Ever bought a gun just for spares?

[LVSteve]

I know folk do it with old cars, but what about guns? I have a few oddities in my rather eclectic (or plain weird, YMMV) collection of firearms, and a likely donor piece has appeared for sale. Just wondered if anyone here has done it.

[Welder1]

With M1 Garands. I tell myself I bought the gun to swap some parts with another to make it closer to correct and then I'll sell it. I never have sold one. How could you turn away a WW2 vet?

[Jimmyjones]

I have spares and extras, just in case.

[Hellraiser]

Originally Posted by LVSteve

I know folk do it with old cars, but what about guns? I have a few oddities in my rather eclectic (or plain weird, YMMV) collection of firearms, and a likely donor piece has appeared for sale. Just wondered if anyone here has done it.

I always buy at least two of every gun... just a left-over habit from SASS.

One day... got pulled over by a cop. He says to me... "See you have a carry permit... you got any weapons in the vehicle?"

I says... "Yep"

Cop says... "How many?"

I says... "Five"

Cop says... "FIVE! You got five... why so many?"

I says... "Spares"

He gave me a "warnin'" ticket for a tail-light outage. Thirty years ago... I'da had a free stay in the pokey.

[eyegots2no]

I think it is a good idea too have at least two, better to have three of everything you really like, especially firearms.

I don't think I can have two guns.

[pharmer]

Not the whole gun. Someone thoughtfully cut up the receiver. I sold the "S E F" lower for $50 less than the whole kit, didn't want even the hint of "constructive possession." Joe

[Faulkner]

Originally Posted by Welder1

With M1 Garands. I tell myself I bought the gun to swap some parts with another to make it closer to correct and then I'll sell it. I never have sold one. How could you turn away a WW2 vet?

I've done that dozens of times with both M1 Garands and M1 carbines, more so with carbines. For example, I might be at a gunshow looking for a trigger housing made by a specific manufacturer that I need to complete a restoration. I find a carbine on a table with mixed parts that has the trigger housing I'm looking for, negotiate the best deal I can, then buy the carbine. I take it out to the car and swap out the trigger housing, then go back into the gunshow and sell it to someone else for what I paid for it, or if I'm fortunate, I might even make 10 or 20 bucks off the deal. This way I get the part I'm looking for at no cost and have a little fun while I'm doing it.

[Rastoff]

No I haven't. However, any excuse to buy another gun is a good excuse.

[Fishslayer]

Originally Posted by Hellraiser

I says... "Five"

Cop says... "FIVE! You got five... why so many?"

Proof that not all cops are gun guys...

[2152hq]

"Ever bought a gun just for spares?"

That's where all those parts and projects seem to come from.

[cmort666]

I bought a P-14 for a friend. It was in really beautiful shape, except it was missing the front sight. Got a white bead front at the same show where I bought it. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that the ejector (a commonly broken part) was broken or missing.

I went back to the same show the next day, looking for an ejector. I found a guy with a stripped and modified (ears ground off very well) receiver. He wouldn't sell the ejector, but offered the receiver for next to nothing. I bought it, pulling the ejector for my friend. I kept the receiver. Maybe some day I'll have a rifle built on it, possibly for some other rimmed round.

[ColbyBruce]

I own two each of the following handguns: Glock 17/19/26; S&W 65/36/622/31-1/Shield. I also have S&W 10/64 in 4", HB, SB as well as 4", TB though the 10 is a RB. I had a pair of S&W 60 revolvers but sold one to my son, and gave him my second HK P7 PSP. I had a pair of S&W 908's but sold the nicer one to my brother and sold the second to buy my first 3913. I had a pair of Beretta 70 Pumas in .32 a.c.p. but they are long gone.

I am addicted to two-handed shooting. After years of practice, I still pretty much stink at it.

[Bat Guano]

Yeah. I tend to buy the same basic gun in variations. Sort of like compulsive hand washing syndrome, I guess.

[Big Cholla]

Buying another firearm for parts is a way of life for a practicing gunsmith. I have done so many times. It has always been with economics involved and/or unavailability of certain part(s) from any other source. I had a 'family heirloom' Winchester M 61 22 LR brought to me that had a bulged barrel out near the muzzle. After looking online and calling several sources without success, I asked the owner permission to just buy another M 61. With that I found a M 61 with a rusty action but a perfect barrel. How that happened I don't know. I made the swap and was paid for everything. I then shortened the barrel with the bulge and surface ground the rusty action then re-blued the resulting short barrel M 61. I sold the modified M 61 for very close to what M 61's were bringing. It was a win/win situation.

