I Just have 4 Smith revolvers. How many guns do's a person really need?

I haven't read all the posts, so excuse me if someone else has already said this:

How many? As few as one and as many as a person wants and can afford. Usually, the person who owns very few but uses them a lot, is more proficient with a 'few' firearms than the fellow who owns many and doesn't shoot any one of them very much.

If you just like looking at them or showing them to other people, the more the merrier. If you want to 'get good' with them, the fewer the better.

Just my opinion. Yours may vary.
 
eveled said:
That’s a fact. Even my wife doesn’t know! 😂

To each his own. Some people only have one hammer. It’s a tool. I like hammers.

View attachment 890830

If you can get by with one gun, more power to you.
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Whoes little wood gouges do you have there?
I am more of a Vaughn hammer guy than Eastwing.
And metal working.
I did just buy that line mans type double faced hammer and a double faced drilling hammer.

Years ago I was wanting some wood gouges like those and I ebayed "buck" brand but they turned out to be poor quality chynermans.

As for guns, I can shoot a different one every day of the year.
 
The little ones on the right are Buck Bros. They seem fine, not sure how old they are. I found them in my Dad’s stuff. I don’t remember ever seeing them before I found them.

He was a professional wood carver. This is the set he used a lot. IMG_1236.webp

I just keep them waxed. I don’t have the talent he had.
 
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When I meant my future wife I told her our family motto is, “you can never own too many guns.” Years later while she was filling out her application for a graduate degree she started laughing, when I ask her what was funny, Kent State app ask if you family has a motto and I suggested to leave that question blank.
 
oldrookey617 said:
I have had several guns, nice auto pistols, rifles, shot guns, I sold and traded them, I am getting old, 69.. I don't need all that fancy stuff, I want something simple to operate, no safety, no jamming, no mags to load, I have 4 revolvers, 1966 model 10, 637, 617 4", 617 6", but I want more & more & more, but don't really need them.. An older fellow came in my shop years ago, I was carrying a nice .45 auto, he said I have 100 guns at my house. I said none of my business, but I would not be spreading that news around, you may end up with 0 guns in your house. long story. just my 2 cents...
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Agreed. Broadcasting that you have lotsa guns is like putting on the front lawn..."Rob me".
 
How many guns do we need?

There are several ways to answer this question.

For the metrosexuals, defer to asking a woman a similar question; how many purses and shoes do you need.

For the engineer, the perfect number of guns to own is (N+1) where N is the number of guns you currently own and (N+1) is the correct answer.
 
tabora said:
Apparently XX is not the correct number; gotta keep trying...
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Crazywader said:
For the engineer, the perfect number of guns to own is (N+1) where N is the number of guns you currently own and (N+1) is the correct answer.
Click to expand...

Apparently N+1 is the correct answer; I see that I have one waiting to be picked up at my FFL... Getting closer to XXX.
 
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How many firearms I have depends on what I need them for. I don’t hunt, plink, or collect. All but a two were purchased for some form of league or competition and a few to carry.

This week I only need 15 revolvers.
3 for Bullseye
4 for Steel Challenge
3 for our clubs IPSC style match,
used to shoot them for USPSA
1 for a local indoor range challenge
match
2 for carry
2 because I like to shoot them

That could change next week.

I have quite a few semi-auto pistols and rifles but I’m down to 1 shotgun and that is for defense.

I am currently shooting:
Steel Challenge (16 divisions,16 guns)
Bullseye pistol
Local Club IPSC style match
Centerfire Benchrest
Rimfire Benchrest
Offhand rimfire rifle league
GSSF
Friday Night Steel

Now after my first knee replacement, second back fusion, fifth hip replacement, and getting ready to turn 78 I have given up on the following:
Trap
Sporting clays
3P Small Bore
10 Meter air pistol
IHMSA
USPSA/IPSC
IDPA
Cowboy Action
Bowling pins (can’t find a place that
shoots them any more)

oldrookey617 said:
I am getting old, 69.. I don't need all that fancy stuff, I want something simple to operate, no safety, no jamming, no mags to load
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I do like more of the fancy stuff, my firearms look more like the following.

IMG_7741.webp
IMG_7742.webp
IMG_7766.webp
 
These are my 7 S&W revolvers. TL - 3½" Model 1½ .32 S&W 1880s, TR - 2" M&P .38 Spl SB 1947, 2L - 2" Model 12-2 .38 Spl RB 1963, 2R - 4" Model 65-1 .357 Mag SB 1977, 3L - 3" Model 13-3 .357 Mag RB 1982, 3R - 1⅞" Model 642-1 .38 Spl 2016, Bottom - Model 386-2 Night Guard .357 Mag 2026.
I have a M&P9 2.0 5" FDE and a M&P9 FPC 16" but they are TEOTWAWKI stuff.
I have more guns than this, but none of the others are S&W.
 

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jeffrefrig said:
How many does one need? Depending how one’s home is laid out and where you live has a lot to do with it. I knew people that had guns scattered around the house.
1. Front door. 2. Kitchen door. 3. Back/deck door. 4&5. Both sides of the bed. 6, 7,& 8. Bathrooms/powder rooms. 9. Cellar door from kitchen. 10. Cellar door to outside. 11. Cellar door to garage. 12. Garage door to outside. (Ain’t this fun?). 13, 14, 15. In car/truck consoles. 16. Ankle. 17. EDCarry. 18. Other ankle or pocket. 19. Top of refrigerator. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. Other 3 bedrooms.
These are only the revolvers one needs. Ya gots the different hangouts, game room, man cave, woman cave, tool room. ( Your tool room/benches, an assortment of hammers seems to be the status quo.)
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Also, don't forget you need one hanging on a rope in the shower.
 
