How do you decide what gun to buy next?

[Letch]

I'm just generally curious about how others go about deciding what next addition they need to make to their collection. I'm personally of the mindset that if I can't use it regularly, I don't need it. In addition, I like to think I have a pretty rounded collection as far as uses and any addition I make needs to fill some niche I don't have covered. I've heard many other schools of thought on this and have personally gone though several changes in my attitude, but I wanted to know if there was a consensus here.

 

[devious169]

I honestly can't answer that question, but I know you shouldn't run it by the ol lady. Just surprise her, mine loves it!

 

[CallSign Snafu]

Go through gunbroker, gun shows, gun shops with a general idea of the kind of stuff I like and a knowledge of the market. Find a really good deal on something I want to own and shoot or I can unload later for more money than i have into it that has actual market demand in case I want to do that.

 

[mikefraz]

Every gun has to fill a role. If it doesn't fill a role, I have a hard time justifying it.

 

[M67]

Really whatever gun "speaks" to me, usefulness kind of went out the window a long time ago. If I like it, I'll try and find a way to have it. Found a neat (to me) Enfield that caught my eye a couple weeks ago but also found a CZ 452 Military Trainer that spoke to me more. Don't have a use for either, but I've always liked the 28" and rifled sights so now just debating on which knife to sell.

Only purchases that have come out of usefulness lately have been optics and suppressors.

 

[Que]

I used to just buy and sell after a while, but that got old. I now buy with the intent of passing everything to my son. I no longer buy polymer because I want to give him what I consider substantial. My next purchase will be a CZ 97B. After that, I will look into a rifle in 30-06.

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Right now I'm still in the "usefulness" stage. My first AR will fill a general purpose role and others to follow will have their own niche to fill. If I find myself wanting to do an activity requiring a particular gun, I'll go that route too.

Eventually I want to have a collection of milsurps representing various important points in US military history but that will come later on.

 

[ScouT6a]

For me, a new addition to the collection comes in several different ways. I keep a running list of personal wants that has evolved over the years. Sometimes it is to fill a new need. Sometimes it's an upgrade to something already owned. For several of them, it has been from building myself a new gun.

 

[CampingJosh]

I feel like I have most of the basics covered now, so for me new purchases are rare and intentional.

Basics: rifle and handgun in .22 LR, centerfire rifle, shotgun, full size handgun, and a handgun for carry that fits your needs. If you don't have all of those, you are missing something big.

Beyond that, it's mostly niche uses. My most recent acquisition was a target. 22 (Remington 521-T) to improve my skill for a lot less money than I spend on a day with my 7x57.

The next one on my list is a revolver for hiking in bear country. I felt under-gunned on my last trip with a .380.

Will it actually be my next purchase? We'll see. I also need a SxS SBS now that we can do that.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Every gun has to fill a role. If it doesn't fill a role, I have a hard time justifying it.

I agree. For me, that role is that it has to go bang when I pull the trigger.

Seriously though, and to the OP's question, I am mainly into old milsurp stuff, so it just depends on what I'm in the mood to look for. With my tastes, Gunbroker and gun shows are my main hunting grounds, along with INGO on occasion.

 

[TB1999]

I don't pick new guns, new guns pick me.

 

[Birds Away]

Yes, every gun must fill a niche. If it doesn't, then I have to invent one for it.

 

[88E30M50]

I used to be easily swayed by internet forum chat. There's be a big discussion of something that would pique my interest and I'd pick one up to try it out. After a couple of years of buying and selling mediocre handguns, I decided to be a bit more careful with my gun money. I have my basic carry needs met with a deep backup, so I've become pretty picky. The world is full of mediocre guns and once you have experienced a truly nice gun, the mediocre are much less interesting.

If I identify a gap in my needs, whether real or imagined, what I buy needs to fit the holsters I own. I've invested in some top quality leather and won't buy something for carry that would require ordering new holsters. Sometimes I buy based on rounding out the collection though, and at those times, it's all based on the value and possible appreciation of the gun. If I saw a well priced Luger, I might find a way of adding it to the collection. I picked up a nice IBM M1 Carbine last summer and a Colt WWII M1911A1 for the collection.

Despite all of my plans and needs, if I see something that just calls out to me and if I've got the money in my gun account, I'll jump at it. With a kid in college, that account is pretty skinny right now, so impulse purchases are rare lately.

 

[ScouT6a]

"The next one on my list is a revolver for hiking in bear country. I felt under-gunned on my last trip with a .380."
This gave me a chuckle, Josh. I immediately thought, "Understatement of the week" Lol
I remember getting ready to head into Grizzly country and discussing my sidearm with my buddy. In my case it was a .45 Colt Ruger Vaquero 5.5". My buddy pondered the question, "how many rounds of the big Colt would it take for a Grizzly?" My answer? All of them.

 

[lovemachine]

Yes, every gun must fill a niche. If it doesn't, then I have to invent one for it.

That made me laugh

 

[chubbs]

Like many others, my buying has had different stages. I loved buying, selling, and trading constantly for awhile. But eventually I decided to stop selling and trading. Then sometime later I went through a old guns and surplus stage. I had a pretty decent size collection, but eventually i became bored with it. I didn't shoot them often enough. I was mainly in it for the hunt. I sold off all but a few from this stage and started buying a bunch of modern stuff. I've never purchased junk, but i was buying mid to low end stuff. As apposed to 1 real nice pistol I'd have 2 or 3 keltecs. Then i entered my current stage, I got rid of the low end stuff and have been after quality instead of quantity. I'd much rather have 2 or 3 really nice handguns instead of 7 or 8 cheaper ones. I've been in this stage for quite awhile and find that i really don't have the urge to sell or trade much anymore. I'm currently off loading some random stragglers out of the back of the safe, but the higher end stuff won't be going anywhere. I believe alot of these patterns have to do with my age and financial situations.

 

[CampingJosh]

"The next one on my list is a revolver for hiking in bear country. I felt under-gunned on my last trip with a .380."
This gave me a chuckle, Josh. I immediately thought, "Understatement of the week" Lol

My first several hiking trips, I didn't worry about bears. Put food up properly and all that, but nothing else. The last time out, though, we ended up spending two days in an area where a bunch of hunters and dogs were trying to stir them up
When you know for sure that any bear you cross is certain to already be in a bad mood, that changes things a bit. I know that I won't like the extra weight, so I'm saving up for a S&W 329PD.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I used to go for "quantity". Now I go for "quality" ALONG with filling "needed roles".

Once the vast majority of "needed roles" are filled, I'll move on to "grail guns". I have a handful of things that I want because I want them, not because they're particularly useful.

 

[SSGSAD]

I used to just buy and sell after a while, but that got old. I now buy with the intent of passing everything to my son. I no longer buy polymer because I want to give him what I consider substantial. My next purchase will be a CA 97B. After that, I will look into a rifle in 30-06.

What is a CA 97B ?????

 

[CampingJosh]

What is a CA 97B ?????

It's a typo combined with a CZ 97B, I would guess.