Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Do you scale down but still buy when funds are short?

I sold a rifle this year, and have bought 3 pistols, one on Monday. Might pick up a 303 project to go with the 13 box's of factory ammo, and a bunch of hand loads.

Didn't when I still had kids at home and wearing a badge enforcing the law, started buying more as a heavy equipment operator, but I think I've bought more since I went on "self imposed unemployment" four years ago. What's that you may think? When yer in yer 20's. 30's, early 40's and some guy ya know or work with retires in his late 60's or even early 70's, ya kind of regard him as a 'old guy'. Well I worked until 68 and wasn't gonna think of myself as an 'old guy' retiring, so I just went on 'self imposed unemployment'. Try to stay active doing what I've always done, slowed on a bit in some areas though. Have good longevity genes from both parents and 14 aunts and uncles. Most people that don't know me think I'm in my late fifties, early 60's. Can buy now and still live comfortably, but not to excess. Sale of land from my parents farm and wife parents kinda give ya a bit of freedom. What isn't invested in crap I don't really understand doesn't make squat sitting in a bank with what interest that pays, buying select firearms that I like will bring more return than the paltry sum it gets sitting in a bank.

Not trying to be braggadocios, but "Remember Opal, you asked me"! --------HUH? Back in the 50'-60's, a guy named Tommy Collins released a song called "Opal, You Asked Me". About a guy that got fed up with his less than charming wife and told her he was leaving. She asked him why and the unnamed guy went into a whole list of reasons. After giving every reason that made him sick of her he stated "Remember Opal, you asked me"! Used to listen to that on a late night radio, believe it was 970 AM--the 'Charley Douglas Road Gang' out of Slidell, Louisiana at night while on patrol. It's in cyber space if yer curious and want to hear it. It's a 'hoot' to listen to. Rambled enough.

When I'm low on gun/fun money (which is always) I buy "parts guns" and parts and make guns outa them. This is very hard in CA now because state fees are often as much as the "gun" itself, even if it is just a bare stripped receiver.

Our genius legislators always seem to write laws that favor new guns and "stocking dealers" over small dealers who usually deal in used guns, and hobbyists who work with them. Now, I wonder why that is? I guess those 20th Century models are just so much more dangerous to their beloved public.....

The older I get, the less things I find I want. For the past bit, I've been really squirreling money away for retirement. I'm 47, but lately, I feel and think much older than that.

Once I paid off my mortgage in 2015 I had some fun filling out my gun collection. I have scaled back since I started what I call my “aggressive savings plan” in 2018. I will reach my savings goal at the end of 2022. The other thing that has slowed my buying is I’m running out of space! That being said...I have purchased two long guns in the past five days: A Savage model 3 single shot .22 that belonged to my girlfriend’s grandfather I picked up at her dad’s estate auction on Saturday for $60. Today I stopped in a local gun store and spotted a nearly pristine Stevens model 94 20 gauge with Tenite stocks on the rack and fell in love with it. $200, but I like to support the my local dealers once in a while.

I am starting a new job on Monday that will be a 40% increase in pay over my last job, so I should be able to buy the 3 or 4 guns on my wish list next year...if I can figure out where to put them!

This spring Randy and Roy both tipped me off on a really nice 250 K, and had to pass, the gun fund was in the red. Two years ago a good friend retired and moved to a gated community in Myrtle Beach. He was going to leave his garage queen $12,000 JD X540 with the house. I dumped my $2500 gun fund into the JD. Just can't pass up tractor with a 48" snow blower and Cyclone leaf vac, for $2500. Then last spring an other friend sold me his $15,000 dollar diesel, 4X4 front end loader for $2000. Just paid him off 2 weeks ago. My gun fund is back to a little over $2000, so the search for a K will be back in gear soon. I'm going to try not to dip into it until I find another K, I have a 300 K, so I only need 4 more.

My dad was a die hard John Deere man from the waning days of the 105 combine to when he finally retired at 74. He was a mechanic and specialized in making rice combines outperform their factory specs. So I can appreciate your diversion of gun funds into a good green tractor. "Nothing Runs Like A Deere" pretty much feed, clothed and provided shelter for me while growing up.