Good topic, one that I often ponder and toss around in my head.

I have thought that I am a collector. Then seeing what some members of this forum share with us I think that in the realm of gun collectors, I certainly do not qualify at that level.I suppose some museum collections are rivaled by our "top -level" collectors.

On the other hand you have to start somewhere. I know a hellofa lot of people who have, say, 10 guns or more, some new, some used, all well cared for, who consider themselves collectors. They don't participate in internet gun forums and could care less. In their mind they are gun collectors. They would probably tell me that I am trying to be elite or arrogant by dismissing them because all their guns aren't new or following a theme or overly expensive. They enjoy their guns just as much. They love to handle them, they enjoy showing them and many love to use their guns as the designer/maker intended.

I think it's just like everything else. No matter what you have in your collection there's always someone that can trump you with more guns, better and more pristine specimines and certainly rarer items. Does that make you a mere accumulator? I don't think so.

I think there is a wide range of, or many levels of gun collecting. From the guy or gal who has their grand daddy's gun or two all the way up to the world class collections of revolvers we see here.

So then, maybe you're a collector when you say you are and have a gun or two.