Are you addicted to buying guns?

[Howard1955]

I have been on a gun buying binge since just before the election. I have justified this recent binge by convincing myself that I won't be able to purchase any more firearms through FFLs if Measure 114 restrictions go into effect. I believe an outsider looking in on my purchases would think I am addicted.

Has anybody else here felt the need to curb their firearm shopping habits? If so how did you do it?


Edit:

I am thinking about turning over my bank accounts to my wife and taking a small cash allowance every other week. The allowance would only be enough to cover personal expenses (food, fuel, etc). If I really needed something firearm related I would have to sell or trade something I already have. I have so much firearm related crap on hand, I shouldn't need anything for a long while.

I was saving up for a new car but those savings are gone. I haven't contributed any funds to my IRA in a long time. And I ran up another $2800 on a CC balance. I have paid cash for nearly every firearm I have bought in the last couple of months. But, I have used the CC to purchase stuff I would have normally used the debit card for.

I need to start using cash only. I find I spend more when I buy stuff with a card.

The wife is going to be disappointed.

Addicted? Of course not.

I can quit anytime I want to!

 

[Bobbygun]

My bigger problem is purchasing ammo, for that I do not go into sportsman's or Bi-mart. I cannot be trusted.

And I would add - reloading supplies. Sheesh. I was looking at my reloading logs yesterday only to realize I haven't loaded anything since March of 2021. I stockpiled a bunch of components when I could get them at a reasonable price and ammo was getting scarce. But since I wasn't caught short on ammo in the first place, there was really no need to reload. I should be done "buying cheap and stacking deep". But still, when I see an ad for 9mm shells at 25 cents per round in the classified section here, well, I'm glad they weren't local. In reality though, I'm not spending the kind of money to put me in a financial bind or divorce court.

As for the OP and guns, anymore I am only tempted by a great deal or a trade. I guess I'm old enough (over 60) that the glossy advertisements or latest and greatest cartridges aren't as sexy as they used to be. I'm also much more willing to part with something I don't shoot much than when I was younger.

As much crap as we give each other on the forum, I think the idea of having the wife take control of the finances and going to a cash basis has some merit. Rates are going up and credit card balances are not the way to financial security. I only use credit cards for convenience and buyer rewards/points, paying the balance off before interest charges accrue.

 

[Tax Stamps]

Fortunately for me, my addiction is machine guns so that by itself keeps me somewhat grounded. If for no other reason the prices have gone so high that if I give in there is serious pain in the wallet.

 

[DunRanull]

Addicted to acquiring firearms? Yep. Got more than I'll ever need (or shoot, really), but there's always one more in the case at the lgs...
Then of course there is the ammo situation, and extra magazines...
I do try to keep them in common calibers that I reload for- or can-..I figure after TSHTF I can use some of them for tradin stock..

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I've found hifi audio to be a good money suck as well.

Latest I phone $1100-1200 in two three years value is $15 on gazelle lol

 

[Gbirk]

I feel your pain. 2022 (especially the last few months) was an expensive year for me for a lot of reasons, and the extra couple of guns I bought did not help. Like you there were a couple guns I had put off buying but decided to go for when 114 passed. Unfortunately for my bank account I was putting them off because there were expensive.

I am done buying guns for a while (no really, I am), but ammo, that is another matter. Prices are getting to where I think it is wise to start restocking the shelves from what I used while everyone else was panicking.

 

[Aero Denezol]

I was buying too many too quickly for a while there.. People found out I was collecting and all of a sudden I was inundated with amazing offers on dream guns I just couldn't pass up. With Measure 114 looming I recently sold many of them and reinvested in fewer higher quality pieces. But the itch to add another one is always there.

One thing that helps is to photograph your collection, and occasionally look through the pictures. It makes you appreciate what you have and how little time there is for actual shooting.

 

[Kruel J]

Not at all. Guns are tools, nothing more. In the past 3 years I've purchased 4 firearms. While I still really enjoy shooting, I find myself not nearly as interested in keeping up with the latest greatest stuff coming out. I have what I need.

 

[The Heretic]

Has anybody else here felt the need to curb their firearm shopping habits? If so how did you do it?

I found myself buying guns quite often. Part of it was I am a prepper and I prep for three people (myself and my "kids" {adults who can't afford to buy guns and I don't want them to have their names on a list}).

When I retired my income was reduced by two thirds, so eventually I had to reduce my buying of guns. Last two years I sold some (like my .50 BMG rifle) and some ball ammo I had stored, and used that get others. Now I feel I have my guns more or less sorted out. I still find myself looking at the classifieds here, and sometimes I see something that I would like, but my cash savings were greatly reduced last year (new roof for the kids house, etc.) so I haven't bought much of anything recently in the way of guns (except the $1500 I spent on mags before/after the election).

