If a firearms enthusiast scores tonight’s Powerball jackpot they will have enough money to buy . . . just about anything. Saying that, I doubt New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could run his Dassault [Weapon] Falcon, grab America’s guns and maintain the bodyguard-protected lifestyle to which he’s become accustomed on a mere $12.5m per year (.05% return on a $225m after-tax payout). And no matter how much money you have, civilians still can’t buy some of the best toys. Given the odds, I worry about hitting the lottery, getting bitten by a shark and struck by lightning on the same day. Provided I survived all that, I’m building me a room. Into which I’d place a SCAR 17, McMillan TAC-338, a VO Viking and something tasty from Volquartsen [above]. Amongst other things. You?

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115 COMMENTS

  4. Better question would be: “What firearms wouldn’t you buy?”

    A Volquartsen? Is that the girl’s name in the pic above? Yeah, I’ll take one of those too…

  6. Several fine shotguns from Holland & Holland, Purdy, a gattling gun, old Winchesters and old Colts. Then plenty of NFA goodies

  9. I’d buy a house. Not in Ca. An effing big house with a back yard range. Then I’d keep buying guns until I ran out of room for them. Then I’d build a new wing onto the house. The 12 pounder cannon on display by the flagpole in my front yard would be fully functional. As would the gatling gun in my garage.

    You know you have it made when you have a 12 car garage and you still have to park your Mercedes in the rain.

  11. Kimber Super Carry, or two, Springfield loaded M-1 (M-14), pair of 44.40 SAAs, matching lever action, Ruger Scout, S&W 625, 29, many more.

  15. Hmmm, where to start. I actually just like the guns I have. I’d probably try 3-gunning, that always sounded like fun and I’ve probably already got the basics of what I would need equipment-wise for entry level. I’d like to create a collection of historical firearms from every major American conflict. I’d buy some hunting land and set up a shooting range somewhere. So I guess I’m as much about giving myself and others the opportunities to enjoy guns and shooting as much as just buying tricked-out sh!t I’d rarely use.

  16. I have always wanted my own tank. There is a guy in England that I heard about with a safety orange tank he drives around his town, he’s kinda one of my heroes.

  17. I’d buy a full case of Mosin-Nagants. Open the case, remove the packing, remount the rifles, put discret lighting inside, place a glass top on it and make it the coffee table in my living room.

    • Your project is not very far out of reach. I guarantee if you called a few of the larger dealers you’d find one who’d be willing to sell you a full crate for about $1,000, bayonets and sea of cosmoline included. Classic Firearms used to do this as a special offer once in a while.

  19. An Mg42 and an Mg34 with a couple of spare barrels for each.
    All matching K98k and G43 rifles with minor battle damage and additional sniper variants of both.
    Enough 8mm Mauser ammo to fill an in-ground pool.

    • Exactly. And since most of the NFA items I want to shoot on it aren’t legal in CT, it will need to be in another state. Which of course will require a choppper and/or private plane.

  23. I would move to Washington DC and buy a handgun. That should pretty much use up the bulk of the winnings…

  25. First get 4 sections of land(2,560 acres), build a 500 acre range, open a gun club/ 24 hr range(full and semi auto friendly), and after my house and garage are built just wait and see what people bring in.
    If I like it, I would buy it. Cannon…yep. .50cal….yep. Matched Colt SAA’s….yep!!!
    Oh and one thing I would definitely get….a WWII bazooka and a whole ass load of ammo for it!!! Find some surplus tank bodies and carriages for folks to shoot at too!!!
    Or just buy New York City and fire Michael Bloomberg and use NYC as a giant shooting range!!!

    • I like to remind folks that the famous Creedmoor international rifle matches took place on land that is now part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Literally a 25 minute ride from downtown Manhattan. Today it is a relatively quiet community of single family homes. It still carries the street names of Winchester, Rifle, Lyman, Springfield, and Spencer. Since I used to live in the neighborhood I could clearly picture the range being just outside my living room window. That area is as flat as can be for miles in every direction. Perfect for a 1000 yard range. I bet you that Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t even know what is part of his city !

