Better guns or more guns

[Kevin]

Would you rather have a “collection” of better, nicer guns, or just simply more guns?

I was thinking about this question for myself as I dropped off another gun to send to David Clements. My 30 carbine revolver will be done in a month or so...he said sometime In January. So I got to thinking and asked if he could do his accuracy package on my Bearcat. He said he could have both back to me around the same time.

So to answer my own question, I guess I’m leaning more towards some better, nicer guns with improved triggers; better actions; and more accurate barrels; and good sights (or high quality scopes for the rifles.) Rather than just more guns. For me anyway.

How ‘bout y’all?

 

[powder smoke]

Quality Counts my humble collection is all decent stuff.
Just like anything else you get what you pay for. ps

 

[Snake45]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't have any "first quality" guns, like English doubles or full-on custom handguns, but I do have a moderate collection of nice factory stuff--Smiths, Colts, milsurps, and so forth. In other words, my guns are Chevies and Pontiacs and Dodges--No Rolls or Mercedes or Ferraris but no Yugos or Trabants or Citroens, either. :wink:

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Since my guns are primarily tools, "better" to me means the one which is better made from the factory, which will last longer and work more reliably over its lifetime than some other model. It doesn't require gunsmithing right out of the box, nor does a repeated pattern of needing to be sent back to the factory to be made over into what it should have been when it left the first time indicate anything but cheap and/or inferior to me. To build on Snake's analogy, I've owned and driven a number of Toyotas for pretty much the same reasons already mentioned, and like "Toyota grade" guns as well.

So with that definition, I'd opt for better rather than more.

Custom guns, whether from the factory or done by a custom gunsmith to the customer's specifications, are wonderful to look at, handle, admire--and in some cases even shoot!--and I wouldn't mind having the disposable income to acquire a fair number of them, but they're not "better" for my uses.

Rick C

 

[Jeepnik]

When I was younger I went for quantity in most things.

Now I go for quality in all things.

I think a lot depends on the stage of your life. And the understanding that comes with maturity.

 

[Valmet]

I prefer a handful of high-quality firearms as opposed to a bunch of middle-of-the-road, lower end guns.

 

[hittman]

I'm moving from a quantity of guns to having fewer more quality or scarce guns.
That being said ...... nothing "custom" seems to do anything for me.

 

[Kevin]

Very interesting... I really thought long and hard for several years if I wanted a custom revolver, or if a nice Freedom Arms would be enough. When I turned 40 years old I bought myself a Cooper Classic, and had them make it with a few custom options. So this revolver is only my second custom gun. Probably my last too.

Well, never say never. I did see on Clement’s web site, “coming soon .327 Bearcats.” Now that could be fun...

 

[Fox Mike]

Well, never say never. I did see on Clement’s web site, “coming soon .327 Bearcats.” Now that could be fun...

That is interesting. Just checked and nothing on Dave's site that indicates that is happening yet. I have a Bearcat set aside just for when it does happen.

 

[MalteseHoss]

I’ve always been fascinated as to what drives people’s gun collections. If you ask 1000 different people you will get 100 different and interesting answers. I’m trying to diversify as much as possible. Something for every conceivable need Xander situation. But recently I have had an interest in Blackhawks so now I have a list of those I’m looking for. I’ll start by getting all the calibers then move on to the custom built guns. A Linebaugh is at the top of the list.

 

[Kevin]

A collection of various Blackhawks starting with caliber? That will take a while. Do you consider the Single Six in this group; or are they separate? Let us know when your collection is completed please.

 

[Jeepnik]

Folks have asked me questions about my "collection" One is what's the theme. I always respond I don't have a collection I have an accumulation. Handguns alone vary from BP revolvers to Glocks.

Rifles and shotguns do have one "theme". Except for a few I've had for a very long time, all are left handed. Left handed long guns are scarce enough that it's almost possible to own one of each and not have a very big safe.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

...and here I thought Rugers were pretty mainstream but even an older Chevy can be a treasure if it is in good shape.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Need to define terms here. I'd rather have a Single Six than a Heritage Arms. But I'm certainly not against getting a good deal on a S&W, or a Ruger, or any other name brand firearm. Ruger, Winchester, Browning Etc. But I don't have any custom guns. You can spend upwards of a $1000 on a lot of guns any more. Prices continue to go up on everything.