It isn't just guns though - it is prepping supplies/things/etc. - I do get a bit of a endorphin kick out of buying things, and I need to stop doing that. Also one thing, I have sometimes bought stuff that I already had and don't need more of because I forgot I already had it. With regards to food, that has led to some waste. An inventory helps, and organizing things and labelling containers so that I know where they are helps.

 

[arakboss]

And I would add - reloading supplies. Sheesh. I was looking at my reloading logs yesterday only to realize I haven't loaded anything since March of 2021. I stockpiled a bunch of components when I could get them at a reasonable price and ammo was getting scarce. But since I wasn't caught short on ammo in the first place, there was really no need to reload. I should be done "buying cheap and stacking deep". But still, when I see an ad for 9mm shells at 25 cents per round in the classified section here, well, I'm glad they weren't local. In reality though, I'm not spending the kind of money to put me in a financial bind or divorce court.

As for the OP and guns, anymore I am only tempted by a great deal or a trade. I guess I'm old enough (over 60) that the glossy advertisements or latest and greatest cartridges aren't as sexy as they used to be. I'm also much more willing to part with something I don't shoot much than when I was younger.

As much crap as we give each other on the forum, I think the idea of having the wife take control of the finances and going to a cash basis has some merit. Rates are going up and credit card balances are not the way to financial security. I only use credit cards for convenience and buyer rewards/points, paying the balance off before interest charges accrue.

I took that trip too. Pretty much through the entire covid fiasco I was buying any great deal on reloading supplies that came along.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I am buying less since I got my M11/9. It was something I really wanted. I did buy a little extra in magazines for 1 month. I wanted to get a few Suomi drums for the m11/9 Lage upper

I set myself a budget for hobbies. Most of my big purchases are after I sell multiple smaller items. I stick to it. I have not decreased my 401k contributions and if money is needed, hobby budget goes away. This month I got some 50 beowulf brass. That is it.

Now during the pre-covid era I was haunting gunbroker for pre WWII pistols. I like the whole late 18th to early 20th century madcap designs. And when they wee $39-89 each it was easy to justify.

I also find less and less I actually want. Sure, I plan on SBRing a thing or two in the near future. But I have a cool collection

 

[ar addict]

Hi, I am AR Addict.
I have a firearm and accessories addiction.
My estate sale, will be EPIC.

 

[slimmer13]

If your firearm "needs" are met, and your further purchases are becoming destructive to other areas in life, then treat it like any other negative addiction. Either seek professional help, or have the discipline to stop.

I doubt a gun forum is the best place to have people tell you to stop buying guns.

Me, I'm addicted to building long term financial stability.

 

[Tony617]

Find a new, expensive hobby like model railroads or saltwater reef aquariums,

I have built a door size train table and bought most of the track and rolling stock in N guage. I will start building my layout when I retire. Need to clean off my train table and put my engines and rolling stock away to I can layout my track plan. Use a few track nails to hold it down and try running my locomotives and some rolling stock. I am going use old style with insulated rail joiners and will be building a switch board and toggle switches for both switch machines and installed rails. I want to run two sets of trains at once which I could do on my I HO layout on my bedroom as a kid. Now I am buying N guage instead since I don't have that much room. But a 3'x7' table I can lay quite a bit of N quage track.

 

[Gunbuggy]

Hello, my name is Gunbuggy

the crowd: hi gunbuggy!

I am a firearms addict and it's been 2 weeks since my last purchase...


All jokes aside yeah. I was really bad from like age 24 to age 28 I probably spent 100k on guns and accessories in those years. Luckily I have the income to support that but still, it was really supid of me.

Last couple years I've been thinning the herd so to speak. I've probably sold at least 35+ guns in the last 3 years.

I base my sale not on how much I like the gun but how much I use it. I can't tell you how many guns I've purchased, never used, then sold later for a loss.

My strategy as of late is sell everything I don't use. I pocketed a lot of cash this year and last from selling guns and have put a big dent in my mortgage while also padding my savings and my "next home" savings pile, while also ensuring that the only debt I have is my house. I paid off my wife's 4runner with gun sale proceeds lol.

Anyways. Long story short. I am down to about 18 guns right now last time i counted. 3 of which are my main concealed carry guns, 4 are duty rifles for self defense / SHTF / training, two are 308 battle rifles cause you should definitely have at least one of those, one is a bolty and one is a shotgun (hunting) and the rest are dream guns I absolutely could not get rid of.

