TTAG reader Charles5 writes:
I was in the hardware store the other day agonizing over which socket wrench set to buy: the 129-piece set for $79 or the 138-piece set for $99, a $20 difference. I finally settled on the 138-piece set for $99. I do this all the time; stand in the aisle for 15 minutes trying to decide between two options with a $10-$30 price difference for something I will use regularly that’s priced under $50. And yet I will drop $500+ on a new gun, scope, or case of ammo . . .
without much trepidation — all things that will get used less than the socket wrench set and will cost additional money to use them (i.e. ammo, range fees, gas to get to the range, holsters, etc.). Are you more strict or more relaxed with your gun-related purchases compared to buying other items that have more utility in terms of cost and frequency of use? In other words, how much do you agonize over gun purchases?
endlessly. Partly because I’m lower middle class so a 400 dollar purchase is significant for us (particularly for non essential items).
Same here… and I have made many well-intentioned mistakes as I’ve become a gun enthusiast. That makes me even more cautious these days. Lots of curiosity, lots of wishes and wants… very few purchases.
+1.
If I could get back half the money I’ve ever spent on guns/gear/ammo and start from scratch with the knowledge and experience gained, I’d count myself as being ahead.
Nope. As a male, I’ve decided what I want ahead of time and know where to look.
^ This! Rambo shopping FTW!
Heh, never heard that saying before. I love it.
Looks like I’ve got a new sobriquet!
Yeah, I know what I want… where I get myself in trouble is the accessories. How deep do I wanna go?
I don’t need a dozen magazines for every new pistol I buy but it sure makes me feel more prepared.
Me too , already know exactly what I want and usually already ordered before I get there , it’s that long trek to the gun counter in the back of the store that gets me . I have to go by all that other stuff .
My FFL dealer that I use most often when I buy online doesn’t have a big selection of other things to suck my wallet dry and his guns are 15 feet from the door and he has a few stools to sit on at a comfortable counter while I fill out the paperwork and wait for him to call everything in and that’s why I use his license . I’ll enjoy a casual conversation with him while I’m there and occasionally learn something new . Just works for me .
………………………and $ 100.00 for a 134 piece socket set is called Harbor Freight Tools and I wouldn’t depend on those tools for diddly . Those are throw away tools , and generally get you frustrated . Pittsburg wrenches .
Sometimes throw away tools can have value if you don’t intend on using them again .
Until the cheap, one time use tool, used once, shatters and ends up injuring your hand.
If you can’t afford new good quality tools, buy used good quality tools.
If they keep the neighbor from coming back and borrowing more tools, well worth the price.
Typically, I know what I want before going to the store. But there are hours, and hours spent researching, watching videos, and reading reviews. So yes I agonize, I just do it before the store. This goes for guns or screwdrivers.
This. I’ll typically spend 4-6 months researching a purchase before I do the deed.
That timeline is pretty accurate for me as well. Probably spent more time on YouTube watching a gun I was going to buy than actually shooting it at the range. Haven’t been upset yet though!
I’m in this boat as well, as I can’t usually afford a spur of the moment purchase at the price point of firearms.
Of course, my luck is when I finally do make a decision the item I want is either sold out or jumped in price.
I buy on impulse. I agonize about the missus finding out.
This
Agreed!
Every gun I buy for the last 20 years has been for my wife , she has only shot maybe five or six of them , but I swear they are all hers .
I proudly walk in the door and proclaim , I bought you another gun babe .
Of course, limited budget many choices, many activities and roles to fill, many options to fill those activities. Now, once I’ve decided, I’ve decided and I just go buy it. Right now I’m planning a build and trying to narrow down what roles I what it to perform so I can starting picking out the barrel, trigger and possible optics.
Not agonize, but obsess. For example, when I first saw the Legion P229 I wanted it bad. But over time (it was around the Holidays so I didn’t have the cash to spare) I lost interest and rationalized it wasn’t necessary. Now I am onto a Dan Wesson Guardian…
This is what I do. I will convince myself that I need something else to fill a role that is already fulfilled. Currently, it’s the Five Seven, but it’s slowly making its way out for an SBR.
