Gun accumulation, collection and addiction…

[Model29-26.5]

OP, I feel ya. These are just my 44 magnums. The Betty Ford Clinic has a room waiting....

I love it! We’ll be needing close ups…

 

[Model29-26.5]

If you’re like me at a later age (63) your income has increased exponentially and your child support and spousal support has ended leaving you with more disposable income. The interest has always been there.

Yes. I’m not quite there, but I’m getting there in different ways.

 

[Modified]

Yep unmodified Webleys are cool. So are 38 Webleys and Enfields. Equally interesting are Colt DA revolvers. There is a whole plethora of guns you don't own yet. YET!

Careful with them. I still have lead in me from one. The gun was being shot down the line and it went out of time, shaved a good chunk of lead, hit me in the face, buried itself a bit below my lip.

Gun was effectively new, didn't look like it had been used since they made it for WW2.

 

[mchom]

OP

1. If you think you’ve gone off the deep end It only gets worse
2. There will be rabbit holes you never knew you just had to go down
3. This forum is the absolute worst place to visit if your trying to moderate your impulse control
4. Everyone here is a full fledged enabler so you’ll get no help restraining yourself.

A personal example myself is the fact I lived the past 60 years never realizing I NEEDED more sequentially numbered revolvers.
This forum helped me come to terms
Who knew!

 

[BKLooney]

Everyone calm down...open your safes, now breathe in....ahhhh...

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I’m still trying to figure out exactly why ...

I am in neck deep and am going to have to budget my purchases before it gets even more out of hand.

When I became a cop I had a great paycheck so I bought everything S&W. Plus I traded with other cops and eventually had everything in B, N or SS; two inch to 8 3/8".

Of course when I got divorced the ex wanted 50%. After that I lost interest in collecting.

 

[LVSteve]

You’re barely ankle deep compared to some milsurp rifle collectors I know. Some people think I have a lot of milsurps, but I’m a rank amateur compared to proper collectors.

Then there is niche collecting. Mine appears to be obscure 9mm pistols from odd countries, usually because they appear at prices I cannot resist.

 

[lkabug]

My good friend ownes a gun store. He stays open late the day my Social Security check arrives.
Such a good friend he is!

 

[Rubone]

 

[Truckman]

I hate to tell you this, but you're only ankle deep. It get's MUCH deeper...

Oh yeah...I think I'm now under some semblance of control as I approach my 78th year...It's a facet of my own personality that led to alcoholism, addiction to tobacco (I escaped the trap of drugs having never sampled any of it), obsessive hot rod fever, tool collecting, book collecting and on and on...

The gun habit ran from buying my first, a Ruger Super Blackhawk, to many more - I think the number owned is somewhere north of 18K if you count all the firearms I owned (however temporarily) in my two gun businesses...After finally recognizing it as an addiction, I managed to reduce my focus to S&W revolvers only...

12 years after the simultaneously occurring divorce and sale of my last gun business, my oldest friend coaxed me out of the house to a gun show, and I was off and running again, but I managed some restraint this time by only acquiring 327 since that day, and today retaining 136 of them, 133 of which bear the S&W brand after kickstarting my gun habit again five years ago...

I don't think there's any aspect of firearm enthusiasm I have not experienced, and I'll admit I miss having my handloading room with a bench full of Dillon presses and other paraphernalia, but I believe I can stay in a holding pattern now...I just don't have the energy left to expand my interest any further...

The latest turn is writing a new database application to keep track of what I have, had and want...Even that has shown signs of becoming an obsession......Ben

 

[Model29-26.5]

The latest turn is writing a new database application to keep track of what I have, had and want...Even that has shown signs of becoming an obsession......Ben[/QUOTE]

Ben, since you’re an old hand and a known, experienced snd respected, legendary addict.. let me know when you’re getting ready to sell any if that happens.
Or.. leave instructions with someone to get in touch with me!
I feel that owning one or two from your top notch collection would be the rightful and just thing to do when the time comes!

 

[Golddollar]

Then there is niche collecting. Mine appears to be obscure 9mm pistols from odd countries, usually because they appear at prices I cannot resist.

That's for sure. I seem to have been bitten by a bug for military handguns beyond the usual Model 1911, Browning High Power and Luger. So I ended up with a British .455 Webley, British Enfield .38 S&W, Finnish Lahti and Russian Nagant revolver with Finnish capture marks. Now if I could find a Russian Tokarev with Finnish capture marks. Maybe it's from reading the W.H.B. Smith book Small Arms of the World when I was in elementary school.

 

[paplinker]

If you don't have one yet you "need" a 38/44 Heavy Duty.

There's no real understanding the pre war allure without living with one for a while and putting it alongside your other guns. Maybe the siren call of the pre-war won't enter your head, and if it doesn't you will be very happy in that Silver Age of S-Range Post War N-Frame S&Ws forever.

But if the pre-war bug does bite you, its best to find out sooner rather than later.

The pre-war guns to me aren't so alluring because of how they look (the love of how they look comes later) but it's all about the feel. An S-Range N-Frame is an exceedingly fine gun, and immensely pleasing. Maybe you hold the Heavy Duty in one hand and the 29 in the other and think; "I'll stick with my 29." But maybe you hold the two guns and think... there's something I need to pursue with this old gun here isn't there...

At which point you need to find you a really good M&P target, a pre-war 2", a pre war 22/32 Kit Gun, a 38/44 Outdoorsman, any fine condition original finish M&Ps that present themselves along the way, A triple lock, any nice 2nd model 44s that present themselves, and then...Then you realize you have to bite the bullet and get a "The .357 Magnum".

That's when you really want one.

The prewar bug is exactly what happened to me.
I was perfectly content in my 40s to 60s era J and k frames until one day at a gun show I came across a 5" Reg Mag with King sights and a beautiful set of Roper grips on it! Well the guy let me hold the gun and the feel of that gun in my hand,the beauty of the deep prewar finish and the uniqueness of the sights just blew me away!

I was not ready to commit to the prices RMs command so I went and started searching for a nice 38/44 to buy just to see if it was a one time infatuation or if it was going to change my interests.
Well fast forward 8 or so years and most all my post war guns are gone and now I have fewer guns but the ones I do have, have much more of a personal connection to me. I also like that adding Ropers and having a lot of sights to pick from even adds to the gun for me. I can have unique guns but still shoot them.

I would not be surprised if the OP changed direction a few times. It happens!

 

[Retired W4]

Thanks for the input! I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but no doubt after a while I’ll really know what I want and my “needs” will change.

You are sick, man.

BTW, I know where a 4" 53 is.

 

[henry1089]

I have stopped, more than once
Problem is I can't stop STARTING
I always find something that interests me when it comes to S&W pistols
Revolvers or Semi Autos
I have sold some guns recently... but no Smiths
I have some "doubles" but even those I'm attached to. I break out in hives just thinking about selling them
I sold most of my stuff once back in the early 80's when kids came along
Never again

 

[Retired W4]

Hah.

Keep that up and you are going to need a bigger table.

 

[balin]

Now that i have mostly filled up my second gun safe i am thinking i should spend more time enjoying what i have collected. But i still browse online to see what may be a steal to pick up.