I think I'm in a good spot right now. However, I could probably be fine for the rest of my life with maybe 6 guns.

YMMV but that's just where I am at now. I'm more geared towards a solid small collection of guns that I am deadly with and use daily, and a small collection of guns that make me happy to go sit on a bench and shoot for fun.

I wish 2023 gunbuggy could have talked to 2017 gunbuggy and told him to stop buying a bunch of guns. I'd prob be sitting on a 20 acre property in cowlitz County sipping tea and shooting steel off my back porch by now.

 

[orygun]

Several years ago I realized that my safe was overflowing with stuff I really wasn't shooting and I sold a bunch of it. Really trimmed down the herd.
Then Dad passed away and all of the guns that he had came to me. After Mom passed 4 years later I found myself with "extra" cash and I bought 4 or 5 guns. Most of them had/have a reason and with the exception of one, were rather inexpensive. That expensive one is a safe queen/collectable and if I ever sell it, I won't lose a nickel. There was one Colt 22 revolver in that batch that I probably paid too much for and after realizing it's not reliable with the 22 Mag cylinder I just tucked it away. It will likely come out and hit the classifieds before too long. It was a mistake and I'll probably lose my butt on it...

The one other impulse buy was a 1940's Winchester Model 70 in 257 Roberts. It's had the barrel cut and the stock reshaped. It's a friggin neat little rifle. Velzey had it in his rack and I walked away. The Rickreal gun show was a couple of weeks later and I found three boxes of ammo. I bought the ammo, went out to the parking lot and texted Velzey. I bought the gun the next weekend.
Did I need it? Not really. But it's sighted in and will probably see some deer hunting action in the next year or two. It's just too cool to not keep, love and use.

But for the most part @Kruel J is right, they are tools. If I'm not using them, or have an inheritance plan for them, Away they go.

I participated a lot more in the buying/playing/selling when we could do private party transfers. Having to do a background check, with the associated fees and time involved took a lot of the fun out of buying and selling. That killed a lot of my "addiction".

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I can't buy into the "Guns are tools" idea.

As always , it is fine for someone to think that way.....
But ...
For me...guns are a Hell of a lot more meaningful than just tools.
I don't think of my Hawken rifle in the same light or way as I do my Estwing hammer.

My hammer is a tool...it gets the job done and works well.
The same can be said of my Hawken Rifle , however...

My Hawken Rifle has lots of memories tied to it.
The maker of the rifle was important to me...
The rifle itself is very much a part of me...and what I value.
Andy

 

[orygun]

I can't buy into the "Guns are tools" idea.

As always , it is fine for someone to think that way.....
But ...
For me...guns are a Hell of a lot more meaningful than just tools.
I don't think of my Hawken rifle in the same light or way as I do my Estwing hammer.

My hammer is a tool...it gets the job done and works well.
The same can be said of my Hawken Rifle , however...

My Hawken Rifle has lots of memories tied to it.
The maker of the rifle was important to me...
The rifle itself is very much a part of me...and what I value.
Andy

And that's the reason the guns that were Dad's or Grandpa's are here and not going anywhere with the exception of the ones I've passed along to their grandsons/great grandsons.
I'm a sentimental sort, but many of the guns I've owned I had no sentimental attachment to and were just tools/toys to me.

 

[Knobgoblin]

I am .



There's different weird components to this addiction. You meet people who cheer you on. As in , they reach out to you first when something is up for sale. It's not proper codependency, but something close. I make excuses all the time about " just one more " and " it's for the kids" ,

 

[jkor]

I have been on a gun buying binge since just before the election. I have justified this recent binge by convincing myself that I won't be able to purchase any more firearms through FFLs if Measure 114 restrictions go into effect. I believe an outsider looking in on my purchases would think I am addicted.

Has anybody else here felt the need to curb their firearm shopping habits? If so how did you do it?


Edit:

I am thinking about turning over my bank accounts to my wife and taking a small cash allowance every other week. The allowance would only be enough to cover personal expenses (food, fuel, etc). If I really needed something firearm related I would have to sell or trade something I already have. I have so much firearm related crap on hand, I shouldn't need anything for a long while.

I was saving up for a new car but those savings are gone. I haven't contributed any funds to my IRA in a long time. And I ran up another $2800 on a CC balance. I have paid cash for nearly every firearm I have bought in the last couple of months. But, I have used the CC to purchase stuff I would have normally used the debit card for.

I need to start using cash only. I find I spend more when I buy stuff with a card.

The wife is going to be disappointed.

yeah, its called. Running out of funds.