Ever think of selling most of your Rifles ?

[1100 Remington Man]

Is it just me but some times I think I should sell most of my rifles and just buy one from Remington"s Custom Shop. Yes just one rifle, less reloading stuff more space in the gun safe ?
Yes a Remington 700 North American Custom in 7mm Rem Mag. since I hunt Deer & Antelope more than Elk. Could you live with just One ? If so what would you buy ?

 

[hunternyny]

Yes.

My wife and I hunt, if we are lucky, twice and at the most three times a year. we got involved in the Cowboy shooting circuit and liked it but find we dont have time for that either. We have discussed each having a handgun , a shotgun, and possibly two rifles each or a total of 10 firearms between the two of us.

On a different thread, I believe it was April, or maybe Scotty or Dewey, that was speaking about the Blaser rifles and we have been looking into that, as a rifle with three barrels really would cover all our hunting needs, and so far our research finds that they are a quality product, so your thread just happened at exactly the same time we are thinking about something different.

 

[DrMike]

I'm still recovering from the coronary induced by the question! :shock: It may be some time before I can function again. One rifle? Ouch! :mrgreen:

 

[gerry]

I couldn't do just one since it is nice to tailor loads for different species and I like to experiment. You can shoot everything with just one load of course but a legitimate reason to own two guns at least is what happens if you damage your one gun before or on a hunt? Having a second gun is a good idea in my mind. Simplifying can be a good thing but I do think you can take it too far.

 

[lefty315]

About a year ago I had thought of getting rid of most everything that's more of a recent vintage and having a custom .280 Rem built. The rifle I thought of would have been done off a Springfield or Model 70 action and would have an exceptional piece of walnut for the stock. Then I tried to figure out what guns I would get rid of. A couple were fairly easy but others were not. I ended up not going that route, mostly because I pretty much enjoy all the guns I currently have and I was fairly certain I would regret it one day.

Besides, how boring would it be 40 years from now being on this forum to talk about going on another hunt with that same old rifle... :?

 

[SJB358]

About a year ago I had thought of getting rid of most everything that's more of a recent vintage and having a custom .280 Rem built. The rifle I thought of would have been done off a Springfield or Model 70 action and would have an exceptional piece of walnut for the stock. Then I tried to figure out what guns I would get rid of. A couple were fairly easy but others were not. I ended up not going that route, mostly because I pretty much enjoy all the guns I currently have and I was fairly certain I would regret it one day.

Besides, how boring would it be 40 years from now being on this forum to talk about going on another hunt with that same old rifle... :?

I've tried too... I'm in Leftys camp. If I had to, the 7mm Magnum could do all I'd want. Or a 338 Win. I wouldn't complain too much at all. I just like to shoot and experiment. Other than that, I have my favorites.

 

[Guy Miner]

Oh ya. I've even brought up this topic before.

Owning a whole pile of rifles was never my intent. Despite my intentions, the inventory has grown, slowly, over the years.

I think part of the reason I stuck with my .30-06 Rem 700 CDL this year was to reinforce my thought that one good rifle could do all the big game hunting I want. And Gerry makes a very valid point, I'd want a second rifle at a minimum, just in case.

A good .22
A varmint/target rifle
And a couple of "big game" rifles

Yup, I'd be just fine with that. For rifles.

With shotguns, I'm pretty much there. All I use anymore is my 12 gauge semi-auto Beretta.

Handguns? The vast majority of my shooting is done with a .22 Ruger and a .45 Kimber.

Ya, I could cut the inventory in a big way. And frankly, I'd kind of like to...

Guy

 

[lefty315]

When I got out of the Marine Corps in 1992 I didn't own much. An 1895 7x57, my Dad's 870 20 gauge, a .22 Single Six, S and W .357 and .45. I didn't even have a .22 rifle of my own. I blame my 99 year old Grandad for infecting me with the "gun bug". In 97 I decided I needed a more commercially available cartridge, in case I lost my hand loads on a trip, and picked up a used Rem ADL in .30-06. Then the horse trading with Grandad started. I have cut back on handguns, sorta, but rifles seem to multiply in the temperate climate we have here.