When my wife asks how many guns I have, I say yes, I have! More than 1 less than a million!!! But I am more of a hoarder, and my son has the same bug.
 
oldrookey617 said:
I have had several guns, nice auto pistols, rifles, shot guns, I sold and traded them, I am getting old, 69.. I don't need all that fancy stuff, I want something simple to operate, no safety, no jamming, no mags to load, I have 4 revolvers, 1966 model 10, 637, 617 4", 617 6", but I want more & more & more, but don't really need them.. An older fellow came in my shop years ago, I was carrying a nice .45 auto, he said I have 100 guns at my house. I said none of my business, but I would not be spreading that news around, you may end up with 0 guns in your house. long story. just my 2 cents...
Click to expand...
oldrookey617 said:
I have had several guns, nice auto pistols, rifles, shot guns, I sold and traded them, I am getting old, 69.. I don't need all that fancy stuff, I want something simple to operate, no safety, no jamming, no mags to load, I have 4 revolvers, 1966 model 10, 637, 617 4", 617 6", but I want more & more & more, but don't really need them.. An older fellow came in my shop years ago, I was carrying a nice .45 auto, he said I have 100 guns at my house. I said none of my business, but I would not be spreading that news around, you may end up with 0 guns in your house. long story. just my 2 cents...
Click to expand...
 
bph9 said:
When a person asks me how many guns I have I usually say "not enough" and when they persist I say, I really do not know. The best response would be I sold them all because I needed the money which in many cases with many people may be the truth.

You buy what you can afford and today the purchasing power of most Americans is at the lowest it has ever been and the price of guns the highest its ever been and the shoddy workmanship and low grade MIM cast parts and plasticky parts makes a lot of people only buy an older classic gun even if its beat up if the price is right.

I have noticed my local pawn shop now has almost zero used classic guns and most of their plasticky guns have sat in the case for the past year, you read that right they have been sitting there for a year showing you how tough it is to sell used plasticky pistols. When they do have a classic gun for sale it does sell eventually. They have had a H&K P30s sitting there for over a year at a price so low a bum off the street could afford it and it just sits there showing you how little a used platicky pistol is worth or desired by the public.

The sad fact is the time period ( a big recession) is the time most people need money and need to sell their guns but it is the time you will get almost nothing out of them. Its just another reason not to go hog wild in good economic times and have a huge collection of guns that will be hard to dump in a recession and after you lose your job and none are to be had even if you try and buy a job. I have lived through more than one of those times and we are due for a major recession.

Years ago during a really big recession the recession was so bad that the local gun store was not buying used guns at all. And I mean zero buys from customers. If it had not been for the stores boat sale department it would have went out of business. You see the super rich never have a recession and they like to buy boats.

No one wants to hear the old axiom "If you are a working man moderation in everything will keep you out of a lot of trouble and you will live a lot longer".
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""""purchasing power of most Americans is at the lowest it has ever been and the price of guns the highest its ever been"""""

I have to call BS on that one. No time in history has the ""average"" working man been able to own dozens of guns. I am 77, grew up in a time when you had one shotgun, one deer gun and one 22 and maybe a handgun.

Not everyone had 2 cars, dad worked mom stayed home an raised the kids. It was rare for people to town 2 TVs. Nobody had $150 per month TV and $60 per month internet and a couple of cell phones at least for $100 per month. That is $310 many or most people pay every single month for simply communicating.

And I can go on and own about things people buy, $1,000 phones, $500 watches, $500 radars, subscriptions for Sirius in their cars and travel services for their cars/navigation. Many people run $500-$600 per month just for electronic devices every single month. That is $6,000 per year off the top in green dollars. Green dollars are after tax dollars. Since most people pay 20-25% federal state and local income tax, that means about $7,500 per year of their income from work is spent on these luxuries.

When you talk about the ability to purchase, you have to first consider these discretionary purchases.

Second the cost of guns is not higher than ever, not even close. A steel Smit and Wesson revolver is the exception, they are made of steel and the high cost of labor is the single most issue that drives price. The workers are paid well, the price pays for that.

Across the board lots of guns are plastic which does not cost a lot of high cost man hours. And most are imported where slave or low cost labor keeps the price down. For $400 or so you can buy a dozen Glock like 9mms that are 100$ reliable and will last at least 50,000 rounds. We have never had it better.

Also as the higher prices of guns, that makes no sense at all. In 2007 I bought my first AR.. It was a plain jane DPMS. A wonderful gun and shoots tiny groups. It was $780 in 2007. Today you can find a 100 equivalent AR for $500 or less. ARs have never been better and they have never been cheaper.

People today have so much excess discretionary money after necessities, that many own more than a dozen guns, many 3-4 dozen guns. Affluent by all measures in every country in the world. How many countries do normal citizens have the funds to own 20-30 guns.

We have more money and buying power for guns that any place and any time since the flat planet was discovered. Prove me wrong.
 
ohioan55 said:
My range is out back of the house. If I want to shoot in AC, I just open the bedroom window. :)
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Just told the wife today. I am building a range on 40 acres we own. I told her I needed a shed with windows, so I could install a small AC that I could power with a generator (it is 400 yards from electricity).

Gun writer Mike Venturino often showed himself shooting from his "shoot house" in winter. Having a shed enclosed with a small AC and woodfire would be a well deserved creature comfort. I am 77 and retired military. Much of my life I could sleep on a pile of rocks, today I can barely walk around them.

This comfort is well deserved and will let me use my few remaining hot and cold days for shooting fun.
 
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