Do you enjoy the process of getting a new rifle?

You order / pick up the rifle you wanted, inspect it thoroughly, more than most people do so the counter guy may be a little annoyed, but forget him it's your money.

Then fill out form, pay, take it home. More inspection, disassembly, clean out storage grease residue. Put sights on it or whatever, test mag fit.

Take to range to make sure it's not a total lemon. Get a basic zero.

If good start collecting parts you really want, but nothing major yet. Now go fire it more and see how it goes.

Still good? A few more accessory additions/alterations as you find what works.

Then another heavy shooting session. Still good? Start getting things together for the suppressor or can itself.

Then make sure it runs well with that. Check zero shift / rezero.

Now you're ready to have fun with your $1k rifle that has $750-$2k in accessories attached to it. Plus get more mags and ammo it likes.

About this time you might think...did I really need this rifle?
It's been alot of time and money. Maybe I'd like this other one more...

So you get it, try it out. So far so good. But it needs some alterations before you take it out next time...etc.

I've done this 3 times in the last year or two. Now I want something else.

Maybe just be happy and enjoy the process? Shoot more, spend less time on new "projects"?

Do you really enjoy this process?

Sometimes. Then I look at the 8 others I never shoot and try to come to my senses.

I recently have just been enjoying the same ACOG M4.. No light, No suppressors anymore. Just make some noise and bang steel as far as I can get hits with whatever wind is happening each week.

Well, I only have two centerfire rifles at the moment.
One .308, one 5.56.

Now I want another 5.56, .300 blk, or 7.62x39 and trying to find justification. I don't fire rifles much. About 6k pistol per year roughly. Maybe 8k. Rifle about 500. So about 7% of my shooting is rifle. I should fix that.


Yea, I know, buy what you want if it doesn't hurt. But if I did that it will hurt eventually. ;)

It's an election year. Now is the time to buy!

My process is:

1. Learn about it online for the first time.
2. Worry obsessively about the fact that I do not own one.
3. Thoroughly research everything about it so I "might" come to the conclusion I don't need one.
4. Decide I need one.
5. Continue to research and investigate all aspects of it for the 6-12 months it takes for my suppliers to actually get one in stock.
6. Purchase firearm and enough parts and accessories to equal the cost of the firearm.
7. Strip and clean.
8. Run dry fire and room drill in my house waiting on decent weather to get to the range.

And then after enough range trips and 1,500 rounds or so, I decide where the firearm will be in my rotation based upon performance and anticipated use.

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Originally Posted by markm

Sometimes. Then I look at the 8 others I never shoot and try to come to my senses.

I recently have just been enjoying the same ACOG M4.. No light, No suppressors anymore. Just make some noise and bang steel as far as I can get hits with whatever wind is happening each week.

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This. ^

I've found that I enjoy more simple things similar to that "bare bones" M4 + ACOG configuration (heck, even irons only on some guns). Since I made that realization I stopped chasing the rainbow... Not that I was ever a big rainbow chaser. ;)

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Originally Posted by Ron3

About this time you might think...did I really need this rifle?

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Here's the flaw in your logic. What's "need" got to do with it? Guns aren't women. You can have as many as you want and can afford. There's nothing wrong with having as may guns as you want so long as you meet your other obligations.

My good buddy and Gunn mentor who got me into AR’s had a good way of thinking about guns. The main thing is that guns come into flavors. The first is guns that you have a specific purpose for. Whether it be for concealed carry, or some kind of shooting sport event. It has a specific tied to it so that you use it for that. That is distinct from guns that you just take to the range and like to shoot. The second type of gun is one that you have rationalized and realized that it doesn’t suit a specific, purpose or activity, you just want it.

Both are valid reasons for owning a gun but don’t try to rationalize the second type of gun by saying it is the first.

He is also very rational that if the gun doesn’t fit into the first or second category, he will trade it for something that does, or sell it for when he can find something that fits the first or second scenario..


I have a thread in the forum in the other semi automatic rifles, section where I talk about my search for the second type of guns, considering that we are probably going to get an assault weapons ban here in Colorado.

No justification needed. It’s a hobby. Some men play golf. We shoot guns.

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Originally Posted by Bret

Here's the flaw in your logic. What's "need" got to do with it? Guns aren't women. You can have as many as you want and can afford. There's nothing wrong with having as may guns as you want so long as you meet your other obligations.

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You're right of course.

Maybe the real question is: "If I buy this thing I don't really need, will I soon wish I'd bought this other thing I don't really need, then have to buy it, too?

The Buddha wrote all about it. Craving creates suffering.

Truly, though, life is short. We should buy want we want to enjoy, as long as we aren't sacrificing what we need.

I'm trying not to have too many guns, and I do sell them when I tire of them. The goal is to have the guns & ammo I want in retirement. (Should I live long enough) It's helpful if those items are valuable for trade. No junk.

Did this get moved from another form?