I swear to God that I always thought I was a "gun collector" (albeit a budget-limited or poor man's gun collector) until I came here to the forum and first heard the term "gun accumulator" applied to financially-challenged folks like me. Since that time, I've struggled to defend my preferred term over what the majority of ordinary, everyday-type forum members seem to want to term me and themselves. It would seem that I am one of the very few who still don't or can't recognize the difference.

Fast forward to last week and I got myself a really good lesson in the stark difference between gun collecting and mere gun accumulation. While I was at my favorite LGS on other business, I happened to spot an untagged two-tone 3rd Gen in the lower used handgun case that I found out later was a "Model 5906 PC-9" similar to this:



It didn't really interest me at the time because, at first glance and focused 99.9% on my other business there, I thought it was probably another one of these two-tone Model 457's or similar:



Turns out I was quite wrong and found that out 2 days later when the 5906 PC-9 first appeared on the shop's on-line used gun list at a jaw-dropping $1,499.95 In contrast, asking price on the Model 457 two-tone at a different shop is $450 and hasn't sold in many months. Well, $1,499.95 plus tax is more than 3 times my "no wife approval needed" spending limit and so far outside my budget that I knew this apparently rare 3rd Gen was never to be.

But here is where I made my big mistake that proved once again that I must be a poor "gun accumulator" and not a sharp, well-heeled "gun collector": I made the bold prediction to anyone who would listen that the $1,499.95 price tag on that gun meant it would be there for months if not years unless the asking price was dropped substantially.

Instead, to my shock and embarrassment, the gun sold in something less than 36 hours after it was listed. In truth, it was probably put on hold and sold much faster than the list updates would suggest. So much for my great gun collecting expertise... and my expert assessment of this 3rd Gen's rarity and value.

And so now it's much easier for me to see the difference between a poor, budget-limited gun accumulator like me and a true gun collector. Some true gun collector saw the value in that rare 3rd Gen and snapped it up immediately... while I was there at the shop only focused on what I could afford to buy with this month's allowance money.

Yep! I get it. Now I see the difference.

You are not alone, I guess you have missed many of my references to being an accumulator as well......welcome to the club. I tell myself it is a collection but it really is just an accumulation of certain guns that I get a craving for. I tried to have some rhyme and reason to the guns in my accumulation but couldn't explain it if I had to......models 586, 37, 10, 27, 29, 624, 19 and a Colt Trooper, police positive and WWI 1917 .45 lc . In semi auto I have accumulated 1911s in 70 and 80 series, WWII USGI and super 38. Sorry you had to learn the hard way....., so did I. It's just stuff.

You could always call yourself a "gun adopter" instead, showing your selfless desire to provide a good home for any wayward firearms that cross your path.....

Being in Massachusetts, though, you probably should check first, as there's likely some law or other against it.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

To me, being an accumulator means I buy shooters that interest me. I am not trying to fill a want list, looking for NIB with tools and papers, or buying safe queens too nice or valuable to shoot.

I support those who choose to collect and want NIB and am glad to buy the lesser condition guns they sell off when they upgrade. I enjoy seeing the rare pieces they post and share their enthusiasm. It is the best of both worlds.

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Mike SWCA 2865 NRA Benefactor

You could always buy one "collectable" gun for the price of three "common" guns. It has nothing to do with wealth if you regularly buy $500 guns, then you could afford a $1500 one. But you would just have less $500 guns. Priorities, interest, and need for instant gratification versus hunting what you want..... It's quite possible that the PC9 went to someone with even less of a gun budget than you, and held off buying for a long time to find the "right" gun, and is thrilled that his patience and perseverance paid off!


But let's not pretend that $1500 or even $500 is an insignificant amount, because either would make my life easier. However we are not talking about $8,000 colt SAA's or $40,000 transferable machine guns.

I accumulate carry guns because I'm always chasing something "better". There are times when a different gun is needed but I keep chasing the full size and compact variations thinking I'm going to find something better than my edc, which is a G19. Problem is its hard to try before you buy since no gun shop carries every single model and no range has every single model to try. I try to stay mostly practical so there isn't anything fancy. Just Glocks, HK and old German Sigs with a few 3rd Gen S&W thrown in. So far, for one reason or another I haven't found anything "better"

Couldn't you just say you were an S&W and Colt collector? Is that not specific enough? Would that break the rules?

