Variety vs. Redundancy

44 AMP said:
BOTH!!!! [emoji3]



Don't worry about that limited budget thing, it doesn't mean you can't get what you want, it just means it takes longer, and requires a bit more self discipline saving money. [emoji6]



I say both, because I have a wide variety of handguns, that I bought to check out and learn, AND I have duplicates of my favorites, just in case.



You can read about, (or watch) guns you are interested in, but you cannot really know how they will fit, work, and feel for you, until you have one and use it. Not everything turns out to be as good as it looks from a distance.



And as I said, my favorite guns, I have "spares", not only for the "if one breaks I still have another" but also because, if you ever use your gun defensively, the police WILL take it. When everything is completely settled, you can get your gun back, but it could be weeks, or months, or maybe even longer. And our precious guns are just one more piece of "evidence" to the police, who have a reputation for not treating them in the same way we do....
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My philosophy too...
I have many firearms that I shoot, some that I shoot a few times, and put away, and some that I have never shot, but simply wanted.
Then there are the few that are continual shooters. These are hunting/range/and SD firearms.

When I find a firearm that just fits, I will acquire another. Firearms are mechanical, they break. If I have a broken TRG, I want to be able to grab a replacement.

Funding is there, based on many things. If you are young and have kids, they take priority. They won’t always be young.




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If you are young and have kids, they take priority. They won’t always be young.
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And, neither will you! ;)

Bills paid? Lights on? Everyone got enough to eat? Kids got shoes? Everything else is discretionary. :D
 
you left out IRA, 401K, college fund, and all of those other reasons that discretionary isn't really discretionary. I piled money into my IRA as a kid, set a 401 up at my first employer, set both up for my wife, and lowered the contribution ten years later.

One mistake I made was to leave $20K in a government bond fund. A year later, that 20K had earned less than $100. I should have invested it in a premium double rifle.
 
44 AMP said:
BOTH!!!! :D
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I agree. I have settled on Glocks to handle 95% of my concealed carry needs, so I have a duplicate of my usual carry gun (G26), and expand on the theme a bit with the G19, G23, G42, and G43.

Sometimes, I need to carry something a bit smaller, so I have a couple suitable mouse guns.

Beyond that, I find shooting different kinds of guns just plain fun.

I'm not a rich guy, but I have a decent collection of shooters which I accumulated over the years.

I guess my final answer is- first a little redundancy on the guns you "need", then as over time, as your budget allows, change it up and add stuff you want.
 
Variety for me. What's the point of asking yourself, "Which G19 will I take to the range today?" If you have some other brands and other trigger systems in the mix, you have some choices.
 
I buy to suit my needs, so in handguns it’s CC and I have a small .380acp (pocket) medium 9mm (IWB) large .40S&W (OWB) to address my carry desires.

I really don’t buy guns just to buy guns.


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With a limited budget, I would go variety. I went with a Sig P228 (9mm) that was suitable for concealed carry and could also serve as a home defense gun. While not a target gun, it was also very accurate and fun to shoot at the range. I added a Browning Buckmark (.22 LR) for target practice and for cheap target practice. After that, I moved to a Glock 26 for concealed carry as the Sig 228 was too big to carry based on what I normally wear.

I do have some redundancy now, but it was based on seeing a deal I could not refuse. Guns are so reliable these days that you will likely go broke on ammo before you can wear one out. If you are going to go redundant, do it for guns that are collectible and only shoot one of them. I have 4 variations of Sig P210s and have shot 2 of them. Prices are going through the roof on them (except for the latest re-release that is made in the US).
 
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On a limited budget, I would go for flexibility. a CF full size semiauto with a 22conversion, a Dan Wesson Pistol Pac.
 
I do a little of both but for the most part I keep it unique.

I own a number of AR15s, but each one is a different caliber and configuration. depending on whether I am looking to do some cheap plinking at close range I can grab the 9mm carbine, or if I'm after quiet I can get the 223 and attach a supressor. if I am looking to hunt I go for the 6.5 grendel rifle build or if I'm wanting a little of all three I go for the 7.62x39mm carbine build.

for handguns nearly all are 9mm these days but most serve a different purpose. my compact 1911 in 9mm is my everyday carry. my Ruger SR9 compact is the model that I normally use to teach youngsters how to safety handle handguns. I have a pair of Canik TP9s, one SF and one SFX. the SFX does not reliably lock the slide after the last round with anything but the flush fit 18 round mags(which do not ship with the sfx), but the added sight radius and better sight picture are to my liking to the extent that I really can't bring myself to part with either one, both act as open carry pieces when in cougar, wolf, and blackbear country. the 22/45 is a nice, quiet option for grouse hunting and varmints, and if I'm in moose territory the full sized 1911 in non-blasphemous 45ACP is what goes on the hip.