Yep same boat here too. Always obsessing over which gun to buy because of a role that needs filled or what purpose will it serve. Unfortunately, I’m about out of roles to fill unless anyone here can come up with a new one for me…
I keep coming back to the Five Seven, price always keeps me away though. I have only one handgun that over a grand (Springfield TRP) and its only ever been a barbecue gun.
Yep I’m in this boat. Except half the time, I’ll do it :/ my current object of desire, well I guess for a while really, is a bullpup in 308. I really want the MDR but the RFB is more economically viable. Still gonna have to save pennies for a long while..
The $99 socket set is basically disposable – worth $50 the minute you leave the store, and after a year will sell for $20 at your garage sale.
The gun, no matter whether you use it or not, will almost never lose any value at all. Only once you beat the living daylights out of it will you lose, maybe 50%. If you take reasonable care, your gun will lose nothing, and may stay slightly ahead in constant dollars.
Very little to think about with a gun. Change your mind, buyer’s remorse, need money? Sell it, for almost what you paid for it, quickly.
That’s what I tell my wife all the time! Clothes and expensive vacations are worth pretty much zero dollars after the fact, whereas if we are ever hard up for cash I can sell a gun or two for 80%+ of the purchase price… For sure not an investment, but very liquid and retains value reasonably well.
In theory this kind of logic would work with my wife; after all this is the claim she makes about jewelry. In fact, however, despite the fact that jewelry loses 50%-95% of its original price in resale value the instant you pay for it, and that guns do not depreciate nearly so quickly or deeply, she just doesn’t seem to agree that guns are a better way to retain value.
Sometimes. When I have a need, I do the research and buy. But if I am in the mood to go look at guns I spend a lot a time agonizing about it. As I have gotten older I walk away from most purchase. Now if it’s some special kind of 1911 that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg I cave.
I’m more stringent (and agonize over decisions quite a bit), I think. I only own two rifles, my first was my SKS after spending months of knowing I wanted to own a firearm, but trying to get a handle of what would be affordable cheap yet functional and plausibly fun.
Then after six months I wanted another, and it took another six months or so to decide on an AR-15, after which I spent days to weeks of internet research on each part and what would be the best buy for the money, taking advantage of holiday sales, etc.
But to be fair, I do the exact same thing with the desktops I build as I did with building my AR, so… it’s habitual for me when it comes to dropping significant amounts of money on a modular system.
on a different note the bipod leg is pretty close to the edge…don’t you thing? someone’s going to be pissed when that “helicopter killer” hits the floor
Probably less than I should, since I bought an 80s vintage AMT Backup 380 on a whim once (and not IN the 80s, this would have been last year).
But I don’t “do” expensive guns.
Time and experience have basically killed any impulse buying for me. Now I agonize over what I want, but I can be sure that when I am plunking down the money, it is exactly what I want. I haven’t had buyer’s remorse for awhile now, though I have had several recent instances of seller’s remorse.
I pretty much do this exact same thing
I research the crap out of most all of my purchases, unless, perhaps, I’m buying a “fun gun.” Because “fun” isn’t usually a very tall hurdle to clear.
Does it count as “agonizing” when I’m browsing pictures or reviews of Accuracy International rifles and lamenting the cost of the guns and glass, the time it will take to save, the expensive ammo and the practical difficulty of finding and getting to places where I could shoot suitably long distances? Maybe a little.
To be absolutely honest , I do not agonize over anything , I just find it a complete and utter misuse of my mind .
I was pronounced clinically dead three times during an attempted surgery in 2001 and lost my 20 year old daughter in a flash flood in 2007 , my oldest daughter over dosed on heroin and is now like an 8 year child , my mother and father in law passed in 2008 , I’ve lost two homes , three automobiles and a truck , a vintage tractor , a favorite tractor , two houses and households of furnishings and countless other material things in two divorces and I am the luckiest man in the world . I have Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior , an incredible wife , two daughters and a son , a wonderful 90 year old mother in law , an 87 year old dad that still teaches me things and brings me great joy , I’ve managed to keep my farm and a few tractors and implements , I’ve collected more tools than Carter has liver pills and my gun collection has continued to grow and gone untouched for 46 years . Why agonize , count your blessings always , no matter how small , someone always has less .
