How fast did your collection grow?

Mine grew very fast.
It was like I was buying everything.
Writing checks I couldn't back up.

It went away even faster when I sold them all off 5 years later.
 
I bought six guns and a .22 conversion kit in my first six months as a gun owner, then slowed down as each niche got filled. I'm trying to limit myself now so I can spend more on ammo.
 
So Much Easier to Collect Today

Regarding collections, those here that are in the "45yr old" ballpark can attest to the stark difference in the environment for purchasing firearms today as opposed to 1) the "pre-cyber" world of guns and 2) Hard-Fought establishment of CCW/2A Rights...

My first handgun was purchased in the mid-90's (prior to that I had the good fortune of having a cop for a Dad so I always was a "gun-guy") and I remember the absolute pain in the A** that the "7 Day Waiting Period" was :mad:. For one, I had to drive all the way Downtown through horrible bumper-to-bumper traffic, deal with parking etc. only then to return back 7 Days later to pickup my "Gun Permit." So for those lucky guys today that simply just walk-in or click their respective way in order to purchase a handgun you have NO IDEA what a pain the mandatory "Gun Permit/Waiting Period" was to be sure. Secondly, remember that in the 90's the Internet was just taking off with Compuserve, AOL, Prodigy or some other 28.8K modem baud connection using only Netscape 1.0 (Internet Explorer did not exist, neither did Google!) there was no Gunbroker, Buds or any like thereof...one had to pickup a copy of the Shotgun News or actually travel somewhere in order to find a "brick-and-mortar" Gun Store...There was no pick your FFL to have the product shipped to unless you had the unique almost unheard of fortune of personally knowing an FFL chap...

Sorry for the ramble but I just wanted to provide some perspective for the guys here in these wonderful forums that perhaps either were unaware or if aware don't count their blessings for living in the "relatively speaking" Second Amendment friendly Country we have today. That said, please DO NOT rest on your/our laurels here and take said 2A Rights for granted for even one freaking second or you and I will blink and those very freedoms will be gone (one quick example of this is the increasingly Anti-Gun-Internet we see today where you can no longer "Google" firearms and or buy gun accessories on Amazon just to name a few examples)...

In retrospect, I think now that i'm in my forties I am disciplined "enough" to avoid bankruptcy due to purchasing the a zillion guns a year whereby, conversely, if I were that single younger guy with a decent job, minimal responsibilities and a buck or two to spend I would be seeking the advise of a "financial counselor" and or "local bartender."

My hat's off to those "youngins" that are able to responsibly spend his or her hard-earned ca$h because given this new much more friendly Second Amendment society in which we live today maintaining that "collection" budget is definitely commendable ! ;)
 
I bought six guns and a .22 conversion kit in my first six months as a gun owner, then slowed down as each niche got filled...
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While my collection grew a lot more slowly, filling the niches was a big part of it. Different guns serve different roles. If you hunt, there are different guns for different critters in different environments. If you carry concealed, there are different seasons, occasions, and ultimately wardrobe choices where different guns will work better. If you compete, well, that's a whole other ball of wax.
 
PT-92 wrote:

Regarding collections, those here that are in the "45yr old" ballpark can attest to the stark difference in the environment for purchasing firearms today as opposed to 1) the "pre-cyber" world of guns and 2) Hard-Fought establishment of CCW/2A Rights...

My first handgun was purchased in the mid-90's... and I remember the absolute pain in the A** that the "7 Day Waiting Period" was...

Sorry for the ramble but I just wanted to provide some perspective for the guys here in these wonderful forums that perhaps either were unaware or if aware don't count their blessings for living in the "relatively speaking" Second Amendment friendly Country we have today. That said, please DO NOT rest on your/our laurels here and take said 2A Rights for granted for even one freaking second or you and I will blink and those very freedoms will be gone (one quick example of this is the increasingly Anti-Gun-Internet we see today where you can no longer "Google" firearms and or buy gun accessories on Amazon just to name a few examples)...
Click to expand...

It isn't the rights that were established but their increased protection. The Second Amendment doesn't grant any rights. It only seeks to prohibit their violation. Despite the clear language, it is ignored as often as so much of the rest of the Constitution or Bill of Rights. The reason for these violations of inalienable rights is a combination of institutionally promoted ignorance, misinformation, and coordinated action by dedicated persons and groups. If we are not dedicated and active in defending and promoting our rights, we all lose.
 
