How Many Firearms is Too Many?

The title states the general question.

How Many Firearms are too many?

I know the answer is N+1 with N being the number one now has. That is the theoretical answer.

But then comes practicality.

If one take an number of firearms, there must be practical limits.

Storage. Storing 5 guns is easy. 50 is harder. 500 much harder.

Different calibers. At some point there is too much overlap in usefulness and then having to maintain an ammunition depot.

Then there is shooting. I would venture to say few people go shooting once a week. But lets say once a week. If that person shot two guns every week, that is 100 guns. With the same logic, 500 guns would take 5 years before you shot the same gun again. Does one get familiar with shooting a firearm well when they have lots of choices or does it become novelty?

So, what is COAR opinion of what "enough" or "too many" is?

You can't have too many, you can only have too few.

It depends. For those of who enjoy the "collect" part of the hobby, and enjoy spending time watching the market, making deals, picking up new and rare stuff, it's never enough. My collections is split pretty evenly between guns I shoot and I guns I don't, and also guns I will keep forever, and ones I'll sell / trade when i feel like picking up something new.

I probably have a "medium" collection, and the current size is limited by how many I can store in my safes.

Ammo and magazines? Never enough....N+1

There doesn’t have to be practical limits or reasons. That’s the second cousin to the question, “what’s the point of that gun” or “what purpose does it serve?” Because I want to?
Because practically it could be one more than hands you have to use them.

Too many is one more than you want. Maybe that’s 2 or every gun plus one more.

Too many?

N+2 where N is the current number you have.

The appropriate number?

N+1 where N is the current number you have.

[Beer]

As for a real answer to your question.

Overall, for me personally, there really isn't an "appropriate" number. I've gone through a lot of different "phases" where I have focused on different things. Hunting, long range rifle, tactical rifle, IDPA/IPSC, etc. On and on and on...

Between the fun/challenging aspects of it all, the obvious practical benefits (self defense, food procurement), and all the rest of it, the collection has grown over the years. I've got stuff that I haven't shot in years, hell, I actually have some stuff that I have never shot.

There are a few that I have sold in the past, and out of them, I regret selling all but 2 of them. So, now they just get kept and stored...

In my opinion it changes by age and it?s not linear. But if you can afford 500 and have the space and time and money. Go for it. If you don?t you may want to optimize.
To each his own Sounds like you are looking for encouragement to reduce your inventory. But I got to tell you that you came to the wrong place.

So the other way to look at it is 2 more than you need, and one less than you want.

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Originally Posted by VolksDragon

It depends. For those of who enjoy the "collect" part of the hobby, and enjoy spending time watching the market, making deals, picking up new and rare stuff, it's never enough. My collections is split pretty evenly between guns I shoot and I guns I don't, and also guns I will keep forever, and ones I'll sell / trade when i feel like picking up something new.

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+1 this is pretty much how I see it also. I believe a well rounded collection depending on the types of shooting you like to do and would land a person in the 25-75 guns range. With that said I have came across a bunch of people that are 100% happy with one gun and don't see a need for any more.

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Originally Posted by Erni

In my opinion it changes by age and it?s not linear. But if you can afford 500 and have the space and time and money. Go for it. If you don?t you may want to optimize.
To each his own Sounds like you are looking for encouragement to reduce your inventory. But I got to tell you that you came to the wrong place.

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Probably. There comes a point when storage is difficult. But dont want to thin...

Depends on if you are a user, a collector, or an investor.

Attachment 95569

If your collection has bankrupted your family and/or caused a divorce then maybe the number you own is ?too many?.

If you haven?t pushed yourself to the brink of divorce or financial ruin then you probably don?t have enough.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

If your collection has bankrupted your family and/or caused a divorce then maybe the number you own is ?too many?.

If you haven?t pushed yourself to the brink of divorce or financial ruin then you probably don?t have enough.

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I was thinking the same thing.

I can't answer that til I have all the guns I need and I find a new need pretty regular.

It's a bummer that my needs are way out ahead of my ability to purchase. I doubt I will ever obtain all the guns I need much less the guns I want.


If you're unarmed, you are a victim.

When confronted with that question from my wife I ask her “How many purses and shoes are to many?” We both go about our ways.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question because there are too many variables, most of which have already been mentioned.

For some people, one gun in a household is too many. For others several hundred isn't too many. My bank account leans towards the former while my desires lean towards the latter. I just have to find a number I can live with...and I'm still looking.

I often think I have enough, but I also find myself wanting more and am constantly looking for a deal.

I try to buy firearms for a specific purpose, be it sporting, defense, or tactical. And subsets thereof. Does that always work? Of course not, I have a few that I bought for nostalgia, or because it was just too good a deal to pass up. I also try to consolidate calibers as much as possible.

YMMV as always. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Top quality guns hold their value over time.

Rare or unusual guns tend to increase in value.

If you have more guns than you need, and are faced with a large unexpected expense, you can usually turn guns into money quick if they're priced right.

You only need one, but it should be an AR-16!

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Originally Posted by def90

Attachment 95569

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That is a great picture!

The question is how many are enough?

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Originally Posted by DDT951

The title states the general question.

How Many Firearms are too many?

I know the answer is N+1 with N being the number one now has. That is the theoretical answer.

But then comes practicality.

If one take an number of firearms, there must be practical limits.