God bless .
Well, Mark, you certainly put thing in perspective! I’m sorry for your losses. I’m also in awe of your attitude and grateful that you shared it in response to my post. You reminded me to reset my own attitude today.
I do so like me some shiny things, but, well, the shiny things will have their day. I’m going to take a little time today to be thankful for the people in my life and to reflect on my own crazy journey on this beautiful blue marble.
Amen Brother. While my life has been lots quieter than yours, I had a fight with cancer about 3 1/2 years ago that taught me never to count on tomorrow, next week or next year. I’m cancer free – can’t claim that I’m “cured” until the magic five year mark – but I’m blessed to be in a position where I can get what I want, do what I want, and go where I want as long as its within reason. The disasters in our life teach us lots about faith and prayer and take us away from the “shoulda and coulda” view of life.
I buy for three reasons. Sticking in CA DOJ’s ass, lawful use and support my local gun shop. Price has nothing to do with it.
I have once, when I was torn between a Glock 30s and a 26.
Other than that I generally know what I want before I get to the store after having done hours of research and make the purchase.
Only one I regret is the 870 Express I bought last year, it was junk. I sold it and picked up a Mossberg 500, which has been much better at a cheaper price point.
G26 > G30 & 500 > 870.
I hope you learned your lesson.
I went with the 26.
Definitely learned lesson on shotgun. I have an issued 870 wing master that’s 20+ years old at work and it’s a great shotgun. New express, not so much.
I don’t do much agonizing in the store. By the time I get to the store I usually have my mind well made up in advance. For big purchases, especially guns, I spend weeks if not months researching, watching youtube videos, looking at available accessories, for pistols that includes looking at who makes holsters. If the purchase is in a new caliber for pistols I take a look at the usual bulk ammo sites to see what FMJ and self defense options are available and maybe even have my first case inbound before I even have the new gun. For new caliber in a rifle I look at load data from a couple different sources and plug velocities and BCs into my ballistics calculator and then take a look at what powders/components are easy enough to find. I may go to a big store to window shop once or twice because nothing beats having something in your hand first, I also enjoy looking at the used rack for rifles in Cabelas as there are really some gems there from time to time.
The actual act of buying is pretty quick. When I make up my mind, its pretty much drive to my favorite gun shop, if they have what I want, I ask to see it/dry fire and check trigger reset, manipulate slide mag release etc. then maybe ask to check out something similar just to give me one last chance to compare my choice, but that all takes about 15minutes tops.
Yeah, but I agonize over every kind of purchase. Shopping is fun! Maybe someday I’ll even own some of this stuff I want! For now I’m trying to be patient. Figure out what I want most instead of just always buying what I want right now.
I spend months debating a firearms purchase and whether to “thin the herd” to pay for it or just add it to the collection. Funny, the herd rarely seems to get thinned.
Very. Budget and lack of ability to try out a specific item, then lack of returns makes me super detailed in comparing purchases. If I make a poor choice, I just have to live with it and learn.
For me, its the exact opposite.
The tools I use frequently are the easy parts. Either I already have them, or I’m replacing an item I already had. Knives and guns are where I will spend hours and hours researching before I buy.
I carry a $30 flashlight. If it breaks, gets lost, or is just horrible; I can replace it cheaply. Same thing with my multitool or a set of screwdrivers, they’re cheap. I can buy new ones all day long. Guns though, cost real money. I can’t afford to go drop $600 on a gun, $100 for a holster or two, and $100 on spare magazines without being sure that that specific firearm will do exactly what I need it to do.
I might finagle specs for individual parts for an AR build for weeks before I pull up Brownell’s (or other) websites to place an order. But if I’ve recently sold something or have a bit of spare cash, it’s not totally unusual for me to head to a gun show with the intent of buying “something,” without having a clue in advance on what I might spend $500 on.
