels, 3 raccoons, 3 rats, and 2 opossums. I have a shotgun for birds and country squirrels, I'm not too good a wingshot so that one will take me a while to pay off. I keep some slugs on hand just in case I can't find .243 and need to use the shotgun for deer/hogs.

I think about use cases–medium game, varmint, snakes/livestock, in-town predators/squirrels, birds–and buy only ONE weapon for each...and I try to minimize overlap between platforms. On the archery side I have a crossbow (my primary) and a compound bow (my backup). I don't see myself needing any other rifle until my daughters start hunting unless I go out of state hunting elk/moose/caribou or my wife gets tired of using my rifles.

[huntandfishguy6]

I considered downsizing but then I woke up and realized it was just a nightmare!


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What he said.