I think I have a hobby turning into a habit that’s starting to spin out of control. I can’t seem to stop “shopping” for more firearms….. yet the need is really absent. So, in this, a moment of restraint, I’ve thought to bounce this question off of the rest of you wild and crazy guys.
How many is TOO MANY?
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How many is TOO MANY?
Not sure if I understand the question. Is that crazy talk?
No such thing.
It’s like having too much money. It will never happen.
I think Daryle Singletary did an accurate job of describing the problem…..Never too many.
Too many would be enough that you can’t remember what you have…plus a lot more. Similar to when my wife asked me (told me 
) I had enough traps 
Probably added another 200+ traps since then 
Seriously though, what are your goals? What do you want to have? I’m not one to buy for the saking of just adding to a collection. My purchases are to fill a very specific gap in the arsenal. I have a buddy that just collects. He buys and shoots it a few times…then it goes into his museum. By museum, that’s an understatement. He has an environmentally controlled room specifically for storing his antiques and high end stuff. Would love to post a couple pics, but sworn to not doing so. He’s at about (guessing) 300-350 rifles, handguns, shotguns, and other weapons the last time I was down there. I’ve just come to the understanding that no matter your obsession, there will always be someone that is more sick than you 
I was watching a documentary, I cannot remember it for the life of me, but they said Firearms were a better/safer investment than gold over time 
I had this affliction about 5 years ago and have tapered off… for awhile, I couldn’t go 2 months without buying a firearm… I am stuck at about 14 long guns and 2 pistols. 
(working on getting a CC weapon as I type) 
Big G….. maybe I am where you were. It’s like….. something’s just “off” unless I add a new firestick to the “collection”.
I don’t collect. I don’t want to collect. Main reason is that I can’t just shoot it and park it. Or never shoot it and park it. I have to dream of doing something….. even if it’s “someday, somewhere” in my mind.
I don’t have any gaps in the arsenal either. I don’t want to list every thing I own but I think anyone anywhere could call me up and say, “We’re gonna hunt a ……..” and I’d have one or more guns for it! For calibers and gauges, I really have no gaps…. just overlaps! The only thing I can see is wanting some different camo looks but even that is a bit ridiculous.
I have no rhyme or reason outside of “Oooooo….Shiny!” I feel okay. I feel sane. But am I sick???
Randy, thanks for reminding me that there’s always someone that’s “got it” worse than me!
The rest of you fellas…… thanks for telling me “it’s okay”. I appreciate it! I’m still unsure if I believe it, but I appreciate it!
Never too many. Every winter I become bored and buy a lot of ammo and add a few guns to the collection as well. Since getting a CC permit a couple years ago pistols and holsters have become a favorite thing to buy
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I was watching a documentary, I cannot remember it for the life of me, but they said Firearms were a better/safer investment than gold over time
I’ve heard this guns vs gold “investment” arguement before, but before anyone goes off the deep end with this, it’s really a false comparison. Unlike gold, not all guns are the same. It’s not just any/all guns that rise in value over time such that they would outpace gold.
The average person does not have the knowledge to pick the winners and avoid the losers, and most of this premise involves the ability to “time the market” such theat you sell during one of the sudden spikes in gun values. These spikes are very easy to see in hindsight, but impossible to predict in foresight.
To the original point, there’s obviously no answer. Guns are like the equipment for any other hobby. You can go big, small, or anywhere in between.
I personally both hunt and shoot for fun. Therefore, I have a lot more guns that would strictly be needed for hunting. I also have built in some overlap/redundancy to reduce wear and tear and spread out the round count on higher volume guns.
I have also bought “rough use” guns over the past 10 years to reduce wear and tear on higher grade guns and old guns in my collection. There is absolutely no point in dragging a beautiful Beretta around coyote hunting where it’s going to get scratched, dropped, and wet from snow and rain. A sub-$400 Stoeger gets the job done just as well and frankly I don’t care how beat up it gets as long as it goes bang.
One of the big trends over the last 10 years is the rapid rise of the “shooting” buyer of guns vs the “hunting” buyer of guns. With a decade, especially in the long gun market, it’s turned completly toward the “shooting” side of the market with more and more guns being bought by people who don’t and never will hunt with them.
Bottom line is that shooting is a sport in its own right and I suspect we’ll see more and more people who own a lot of guns that are just for punching paper or tipping over steel.
Grouse
Just remember ” The one that dies with the most toys wins !”
With the variety of firearms available now there’s really a lot to choose from… so I’d say it’s like any other interest. You really can’t have enough firearms, fishing rods, scrapbooking stickers, or shoes! 
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You really can’t have enough firearms, fishing rods, scrapbooking stickers, or shoes!
There’s a statement that I never thought I’d hear uttered.
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You really can’t have enough firearms, fishing rods, scrapbooking stickers, or shoes!
There’s a statement that I never thought I’d hear uttered.
That’s just PERFECTLY hilarious! Getting any of us to include a shoe collection at all, let alone habitually addicted to building one….. might be kind of tough…. but I’m glad you said it because I never get enough smiles in one day! That was the perfect “relatability” twist to this discussion! 
Do boots count as shoes? my daughter Olivia has the scrapbook in and shoes down to a science. 12′ x 14′ bedroom converted into the craft room and does sports year round and needs some type of new shoes every month. Now she’s starting her bow and shotgun acquisitions
Oh yeah boots totally count as shoes! I have over 30 pairs of footwear and most of them are either various colors of Chuck Taylors or boots of some kind for traipsing about in the woods. Oh and you can’t forget the big rubber boots for wet years. It’s hard being so well-rounded in my interests, especially when my guys want to hunt and my girls want to scrapbook… I usually choose hunting. What else am I going to scrapbook pictures of? 
My collection consists of 23 firearms including 3 shotguns, 6 long guns and 14 handguns. Most recent additions, Mossberg 500 jic 12 gauge and WASR 10/63 in 7.62×39 caliber! I’m done my wife thinks, however I am not so sure!
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