I’m also a sucker for flashlights – I dread opening any e-mail ads from Battery Junction, for fear of what it’s going to cost me…..
Yes. It’s why I don’t have the collection I could have of I didn’t.
I’m not an impulse gun buyer. Wanted a Lionheart LH9N, waited for the Black Friday sale. Wanted a Sig P938, waited for PSA to have them on sale for $499 again.
Being of limited means, and firmly believing in “buy once, cry once”, I do my agonizing prior to getting to the store. Depending on what I want the length of time agpnizing is normally dictated by how long it will take me to save up. When I get to the store I stay mission focused, buying only what I went there for and getting out of there as quickly as possible.
Price is has always been the secondary consideration. The driving factors has always been what is the best product, what will serve me best, what do I want, then how much is it. Socket sets is an interesting topic as that is something that has consistently bit me in the a$$. Being a professional mechanic, I bought Snap-On, where NOTHING is cheap. What I found out decades ago, if you buy the smaller set, you will ALWAYS at some point need the bigger or smaller sockets that didn’t come with the set. So I always bought the most complete set, then made sure to purchase the few larger or smaller sockets it didn’t come with.
Firearms purchases has been the same purchase practice. Price is a secondary consideration. What is the best top of the line product, whats going to make me happy, what do I need, which many times is just a want or desire, then price. If the price is really out of my ballpark, then I have to juggle needs and wants a little.
I have a “man urge” for the new Sig P229 Legion. My current daily carry is a P229 Elite with the Rosewood grips. It already had the SRT, but not the thin profile trigger, so I ordered that up and installed that. I now have to justify dropping a grand or so on a new Legion to gain what over my current 229? Cool sights, a stainless guide rod? To answer the question on being more or less strict on a gun purchase, I’d have to say more strict.
A few guns is a necessity in life for most folks, in my opinion. After that, it’s an indulgence.
if there are 2 or more guns i want, only about order.
like right now i’m hemming and hawing over whether or not i should get a 1911 or AR-15 next….but i’ll still eventually buy the other.
If you don’t already have a semi-automatic rifle, then hands down, the AR…. I mean, dude, the zombies…
Z weed man!
AR-15: factor in which gun they’re trying to ban. 1911 is on the list, but below the scary black rifle.
Looking for the “deal” is part of the fun, as is trading some stuff you don’t play with anymore.
I have changed as I’ve gotten older in the reguard to spending more to get more value.
Example : Buying a plain jane AR/ak/1911 for 500-800 bucks then taking all the stuff off/out of and replacing it to suit my tastes/preferances.(rails,keymod,scopes,bolts,flashhiders,grips blah,blah etc al) I just look for the one with the options I want and spend more on it. In the long run it tends to be cheaper. Because it takes no time at all to tie up +1500 bucks over the orginal cost of the plain jane model and have a pile of “stock” parts left over that you can’t get 1/4 of retail for. Then you rationalise that you can build another XYZ blaster widget using those “extra” parts and the whole cycle continues. but it is fun to tinker!
Yep-very limited funds at the moment. Every dime counts…
I’m not point fingers here Walker , the comment isn’t directed at you , it is however a general observation about priorities and resources.
A gun , as has been pointed out here numerous times already , will generally hold it’s value and will often gain in value if kept clean and not abused . There are a great deal of things the American consumer has to choose from to milk their wallets and most do not increase their value . Cell phones , fancy appliances and electronics , vices like sodas , alcoholic drinks , cigarettes , whacky weed , movies and other forms of entertainment like sporting events , pay per view , and theater are big waste . The music industry milks billions of dollars from wallets yearly . Fancy new cars and motorcycles , campers and extravagant vacations , eating out at restaurants and general poor money management . These are all things we don’t actually need or behavior that stops us from focusing our resources , however small they may be , into things that hold their value or better yet sow spiritual value for ourselves and those around us we love .
Conserve your resources as indicated above and donate some to a charity or church ( and buy guns ).
I use the money made from pet sitting for gun & gun related items. If I have the funds from that, in the account, I’ll order on line what is on my wish list. I’ve already researched, read reviews from gun experts and owners of the handgun I’m interested in, so no I don’t agonize over a purchase.
