When it is it enough "stuff"?

[CLT65]

I've often thought that there would be a big market for storage cabinets built with Time Lord technology, you know, bigger on the inside.

Any Doctor Who fans here?

 

[FourTeeFive]

I can relate to almost every message in this thread. I have a LOT of hobbies, firearms included, and in reality my hobbies are more collections than actual hobbies. I love my job and it keeps me busy working long hours and traveling a lot, so my actual hobby time is pretty minimal considering I still have a house to deal with and the never ending "honeydew" list.

In my early 60s now and plan to work into early 70s. Been thinking a lot lately about all of the stuff I own. It can all be liquidated but that takes yet more time, which is the one thing you can't buy more of. So my latest hobby is planning how to downsize my hobbies. Oddly enough firearms are one of the more difficult things to downsize, especially since at this point I have a bunch of things I've been wanting for a reason. So how do you even start to parse down a collection? I still plan on hanging on to quite a bit, and already have a list in my will of who gets what in terms of firearms. But that gets sticky as some nephews and nieces live in states with heavy restrictions so I have to think about who can own what, and then there are a few suppressors which are a pain to transfer.

Honestly the biggest impetus for thinking about all of this is my wife and I are talking about selling our house when I retire, and doing the travel/renting/RV thing for the rest of our lives, God willing. And some of that might be living in foreign lands for extended periods, and that makes firearm ownership even more difficult because you literally can't take even one with you. Lots of things to think about and decisions to make.

Kudos to you in your 40s-50s thinking about this stuff. I've purchased more firearms in the past ten years than all I purchased from birth to 50 years old combined. Now as I juggle safe space I'm thinking... "why?". And yes, finding things I don't even remember buying. Including a Sig P226 .40 cal. I found it in the back of my safe and just thought "WTF is this and why and when did I buy it?". It's a good problem to have, but when all of the crap you own starts to own you, it's time to make some changes.

 

[JRMadrid]

Enough is when you are buying duplicate because you can't find what you have.

Enough is when you have a storage unit to house bubblegum you'll never use or have forgotten you own.

Enough is when you are a hoarder and turn sideways walking through your house.

Enough is when you have an emotional attachment to garage sale garbage.

Enough is when you have emotional attachments to Chinese junk.

 

[Capn Jack]

Had to stop reloading. Ran out of storage space
Had to stop casting bullets. Ran out of storage space
Then I had to buy another mold.
Had to quit buying guns. Ran out of space in the safe.
Started building muzzle loaders. The last one is finished.
I've got to quit collecting/building/buying and start using.

 

[Joe13]

Had to stop reloading. Ran out of storage space
Had to stop casting bullets. Ran out of storage space
Then I had to buy another mold.
Had to quit buying guns. Ran out of space in the safe.
Started building muzzle loaders. The last one is finished.
I've got to quit collecting/building/buying and start using.

Yea my wife rarely puts her foot down but when I mentioned reloading years ago I got "That's fine but what hobby are you giving up for that space".

She was right and I'd rather shoot then sit in my garage making ammo.

 

[357 MAX]

message to all you young guys IT AINT OVER TILL IT"S OVER! I go through the same cycle every few years. selling off the guns i don't need or lost interest in. the few i bought with the intention of making money on a few years down the road, always got traded or sold, then the price went over the moon. why didn't i wait a few years. i am trying to sell my 94 winchesters but the soft market is killing me. i am looking at my 75th birthday in a few weeks but i still keep looking at guns i want but don't need. my wife is in the same boat, has to have a Huge yard sale soon, to thin the herd!

 

[Hanhoon]

I say get what you must have then stock up on gear, parts, ammo. I am 42, I have spent a lot on guns and I am glad I did. Now if I get the itch, I upgrade what I have…. Red dot, light, better quality/upgraded parts etc. I just upgraded one of my Glock 17 pistols with a longer barrel and a red dot (had the slide cut to fit an ACRO). I see it like a stock vehicle that I've had for a while, now time to improve it and make it faster etc.

Let's say SHTF starts and you need to minuteman yourself. You can only carry so much. A nice pistol, carbine/rifle/shotgun, duty/war belt (including pouches and mags etc), and armor is what you'll have on you. You're not gonna be able to carry 2 ARs and 3 pistols lol.

But, if you have a decent collection, you can arm others, you can hide some weapons for a rainy day etc. as long as you can use and control your inventory and can afford it, stock up and refine what you got. Add more capabilities like night vision instead of buying your 11th Glock pistol because it's the new fancy shinny shinny.