I like to think there is a theme to my collecting/accumulating. But as it turns out, there are multiple themes. That could be where I made my big mistake. Too many themes and suddenly, in reality, you have no theme at all.

Everything is illegal in Massachusetts. And I'd have to say that true "gun collecting" here is about as hard as it gets due to our lists and laws. Doesn't even help much if you've got a C&R. In reality, few people inside or outside MA even recognize C&R's held by MA residents. Better to spend your $30.00 on ammo.

But can't you be a budget-minded gun collector? Or a poor man's gun collector? Why does buying guns with a little honest wear on them suddenly make you an accumulator instead of a collector?

Anyway, I do have a list. Actually, I have two lists: the short Want List and the long one. One, I hope, is someday reality. The other one is mainly for future reference. Some guns I buy because they are on the short list. Some guns I buy just because I am interested in them and I can afford them even though they may not follow some theme. And I always look for the best condition possible... whether I plan to shoot them or make them permanent safe queens.

My main focus right now is 3rd Gens but nice ones at affordable prices in Massachusetts are few and far between. I am already into duplicates rather than broadening the collection... and that is a very bad sign. So I have to look outside my main theme (3rd Gens) or just sit quietly... hoping and praying that something good that fits the theme will someday come along.

Or as my grand father used to say...."The more we know, the less we know"!

Regardless of the proper term or pretense for how we acquire our guns, I think they are (mostly) solid investments, useful tools and quite a bit of fun. At least that's how I justify it.

It matters not to me what anyone calls it.

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paws for friendship

I accumulate Colts, 1911s, and S&W double-action revolvers.

This reminds me of when my wife and I bought our first Corvette. We joined the local Corvette Club. We were proud that we owned a Corvette.

The club scheduled a dinner and show which we attended. There was a very well dressed couple there and the young trophy wife was wearing a full length fur coat. Someone made a remark about wearing the proper windbreaker.

The trophy wife was complaining they had to spend the whole day charging the batteries and doing maintenance checks on their Corvettes. They owned at least one Corvette of every year made plus other collectible models. They had a huge temperature controlled storage building leased for their car collection.

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret

Now, there you go applying logic! And suddenly, you're on to the main argument why I should more accurately be termed an accumulator rather than a collector. I haven't the patience nor the common sense to apply logic like that. It's the whole tortoise and the hare thing as applied to gun purchases. But even worse, as evidenced by my story above, I don't tend to recognize the full value of certain collectibles quickly enough. And by the time I do, they are long gone.

I think I made the same mistake, not necessarily having a theme or end game to my attempt at collecting. But now that I am a bit more introspective I think my theme is to find a certain type of gun that tickles my fancy for the least amount of money in as good of condition I can get it for. So if that is my mission statement I can live with what I have in the accumulation. And if I want that near perfect gun I can always sell what I have accumulated and start over again.

I accumulate firearms I enjoy shooting and that fill a niche. I fell in love with a Tanfoglio 9mm as an off duty firearm (never really liked the feel of the Sig 229 I was forced to carry), but I later replaced that with a FiveSeven for carrying purpose. I picked up an AK pistol as a camp gun, later replaced with the S&W 460V. Plus I picked up that Enfield .303 as a fun shooter. So, I really have more than I need, but I like each firearm - not because they're collectable, but because they fill a purpose and they each handle well for me. (Except the Sig which is going to my son when he's ready).

I may one day find a modern rifle and a 1911 style .45 I really want. Perhaps a shotgun may catch my eye one day. But right now I can end my budget just on shooting and upgrading what I currently have lol.

Addendum: when I say 'replaced' I mean 'in addition to'. No reason to sell a gun I really like just because I got a different one *grin*

Hard to beat a Glock 19 as your EDC, especially if you tend to be a Glock kind of guy anyway. I have one, but in MA it makes less sense unless you have a good supply of pre-ban G19 Magazines. At last check, they were going for $75.00 each and up of you could even find them. Way too much for a poor old fool like me. In brand new guns for EDC, without pre-ban magazine availability, single stacks make the most sense here behind enemy lines.

