Is there a method to your madness?

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LazyKB

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Since I joined this past spring I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts and looking at your pictures. i have learned a lot. But, I wonder what motivates you to collect/accumulate the guns you do. For some it seems to be a model, or a caliber, maybe a frame, guns with a history, or do you see one and just have to have it? Do you find you go through phases? For me I try or is seems used to try to justify the purchase by saying the gun was going to fulfill some perceived "need". I think I began this when I was a young father with little spending money and it has carried over. I bought my 19 in the late 70s because I wanted to learn to shoot a handgun and of course "needed" a gun. The 17 came along when I "needed" a cost effective way to practice. Ten years later I "needed" the long barrel 57 to deer hunt. In the nineties I "needed" a carry gun so I acquired the 642-1. This past spring I didn't "need" anything but I bought the four inch 57. I am blaming that on you people:) Now I find myself "needing" a 28-2 to shoot heavy .357s I don't want to run through the 19. (even though I have a perfectly good Blackhawk that does the same thing.) I also "need" a 58, a three inch 27, a two inch 19, a model 10 (because you guys say everyone should own at least one), and I am sure I will see assorted J frames that I "need" for something. But I see no common thread. Maybe I am just "Needy"? How about you?
 

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I "need" sleep, food and that other thing I won't mention on a family forum. I've only needed a revolver once, on a dark, cold night. One would probably suffice for the rest of my life.
Please don't tell my Wife that.:eek:

Best quote on the subject is "I have more guns than I need, but not nearly as many as I want".
Jim
 
1) Have money.

2) See gun for sale that I want.

Madness complete.

Yes, my buying is that simple...
 
Maximumbob54 said:
1) Have money.

2) See gun for sale that I want.

Madness complete.

Yes, my buying is that simple...
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is how I operate. Condition, the gun, and having money in my pocket( does not happen all the time)

I figure if you buy quality S&W's, whats the harm! Oh and buy lots of .22's, too much fun!
 
I don't drink, gamble or womanize. I worked two jobs for most of my life.
My family has been provided for. If I can't buy a gun from time to time...what was all that worth?

Your overthinking this. Ya see it...it appeals...buy it.

Life is short my friend.

FN in MT
 
I tend to go in spurts and flavors. In the 80's it was 1911's as ended up with three of them and I still have two. I acquired 2 S&W revolvers in the 80's with one being my Dad's model 10-5 with 6 inch barrel and the other a 686 no dash with 6 inch barrel. Then in 2008 I changed my collection of rifles, shotguns, and handguns and got into Sig pistols and in 2008 I started acquiring more S&W revolvers and a couple of Model 41's. Now I have a big bunch of S&W revolvers and at first I was buying them without much planning but as the collection matured I started to concentrate on specific models. Looking at my collection it seems I really like S&W 22 revolvers as I have 6 of them and I have more N frames than anything else. I have a 25-2, many 27-2's, and many 29-2's, a set of no dash 629's with one in each barrel length.

I've slowed down a lot in my gun buying but like everyone up here I haven't stopped completely. I mostly look for Model 17's, and 18's these days and a 617 no dash 4 inch is still on my radar screen.
 
This is my personal strategy: when she questions the next purchase, ask her to consider this. There is my pension, my 457 account, our savings, your jewelry, our home, and my collection. Of all this stuff accumulated which will be easiest to liquidate when I die? Which one is not going down in value now? Which one will protect us if there is a complete meltdown of society (which is looking more likely)? It worked for me. That is why I love her.
 
"NEED" has nothing to do with it. If you look at a S&W and it calls your name "It Needs" a home. You are just the caretaker for the next number of years, until someone else assumes the responsibility.
 
Here's my system:

If I want something, and I can justify spending the money required to acquire it, then I buy it.

Example: The last S&W I bought was a WW II "Victory Model" made for Great Britain. I already load the 38 S&W caliber so it would be a shooter for me. It carried German police markings which made it interesting to me, and the asking price was $250. OK, for $250 I can buy it with a clear conscience.

Example: I have long wanted a Model 45 "Post Office" .22 M&P. But the last one I saw for sale was tagged at $1800. Now, it's not that I don't have the money, or would not be able to pay my bills if I spent that amount on a gun purchase, but I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on what would essentially be a toy.

I have no real references. I like pretty much everything. Although I have gotten away from the real old stuff (pre-1930) as I shoot all my guns and I don't trust these old ones.
 
How I Roll

It's more a madness to my method. Really, it's because guns, especially hand guns are the very core of masculinity. They harken back to the days we carried clubs for hunting and protection. I'll bet there were some awesome club collections back then, and many men explaining to their wives why they 'needed' that new tactical oak stick down at their LCS. (local club store) It just goes on and on my friend. I have more comments but there's a sale on the Governor down the street....
 