Only thing I am missing is long range and a heavy hitting fighting rifle like a .308. I have the pistol, AK, AR, shotgun distances covered. I am doing ok with armor and I have a very basic night vision (thermal).

If you got all that mumbling lol, in conclusion I'd say, get what you have to have, enhance/upgrade what you have, and have an appropriate backup plan.

 

[DunRanull]

I began thinning the herd some years ago, and in my lower 70's the herd continues to grow somehow... The wife makes noises like "What am I going to do with all this stuff if you go before I do???" Frankly, I dunno. I see the problem but "Cannot help myself" (as some say)... I find myself thinking whether to get another 1911 (the one I have is all tricked out and worth some cash-ola- if any of the cheap charlies in this town would buy it... I "need" a Tisas or similar so as not to beat up my nice Colt by carrying it around- never mind that I bought a Glock 21 a few years back for that purpose.. but there's nothing like a good forged steel 1911 now is there? But I bought a Glock gen5-19 to "carry"... Then there was the Colt M4gery I bought on an instant whim - Not like I am lacking in ARs, or AK's and .308's for that matter... And the new Colt King Cobras look so nice, and I could carry it instead of the minty Python or N-Frame Smith... Then there is the Justin Case ammo I stashed recently in a couple calibers I would use if the SHTF- which seems less and less likely to occur in MY lifetime...
Frankly I rarely shoot much anymore.. and rarely carry more than my model 36 Smith .38 unless heading into the mtns... so, I ask you, WTF? No heirs other than The Old Woman... or my far far away sister...
And have I mentioned the growing collection of fighting and work knives I've accumulated? I mean, wtf, like I'm gonna go at it with a fighting knife other than a swing or two with a khukri or large bowie...
There must be a moral to this story but it eludes me.. I hope and pray that when we are gone someone in the future finds the stash and is able to put it to good use...
Either that or hold a discreet "yard sale" below govt radar somehow!

 

[bradsteen]

I began thinning the herd some years ago, and in my lower 70's the herd continues to grow somehow... The wife makes noises like "What am I going to do with all this stuff if you go before I do???" Frankly, I dunno. I see the problem but "Cannot help myself" (as some say)... I find myself thinking whether to get another 1911 (the one I have is all tricked out and worth some cash-ola- if any of the cheap charlies in this town would buy it... I "need" a Tisas or similar so as not to beat up my nice Colt by carrying it around- never mind that I bought a Glock 21 a few years back for that purpose.. but there's nothing like a good forged steel 1911 now is there? But I bought a Glock gen5-19 to "carry"... Then there was the Colt M4gery I bought on an instant whim - Not like I am lacking in ARs, or AK's and .308's for that matter... And the new Colt King Cobras look so nice, and I could carry it instead of the minty Python or N-Frame Smith... Then there is the Justin Case ammo I stashed recently in a couple calibers I would use if the SHTF- which seems less and less likely to occur in MY lifetime...
Frankly I rarely shoot much anymore.. and rarely carry more than my model 36 Smith .38 unless heading into the mtns... so, I ask you, WTF? No heirs other than The Old Woman... or my far far away sister...
And have I mentioned the growing collection of fighting and work knives I've accumulated? I mean, wtf, like I'm gonna go at it with a fighting knife other than a swing or two with a khukri or large bowie...
There must be a moral to this story but it eludes me.. I hope and pray that when we are gone someone in the future finds the stash and is able to put it to good use...
Either that or hold a discreet "yard sale" below govt radar somehow!

If you don't have heirs, you'll need to figure out how you want to divest the collection. Cataloging the approximate value of each gun and sharing that with your wife will help her avoid getting swindled if she needs to sell it.

 

[FourTeeFive]

As the saying goes...

 

[357 MAX]

my wife is totally clueless doesn't know, doesn't care, doesn't want to know. my guns will end up in the local pawnshop. my other junk in the trash. i can't tell her what anything is worth or what to do with it. Quick $$$$$$$$$ ls all she knows

 

[69IzhmashAK]

One can never have enough Stuff

 

[monks]

Holsters DO NOT COUNT. I mean, we ALL have a drawer full of holsters that we're not even sure what gun they will hold. That's just the way of the world.

We should setup a hippy-like holster co-op or maybe it could be like a used paperback exchange, without the stinking hippies of course!