Last purchase was Ruger LCR 22lr, ordered online from Gallery of Guns, within a week delivered to gun club I frequent. Dry fired snap caps until could live fire last week on rural property in the family. Outshot my sister-in-law, and that almost never happens, so happy with the revolver. No stress, no drama, no regrets!
My trick is to obsess, but shop online, but put whatever it is I plan on buying into shopping cart, then leave overnight to think about it. If it is still a good idea a day later, I pull the trigger. Often I pass on the “impulse” stuff that way. That said, the wife is fine with most anything I want to buy, and I give her a pass on any purchase under $2k (if either wants a toy over $2k, we have to agree).
The only time I can recall agonizing over a gun purchase (as opposed to research & comparison) was when I decided I really wanted a C96 Broomhandle Mauser, and it needed to be shootable and in good condition. Dropping $2400, plus expenses, on something just for the cool factor…there was some agonizing involved. But glad I worked through it, my C96 is gorgeous, and fun to shoot.
pretty much the same for everything. an evaluation process.
I agonize over every purchase. I’m a fan of getting the most value for my money. This started when I was younger and my only personal purchases were computer parts. I still do the same amount of research for almost anything. Incidentally, it means that I am almost never disappointed with a product, and I save money.
We buy at a Mom and Pop store. Have usually found that if one of us agonizes over a particular gun, waits to make up their mind, the gun sells to someone else. If the full price isn’t exactly in the back pocket, can usually put some money down, pay it off on pay day.
Yes- because I buy quality weapons- the Wilson I just bought will be my only major disposable income purchase for the next year or longer.
I usually have make and model decided, so I get whatever is in stock. If I really want a specific feature, I will generally order it.
Obama has been the grease that has eased any agonizing I used to suffer.
O-Lube, making gun buying decisions easier since 2008.
YES + 1
I never agonize about such decisions – I apply the first rule of gun buying: If you cannot decide between two (or more) guns, buy them all.
Yes I agonize. 550 for a new cz75b or a new ar15 upper… decisions decisions.
I am constantly wrestling with myself over new firearm purchases.
As an example …. for several months I have been considering replacing a mint condition Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum revolver with its equivalent from Taurus that has an 8-round cylinder. Of course having 8 shots instead of 6 is a definite advantage. And I could probably purchase that new revolver for around $600. And then I question myself: is it that important? Do I spend $600 to get the revolver with an 8-round cylinder AND keep the Ruger? Do I spend $600 to get the revolver with the 8-round cylinder and sell the Ruger for about the same amount of money? Even though the monetary aspect would be a break-even proposition, do I want to invest the time to get a revolver with an 8-round cylinder and sell the Ruger?
Months later, I have not decided what to do nor acted upon it … and yet it is still on my brain.
Both!
“I have two guns, one for each of ya.”
Pretty straight forward to me. If you have an 8-round .357 revolver, there’s really no reason to have a 6 round .357 revolver. If you aren’t desperate for that $600, then sell the 6 shooter and use that money to get something you don’t already have.
Many on here will probably disagree with me, but I’m not one to hoard dozens of guns (yet).
Do you collect ( hoard ) anything ?
If so , does any of the stuff you collect ( hoard ) hold or increase their value ?
Does any of the stuff you collect ( hoard ) have a value to your family , friends and neighbors in the event of a SHTF scenario ?
Just wandering .
You make a good point about gun value retention. My point was, at this time, as I build up my gun collection (5 guns at the moment, but selling one of my pistols), I prefer not to have duplicate guns (guns that basically serve the exact same purpose – i.e. two full framed 9mm pistols) until the collection is large enough that all the various bases are covered. I make a good living, but I’m the sole provider for a family of 5. If I was in uncommon_sense’s situation, as I suggested, I would sell the 6 shooter and buy a gun I didn’t already have. In my case, that would probably be a 4″ .357 magnum revolver or a semi-auto 308 win. (either AR-10 or M1A – probably AR-10). Or maybe a 1911. Right now, I’d rather have a full framed 9mm and a 4″ .357 revolver, than two full-framed 9mm pistols. In 20 years, I’m sure I’ll have duplicates 🙂
Also, sorry about your losses, glad you have Jesus (as do I!).