      For a quick history of the matches here is a good link:

      http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2010/04/history-story-of-creedmoor.html

  26. Ahem….

    A Barrett M-82A2 or whatever the hell it is called this week
    SR-556
    SR-1911
    Winchester 1907
    Sig P-228 in ,357 Sig
    Colt Delta Elite
    pre-’64 Winchester in .375 H&H
    S&W 1076
    Savage 110 in .25-06
    R-15 in 7mm-08
    Turkish, Swedish, Yugo, and German Mauser
    And M-1D from the CMP
    A truck load of Mosins
    Glock 17
    Colt AR-15A2 H-BAR
    M1A National Match
    Remington 700 in .308
    Cheyenne Tactical M-2000
    S&W Model 19

    • What am I thinking?! Sky’s the limit here…

      Luger Lange Pistole 08 (Artillery), pristine condition with all the original trappings and 32rnd Trommelmagazin

      And…

      Serial no. 2 Luger P08 (or serial no. 1, if it can be found) as supplied by DWM for US Army trials in 1907, chambered in .45 ACP

      Then will I buy the Coonan.

  30. In no particular order:
    1) Dillon minigun
    2) Anything from Barett
    3) Obamas resignation
    3) Fund a canidate who can fix this country
    4) An island the antis can have to themselves
    5) USP Tactical
    6) Another Glock

      • I would also stop by the WWP Headquarters and drop a couple of nickles on whats his names desk.

        Afterwards, I would fund a lottery in which only American servicemen/women are entered for free.

  31. A 40mm Bofors would be slick. I believe that is the most powerful transferable “machine gun” available.

    The fact that a 40mm Bofors and a wee little DIAS or lightning link are both “machine guns” is a great example of how our firearms laws make no sense.

    • the 40mm is going to be your “Home Defense” gun right?

      Park it in a lighted window that can be seen from your driveway.

          • A black bulletproof Ford Excursion with a 30mm AUG that pops up out of the roof with cameras and remote controlled aim and fire.
            Road Rage This Buddy!!!

        • I’ll settle for my Magnum in black, with a black leather interior and a 5.7 V8.

          And a Coonan .357 mag in every nook an cranny in the car.

          Also in black.

  33. I just rented a full auto HK MP5 at a shooting range. Without a doubt I’d buy one of those. Oh god I’m drooling just thinking about it.

  34. Tommy gun
    Barrett 50
    Minigun

    Of course, that would be after buying a big ass chunk of land in a gun friendly state, upon which I’d build a massive gun range and a 3 mile world class motorcycle race track so I could enjoy my 2 favorite hobbies without leaving home and wthout some f**ktard government goon getting into my business.

  38. Of course I’d buy a lot of guns. But I’d also attend a lot of training at the premier schools. I’d also make large donations to pro-RKBA organizations, too.
    I’d also get on a boutique health plan, perhaps hire a private chef to cook healthy but tasty meals. You can’t enjoy your guns if you’re in ill health or dead.

  39. Perhaps you should just buy one gun and a lot of ammo.

    For instance, if you took the $500M and spent it all on a Minigun ($300k) and .308 ammo ($.68/rd on luckygunner) you could fire the Minigun (4000 rds/min) nonstop for over four months before you ran out of ammo.

    At 147 gr per bullet, that is over 7,715 tons of lead.

    • Awesome plan!

      How much to retrofit an SUV with a pop-up turret (the one where the gun collapses inside). Say you already had an SUV and just need the turret.

  45. I would buy an island nation they have a few of there out there then I could buy even the stuff only the military has access to.

    Thanks
    Robert

    • Robert has the idea. First buy your own country. Then tell the ATF to kiss off.

      Me: Hello, is this Dillon Aero?
      Them: Yes it is.
      Me: How much for a boat load of mini-guns?