 

[bradsteen]

We should setup a hippy-like holster co-op or maybe it could be like a used paperback exchange, without the stinking hippies of course!

But have some standards... Uncle Mike's and similar nylon holsters just need to go in the dumpster.

 

[Certaindeaf]

We should setup a hippy-like holster co-op or maybe it could be like a used paperback exchange, without the stinking hippies of course!

I'm pretty sure there's a thread here dedicated to that.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I'm pretty sure there's a thread here dedicated to that.

There is ...
It is in the "Defensive Carry & Self Defense " section.
Andy

 

[TTSX]

But have some standards... Uncle Mike's and similar nylon holsters just need to go in the dumpster.

I would have thought so but I've taken an uncle Mike's on two elk hunts and it's been fine. Held a 686 and a gp100 pretty well. Nothing special but it worked. I keep meaning to get a nice leather holster but forgetting. So the uncle Mike's gets called out again....

Actually now that I think about it, that holster is a "Cabela's" brand.... Same idea with the nylon and build quality. Heck, maybe they're the same thing. Gonna let my initial comment stand and look like an idiot

 

[monks]

I began thinning the herd some years ago, and in my lower 70's the herd continues to grow somehow... The wife makes noises like "What am I going to do with all this stuff if you go before I do???" Frankly, I dunno. I see the problem but "Cannot help myself" (as some say)... I find myself thinking whether to get another 1911 (the one I have is all tricked out and worth some cash-ola- if any of the cheap charlies in this town would buy it... I "need" a Tisas or similar so as not to beat up my nice Colt by carrying it around- never mind that I bought a Glock 21 a few years back for that purpose.. but there's nothing like a good forged steel 1911 now is there? But I bought a Glock gen5-19 to "carry"... Then there was the Colt M4gery I bought on an instant whim - Not like I am lacking in ARs, or AK's and .308's for that matter... And the new Colt King Cobras look so nice, and I could carry it instead of the minty Python or N-Frame Smith... Then there is the Justin Case ammo I stashed recently in a couple calibers I would use if the SHTF- which seems less and less likely to occur in MY lifetime...
Frankly I rarely shoot much anymore.. and rarely carry more than my model 36 Smith .38 unless heading into the mtns... so, I ask you, WTF? No heirs other than The Old Woman... or my far far away sister...
And have I mentioned the growing collection of fighting and work knives I've accumulated? I mean, wtf, like I'm gonna go at it with a fighting knife other than a swing or two with a khukri or large bowie...
There must be a moral to this story but it eludes me.. I hope and pray that when we are gone someone in the future finds the stash and is able to put it to good use...
Either that or hold a discreet "yard sale" below govt radar somehow!

I am currently up for adoption.

 

[monks]

I would have thought so but I've taken an uncle Mike's on two elk hunts and it's been fine. Held a 686 and a gp100 pretty well. Nothing special but it worked. I keep meaning to get a nice leather holster but forgetting. So the uncle Mike's gets called out again....

Actually now that I think about it, that holster is a "Cabela's" brand.... Same idea with the nylon and build quality. Heck, maybe they're the same thing. Gonna let my initial comment stand and look like an idiot

I agree. I have some of those just for backpacking or hunting. Leather is nice but leather is heavy!

 

[ma96782]

When I think about selling off my stuff......I get angry.

Why?

Because, I can remember the good ol' days when I could still sell without the stupid Govt intrusion into what I was doing.

Yeah....Think about the "stupid" laws that have been enacted just since I (or you) turned 18.

In some states.......
Actually having to pay for an FFL to get involved.
FTF transactions with a handshake are no longer allowed.
BGCs and waiting days or longer without a definite YES or NO.
Waiting/Cooling Off periods to take possession.
Limits on how many guns in a month someone could purchase.
A "permit" to acquire a firearm and the extra fees to recover the costs involved.
The need to be finger printed, photographed, under go a Mental Health assessment and of course a clearance from some LE authority.
Additional restrictions on who can buy a semi-auto.
The need to go to SAFETY classes.
The need to acquire SAFE STORAGE for your home.
The requirement to sell certain firearms only to out of state buyers.
Magazine capacity restrictions.

Yeah.........I probably missed something(s).

Anyway. Yeah....where was all of that written into the laws or the 2nd A (back in the days when the US Constitution was written)?

I thought it said......
".........shall not be infringed."

Aloha, Mark