[islamoradamark]

yes extra parts and extra one of the one u got is a sure thing u always have one that works

[deanodog]

Yep...an extra 5906 and an extra 6906.

[JDW250]

Yes. Amazingly, both my maternal and paternal grandfathers each had a H&R American in .32 caliber. While slightly different, both dated back to the 1890's. My intent was to make a shadow box to display them both. The one on the paternal side had broken grips, and the one on the maternal side had a broken spring. I happened to be at a local auction and they had one for sale with the original grips. I bought it for $50 just for the grips and to tear it down to see if the spring I needed was in good shape. I thought it was money well spent.

[italiansport]

I've bought "part kits" for several older and discontinued pistols I own. I figure it's cheap insurance if something ever breaks. These kits(less receiver) are often less expensive to buy then a couple of parts in the aftermarket as virtually no manufacturer seems to stock parts any longer then necessary any more.
There was a lot of H&K P228 kits available awhile ago at very attractive prices. I bought one as I have a P229 and many of the parts are interchangeable.
Furthermore: I can now easily convert my P229 in 40S&W to a P228 in 9MM should I ever desire to do so.
Jim

[GF]

There's a term - "a pair & a spare" that I've tried to live buy when owning good guns.

GF

[gregintenn]

I've bought guns just because I had a box of ammunition to fit them. I've bought guns and had no slight clue as to why. So, yeah! Spare sounds like a very plausible excuse.

[Drm50]

One of the old gun scribes recommended buying to indentical
revolvers. You wore the 1st one out learning to shoot it, then you
we're ready for second. Rafters in my basement are full of guns
that I bought for parts. Glad I bought them before the big ballon
in gun prices.

[billwill]

Why, I never thought of such a thing...buying extras! Got to tell the wife 'nope got something similar but no it is not the same one, that would be silly'

[BigBill]

Yup that's all ima going to say to that...

[desi2358]

Yes, I have. Salvaged parts out of many a broken gun to restore another one, have stocks stuck in the overhead of my workshop, boxes full of partial guns and parts. I think I am addicted to gun tinkering! Just a couple weeks ago I picked up a S&W safety hammerless with a broken mainspring, a few minutes digging through a parts box and I had a good mainspring (salvage!) and had the old gun working again. I'm also known to dig through odd boxes of parts and buy loose stocks (especially military ones) for future projects when I'm wandering the gun shows. Keeps me occupied I guess!

[steelslaver]

I now have 5 S&W in 45 cal. a couple of 44 mags, 3 44 specials, 3 357s and 3 38s, 2 32s and 2 22s I don't have any "spares" though.

[Old TexMex]

The reason I haven't but rarely had to buy spares lies in what I inherited.
"A pair and a spare" was a gross understatement for my old Daddy.

[shell627]

Yes I keep duplicates of my carry gun.One of the old gunwriter s (col cooper?)made the point if you were involved in shooting police would not take your weapon. And if person you shot has friends you might need another gun you are Comfortable with

[oldman10mm]

spare guns are like spare tires !
when one of the tires you're riding on loses air,you put on the spare because it has air.
when the gun in your hand runs out of ammo,you grab the spare because it's full of ammo.

[Rule 303]

I've always figured that God wants me to have at least two of every firearm I have. Some I have more.

Rule 303

[BAM-BAM]

Years ago I decided it might be a good idea to have a "back up" to my carry guns....... 3" 66, 3913NL and a PC6906.......................

lets just say over the next 20 years it got a bit out of hand!!!!!!!!!

It was hard to pass up anib examples selling in the $300 range. (late 90s-2008) ........ traded for "better" Glocks........

[Kinman]

If I remember correctly wasn't that how Turner Kirkland got started? I did buy an old Savage model 19 I found in a pawn shop for the magazine and stock, someone had messed the barrel up by drilling holes for a scope mount, the magazines are very hard to find and held in high esteem when sold. I used the magazine as my spare and a buddy of mine that also has a Model 19 fetish was able to use the trigger guard, the stock now graces my granddaughters rifle that was put together using the barrel and other major parts from my original first rifle given to me by my uncle when I was nine years old.