Wasting money on hunting rifles

Z

ZeroJunk

New member
Kind of a tangent on Bowtek's thread.

The first rifle I bought was a late sixties Model 70 XTR in 30/06. Since then I have bought dozens of rifles for many thousands of dollars.

I bet if I had kept that 30/06 I would have killed exactly the same amount of game and had a bunch of money to spend on hunting trips.

I have to be crazy.
 
I don't have that problem. Every time I see a nice rifle, I can't afford it. It helps that I have Corvette taste and a Chevette wallet.
 
I don't figure that money invested in guns is "wasted".

For an example of wasted, how much did you lose on your 401K? Most lost plenty, and that's money "wasted".

If the guns are still in the safe, then the money's not gone; much different than a 401K.

Daryl
 
I have a 12 gauge (Rem 870, w/ vent rib and a rifled barrel), a .22, and a .22-250. Where I am in NY, you can't hunt deer with a rifle, so I don't need anything more than that. The only other gun I'd like to get is a .410, but only if I have a lot of leftover money, and found one at a decent price.
 
I had a Golden State Arms 30-06 (basically a commercial Mauser) in 1988 that would still be collecting winter meat if I'd had sense enough to keep it. I've had several other rifles but none that did it any better than that old turnbolt.
 
I understand what you are saying, but I have more than fifteen different rifles, a dozen shotguns and nine pistols. I enjoy shooting.

Between plinking, hunting, target shooting and having fun, I do not think I have enough. My next purchase will be an M-1 Garand.
 
Imagine if you had bought in the '60's. I wish that I'd saved more. On the other hand you have to look at the value of the dollar.

Latest deal. 1903A3 with Pacific verification bought in late 1960's for $35. Private sale was $600. Looks good on the surface, not so good in 2007 $'s.
 
I don't think I've got that problem with rifles as my only hunting rifles are a '79 Marlin 336 .30-30, a '05 Ruger Mini-14, a Howa 1500 .308 I just bought used and my Ruger 10/22.

Now handguns on the other hand....well that's a whole different story. :o
 
I have only sold 2 guns in my life, one of which I regret selling. Even though it was a trade on a new Weatherby Mark V. I don't think I will ever sell another gun. You here story after story of people selling a gun then regretting it later on. I have lots of nice guns. If there is something I want and can't afford, I just take a little more time saving up for it. I have plenty of guns I don't NEED, but there sure nice to have.
 
As my budget has shrunk within the last year or so I've been doing more trading than buying and I've made some good trades that I wouldn't have considered in the past. I own about 17 rifles and handguns all worth a little under $10,000 dollars total. My favorites are made by Ruger and Benelli, so when people hear me talking about R&B I don't mean songs or rappers.
 
+1 trooper

There are guns you have for utility- their value is in shooting them- hunting, CC, home defense, games like trap and sporting clays, formal and informal targets, matches, contests, the interesting way they function (BP flintlocks for example) etc.,

... and guns you have just because you like guns- they don't get fired much or at all because their principal value is in something other than shooting them- they're pretty, unique, historically significant individually or as a member of a historically significant group, heirlooms, valuable on the market, come with a good story attached, were too inexpensive to pass up, gifts, etc.

All of my guns fit more than one of these categories, some in 4 or 5. I suspect that's true of nearly anyone who has "collected" guns for a while.
 
Spending too much on rifles?

:o I had that problem for many years until I finally made the big decision to go all out on a new Blaser R93 hunting rifle. Yes, it was expensive but since then I have not purchased anymore hunting rifles. Why? Because this system is the finest hunting set up I have ever found. Very accurate and dependable. Also you can interchange barrels (6.5x55 and .257 Weatherby) if you want another caliber, etc. Plus coupled with my 3-14x50 Schmidt Bender scope, it has become the ultimate system for me.
I sold all my other rilfes and scopes and pocketed the extra money for hunting trips. Life is good! :)
 
Buying lottery tickets is a waste. Buying guns doesn't come close. I've bought and sold more than I care to remember and I'm well rid of many but regret selling a few. I've broken even on most and even made a few dollars on some. I try hard not to lose money on any of them but it has happened once or twice.

I have lots of guns that can kill deer but I don't like 'making do' when there are better tools for a given purpose. I generally have two or three of everything. Deer rifles? One Rem. 700 Mtn in 7mm-08 bought in '94. One Rem. 700 ADL syn. in 30-06 bought from a friend who needed some cash. I could make money if I sold it but I might get a chance to hunt elk some day and I'd feel more confident with the '06. Having two good deer rifles has lots of advantages. I have a backup in case something happens to my primary, I have a loaner for the occasional guest and I have a good gun to hand down to my son while keeping a good one for myself. I also have two muzzle-loaders, two 12 ga. autos, three 20 ga. dove guns, you get the picture...

Plus, if a loved one needs a transplant, I can liquidate all or part of the collection and likely have more cash than I started with. I've also enjoyed owning, shooting and hunting with them along the way.
 
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ZeroJunk is on the money. I've got one hunting rifle a 30-06 commercial mauser made in 1950 by FN. I got it for a bargain used like new because people could't get by "Sears JC higgins" stamped on the barrel.

My son has a post 64 (pre Olin) Winchester pushfeed 670 in 30-06. Another bargain in inexcellent condition and more accurate than every pre 64 model 70 (except one ) that I've ever seen.

Our foul weather and back up gun is an M-48 Mauser in 8mm with the rear sight removed an a scout scope mounted.

On a side note, guns really are not a good investment. As far as 401Ks go, if you have the time to leave your money in the same investment, chances are you making it back as we type. If took the money out, you did nothing more than lock in your potenially substanial losses.
 
I don't buy and sell, I buy with a purpose in mind. .300 WM had served me well for 20+ years for MI deer, bear, and 1 MI elk. Good a good deal on a .375 H&H, justified by the possibility of someday an Africa and/or Alaska hunt. 2 or 3 more rifles would fill my needs nicely. .204, .338 Fed., maybe a .223.

401K doesn't loose money until you sell the investment. Value changes, but that doesn't mean much unless you need the money today.
 
Reminds me of a magazine article from a while ago where the author commented that guys will spend 100's of dollars to reduce the weight of thier rifle to the last ounce for a 5 day hunt, but won't put a lick of effort into diet or excercise. The results of which would be measured in pounds and felt every day of the year - especially on that 5 day hunt.
 
ive got 3 guns right now, about to add a rossi matched pair 308/12ga to my collection. But for me what i got is all i need. id love to go out an buy some nice new guns, but mine shoot straight, and dont let me down. champagne taste on a beer budget lol

rem 870- smoothbore, slug gun (deer)
mossberg plinkster 22lr, (small game/plinking)
CVA Kodiak magnum pro .50cal ( smokepole!)
 
I dont think it's a waste. I had lots of them for along time. I reloaded so it was fun just shooting alot. I slowed way down, so one day I figured to get yup a new rifle for me and the wife for deer. Kept our bird guns, a few .22's, and a couple of pistols. Just got down to the basic ones we would use. I made lots of money on some, and lost alittle on a few, and broke even on the rest. Over all we made some money not alot but alittle. I think not needing it at the time, and not being in a hurry paid off. So I dont think it is a waste in my feelings.
 
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