How do YOU afford this...

[nbowlin]

Don't let the beard dream die. I got out and still have mine...14yrs. Wife hates it. Always has and that's why I keep it. It's a game.

37......made 2 kids and adopted going on two more. Same doesn't like guns, hunting, or my beard wife for 14yrs. She is a worker though and has pulled us along for sure.

I have a diesel mechanic shop that my friend (gun smith #1) uses as his "store front/world head quarters". I trade my way into most everything. Gun smith #2 needs tires......I need a McMillan and Inletted for a tikka....
Customers ask about payment method...."cash, check, or guns."
Grew up in the pac nor barrel shop so that's always been handy. strategically aligned myself between two guns smiths and their broken vehicles.
Retail is for the birds. There is always a place that the gun guys have a wholesale deal with, a customer, person who knows someone, they works for some place, or whatever. They all want a ripping deal from me. So....poof....more deals on more stuff and more alliances.
We part out the abandoned trucks so that's typically a small pile of discretionary cash. It's a pretty fun.
The not fun is when you trade too much junk around and don't take enough real money. It's weird the state isn't into bartering.......

 

[PNWdude67]

Remmy I'm a little older than you and an E7 as well (SFC). Got 3 more before I retire, hopefully debt free. My youngest is off to college next weekend so we'll see how that goes. The wife decided a couple years back on a total career change (from a good paying job that she hated going to every day) and went back to school, so we have been single incoming it. That means I currently can't afford crap! She will graduate in December and has another good job waiting. Got one full custom and a couple switch barrel jobs (Savage/Remage), plus the usual (couple pistols, 30-06, .22,etc). Like Whisper said, my stuff was a "gift" from the wife after deployments with upgrades here and there. When I retire I may contract for a couple/few years and save a good nest egg. Then retire totally and still in my 40's.
Would love to learn to build my own rifles, may look into a program that would allow me to intern at a shop for the last 6 months of my military time.

Check out Gordy Gritters gunsmithing classes.... i plan on learning how to chamber barrels from him. Congrats on your successful family, career and retirement plans!!

 

[bdlesh]

I would like to thank all our veterans that have made this all possible. We owe you the world!

I would like to learn gunsmithing just to do my own work and I have a how do you do that, mentality. The downside is I have no machining skills and dont want to be that guy that killed himself because he didnt know how to do it properly. I guess we are never to old to learn something we really want to. If it takes me 10 years to learn and be good enough to do my own work...that means I lived another 10 years....so I better start gathering tools....

 

[LongestShot]

Reload. Over time you'll save a fortune by reloading. If you want to shoot twice as much then reload. A single stage press is sufficient for almost anyone's needs. To be honest, I enjoy reloading as much as I do shooting. Yes, there's the initial cost of setting up a reloading bench but once you do you can purchase powder bullets and primers in bulk.

 

[tweek1142]

Married two kids, wife teacher I'm an operations manager. Been doing the long range thing for 10 years. Started with a stock Remington 700 in 300 WSM with simple upgrades I did myself like bedding the action. I wasted a lot of money when i started. Now I have a 7mm Practical with a Kreiger 30" heavy contour 9 twist. Shooting 180 eldm at 3050 with ES of 8 FPS. Sightron Siii 8-32. My advice is instead of having a lot of guns have one for each purpose. This way they get used and you don't have money sitting in a gun cabinet; wishing u had money to spend on a nice scope, stock or action. I live in PA and a 180 at 3050 FPSworks on everything from woodchucks to whitetail out to 1400+ yards. Could I push it faster yup, but I'm content with where it's at. I've taken chucks out past 1100 yards and Im extremely confident in the rifle. If I lived out west I'd save and buy a Canyon Rifle by Shawn Carlock in 338 edge+p. I have a friend with one and it's an awesome piece.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Reload. Over time you'll save a fortune by reloading. If you want to shoot twice as much then reload. A single stage press is sufficient for almost anyone's needs. To be honest, I enjoy reloading as much as I do shooting. Yes, there's the initial cost of setting up a reloading bench but once you do you can purchase powder bullets and primers in bulk.

I bought this line several years ago - there is no way I am saving money over buying factory ammo! Lol - its one of the great lies floating around our sport!

 

[Bravo 4]

Good Morning Platoon Sergeant. I'm a bit older than you and was a 19k in Ft Knox active duty from 85-87. Although the gun I shot back in my day...was a 105 mm rifled out of my M1...I will share a thought. When I was with the 6th Cav our armorer was at the basement of our building. I often thought about volunteering to start learning but never followed thru. I guess drinking beer and chasing tail was more in my Dna. To this day I wish I had. Maybe you can do something similar, give you exp for about two years and then you can apprentice as you said. You may find knowledge that those who would want to take on an apprentice would appreciate someone with some weapons experience. Hope it helps.

Thanks for the comments. Was just at Ft Knox 2 weeks back, haven't been there for several years.
If free time was actually a part of my life I could hang out with the gunsmith at our MTU, good dude and extremely knowledgeable. He is the most experienced and knowledgeable guy on guns/gun building/machining that I've ever met.

 

[Remmy700]

Thanks for the comments. Was just at Ft Knox 2 weeks back, haven't been there for several years.
If free time was actually a part of my life I could hang out with the gunsmith at our MTU, good dude and extremely knowledgeable. He is the most experienced and knowledgeable guy on guns/gun building/machining that I've ever met.

Thank u brother for your service. All of u brothers on here, I appreciate all your service. We are for sure the 1% of the US that care to put up with bull and do our part. Don't matter the job or branch!

 

[LongestShot]

I'm 64, divorced with three children all grown and put through private high school and collage. I'm retired and spend my money intelligently focusing on trips and items that are well thought out. I have 20-22 rifles, handguns and shotguns that are worth approximately $60,000. I've purchased them over a long period of time and upgraded when possible. I afford my toys by prioitizing. Over time I've traded up and sometimes sold two items to acquire one that I really want. Four of my rifles are custom and two of my shotguns are collectibles. I've found out that the key to acquiring items is long term planning. Whether it be a rifle or a trip, I plan on what the goal is and establish a game plan to achieve it.

 

[Don A Parsons]

We have 7 folks in our shooting club that are truely one gun gunner's,,, they all had more than 1 getting started,,, Over time they realized that one quality rifle,,, one quality optic,,, and one proven load is easier to work with over the long hual...

I Sloooooowly see my self thinning out the collection to 2 fine units to fill my needs,,, each unit will have its own bells and whistles...

I agree,,, it takes time to get there or a person jumps into the game full bore...

The cry once and Grin from ear to ear later on...

Each person gets to pick and choose what works,,, that's what really counts...

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Everybody listing their custom rifle value I am guessing is listing the money invested in them? Cuz liquidation value seems to be cents on the dollar for a custom. Just scan the classifieds around here - almost everybody selling a custom is selling them for thousands less than what they have invested.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Everybody listing their custom rifle value I am guessing is listing the money invested in them? Cuz liquidation value seems to be cents on the dollar for a custom. Just scan the classifieds around here - almost everybody selling a custom is selling them for thousands less than what they have invested.

Lol

As long as I don't sell them I can think my customs are worth $20,000.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

The original question is dollars invested not dollars you can get if you sold out

 

[TwoTracks]

47
Married with two kids at home.
Spent a big chunk of my adult life on active duty and stayed in that line of work.
All factory rifles, and sub $1k glass. Whenever I've gotten raises, I put that towards the 401k, IRA investments and squirrel a little towards the toy account.