I figured this would be the best forum to ask, but how have you grown over the years as a gun owner/enthusiast/professional?
I have found myself really reconsidering purchases, that collecting or growing too big can be a problem if you spread yourself too thin over different platforms. I now have 2 rifle platforms which I train and use regularly with a standard configuration for my primary. For handguns I have 3, Glock, Sig, 1911, which I am working on consolidating, and have gotten calibers down to 9mm & .45.
I also have watched my standards for not only quality but reliability go up every year. I remember where a few hundred rounds with no problem was enough comfort to carry, and a box of the CC ammo with no problems. Now I insist on a perfect record between 500-1k with the pistol/mag and around 250 in a range session of my carry ammo.
Training and drills have become not only essential tools to progress, but I look at them as necessities in owning any home/self defense/carry firearm.
There are plenty more, but these are the things that I have really been going around lately.
I now focus on fewer guns, but they must be top quality.
Also, a few years ago I decided that I did not want to support multiple platforms. So rather than having Sigs, Glocks, HKs, 1911s, etc., I pared it down and have lots of parts and supplies for those few that I kept.
felt like I grew more responsible after CCing. Mom said shes noticed I dont really get upset anymore over little things after carrying. I got thicker skin now I suppose. Having more situational awareness when outside etc.
I now own a lot more guns, but since I am a “gun dealer” I really don’t have that many.
Grew up hunting with my father (no interest in handguns or military type weapons). Joined the USN and got some experience with .Mil based weapons, but since I was an Intel guy, not a whole lot.
Got out of the NAV and met a guy that had one of everything, land and shot a lot. Started doing stuff with him which peaked my interest in the Black Rifle. Attended a carbine/pistol class at Blackwater and learned “what I did not know.”
This was my first glimpse down the “rabbit hole” and instantly became fascinated in learning more. For the next several years, all free vacation time and spare money went to training and ammo.
Because of this, my knowledge base, shooting ability, etc are 10 MILLION times better than when I first started.
Stages of the “Rabbit Hole:”
See “people” shooting that are better than you.
Attend a basic shooting school.
Attend another basic shooting school (for a different weapon).
Practice what you have learned (become proficient).
Attend advanced shooting schools.
Practice what you have learned.
Attend a Night Fighting class.
Practice what you have learned.
Attend a CQB (home defense) class (daylight).
Attend another CQB class (daylight).
Ponder how hard it is to clear rooms/buildings.
Attend another CQB class (night).
Attend an advanced CQB class (Night).
Ponder how much harder it is to clear rooms/buildings in the dark.
Realize that Advanced shooting is nothing more than doing the fundamentals very, very well.
Yes. Consolidation / Quality / Training Goals / Revelation
Consolidation of handgun models / calibers down to glock 9’s. I still have some others, but they are rarely used; maybe fired for fun a few times a year.
Same with carbines, at one time I had 8 AR’s with varying lengths and make; but now own 3, all BCM.
Quality in the details. Thanks to this forum and a couple other sites, I know what to look for when I buy, and what to steer clear from.
I now go shooting with a purpose rather than round count. I stick to specific drills and keep track of my progress. I take classes from industry recognized professionals.
Revelation: Im not very good and have a long way to go, but am eager for that journey.
I have only actually now bought a couple “fun” guns after 15 years of serious training and duty use. My AR’s have all progressed to well wrung out and proven setups that require minimal new work aside from shooting/training. My duty guns have changed over the years but I am pretty happy where I am at now, and probably won’t transition to the 1911 or even the M&P if authorized.
As I get older and busier with work and family I have a lot less time to experiment, shoot and train like when I was younger. So I choose to use my time to maintain my skills and hopefully pick something up here and there. The fun guns help to keep things interesting. I thought I was a “serious” shooter when I was young, but actually going to lots of training as well as practical duty use in high crime areas helped me to change my idea of what was important.
Having a practical, reliable, platform that you know how to “fight” with along with continual training and a strong mindset are absolute priorities. I never thought I would say this but getting the latest whiz-bang platform only means you have a lot of training to unlearn, and then relearn and rework. I have already gone through 3 generations of duty pistols and I am no longer excited to do it again.
Of course, the intertubes have helped a lot to better understand new equipment and even techniques. 20 years ago you would just buy something that looked cool at a gunshow, but now every piece of new equipment is thoroughly wrung out and reviewed online by many different people with varying needs and philosophies. You can get a pretty good idea of if something has the possibility of working for you before buying and experimenting.
So I have grown, but the process of growing was the fun part!
I’ve started caring less about number of guns owned and more about having a few solid guns and shooting the hell out of them. I’ve also learned first-hand the term “Everyone’s an expert,” and to shut up when gun talks came up in school and now in the academy.
I have cut my collection back. Selling guns I seldom used to buy guns for competition (three gun) that were more expensive and specific to the game. I have went from around 35 guns down to 20 or so.
pat
I used to be a repository of gun trivia and an “expert”
Now, I’ve finally started learning something about guns.
I used to spend a lot of time fixing up “good enough” guns. I am finally winnowing down my pile of junk guns to just a few quality pieces.
I used to buy and sell guns willy nilly, but now am content to keep what I have.
I used to be focused on collecting and playing with guns. Now, I see attaining financial stability as more important than spending money on the latest thing.
I separate hunting guns, practice/plinking guns, and defensive guns. I purchase accordingly to it’s primary intended use, which is never plinking (that comes secondary from either category).
I now honestly even choose hunting weapons (aside from .22, etc.) that are robust enough (or even mil fielded) to be tossed into the defensive rolewith confidence if need be.
I decided to learn more about the AR platform, as in working on my own uppers, building uppers from scratch, becoming more informed about what companies deliver the best product for the project i’m working on, and even into refinishing and the processes that come from that. Starting to like Glocks too
I’ve trimmed way down on the number of guns. Now what I have is utilitarian and not collector oriented. Each one has a purpose or I don’t keep it anymore.
Only a few handguns. I’m not big into them. They have their purpose but I’m a rifleman first and foremost. Only a couple shotguns, as out west here shotguns are not much good due to the wide open environment in the high desert mountains where I live.