^^^^^This^^^^^...my thought exactly

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witty signature goes here

Based upon what has so far been defined in this thread, I think I'm an impulsive gun acquirer. As I do sell off surplus guns from time to time, I don't fit the definition of accumulator or collector.

I was vacationing in New Orleans last week and stumbled upon James H. Cohen and Sons, 437 Royal Street, whose walls were lined with very desirable antique rifles and several showcases of mostly cap and ball revolvers. The problem for me was that the 1854 Springfields ranged from about $2500.00 to over $4000.00 and they all looked the same to me.

Collecting requires much skill and knowledge to separate the wheat from the chaff, not to mention common alterations and outright forgeries. There's also the problem of companies offering "limited collectors' editions" which means, they will make as many of the gun as they have orders for, pretty much insuring that they will meet the total demand for some blingy thing that only a pimp would carry and pretty much guaranteeing that you'll have to wait 300 years to see any price appreciation.

Nope. I'm not a collector and never will be but I do appreciate the vast amount of knowledge and research that collectors bring to the hobby and which benefits all of us.

I certainly don't qualify as a collector, not well heeled, don't seek nor afford NIB condition,
great rarity or famous provenance. Accumulator probably comes close enuf as a label.
The bulk of my collection (probably should start thinking 'accumulation') I got the old
fashioned way, trading & used. OTOH quite a few of mine are DIYs rescued from part-out
status, assembled from parts & a few built from scratch. I do favor S&Ws .44 DAs 1880s-
WW1, early Colts New Services & pre1911 big frame autos, & have several of all.



Pepperbox .22RF DIY


Revolving Shotgun DIY

I've been collecting guns since I stuck my first used NIB gun into my safe back in 1983.Im not a collector,but I collect guns and do not accumulate them.That is a rather pompous and degrading terminology used by some of the collectors.I value each individule gun on physical condition,rather than a paper value.I have little interest in boxes,tools or paperwork,but wouldn't label those who do as being eccentric.

Call yourself a collector, if you wish. "Collecting" rocks is no different if you pick them up in a field or buy them at the jewelery store.

Value does not enter into the definition of "collector".

Personally, I'm no more a gun collector than I am a spoon collector, though I own multiples of each.

You are totally wrong in your thinking.

The difference between an accumulator and a collector has nothing to do with Money. It has nothing to do with shooters vs. safe queens.

It has to do with the intent of the purchase not what is purchased.

Someone that accumulates things, just buys any old gun that comes along, while a collector has a theme to what he is buying.

That theme might be snub nose revolvers, long barrel revolvers, 357 Magnums, guns owned by famous people, guns owned by street cops, guns that are pink, etc. If what you buy is tied together by some sort of common idea (or several strings of common ideas) you are a collector.

If you buy just about anything put in front of you so that you have more guns, then you are an accumulator.

If you buy ever one of a single configuration that you see, say you own twenty 3 1/2" model 27s and are looking for more, then you are a hoarder.

I'm relieved this thread came up; I thought I was the only one trying to figure out which one I was.
I always wanted to be a collector, but when something comes available that I know is a super deal that I don't collect, I buy it. but then I start collecting that type of gun because I just have one and want more of them; now I am a collector of that model!!! So, with doing this, I become an accumulator again. I've tried to thin out the amount of guns I have a couple of times, mostly trading with others and that doesn't thin out the amount, but puts me back into more of a accumulator....Talk about "Flip Flopping"!

Anyway, I'm having a ball acquiring guns that catch my eye and enjoy shooting......and as Forest Gump said, "that's all I have to say about that".

