I think for gun guys it’s about an emotional connection as much as anything else. No doubt a .22 LR, 12 gauge shotgun, .223, a .308 Win (or several other comparable centerfires I’d personally go 30-06 but then again I like short actions too which is part of the never ending rabbit hole) and a 9mm pistol would pretty well cover just about all bases if push came to shove. A .308 is great in a 20” barrel and suppressed but slightly “under bore” otherwise for lack of a better term. A 7/08 seems just about right for an efficient short action 22” barreled rifle. A 30-06 is great but maybe slightly under bore for a long action rifle and a .280 Remington just right. None of this matters in real terms but has been a lifelong love and obsession.
As a young kid from the time that I was old enough to wander the local K-Mart without supervision while my parents shopped I went to the sporting goods department and stared at the rifles daydreaming about what I would hunt with them. I wanted a Remington 66 because in my mind as a young kid it looked like a big game rifle and I dreamed of hunting pest birds around the house and squirrels, tracking rabbits in the snow ect. I read cover to cover the hunting and gun magazines that were either handed down from my Uncle or bought with allowance money and dreamed of hunting all over the globe and shooting all of the rifles and cartridges that I read about. My dad wasn’t much of a hunter but I read his “The Deer Hunter’s Bible” book until it was falling apart at the binding.
Collecting guns that I dreamed about is something that I enjoy for its own sake and is fulfilling as a hobby. It never ends. The more that you own the more you get into it and want more to fill ever expanding niches. Certain guns add to the enjoyment and satisfaction of a hunt but are not about being more effective.
As long as it’s kept in a certain perspective and doesn’t get out of hand I can think of worse things. Guns are a poor investment when compared to the market but when compared to most other things it isn’t a bad place to spend your surplus income especially given the fun factor.
At some point I’ll probably sell a lot off to finance other things. My son’s 18 he likes hunting and shooting but has never really been in love or captivated by it. My daughter is five and tagged along today for a short pheasant hunt but probably won’t want to inherit safes full of guns one day either. I’ll save a few for them and likely sell a lot off but for now I’m still in the collecting phase. A divorce cost me a boat and some guns but guns, hunting, and shooting have been one of the constants and sources of enjoyment throughout most of my life. If I only owned five guns that aspect would be missing.