One is none.
Yes I do agonize over my gun purchases. As I get deeper into this hobby, and keep adding various facets to it, bullseye shooting, reloading, hunting, and also for self defense purposes, there are choices to make with the funds available. What would I get the most use out of and the most enjoyment? There are at least two pistols and one rifle I’d like to add right now plus modifications and accessories that I’d like for my existing collection, then shit happens and I have to spend it on other needs. It’s especially bad this time of year with the new models coming out and possible year end bonus money being available in a few weeks, and TTAG is not helping.
I think about things before I buy them, yes. But, I don’t obsess over purchases.
If I don’t like a gun, or it no longer fits my needs and/or wants, I’ll just sell it.
It’s a big hunk of metal which launches small hunks of metal through the air; I’m not going to marry the damn thing.
The only one I’m attached to was my grandfather’s and that thing isn’t going anywhere.
We have a guns and ammunition line on the annual household budget. So that part of the decision making is routine and uncontroversial.
Specific purchases are preceded by the usual due diligence of review reading, video watching, and total cost of ownership comparison. That’s all in support of the general purchase decision having already been made, though. She and I buy several guns per year this way, and stocking orders of ammunition about every six months.
Does your wife have a sister?
Research for months, buy in minutes.
NO. But watching my wife pick out a new conceal purse is agonizing.
he he he , like !
Yes and no.
Yes I “agonize” because I want to know what I’ll be getting. I’ll read / watch the reviews. Study the ergonomics as much as I can. Consider how a firearm breaks down. Ease of cleaning. Generally mull it over. And think about how it fits in with what I already have and if there is too much overlap for the price. For example: I like carbine formats a lot, I have an AR-15 that I really like, but I’m interested in variety and can’t seem myself picking up another AR-15 regardless of how it’s kitted out. I also have an M-96, HK USC, and HK MP5-22. So when I’m considering another carbine I try and consider how different (or similar) it might be to what I already have and if that perceived difference is worth the cost of the carbine.
The “no” of this is that my budget is limited and I don’t buy firearms that often so . . . there’s not much point of agonize between purchases. When I’m in a position to buy, then I’ll agonize.
Er, perhaps I should say the agonizing is figuring out how to save up and pay for a new firearm and less in terms of what I want to get (that I usually know).
I’ve learned through painful experience that the best cure for impulse buying is knowledge. Just doing research and trolling internet forums for user unbiased reviews has dissuaded me from immediately going out and buying another gun countless times. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit or just bad luck of becoming very interested in certain old firearms right when their supply shrinks and prices skyrocket. C’est la vie…
Sometimes I impulse buy, most times I think it over for months. Unfortunately in the soviet republic of New Jersey it takes months to get a pistol purchaser card so I particularly agonize over handguns. Also they expire if you don’t buy in 30 days so you better have the money saved up.
Unfortunately most of my gun purchases were during panic season. I think my smartest purchase was snagging an SKS for 224. Still kicking myself because I had the money to buy two of them. But yeah I do try to research before buying my gun in the first place. I’m of limited means and it really sucks when I get a gun that was a lot of hype. Such as my Walther PPK/S .22lr which has the worst trigger pull I’ve ever encountered. That and the paint on side of the grip is flaking off pretty badly. I wasn’t even aware there was paint there until that happened.
I always go in with a plan. Rarely does anything go according to plan.
Depends. I agonize over rifle purchases. Handgun purchases are usually an impulse purchase, so I agonize over it for exactly the time it takes to remove my wallet from my pocket to signing the sales slip… And then again when the bill comes.
Ive only been purchasing for 3 years and a big part of my acquisitions have been dictated somewhat by the dark spectre of threatened federal gun grabbing.
I have deferred my desire for old mil-sutps in order to accumulate EBRs, AKs, and surplus ammo.