Storage. Storing 5 guns is easy. 50 is harder. 500 much harder.

Different calibers. At some point there is too much overlap in usefulness and then having to maintain an ammunition depot.

Then there is shooting. I would venture to say few people go shooting once a week. But lets say once a week. If that person shot two guns every week, that is 100 guns. With the same logic, 500 guns would take 5 years before you shot the same gun again. Does one get familiar with shooting a firearm well when they have lots of choices or does it become novelty?

So, what is COAR opinion of what "enough" or "too many" is?

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I?ll address 2 of the things.
First, the ammo struggle is real. There?s a category of people who load for dozens of cartridges, some more than others of course, and stockpile components when they go on sale. Storage space for that alone is a problem.

The people with hundreds tend to take ?a few? with them to the range at a time. That guy in the lane next to you who showed up with 5 revolvers likely does that at least weekly with a wide variety of different platforms and cartridges. It may be a 1911 variant day at the range. Perhaps it?s simply old S&W revolver day. Maybe it?s Lugar day. It could be .45-70 day tomorrow.

I can?t speak for everyone categorized above, but the ones I know are proficient with many different firearms, in many different styles, in many different cartridges. It?s all practice, and so long as you are practicing well it?s not difficult to get passably good with a lot of stuff.

Storage is a problem and often involves an understanding spouse. At some level it?s not terribly hard to convince them a strong room is a better idea than multiple safes, but convincing them the spare bedroom in the basement has to be where it goes might be a problem. ;)

that said, the correct number is n + 2, with the caveats others stated earlier.

ETA: one of these guys had a concrete strong room poured when they were doing his basement. It’s got a concert ceiling too. The steel door on it is amazing. Someone dedicated and prepared would get in eventually, but he’s the one who told me to store my torch tips in the safe to make it harder on a would be thief. I think about that sometimes and chuckle. I do, however, keep my torch tips in a safe,

I'm going with NumberDesired + 2

I'm confused.

I thought it was all about the pink Stanley cups.

I've convinced myself i was done buying guns. With a "few" safes on site, i figured i was finished, based on how many i haven't fired in at least 5-6 yrs.



That was until someone asked if i was interested in the Sterling AR-180 he was thinking of selling, with full accessory pkg, no box.

Again, i'm done buying, unless he decided to sell it. And maybe the HK-93 he said is collecting dust. No, i have no interest at all.















How much you think you want for that?

I think this answers your question

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Originally Posted by ray1970

If your collection has bankrupted your family and/or caused a divorce then maybe the number you own is ?too many?.

If you haven?t pushed yourself to the brink of divorce or financial ruin then you probably don?t have enough.

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Actually a divorce caused my collection to go up. Didn?t have to ask the wife anymore?

(Well all the toys multiplied)

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Originally Posted by Little Dutch

I?ll address 2 of the things.
First, the ammo struggle is real. There?s a category of people who load for dozens of cartridges, some more than others of course, and stockpile components when they go on sale. Storage space for that alone is a problem.

The people with hundreds tend to take ?a few? with them to the range at a time. That guy in the lane next to you who showed up with 5 revolvers likely does that at least weekly with a wide variety of different platforms and cartridges. It may be a 1911 variant day at the range. Perhaps it?s simply old S&W revolver day. Maybe it?s Lugar day. It could be .45-70 day tomorrow.

I can?t speak for everyone categorized above, but the ones I know are proficient with many different firearms, in many different styles, in many different cartridges. It?s all practice, and so long as you are practicing well it?s not difficult to get passably good with a lot of stuff.

Storage is a problem and often involves an understanding spouse. At some level it?s not terribly hard to convince them a strong room is a better idea than multiple safes, but convincing them the spare bedroom in the basement has to be where it goes might be a problem. ;)

that said, the correct number is n + 2, with the caveats others stated earlier.

ETA: one of these guys had a concrete strong room poured when they were doing his basement. It’s got a concert ceiling too. The steel door on it is amazing. Someone dedicated and prepared would get in eventually, but he’s the one who told me to store my torch tips in the safe to make it harder on a would be thief. I think about that sometimes and chuckle. I do, however, keep my torch tips in a safe,

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I am thinking the strong room is the solutions.. safes become unusable when the rifle that is wanted that is in the back….

I am not sure how that always happens…

The HK93 a decent price I wouldn’t pass up…

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Originally Posted by DDT951

I am thinking the strong room is the solutions.. safes become unusable when the rifle that is wanted that is in the back….

I am not sure how that always happens…

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I rebuilt the interior of my "deep" safe to have slide out rifle racks.

But yes, the strong room is a much better plan.

What is the saying...2 is 1 and 1 is none...yah...I need like a thousand.

You may have to many, if you have to move more then three to find the one you're looking for. If you looking for one and can't find it you don't have enough.

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Originally Posted by earplug

You may have to many, if you have to move more then three to find the one you're looking for. If you looking for one and can't find it you don't have enough.

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Hah!

I got my Sig p229 after, no joke, spending 20 minutes looking for my Sig p229. I had to check my book before I realized I didn't actually own a Sig p229, succinctly explaining why I wasn't able to find it. So I bought one.


If that sounds mildly crazy, imagine how my wife feels.

Attachment 95742

Finally! I’m above average!!

You cannot have enough unless you are drowning. Guns are like Heaven, there is always room for one more