I have a modest collection of early military bolt rifles, some in the same caliber, but all in different configurations/models. I've hunted with a couple of them but for the most part they are for enjoyment and on rare occasions competition.

budget and flexibility are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Ruger's new PC carbine has a variant that accepts standard Ruger SR9 mags. for a reasonably priced rifle (600ish depending) paired with a reasonably priced handgun(400 on a good day), that both shoot the same affordable cartridge(20 cents a round for 9mm these days), and use the same magazines, it's not a bad way to go, so long as you aren't planning on doing anything major like hunting grizzly bears or do 1000 yard shooting.
 
I compare my firearms to a set of golf clubs.

Each one is intended for a specific purpose, and while there may be some overlapping capabilities, it's the differences that set one above another for each situation.

I do have 3 Sig P320s, but they're different sizes and configurations, so I wouldn't exactly call it redundancy, just familiarity. You wouldn't want your 5, 7, and 9 irons all with different grips and lengths, and the relationship between carry gun and competition gun is similar.
 
Maybe a little of both?

Redundancy of calibers with a variety of models
9mm: CCW size + Mid Frame + full size (for example PM9 or Shield + glock 19 + CZ 75 or USP9)
.45: Mid Frame + FUll size
.357/.38: small frame + 4” full size

One thing I try to keep Away from is safety confusion. IF my pistol has an external safety it has to push down to fire. If I sweep a pistol with no safety it will still fire. If I try to mix pistils that have an up to fire and pistols with a down to fire, I worry I’d get into trouble.
 
Unlike most I have real redundancy. No variations, same exact models.

4 S&W 745
2 Glock 19C Gen3
2 Ruger P89
2 Beretta 21A 25ACP
2 Walther P5
2 High Standard Victor 5"

Redundancy because I like what I like. Many are not readily replaceable because of being out of production or the popularity just wasn't that great. Also related to foseen usage, wear and tear. In terms of breakage, if I think or experience it with any piece I have, most likely won't keep that model in my collection.

I had 3 pieces of the Colt Gold Cup series 70 blue and reduced it down to one piece. That one piece I did my own mod and sent out to have the trigger guard squared and knurld. And the frame hardchromed. Overall cost in the 80s was about $1K. Pricey IMO. I like the 1911 but I find it to be a classic and not practical compared to the 745.
 
YankeeIronSights said:
Hi folks,

Given a limited budget, would you prefer to purchase a variety of handguns or rather have redundancy of handguns?

I know some gun owners prefer to keep just handguns that they shoot well and do not care about collecting firearms. Other gun owners are collectors and want to learn how to shoot and maintain a variety of gun models and technologies.

Which philosophy do you support or favor?



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Yes.
 
I don't like loading a lot of different calibers so in that respect I'm all about redundancy. But, I do have a variety of guns in each caliber.
 
I'm definitely a variety guy.

Variety is one of the things that keeps me going to the range on a weekly basis. I buy a new gun, shooting it until the fun wears off, sell it and buy something else. Just recently sold off a Taurus PT-22 that was a lot of fun to shoot, but the fun was done.

I do have a stable of carry guns, HD guns and hunting guns that stay in the safe. That's about half of my collection. The other half gets replaced on a regular basis. Great way to lean about a lot of different guns. I think my next purchase will be my first Glock.

Life is good
Prof Young
 
If you want the ultimate in variety AND "redundancy", get a Contender! :D

Same frame, grip and trigger pull every time, literally dozens of calibers to choose from. Different barrel lengths and styles too!

I have Contender barrels in 6", 10", and 14" lengths, some round, some "bull", some lovely tapered octagon profile. Calibers from .22LR to .45-70!!

It don't get much more diverse than that, and keeping the same frame means the redundancy factor is appeased, as well.
 
Variety for me. What's the point of asking yourself, "Which G19 will I take to the range today?
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Exactly! I must say though, that for me anyway, there is one caveat. My wife never gives up the 1911 so I might need another one just so I can shoot it a bit...:)
 
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