 

[RSIno1]

When I was younger I went for quantity in most things.

Now I go for quality in all things.

I think a lot depends on the stage of your life. And the understanding that comes with maturity.

This in my youth it was a lot of cheap mil-surp stuff. That went into a fairly nice collections of M1s. Finally got my dream Weatherby in 1982 - a unfired LH German 300. Last couple years decided a safe full of stuff was worth a lot more than I paid for it so the M1s and a lot of handguns went. The the No1 hit so I've got a few of those now.

 

[blume357]

Since you can pretty much only shoot one gun at a time... I vote for quality.

 

[Pat-inCO]

When I was younger I went for quantity in most things.

Now I go for quality in all things.

I think a lot depends on the stage of your life. And the understanding that comes with maturity.

And the money you have available to spend.

 

[GunnyGene]

Might be able to get both in a few years. We can hope.

https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/11/22/this-lawsuit-could-shatter-all-federal-gun-laws/

After a decades-long wait, we finally appear to have a case that is likely to see the United States Supreme Court have to directly examine whether the Founding Fathers meant what they said when they wrote amendments to a federal Constitution that was designed to tightly bind and constrict the reach of the federal government.

What most 21st Century Americans simply do not grasp is that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were not written to to give rights to the citizens of our then-new nation, but was instead written to tightly constrain the federal government.

The Founders had just won a long and brutal war against a far-away foreign government, and the Federalists and Anti-Federalists were locked in a power struggle on just how much power the federal government in a swamp on the Potomac River would be allowed to have. The Federalists were concerned that the federal government would be anemic and far too weak to be of any use at all, while the Anti-Federalists wanted the power to remain where they felt it belonged, with the states, so that the people in each state could determine what is best for that state’s citizens.

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to placate the concerns of the Anti-Federalists, and was mean to be ten strong chains binding down the then-puny federal leviathan to prevent future abuses.

The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights was written by Founding Fathers who understood the right to bear arms as a natural human right that the Creator bestowed upon each and every human being. How can there be any other right, if the right to defend your life is not the most paramount right of them all?

They almost felt it silly to have to codify a natural right that was so obviously self-evident to them, but knowing that a federal government unchained is a federal government tyrannical, they ratified the basic human right to bear arms within the Second Amendment.

 

[vito]

To me, quality means it goes boom when you pull the trigger, consistently, and is "reasonably" accurate. With my old eyes and shaky hands, putting a few rounds in a dinner plate size target at 5 yards is easily good enough for me. I don't shoot for competition but just to keep reasonably ready to defend myself at close distances. So my small group of guns, from just three companies, Ruger, S&W, and Glock, fully meets my needs. At the range, shooting 22LR, an occasional problem with FTE or FTF is no big deal, so my Ruger Mark IV is great, and my S&W 617 is flawless. I've never had a gun modified by a gunsmith, and I've only had a gun sent back to the manufacturer if it didn't function or was included in a recall. Maybe I'm an outlier on this forum, but my trend lately has been to reduce the small number of guns I own. As long as I have few stashed around the house for home defense, a couple for concealed carry, a couple for plinking at the range, and a couple I keep for sentimental reasons, I am good to go. Before I would consider spending thousands on a match quality gun I would be thinking about getting another motorcycle to put in the garage. But that's just me.

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

I like quality if I hunt or when I carry. Otherwise, I have a C&R license and once in a while I like to
find an old relic, and refurbish it for my collection. I have no desire to sell them, and do not care
about ruining the historical value. I just like old rare firearms that I can work on, and ocassionally
take to the range and attract the attention of my buddies. Starts a lot of conversations.
Blackie

 

[tbear99]

if i had it to do again and what i tell younger is have fewer guns but a really good gun for each intended use.Historic guns are alot of fun

 

[Kevin]

It’s nice to read these comments, my views are similar. Thanks...

 

[cas6969]

In recent years my move has been to fewer, better guns. But I consider myself "a student of arms", so the few that go to buy the better one, always seem to get replaced with just as many others. I want to keep learning, playing and experimenting. I've bought guns just because I wanted to take them apart. :lol:
So while I'm buying better guns, I've also kind of adopted the "I don't buy them, I only rent them for a while" attitude towards many others.