Necessity versus Luxury

[roy reali]

At what point to our guns become a luxury?

If a person needs a gun for defending his castle, nothing beats a 12 gauge shotgun. If that same person wants to hunt birds, the very same gun could serve both purposes. Big game? In some areas a shotgun is the only legal option. I guess a .22 rimfire could be added for inexpensive plinking and general shooting practice. If a person lives in an area that issues CCW's, a handgun will also be needed.

I have started several threads about wanting to buy a new gun. I really want to buy one. I am worried about the economy. I have a job, thank the Good Lord. I also know several unemployed folks that are looking for a jobs. It is bad. The other day, I was watching the news. They showed a line of folks that extended several city blocks in Reno. They were lined up to apply for jobs. The empolyer? McDonald's. The reason they are hiring is that there dollar menu is about all folks can afford to buy. But to see guys my age standing in line for a fast food job scared the Bejesus out of me.

I have not only cut back on gun purchases, but on all my shooting related activities. Most of my shooting now is done with a .22 rimfire. Even my reloading has slowed down. I can afford to buy components, but I don't if tomorrow morning I'll get my walking papers at work. The money for a can powder can fill a gas tank.

Has anyone else cut back on their gun activities due to economic fears? Have guns become more of a luxury then a necessity?

 

[Crankylove]

I have cut back my reloading fund a bit in the last year or so, but, have also picked up 5 new (to me) firearms in that same time period...........although I wasn't really looking to buy any of them at the time, they were just really good deals that I couldn't pass up.

I went through a lay-off last year for a few months.............it really sucked, but luckily, they called me back to work. I am single, cars are paid for, no credit cards, and no kids, so it dosen't take a whole lot of money for me to get by each month if I have to pinch pennies, which made the lay-off a little less stressfull than it could have been. I work in building materials distribution however, and it has reached the point again, that each day when I punch out and go home, I am wondering if I will still have a job the next morning. They do lay-offs according to senority, lowest time in gets the axe first. Crappy thing is, even with several years with the company, I am still low man on the totem as far as senority, because they have already layed off so many of our locations work force in the last 2 years. Scary times, but I try not to let the worry eat me up. I still reload and shoot, not as much as I would like to, but I am not gonna give it up all together.

 

[RedneckFur]

For me, nearly all my firearms are a luxury item.

I've got a good shotgun, a good bolt .22, and a very accurate 30-30, and a Ruger SP101. This covers all of my "needs" guns.

All the others I own either because I like them or they're fun to shoot. The 308 is a paper puncher, the other .22's are for informal benchrest matches. same with the 17hmr. My other pistols are more for fun as well, as is my AK and SKS. Mosin nagants, just because they're cheap and they have so much history behind them.

I want to pick up a marlin 795 to turn into a plinking/appleseed gun, but I'm waiting till I can find one on sale before I buy it.

I've got slightly better than average job security, but with my dad becoming paralyzed last week, I never know when something more important is going to come up.

 

[lamarw]

I think you answered your on question. In my view, if you can afford it then it is your choice. Go for what makes you happy and provides enjoyment in life to you.

If you can not afford it and buy things, then you are like an out of control gambler and need help.

It is all relative. Happiness and enjoyment you get from a material thing is the important factor, and not the item itself.

 

[kraigwy]

I'm retired, I'm in the spending phase of my life, not the saving phase.

I'm buying things I couldn't afford before, because of kids, divorces, whatever. Before I did most of my shooting on Uncle's dime, but I'm retired, I can afford my shooting habits, so I'll keep buying and shooting.

I've sold or traded guns in the past and regretted each sale or trade, never again.

Luxury, yeah maybe, but everyone has to have a habit.

 

[spclPatrolGroup]

I have watched my 401K slowly decline over the years, I have had negative return rates and what not, at the same time the price of firearms, new and used have seemed to increase, I wish I would have invested in guns. SInce a quality firearm keeps its value relativly well, I would call them fluid assets instead of luxury items. Now to go and start my 401G(un)

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have all the guns I need (Farming, critter control, home defense and personal defense) and a quite a few I do not need.

This year I only bought four guns, but have increased the money I spend on reloading. I find myself worrying about money lately, and it is not because of the economy. I am just going through one of those phases I go through when my bank account drops below a certain level.

I will slowly build the account back up and then use the money that I am comfortable with spending to buy new things. My latest interest is shot-shell reloading and I will buy the press and stuff I need for that.

Can I live with-out a gun? Probably, but I enjoy them. To me each one is a piece of art as well as a tool.

Do I need more? Probably not. But like any mechanic can tell you, there is always a better ratchet, or wrench or something out there that makes your job a little easier and a little more enjoyable.

 

[demigod]

If a person needs a gun for defending his castle, nothing beats a 12 gauge shotgun

Shotgun falls way short of a good carbine for Home Defense in almost every aspect. Recoil, Muzzle blast/Flash, penetration, precision shot ability, ammo capacity, accessories selection, maneuverability, and reduced structure penetration.