I figured most all of them will go to my girls eventually and it's kind of fun spending their inheritance. I have a list of guns that I want to stay in the family, the others they can do as they please.

 

[Anonymous]

I struggle with this one. In fact, I've purged mine...twice- both times in pursuit of one really, really nice rifle. I'm a firm believer that the guy with one good rifle probably knows how to shoot it. The whole notion appeals to my practical nature. Less clutter, less to keep up with. Simple.

But...I'm an inveterate rifle tinkerer. After that "one" rifle came home...I found a need to tinker with another one for predator hunting...then one for the kid...then another for the kid...then a buddy needs money and wants to sell a special one...you get the idea. That kind of thing can get out of hand and I lately I've been in the "one in, one out" mode.

At some point, my son will leave home and he'll take a pile of these with him and I'll re-evaluate. With three hunters in the house currently, it does take some numbers. I could easily do all of my big game hunting with a .300, my Steyr has largely been claimed by my wife but could serve as a backup. I could do all of my small game, birds and waterfowl with my Benelli. My .22 is mostly pest control and I can do that with my air gun. My .44 can do triple duty as nightstand, camp and truck defense.

Every time I start down the rabbit hole to get another rifle, I crawl back out. I just like my .300 enough and have had such a splendid run with it- I'm leery to buy or even try anything else. Heck, my friends have hunted with my .270 more than I have.

I've often thought I could pare down a few and turn them into better binos or a nicer scope...and that might be the practical side of me talking.

 

[salmonchaser]

I too have thought about this. Mostly with regret; a Ruger#1 243 with impossibly beautiful wood, a Heym drilling 12 over 7x57. Absolutely the most perfectly balanced shotgun I've ever used. These two are probably the most painful.
I don't need five shotguns, but when I do part with a couple of them, it will be to buy a nice 28 ga.
If I lost my rifles at 61 years old, my guess is I would probably refine my search to a 300 WSM or a 280AI.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[truck driver]

Gosh-Gee- OOOOOHHHHH MMMMMMYYYYYYY what to do :?: :?: :?: :shock: :shock: :shock:
I still own my first .22 single shot that has killed everything up to but not deer size game and will never sell it. I used my first 30-06 for everything and burnt the throat out and rebarreled it to 257 Roberts to use for what ever I might hunt but found it was too small for everything I might encounter but I still have it and use it mainly for varmints and bought another 30-06 which has been used extensively for deer. Won a 300Bee in a raffle but couldn't handle the recoil so it had to go and a 7mmRem replaced it. The 358 bug caught up to me and I picked up another 30-06 for a donor and then the 35 Whelen came along but wasn't happy about the velocity I was getting from it's 22" barrel so it went into the safe and the donor 30-06 got shipped off to become a 35Whelen/AI.

So lets see now, Hhhmmm: everyone needs at least one good .22 rim fire, if you shoot varmints a good long range small caliber and then a larger caliber to handle big game.
I'm not going into the hand guns, shot guns or black powder rifles.

That tells me I could get by with with 3 rifles but then I would wear them out or get bored with the center fires and have to get another one to play with. The older I have gotten the more rifles I have collected just to keep my mind occupied.

It's also funny when you look at my fishing equipment which my grandson has been slowly thinning out I have special purpose rods and reels for where and what I will be fishing for.

Man what a can of worms :!:

 

[HomerOz]

G'Day Fella's,

1100 Rem Man, NO, I'd just buy another safe.

The best advice I can give you is, don't rush into making any rash decisions!
If you really want that Rem Custom Shop rifle, sell off some things you no longer require, and then Buy It.

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

 

[fightthenoise]

I've been lurking awhile and this post brought me out of the closet for my first post, because I can definitely relate.