My Bad

Seems I communicated poorly. I no longer have a "Need" to justify a purchase. If I see it, want it, and have the money I buy it. The one thing they all have in common is that they get shot. Since discovering the Forum I have acquired a 57, a copy of SCSW, some stocks from Spegal, a couple of off the rack holsters, an order into El Paso and have been in contact with Lobo on another. I am now on a first name basis with all of the pawn shop guys in town, know when the next gunshow is and have every auction within fifty miles that advertises guns marked on the calendar. (And having a ball with all of it.) But my accumulating tastes seem to be all over the board. One thing I guess I do look for is P&R from 1961-1980 because I appreciate the quality and I first became interested during that thime period.

What I was trying to ask was, what do you collect/accumulate and why?

Thanks and sorry for the confusion.
 
If it letters to, or Roy says it was shipped in November of 1947... I will buy it.
471art5.jpg
 
IPC my friend, IPC, Interest, Price, Condition. Oh, wait, sometimes it's PCI or ICP or CPI or dang it you get the idea. Anyway those are the three factors that come into play, if price and condition are right but interest is low it may come home with me. And the reverse may be true also, if interest (want) and price is high but condition is low it still may come home ;-).
 
Started off with the for-dee-for magnums, then J frames of every kind, then K frames, the shorter the barrel the better.

Then the K-22 bug bit... it's still chewing.:)

Oh and boxes and grips... gotta' mention boxes & grips.


GF

(P.S. if you join that SWCA club you'll start lookin' at the old stuff and then your REALLY sunk!:D)
 
Want & Need are both four letter words.
You must need and then you must want what you need because I have never wanted anything I didn't need nor have I ever bought anything I did not need nor needed anything that I did not buy--If it were for want it must be a studied need and I certainly would not need anything I did not need.
Blessings
 
I tend to buy in binges and get out of control especially at gun auctions.Even when I see a gun that I really like but already own the same model, I will buy it just so I can have a pair of them.Then it becomes really difficult to choose which pair to break up if I decide to sell any of my guns.
 
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I really can't say what trips my trigger as far as my gun collecting. My collection is , shall we say , diversified.
 
I like Rugers and Lugers... that's my rhyme! :D

Seriously, one of the cool things about the shooting hobby is how wide it is. You can spend a few years reading, learning, shooting, and having a lot of fun, and then after the learning curve flattens out, change to another aspect of the hobby.

I was into the tactical stuff for a long time. Eventually, I lost interest in the ARs and Glocks and Kimbers. They seemed to have no "soul". I can't explain that, so don't ask. Then I started into my Colt phase. The Kimbers had started me down the 1911/ Government Model road. I don't have the patience to get too far into the minutia on Government Models and Commanders (no disrespect to those that do... I am glad we have that knowledge), and Colt revolvers are are little too rich for me. Eventually I came to Smith Sixguns, and I am having a blast learning. Oh, there have been some short side trips with various hunting rifles and shotguns, too. What's next? I dunno... Long range shooting? Black powder? World War II rifles? A return to tactical? Who knows? All I know is that I am having a lot of fun.
 
Js, Ks, Ls and Ns

I found out about revolvers after having ejection problems with a wonder-nine that was my home defense piece. My local pusher recommended a J frame chiefs special, then had to have a centennial and a bodyguard just to see what the differences were. Received the SWC bible for my birthday introduced me to the perfection of K frames, 10, 17, 19 and so on. Then I had to try a L frame which eventually led me to a 28-2 N frame. I really like the fit and finish of P&R revolvers as long as the wallet agrees.
 
I buy what I like and I like quality, accurate handguns. I don't own a bunch of fixed sighted guns as that is not my cup of tea. If a gun ain't accurate I get rid of it. I'm not saying fixed sighted revolvers ain't accurate so don't jump any conclusions and flame me. I just find the adjustable versions more versatile.

I have bought some guns because they have a lot of eye appeal and are accurate too. That's the case with the 6 inch Python and the 3 1/2 inch model 27-2. Probably had a lot to do with the 2 1/2" model 19 I bought, also. The last two just look like they mean business, kinda muscular looking, like they've got broad shoulders, know what I mean?

I have been influenced by "the" movie, too. My first model 29 was purchased solely based on the classic line by Harry in the opening scenes. Being in my late teens/early twenties during that period almost guaranteed that as a gun lover, I would end wanting "The most powerful handgun in the world". The others were purchased because the model turned out to be useful, accurate and beautifully made. I cast my own bullets and reload so I am insulated somewhat from high ammo cost.

More recently (past ten years or so) I have been influenced by the widespread popularity of concealed carry. Several of my purchases have reflected that influence including my most recent, which is a Mid-sized 1911 type. Could be that the birthday of the model came into play, also.

So, my collection of guns are not narrow in scope as is some of the guns of our esteemed forum members who collect only pre-war examples or model specific examples.

In other words, I'm all over the map and seem to like the guns that everyone else does. So much for being different, huh? Enjoying it all anyway. That's the main thing!!!
 
My S&W 'Shootable Utility Stocks' have not lost 10¢ in the past two weeks. Now my financial stocks are a different story.

The 29/629s, M19s and 586/686s have all held their value and barrel length. I couldn't be happier. The new Remington 1911 may have depreciated but I don't care.
 
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