My name is Samuel2011 and I am a gunaholic.
Been buying selling and trading firearms for over 20 years and have owned close to 250 firearms ar one time. I've traded and sold alot more than that.
I've whittled my eclectic collection down to about 60-70, but keep buying at least a couple per year. And I thoroughly enjoy it!
 
Started in 1972 went up to 80+ in 1985 .
Quit shooting matches in 1995 .
Now have a few for H. D. 10 total
How many do you need or want ?
When you get older you figure what you need to make life simple .
 
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I started with a gun under the Christmas tree in 1966. It's gone up and down since them. Been as high as 50-60 at one time. So many I couldn't decided which 22 rifle to take squirrel hunting or which revolver to take to the range.

About that time, I lost my job, sold off most of them in the next couple of years, found I (1) didn't miss them, and (2) had as much fun selling them as I did buying them.

Today, I've got about a dozen or so between my wife and I. I still buy one from time to time, but I usually sell one either before or after.

I've still got more than I can use really.
 
I bought a little .22lr derringer (Cobra) for fun a few weeks ago, now I want to get a second 9mm subcompact. Maybe a S&W Shield? There's a bunch I'm gonna rent next time I get to my range.
(To be specific...
Cz p.07 duty
Beretta 92fs
Cz75 sp-01
Springfield 1911
Sig Sauer p226 elite
S&W shield
Walther ppq)
 
Mine grew very fast.
It was like I was buying everything.
Writing checks I couldn't back up.

It went away even faster when I sold them all off 5 years later
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Constantine, can I ask why? I can see slowly divesting them as I age, but selling them fast?
 
My accumulation grew the quickest during the late 90s because of the various bans taking place. Overall, longer term results of such a surge appears not to be good for consumer or businesses.
 
I don't consider any amount of firearms under 4,000 to be a 'collection'. If you have anything less, you are just a casual shooter. I personally know only one guy who is a 'collector'.
 
How fast did my collection grow?

Probably faster than the state of New Jersey likes.

You see, here in this fabulous state, we need a permit to purchase a handgun. So with all the bs required, (application fee, mental health background check & fee for that, references, and all the wait time) instead of getting one permit for the gun I happen to want at the time, I might as well get three or four. So about every year I add three or four. Probably less than a lot of you, but I'm sure it's more than the brain farts in Trenton envisioned.
 
I don't consider any amount of firearms under 4,000 to be a 'collection'. If you have anything less, you are just a casual shooter. I personally know only one guy who is a 'collector'.
__________________
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I guess that's one way to define collection. I was just thinking the dictionary's definition: "the act of collecting", which means "to gather together; assemble.
to accumulate; make a collection of."
 
It was fairly quick with rifles, starting in '07, age 52. Last April bought a very nice EG Makarov and CZ-82 in the same deal, FTF at the club from a guy who inherited his late-brother's collection. Luckily the seller only uses modern handguns and just wanted to get rid of them. He thought that the EG was a Bulgy.:)

By the middle of May also bought an actual Bulgy, then a commercial Russian Mak from the same seller. Very little wear on any of those guns, and $275 for each.
They are in the same condition as the new 'unissued' Bulgys now at S.O.G.

longshanks94: A friend has approx. 100 surplus rifles in a steel vault, all in exc. condition. He learned how to invest in the stock market. One or two of his Enfield #4/Mk. 2s are kept in the original paper bags, still soaked in factory cosmoline. His guns are seldom used, and the guy Never leaves home without a Polish P-64 in his pocket. I highly prefer Polish P-83s:cool: or Makarovs.
 
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I never wanted a "collection". I started out wanting a gun for home defense. A little later, a gun for home defense and possibly concealed carry. I did a lot of research at the time, but it was more or less the process of finding that gun(s) that met my needs that led to an accumulation of guns. After finding the forums, I also did get caught up into thinking I needed whatever it was that sounded so great on the forums, but in more recent years I've come back full circle and appreciate having a few good guns that meet my needs, and I have no desire to add to the "collection". In fact, sometimes I think I've got a few too many. I came to the conclusion that having a "collection" of guns (of anything really) that sat in a safe or a closet, wasn't really a useful "collection", and if the only satisfaction I could find in those collections was the constant acquisition for the sake of acquisition of the next addition to add my safe, well there came a point where that didn't do it for me either. So now, if I can't display it in some entertaining or useful way, or use it as a purposeful tool, it's just not a worthwhile pursuit for me. I've since sold off many more guns than I currently own, and I'm more satisfied than ever with my current "collection".
 
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