I'm glad to know now that I'm not alone with this affliction!
John

I dunno about that - while a collector might have some sort of theme or guiding principle or limiting factors on their collection to me being a collector is more about making items that have some significance or meaning or value etc above and beyond just what it physically is. For example, any 1911 based directly on the original Colt design can chamber and fire a .45 ACP cartridge, and you could buy every 1911 that you come across without being a collector, but when you specifically seek out 1911s which are either rare or unique, the very first ever made, or one given to a president with custom engraved grips, etc, then I would call you a collector.
Or to put a different spin on it - you could have a car collection made up of one of every muscle car ever produced - but I might not call you a collector unless you have examples which are the first or last off the assembly line - or one of only two shipped from the factory without a radio, etc.
For me personally - with one exception - I have no interest in paying 10x or 100x for a Colt 1911 simply because of its heritage or the serial number stamped on it. If there is no way to tell them apart side by side - or by firing the - etc, then I personally do not understand why people are so willing to pay all the extra $s. The one exception, for me, is my 1964 GTO, which I bought when I was 16 years old - and which I still have, it has value to me that is above and beyond any market value or comparable value of another example of the same make and model, although I don't expect to be able to capitalize on that value since sentimental value is not really a marketable commodity. Sure if I ever wanted to sell it I'd do better finding someone suffering from a severe case of nostalgia, and while I can appreciate (from a distance) that people do buy and sell items at crazy high prices based on what often seem arbitrary or insignificant criteria, that does not appeal to me personally.
I am far less likely to carry on about how high the price is on some item I have hanging on the wall then I am to tell you about the bargain sale piece I got on my daily carry piece.

I cant own all the guns in the world, but I can own them one at a time. So I don't care what you classify me as. I just enjoy having them.

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

Ive always been a collector,it's just that I have ADHD ...

I don't really know which I am, & I don't really care. I do have a theme to what I buy; ninety nine percent of the time its going to be a 3rd Gen. It WILL be TDA. Nothing against blued guns, but all of mine(except for two M&Ps & a Browning HP!) are stainless. If I could find blued 3rd Gens that were in decent shape that I could afford I would definitely branch out. The blued guns just don't hold up as well as the stainless ones. I know that there are plenty of "important" guns, but if I don't like them or they don't appeal to me, I'm not interested, no matter how "collectable" they are.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

Collector versus accumulator seems to imply some sort of ranking or hierarchy, as if being a collector is better than being an accumulator.

I have to admit I never thought of myself as anything but a collector, even if I don't have any rare or high priced guns.

What did I know? I figured that because I had defined themes (S&W 39's, 59's and some of their antecedents and competitors like the Walther P38/P1 and Beretta 92) I was a collector, albeit a collector on a budget who insisted his guns be not so rare or valuable they couldn't be shot. (Same for long guns...all older but not antique; all shootable; and collecgted in categories such as Enfields, Mausers, Finn Mosins and Swiss. [No US guns as I can't really afford M1s or Springfields when I began collecting])

Plus, in today's environment, there really isn't any place to "show off" a collection. No nice glass case in my study/office, no wall hanging of WWII rifles, no dioramas with other period artifacts, etc. Guns need to be in locked cases, out of the public eye, and away from grandkiddies inquisitive hands. Getting known locally as the neighborhood guy with a gun collection seems to be asking for trouble and uninvited guests at weird hours of the night or when I'm not home. Part of the fun of a collection is showing them off, educating the uninitiated, and doing a bit of bragging. Today, that seems harder to do than it was years ago.

I guess in the end, it's a matter of how I feel about what I like to do, rather than how someone else sees me.

I have a pipe "collection," but it's only a dozen or so nice pipes I smoke; I have a stamp collection begun by my dad, which I took up as a kid, but again only focuses on places/periods I like and excludes things like super rare upside-down airmail stamps.

Same for my lighthouse collection (only ones I've visited), postcard collection (only places I've visited) and, best of all, my collection of debt....as I try to pay for all my varied interests. (Can't own and shoot guns without reloading; can't smoke pipes without good tobacco; can't collect lighthouses or postcards without traveling, and most importantly, can't keep the wife happy so I can do all this without spending a bit of cash.)

So I guess I'll keep accumulating (I've got a Browning Hi Power, would like a couple of clones) and keep spending money....and most, importantly, keep reading and posting here, as it's a lot of fun.



and I seem to fit the description of an accumulator...but an accumulator with a game plan, themes, and end points...which may make me a collector.