It certainly would be nice to get a Repub in the big chair and a solid Repub congress so that I can have a nice 4 year period to do proacvtive purchases instead of reactive purchases.
Not really, If see something that interests me that I think will be useful I pull the trigger.
Not in the store, but I spend months or more trying to figure out what I want to pick up and then I contemplate between utility vs fun factor vs what I should be spending that money on…
Once the debate is settled and the gun is picked, I don’t flip flop between it and another choice.
I didn’t agonize, but I did spend an hour last Saturday looking over a large rack of Yugo Mausers. I found the one for me which is an M98/48. A K98 that was captured by the Yugoslavians and refurbished. Everything about is it really nice. I can’t wait to shoot it!
Nope, never agonize over a purchase. I can’t afford it, so why think about it?
Nope.
Living in ca can make you somewhat of an impulse buyer. You are always weighing in the usual “do I need this, can I afford it” with the added “will this fall off the handgun roster, will I need to take a background check to buy this ammo if I wait until next year, etc.”
Not any more. I’ve come to a point in my life where I can afford the nice toys I know I want.
I agonize over every Hi-Point I buy.
Ok, not really.
In Illinois, the agony comes with the 24 or 72 hour waiting period.
yes, i do.
too many guns, too little time, too little money.
Due to recent medical bills (gotta love it when your share after insurance is still in five figures), I agonize because I can’t purchase any guns just now. I have five on my wish list, and agonize over having to be stuck even having a wish list!
Not at all. When I bought my P30L, I knew what I was getting into and I knew how much it was going to cost. However, I only have a few firearms.
My wife and I have a deal. Spend up to a grand on a given purchase and nothing is said or asked. Over a grand requires a meeting. She’s never said no at a meeting.
What if several under one grand purchases happen in a short period of time?
The joys of having a paid off mortage and being debt free. Even several closely spaced hits don’t ruffle her.
When I started hunting again after a 40 year lay off I bought a new rifle, new shotgun and used 4runner in a very short space of time. 4runner exceeded the grand limit by a wide margin.
Told her I was going to buy it and she never even questioned my choice.
Gotta love that woman.
Sure! Buyers remorse, sellers remorse.
In truth all I need is my one best shotgun, my one best rifle and my one best handgun.
Beyond that it’s all “wants” and most of what I want is everything they don’t want you to have. And THAT”S WHY!
Clerk: “Would you like the blued or the stainless?”
Me: “Reeeeeeeeee both?”
…
The world’s greatest gun salesman, Barack Insane Obama, has made me very well aware that at any moment, what I have now, may be all I’ll have ever for both guns and ammo.
A change of just one of the black-robed-mystics who sit on the Supreme Court could easily lead to disaster for gun owners.
So do I agonize? Not really. I try to buy practical items that I can use and
are likely to continue to be desirable.
No bling, but always high quality reliable brands in common calibers.
I also buy ammo regularly, whenever I see a good deal.
The internet has changed everything in terms of pricing, availability and most importantly
accurate reviews and critiques.
I watch for deals from Palmetto, Slickguns, etc.
This week Sportsman’s Guide had the new Ruger AR-556 for $562.00 delivered.
They also had a, no interest, four payment plan for $140/mo available.
So no agonizing there. I pick up my new Ruger this Wednesday.
I won’t notice the $140 for the next four months and neither will my understanding wife.
Except for the Bloombergs, Obamas and all the other anti-gun libtard lunatics,
we live in the golden age of gun buying at reasonable prices.
…
So much that they’re usually sold out before I’m ready to make a decision, which reminds me I should check to see if those SLR104-52 are still available.
I agonize over the guns I didn’t buy. Like the Boys ATR in the window of the store across the street from my house in 1967. I think it was 300 bucks. I was 7 at the time but it still pisses me off. Or maybe the 100 dollar H&K parts kits in the 80’s. I had the money then, just not the insight.
As I’ve famously stated since my last AR pistol purchase right before the last run on ammo, ‘whoever thought the gun would be the cheap part of shooting?!’
But yeah, 6 months of research precedes a gun purchase, and a few show visits to make sure it feels right or trigger checks.
Comments are closed.