A little backstory. I have what I consider a well rounded collection. About five years ago my widower grandfather moved in with my aunt and my dad took custody of his guns, also a well rounded collection. My dad's safe couldn't hang so I took custody of the guns I want/would use. And I do use them.

My dad is retired police and therefore has a VERY well rounded collection even before he took in my grandfathers guns. My point being that when my dad passes, I will literally have no practical excuse to buy a gun. Every conceivable gap in a collection will be filled. I often find myself wishing I needed such and such rifle but I can't justify it. Rarely do we truly need the new guns we buy, they are usually guns that would be nice to have for a certain situation, but we often could get along in that situation just fine with what we have. But that slight justification is all we need.

I will never sell these heirloom guns. It's a good problem to have, having the right rifle for almost any situation. But unfortunately every gun from here on out is bought...just because I want it. Maybe that's justification enough. It has definitely moved me in the opposite direction of the man with one rifle, because I want to shoot and develop loads for every gun owned between my dad and I. Guns that aren't heirloom guns are fair game for sure. Those may get sold at any moment depending how the wind blows.

 

[DrMike]

Welcome aboard. Always pleased to welcome other gun cranks. Yes, indeed, you are facing a good problem. The only negative that I can see is the loss of wisdom from having your grandfather and/or you father around when you do acquire the firearms. Yet, what a great heritage they leave and what wonderful memories of loved ones when we are using their tools as they were meant to be used. Again, welcome aboard.

 

[elkhunternm]

Yup,but then I come to my senses. :wink:

 

[idahohunter8]

I have my dream rifle (Model 70 270 custom) and am building a twin to it in 338 win mag. Realistically, these two would cover me for a long time. But I have that condition were I always like to see whats new and that usually means purchasing. Plus my son is just starting to hunt and I want him around a household culture of gun buying and tinkering.Maybe in 12-15 years when my son and daughter are out of the house, we will thin the heard.

Funny thing is, my wife gave me the go ahead to do this new 338 win mag project with the understanding of no more guns for a while and about a week later I won a Howa 22-250 Kryptek Rilfe and a Ruger American 30-06 at a Ducks Unlimited Dinner...lol Those two guns make me have to buy a new safe...lol 8)

 

[c. schutte]

Some folks see guns as tools and others see them as precious belongings that mean more than that. Of the two groups I fall in the latter.

There is no way I would ever sell any. Of course I don't really admit to owning anything on line but, if I did I would not sell. That is because my dad, my grandfather and my great grandfather along with generations before were all hunters and had their favorite/ favorites. Through the generations most of what they had passed from one son to the next and eventually one family member has them. For me it they are part of a long story so I guess I see them as something greater than the sum of their parts.

Now, there are those rifles/guns that some folks acquire along the way that were not passed down the line. I'm pretty sure I would develop an affinity for them as well? Each has stories behind them. Hard to ever sell a rifle that represents that.

In many areas of my life I am logic based and make decisions accordingly, when it comes to guns I let the emotional side rule. 8)

 

[c. schutte]

As an aside, I kind of envy the guy who has one gun and uses it for almost everything. That could not be me of course.....................

 

[JD338]

G'Day Fella's,

1100 Rem Man, NO, I'd just buy another safe.

The best advice I can give you is, don't rush into making any rash decisions!
If you really want that Rem Custom Shop rifle, sell off some things you no longer require, and then Buy It.

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

I concur.

God help us if we only had one rifle. I can see it now....
We would all have a 30-06 and sing Kumbaya on the forum.

JD338

 

[FOTIS]

I feel you I have done it before and then come full circle.

I currently have 35 rifles. From 17 HMR to 460 WBY and just just about everything in between. I always change loads, or let me try a new bullet, or this scope is better suited for that rifle etc. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed I just want to flat out quit!

I figure keep my 416 Bee the 270 Ultralight Bee and one of the 3 accumarks I have for longer range ( 6.5, 30-378, or 338-378) and call it a day.........