      That would be fun.

  46. Colt SAA
    Colt Pyton with a five inch barrel
    Colt Delta Elite
    Colt Combat Elite
    Colt Bulldog
    Colt LE6920
    ArmaLite AR-10
    Steyr AUG
    H&K MP5

    F-5F Tiger II or T-38

  47. fifty caliber browning, browning 1919 MG, BAR, M-16, M-60 to name a few and a M-47 Patton tank to store it all in and also cruise around in. Maybe with all this I could safely visit Chicago.

  48. Guns? None.

    However, the Second Amendment Foundation would be getting a phone call from me and a huge check. There is much work to be done , and 2nd Amendment court cases are not cheap to litigate.

  49. A 1940’s era M16 halftrack with a mounted quad .50 would do me fine.

    A brandy new Wildey in .475 Magnum wouldn’t hurt either. A highest grade, fully decked out Shiloh-Sharps 1874 #2 Creedmore Silhouette in 45-110 would likely show up too (along with tutoring from an expert in loading paper-patched bullets).

    • Dude if you win tonite I will personally send you a video of me bowing to you repeatedly!!!
      And if I win I will buy you a pair of glocks, your choice of models and calibers!!

  54. $500M really isn’t that much money… I’d be thinking about trying to turn that into $5B. Or more.

    So I’d start by buying someone like Federal Cartridge Company, or perhaps CCI, both subsidiaries of ATK. From what I can tell, the “Sporting” division (which I assume is where Federal belongs) brought in about $25m in profits last quarter. $100m in annual profits, let’s say. Let’s say half of that came from Federal; maybe I can buy one of the two companies for $200M, put another $50M into capital improvements, new/better machinery, automation, improved distribution, etc. and be off and running.

    Then I can buy the firearms with the profits from the ammo business.

  55. I don’t know. Maybe I would just buy the gun shop and range. But I do know right off the top 25 million would go to my church (Flatirons Community Church) and another 25 million to National Jewish Health (#1 Respiratory Hospital in the nation for the last 15 years) I have occupational asthma. Then family and some of our friends.

    I think I could find a few guns I might like to buy. I would like to have a M14.

    • John c, my same exact plan. Jim would know how to put it into the right place. I might end up with a second SP101.. .

    • “…right off the top 25 million would go to my church (Flatirons Community Church)…”

      My dad and I talked about this once, many years ago, when the state lottery broke $100 million. I made a comment about giving $10 million to the church, and his comment was that he’d never do that. Not that he wouldn’t find a way to “tithe” 10% of it somehow, but it would be spread around, perhaps to multiple churches. He explained that dropping a massive lump sum like that on our church (at that time 40-50 times their annual budget) would have far more potential to do harm than good. You can imagine your own scenario here, but suffice it to say I’ve been involved with two different churches that had large “trust-type” bequests, with the idea that the bulk would stay in trust and the church would make use of the (quite substantial) interest payments. In both cases, on more than one occasion, the pastor took steps to determine the feasibility of “breaking the trust” to get at the lump sum. The justification for attempting it was good in theory, but ultimately that’s why the trust was put in place to begin with. In these cases we’re talking about various trusts ranging from $750k to about $2.5M. Could you imagine if they were $25M, how sticky people’s hands would get?

      The conversation with my father was many years ago, so I don’t remember the exact details, but I remember the gist was that the church would get a healthy amount, and probably in some sort of trust or something, but it wouldn’t be the whole pile. I believe he said that a $10M gift would “destroy the church,” or words to that effect. I think that would be even more true when you’re talking about $25 million.

      On the other hand, I can totally see the hospital thing. Their economy is much more suited to dealing with and finding a good way to use money in that quantity.

  56. I think I’d get a house with enough garage for a nice little machine shop, and learn how to build my own guns. After I learn how to build a sweet little lever action, I can slowly work my way up to anything that tickles my fancy. I’m thinking a homemade Sterling, and a Springfield 1903 ought to be on the menu.

