Let's hear it from the long-time gun owners!

[Alan]

With our community growing every day, I’d love to collect some of the shared experiences we have.

For our seasoned owners and collectors, what advice would you offer your younger self when you first began this journey? Share your insights on storage methods, reliable sites, auctions, or anything else you wish you had known sooner.

 

[Adies Gunny]

Buy once, Cry once! Nothing hurts as bad as buying something on the cheap and later having to buy something different because the cheap one didn't work out or didn't work at all.

One gun will not do everything. Just like vehicles, it is best to get specialized equipment. I can pull a plow with my pickup but a John Deere does it better. I can hunt with my EDC but a dedicated hunting arm is preferred.

Spend as much on optics as you spend on the rifle! The best, most precision rifle shoots only as good as the optics it wears. If the scope will not hold zero or has a wandering zero, the only thing that will fix it is REPLACEMENT.

Hands-on experience beats online research hands down. Join a club. shooter love to share their new toys. Go to a public or rental range. I bought a Sig as a carry gun based on a "gun writer's review". It was almost uncontrollable when fired. It had a horrendous flip and snap when fired. I bought an S&W in the same caliber that is a pleasure to shoot. I ran a box of rounds through a buddy's before plopping down the cash though.

Gun Tests magazine is written by shooters for shooters. It is expensive because they don't accept advertisements. It is unbiased and very accurate because they don't have to worry about losing and advertiser over a bad write up.

Plan to spend 1/4 the cost of the firearm on ammunition. It will take that much shooting to get past the honeymoon stage.

Shoot your CCW firearms MONTHLY or more often. Find some drills that challenge you. I typically run a box of armor through each one monthly. Sometimes I beak it into a couple of weekly sessions and shoot a few less rounds per session.