doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How many guns is too many?

You can easily accumulate "too many" if you don't set some limits to what you are interested in. For myself, as a hunter I NEED only a Remington 11-87 12ga for ducks & turkey, a .22, a Ruger #1 .270 for deer and a Browning 20 O/U for upland.

As a collector, I've tried to set my LIMIT at the best example of all the American classics I can afford and I'm slowly moving from the field grades to the low-grades. As I find a better L.C. or Ithaca or Parker or Fox or Lefever, I try to trade or sell off the gun it replaces. Well, except for Lefevers; I'm keeping every one of those that come my way...Geo

Did your wife make make you ask that question to prove to you that you are over the universally recognized limit? or Did you ask the question to prove to her that she should consider herself lucky?

I know a guy who now buys only high grade Parker's and I asked him one time how many he has. His answer was something like in the order of 50-60 feet worth (that means racked vertically side by side on the walls around his den). He does admit as well to having been divorced three times.

I only use two, a 16 for grouse, woodcock and quail and a 12 for pheasant. My gun case holds six and I have more than that.

A good friend of mine always says "I don't know how many guns I have but I know I need one more".

"Never underestimate the shooting skill of a man who owns but one gun".

We would all be better off if we could heed this. But, it is hard.
Best,
Ted

If you're outta room for more gun safes, and your safes are chock-a-block full with the guns stacked cheek-to-jowl, if they are scratching/marring their neighbours.....
you've got too many.

OK, I won't underestimate the shooting skill of a man who owns only one gun, but I will put my money on the guy who owns a hundred in a shooting contest. I, personally, will shoot for money against any man who owns only one gun. In my opinion, owning and shooting only one gun is highly overrated.

First of all how many guns is enough part of the question. I would say one. A nice 16 bore that can handle both upland and phez. And the second part of the question, for a good collection, I would say 12 to 15 guns so you could cover examples from the US companies and also some from England and Europe. The problem with this idea is that once we start gathering our little collection together, it is very hard to stop.

Can't say I know how many is too many, not even for my own purposes. I have all my needs covered with four guns in 12ga, two 20s and one 16ga to which have been added then subtracted a couple other 20ga guns, a 10ga 2 7/8", and a 28ga. Now I am sort of inspired to play with a .410 double for some reason but haven't found one I like yet. Will it come and go, displace one of the four, or increase the count permanetly - I don't know. One thing is certain if I don't use it, it will not stay as I am not a collector.

Dean, your thrice divorced Parker owning pal "Has his priorities right" to paraphrase Kipling: "A woman is only a woman, but a good shotgun is a: Purdey, Boss, Parker etc." How many guns is enuf?_ I think there will always be "One" favorite-for me, and yes, sometimes sentiment enters the picture- My favorite shotgun is my late Dad's older Tournament Grade Model 12 30 inch Full solid rib- checkered buttstock-- fits me like an Armani suit on a "Wise-Guy" and I kill birds consistently with it-Now- I am strictly a waterfowler and pheasant hunter-(in MI. and I hunt in SD and MT too) and in off-seasons shoot crows ( with decoys and also a Johnny Stewart caller, and barn pigeons) There are two things that govern my choice here- I'm in my mid-60's but still have 20/15 distance vision and this is truly a "God given gift" I_have always worn safety or shooting glasses afield-but my reflexes show my age-I am still in good physical shape, my hearing is going South-so open bored guns- not any more-most birds I flush and kill are at a distance. I read in one of Gene Hill's books that he had shot a Boss 16 Over/Under and a Woodward 20-but Gene also liked side-by-sides. So, how many is too many? I can't say- went through the Phil B. Field & Stream Top 50 Shotguns article- If I could pick Four of the 50 he listed to do all of my clays, bird hunting (including dove and quail) duck and goose hunting, box pigeons shooting with- but no duplicates: The 12 bore Purdey shown with 30 inch barrels DT front hinged, choked Mod. and Imp. Mod (his No. 1 pick), the 20 bore Italian Over/Under with 28 barrels choked Imp. Cyl. and Mod.(his No. 4 pick) the Win. Model 12- in the 3" Magnum duck model 30 inch Solid Rib choked Mod. (for steel shot today-his no. 7 pick) and the Perrazi O/U 12 bore for clays and live birds 32" barrels choked Mod. and Full (no choke tubes) (his no. 30 I believe). With those four "escopetas" in the gauges 12 and one in 20-so that ammo is most readily available (and affordable- that's why I excluded the 16 and 28 gauges herein) and assuming they fit me, I believe I could handle all my upland bird shooting, waterfowling and both sporting clays and live pigeons- I said if $ is no object-a nice collection of fine Parkers and Foxes and Smiths and LeFevers and Ithacas would just be "frosting on the cake"-Paul A, Curtis in 1934 "Guns and Gunning" wrote about the "All around battery" added the note that in some cases, too many guns can become a burden-we can only shoot one at a time- and the late Rudy Etchen was a "living legend" with a Rem 870!! RWTF

All of my hunting and shooting needs can be covered with a modest battery of 3-4 working guns and rifles. But I want (and have) a lot more. Too many is when I don't know exactly what I have. If I don't know I own it, how can I appreciate it and deserve to own it?
If I can't regularly appreciate and understand them well in the field or on the range, or at least in the hands, then someone else who has the time and opportunity to care for and use it deserves it more than me.
But then what does "appreciating" really mean for a fine old gun?
RG