  57. Class III dealer paperwork, and then…

    Accuracy International rifles. What caliber? All of them.
    Something nice from Preston Pritchett.
    And from GA Precision. Spread the wealth.
    Every featured pistol from the last 20 years of American Handgunner that I found even mildly interesting, or a duplicate thereof from the gunsmith.
    A real Bren Ten. With magazines.
    One of the handful of H&K P7 .45ACP prototypes that are out there.
    A bunch of full-auto M16s. Because one might break.
    An MP5
    An AUG
    One of those new RPDs in select-fire.
    I might have enough money to buy a Saiga shotgun that works, failing that
    A Benelli M4. And M3. And M2.
    A Franchi SPAS-12. And a SPAS-15, because the -12 might get lonely.
    A Glock 18.
    That post-86 SAW that is forever in the back of SAR. Taunting me.
    An M79 and an M203. Just because.
    A H&P MP7 so I can get a picture of me shooting it full-auto with brass in the air and send it to that guy who used to be the editor of Recoil.

    Lessons from Clint Smith and Jerry Miculek. To start. Followed shortly by Travis Haley, Chris Costa and Todd Hodnett so I could actually shoot all that stuff with some degree of credibility.

  58. I might add a couple of guns nothing too crazy… Definitely a couple of kick ass safes to keep them in. The biggest thing would be to spend a year dedicated to training with all the noteworthy instructors I could. I’d take every class I could fit in over a year’s time. I really believe what I was taught at Tactical Response in Camden, TN. Mindset, tactics and then gear. So training. And then some more training and then sure I’d add some toys but on a daily basis I carry a Glock 19, 200 Lumen Surefire and a cheap folder… So a new folder would be first… That’d leave what 499,999,820 left for training??? 🙂

  59. I’d set up a factory and start producing revolvers and lever action rifles that don’t have any safeties, since they are inherently safe by design.

    And I’d probably pick up a few ornately inlaid double rifles in 500 Nitro Express, and a few 12 gauge Italian side by sides and over unders.

  60. Honestly, I would just build a few guns for myself like a couple of AR-15’s in various calibers and an AR-10 or two. I would build myself a really nice bolt action rifle or two and then go to an Gunsmith course or two.

    Then, I would start my own firearms company. That would be fun.

  61. A custom made double rifle in 470 Nitro Express and a full African safari for me, my father, my father-in-law, and my two sons. Wowee that would be fun.

  62. First thing to buy is a ton of land and at least have a range that has 1000yards or more.

    Then buy a yacht, a couple of helicopters, and a sea plane. I’ll also buy private land for my own and fortify it with high walls, supplies, food and ammo.

    Guns, well I’d buy one of each. with enough ammo and a full reloading setup. Some of the guns that come to mind are Barrett M82A1, Scar17, Mini-gun, AA12 Shotgun, M16A2, Colt 1911’s, Vector subgun, and Desert Eagle 50cal.

  64. After rounding out the collection to cover the classics and a few art/historical pieces, I’d like to deeply build up the Class 3/DD side of things with a decent level of redundancy. Once all of that is out of the way, I’d start working on acquiring an A-10 Thunderbolt, a P-51 Mustang and a P-38 Lightening.

  65. A Huey gunship with 7.62 mini guns in each door!! A&P license. Rotary Wing license! Take all my buddies deer hunting in the Huey!!!

    • Bwahaha! I was on my way in here to list that exact piece of hardware, for that exact purpose!
      I’d also use it for “commuting”. As in, I’d buzz my ex-workplace at least once a day.

  69. Any 7 or 8 or 9 digit lottery win for me, and I’d be purchasing entire companies, building them up again, moving them to ‘safe’ states… I could then take my pick of anything made in my/our factories. (Eventually, it would be an employee owned operation.) My job one day a week would be ‘test-firer’…..

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