I started out in about 1983/4 buying a few carry guns...... 4" Model 10 which I traded for a 4" 19; added a Snub 19; followed by a 6" 686 and a customized 3" 65... everything I needed and nothing I didn't! ...... Felt I was done!!! But.......

got rid of the 19s when I found and got 2 3" 66s.... a Beretta 92 Compact (pre 3rd Gen and my first hi-cap "Wonder9 ") ........... later a 6906 and a 3913.

Felt I was pretty much done..... and it was only 1992.


Over the next 20 years I roamed around Pennsylvania working and consulting with Community Hospitals..........every little town in Pa. had a gun shop or 2 sometimes 3..... started seeing (pre-internet) some really nice guns at great prices..... especially revolvers.......

Remember this was the era of the ;

"Wonder 9".... Single stack 9s were......"make an offer" cheap... so stocked up on 3913/14 and NLs..........

Then the "it's got to be a .40"....... 9mms weren't selling.....6906/04s and 915s were about $250-300 with 3-4 mags.

Followed by the "Wow a Glock!" era..........this put a lot of "sock drawer" 3rd gen Smith in LGSs; not to mention one shop that couldn't sell a handful of early PC 9mms ( including 2 like shown in TTSH's original post)

Bottom line..... deals too good to pass up on lnib/+95% guns I liked and shot......


Also "Gun Shop Saves"...... best defined by an examples:
Registered Magnum ....... listed as a "Smith .357 $325 w/ holster".
S&W 9mm (pre-39) anib....directly from Granddad's "sock drawer" $350
Dirty 3" inch Model 66....... labeled as "Used Model 66 $325".

By 2012 I realized I had " accumulated a nice collection" of post war Smith revolvers and 3rd Generation Autos along with a nice selection of Beretta 92s (SB,F and FSs; Compacts, Centurions,Single stack Ms, full size and Elite IIs.......in Bright Blue,Stainless/Inox, and Bruton)

I buy and sell always trying to upgrade my guns to play with list. I try to buy slightly used guns for a good price and sell them after I have had my fun with them. Any profits go into my ammo buy acct. I bought a Black Powder rifle just last week and sold it on the way home from the gun show I bought it at for a quick $50.00 profit. I do this quite often even with my handguns as well except my M41 and M46. They are not For Sale. I bought both of them for a lot less then normal market price and enjoy them way too much to ever part with either of them.

I always called my guns a "collection" but, in truth and fact, they were really an accumulation.

That was me.

Then one S&W revolver turned into three, then into six, then into more than six - and as I was doing that the owner of the LGS got wise to my collection of S&W revolvers because mostly I bought them from him and he told me about this Forum, the SWCA, etc. So now I'm a collector of S&W .38 and .357 revolvers, which means there are thousands more for me to find, and meanwhile I accumulated a bunch of other toys, too.

So I'm a collectalator......

I am stealing this. I am a one man gun adoption agency

I'm a gun magnet.
This one stuck to me this past weekend. I know I posted this picture before, but I just can't help it.

Attached Images

IMG_0340.jpg (108.4 KB, 28 views)

If having a theme makes one a collector, then I'm a collector. My theme? Guns I like and want to have. *Whew* im glad that's settled. Now I only have to decide if I want a beer or a shot.

We all know where that one's going, don't we...?

I'm not now, nor will I probably ever be a "collector". To me the term implies someone who buys a LOT of guns - usually with a "theme" and just holds on to them - maybe not even shooting them lest they be de-valued. Most people who are what I would consider true collectors do little or no selling - unless it is to upgrade.

The closest I get to having a "theme" to my accumulation of firearms is VALUE. When I find a gun that I can buy for less than it is worth, and that can afford, I buy it. I have a couple of semi-collectables, but only because I got the chance to buy them for significantly less than they were worth.

Collect or accumulate are interchangeable - synonyms. On this forum, collecting seems to be a more focused accumulation, but an accumulation nonetheless. To most minds, any person who amasses an amount of firearms greater than the average person would be considered a collector. Also, nobody refers to themselves as accumulators.

I agree with your assessment of the G19. I go between the G19 and a Kahr CW9. I find the G19 easier to shoot but the slender CW9 conceals better for me. I understand the excitement over the G43, Glocks have pretty good stock triggers for striker fired plastic guns.

How about a hoarder