Completing the Collection

I got asked the horrible question the other night of "When will your gun collection be complete?".

Apparently the answer "Never." doesn't go over well in wife land.

We also have a disconnect on the meaning of the word "recent". In past conversations, my acquisition plans have been addressed along the lines of "How many guns am I allowed to purchase this year?". However, the conversation turned towards how many acquisitions I've made recently and I interpreted that as described.

So I answered honestly: "Four.".

• M1 Carbine
• Mosin-Nagant M1891/30
• MAS-36
• Martini-Henry Mark II "Nepalese"

I was wrong. It meant in terms of "how many since we've been together". Whoops! Well, then the list gets longer and it seems to apply back to the summer when we started dating and included two pistols I had on layaway before we met. If that's the case, then yes, the number is a little higher than four. There's the two pistols, an Enfield in there somewhere, a CETME battle rifle, FN FAL receiver plus parts kits, perhaps a Mosin sniper, a Swiss K.31 and a .22 target gun. So yes, "recently", I've purchased a little more than four guns.

Joking aside, my fiancee wants me to sock more money aside and I can certainly agree with that position. To her it is not just the guns but the attendant costs. Every gun show I pick up ammo or parts and that does add up. So she is asking when does it start to settle down?

I'd say I've pretty much reached that point and the purchases can made further apart. I need to start curbing my "wants". I need to start limiting my acquisitions to one or perhaps two at most per year.

So this got me thinking about which point would I consider my collection complete. Admittedly, no gun collector is ever finished collecting. More simply satisfied for the moment due to a lack of funds to continue acquiring for whatever reason. But I did think about what would have to be in my cabinet for me to be happy for say the next 2-3 years?

It turns out to be a pretty short list when I get right down it. I have to divide it into three areas: "must-haves", "would like to have" and "holy grail".

I did explain to her the economics of gun collecting. Quite simply, the longer I defer an acquisition, the more expensive in the future it will be. Guns are one of the few goods that don't suffer much depreciation. They always acquire value steadily until reaching a plateau. They'll still increase in value but at a rate in relation to other like types on the market. But the more rare the type or if the supply dries up, prices will shoot up and keep going for some time.

I'm trying to avoid that. I'd rather spend $700 now than $1400 two years from now.

But when I got right down to it, must list really isn't all that bad. So here are my lists:

Must-Haves

I would consider my collection immediately complete with the following guns present in the cabinet:

• M1 Garand ($650-$900)
• Springfield 1903A3 ($550-$1200)
• M96 Swedish Mauser (rifle or carbine) ($300-$500)
• Martini-Henry Mark IV ($595-$795)

That's it. These are the holes I would like to fill and give me examples of all of my favorite or nice-to-shoot guns out there. Everything else I already either have or the means to complete. Hence why the FAL and AKs are absent since I have means to complete them by assembling the parts I have on-hand or will have shortly. As are AR-15 based rifles since I already own three and I can build additional variations by assembling new uppers.

$2000 would acquire all four of my "must-have" guns along with a small quantity of ammunition for each. I'd be happy to stop there for a while.

Would Like To Have

Now on to the "would like to have". These are "opportunity" guns. Guns that if presently and I have the means, permission and opportunity, I would like to have them. Unfortunately, some of these tend to get pricey:

• Remington 870 "Tactical" ($300+)
• Russian SKS ($450+)
• Springfield M1A ($1400-$2200)
• MAS-44 ($700+)
• Egyptian Hakim ($450-$800)
• FN-49 ($800-$1100)
• Snider-Enfield Mk.III ($750-$1200)
• Enfield .22LR Trainer ($450-$850)
• Martini-Enfield .303 ($350+)
• Martini-Henry .577/.450 Carbine ($400+)

These would round out the collection to the point I could sit back and sigh happily for a long time. The monster acquisitions on that list being the M1A, MAS-44 and FN-49. Just because of sheer cost and availability. I consider the M1A to be between "like to have" and "holy grail" status since it is the only remaining .308 NATO battle rifle I do not possess. But to complete the triad, I will eventually want to acquire one. I already have the remaining two members.

The one I would really like to have of them all is the Enfield .22LR trainer. For the simple reason it was the first gun I ever fired in my life as an Air Cadet. I have fond memories of that experience and would like to repeat them. The Enfield .22 conversions are really fun to shoot.

Holy Grail

Then comes the last list. These are the "holy grail" acquisitions. These are what I lust over. I'd sell kidneys to get these. Odds are at least one will grace my cabinet within the next decade. This list is much shorter for a reason:

• Barrett Model 95 or Model 99 ($6500 and $4000 respectively)
• FN SCAR Mk.17 "Heavy" (Expected 2009 MSRP of $2500)
• M1919A4 semi-auto ($1800+)
• FAMAS ($10K+)

Given the price tags involved, it is easy to see why these are in "holy grail" status. It isn't a long list but it is obvious the reason why any of them would be the centerpieces of my collection. Given a choice of Barretts, I'd opt for the Model 95. At that price point, a $2500 difference isn't all that much given the cost per shot. If I'm going to spend several thousand dollars on such a gun, I might as well enjoy the one I want. But if I needed a "budget" Barrett, I'd settle for the Model 99.

The SCAR "Heavy" I just plain want. Don't care about practicality. I just want a carbine length, modern .308 caliber rifle. I like the ergonomics of the gun. Sorry, no justification save pure, unadulterated, boy-toy lust.

The M1919A4 would just be cool to own. I would want that to bring to group shoots and let new shooters sit behind it on the tripod. Come on, a belt-fed, tripod-mounted semi-auto rifle that isn't even an "assault weapon" under cosmetic definitions. What's not to like other than cost? To me, it is Title 2 fun without the hassle.

Lastly, the FAMAS. These puppies are incredibly rare. I've only ever found two listed anywhere for sale in the past ten years. I know, who on Earth would want a French bullpup rifle? Sorry, can't complete the "Rifles of the Foreign Legion" set without one. I have two members of that set, the third is on the "like to have" list (MAS-44) and the FAMAS would take me into modern day. If I am ever sufficiently wealthy to commence the search, I might have one someday.

My reward on the day of my US citizenship will likely be one of the rifles on one of these lists. I dream about it being the Barrett. Time will tell though.

But taken together, this would represent my total collection along with everything else I currently own. The only issue would be whether I would be willing to part with any of them in retirement.

Would you?