There's a reason almost no Tac teams are seen using bird guns for CQB.... which is exactly what home defense is whether you're static or not.

 

[Skans]

Let's see. I don't really need a rifle to hunt, because I can just buy meat and whatnot from the grocery store. So, toss out all hunting rifles....and shotguns.

I don't PRESENTLY need any military style weapons, so toss those out too.

I don't really need my Desert Eagle, or any .22's - so throw 'em in the can too.

My Glock 17 is my HD gun - yes, I think I need that one. My AMT .45 Backup is my normal carry gun - so yes, I think I need that one too. I suppose that I can survive ok with those two guns, everything else remaining the same.....but, I like my freedom, my choices and all of my presently "useless" guns nevertheless.

 

[Sefner]

Shotgun falls way short of a good carbine for Home Defense in almost every aspect. Recoil, Muzzle blast/Flash, penetration, precision shot ability, ammo capacity, accessories selection, maneuverability, and reduced structure penetration.

There's a reason almost no Tac teams are seen using bird guns for CQB.... which is exactly what home defense is whether you're static or not.

I use a shotgun for HD because of the reduced penetration (apartment). Reduced penetration is important in HD because you don't want a round bouncing into your daughter's bedroom while she sleeps or a round entering your neighbor's house and hitting them while they watch TV. I do not believe that a shotgun will penetrate more than a carbine round. And just like a shotgun, a carbine must be modified in order to compensate for the factors listed. Flash hiders, recoil pads and compensators, pistol grips, flashlights, extended tubes/mags, different loads are all things that must be put on carbines in order to make them superior to shoguns in the categories listed. And all of those things can also be put on shotguns.

Also, shotgun rounds (whether shot or slug) are much more effective at creating wounds than rifle rounds.

I couldn't find one for any slugs, but a 12 gauge slug is about a .700 caliber. A saboted slug goes about 1500 fps out of a rifled barrel and weigh about 432 grains. Contrast that with a .308 bullet which weighs 150 grains travelling at 2600 fps. That .308 round will penetrate buildings much much better than the 12 gauge slug, but the 12 gauge slug's wound profile will be much better. Incidentally, the 12 gauge slug has about 2300 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle and the .308 has 2600 ft-lbs.

Sources are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun
http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_slugs.htm

Anyways, back on topic. As a poor college student, anygun beyond my SD pistol seems like a luxury . But as I get more money, I think I will need an HD gun, then a good plinking gun, then a good skeet gun... then a good HD gun for both bedrooms, then one for the living room

I think luxury is a little subjective depending on one's priorities.

 

[Slopemeno]

200 years ago a flintlock smoothbore was probably over the mantle. 150 years ago it might have been a SxS percussion or cartidge shotgun. 50 years ago it might have been a Model 12 or Ithaca 37 behind the kitchen door. 25 years ago it was probably an 870 with an extension.

A 12 gauge shotgun with a barrel 24" or below will be fine for HD. I've had one at the ready for 29 years, actually.

 

[TheGoldenState]

At what point to our guns become a luxury?

After you have one of each major category they are then a luxury. But sometimes luxuries are a necessity.

Necessity
1 pistol for close proxy protection
1rifle for hunting (if it applies to you and where you live)
1shotgun for misc use.

Luxury

EVERYTHING else

 

[27 Beck]

If you buy a gun at a reasonable price (not MSRP) there is a good chance of a quick sale if money becomes tight. While some guns do depreciate, the % is less than most other consumer items. Try to get a reasonable return on a TV, set of chrome rims, computer, etc.

 

[oneounceload]

Buying used allows someone else to lose the 30% depreciation first, while allowing you to get more quality for your money.

I would rather have a few guns of excellent quality than a safe full of cheap to mediocre guns because, at that time, they were all I could afford.

I am in the process now of doing just that - thinning out the amount and replacing them with better quality. Better to have a few guns you shoot a lot and very well, than a bunch you don't

YMMV

 

[siggygirl]

Wow, I should NOT have read this thread. Y'all think like I do. Maybe I should try to get hooked on jazzercise or something.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Siggygirl: Maybe you could teach jazzercise and be able to afford more guns?

I offered to teach it once, but for some reason, when they saw a pot-bellied, balding man, who walks with a limp, they just did not take me seriously!

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Fact is that almost everything in the life of most Americans is a luxury.

Over a billion people live on less than one dollar a day. Another billion live on $2 a day.

The poorest person most of us know, even someone who lives in a homeless shelter, lives in relative opulence compared to the world-wide standard.


The answer to the OP? All of our guns are a luxury. Make no mistake about it.

 

[johnbt]

Feeling guilty today about something?

 

[ClayInTx]

A luxury is something which is not needed for functioning in one’s current environs, which also includes social acceptance and perceived future needs for something which might not be obtainable in that future time.

 

[siggygirl]

Peetzakilla, I appreciated your input.