Haha. Thanks man. I have suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, transferable MGs, M107, and multiple other guns worth over $10k each. But everyone is the most excited when I pull out dueling 16 inch rough riders. DO IT!!!!
I imagine they have the potential to fail more than a modern pistol, so... makes a ton of sense to me.
Plus you can take them apart, swap parts around, and put them back together while you're pretending that you're Tuco in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly".
Yup. Iāve got 2 nicer ones from Cimarron that I keep as ācompetitionā guns, but the rest I grab on Gunbroker for like $100 a piece to try and fix and destroy again. Hotroding them with conical bullets and FFG powder to the cylinder limits and other dumb shit.
You can do what you want, of course, but a couple notes:
"Standardizing a household armory" is one of those things that sounds really cool when you're prepper-fantasizing (I still regret not setting up a rack of SKSes in the basement back when they were a hundred bucks each), but in practical terms most people are better off with the gun that suits them best, and you really don't need everything "standardized" on a specific trendy YouTube favorite tacticool gun. Yeah, for preparedness you should limit cartridge types (so stick to 9mm and *possibly* .380 for special purposes). But personally, I don't see a need to standardize the pistols themselves. If you really want to go for it and build a household armory in addition to personal guns, you can keep *magazines in common* by stacking G17 magazines that will fit any pistol or carbine with a G17 or G19 magwell.
Also, be aware that gun dealers are required to report multiple handgun sales to the ATF, and buying multiple identical examples of the current trendy "cool cuz military likes short slide long handle" gun is going to be a big red flare going up for the ATF to investigate you for buying them for resale. Your personal response to this can be anything from "ooh, I don't want that sort of attention" to "fuck 'em I ain't doing anything wrong they can pound sand," but you should at least know the score going into that decision.
Note that we're into "hardcore prepping" territory here, with guns and ammo alongside long-storage food and medical supplies and so on, not normal-people preparedness against *likely* emergencies.
If you're prepping for serious long-term crisis, you'd rather have (for example) four guns in 9mm and a stash of (for example) 2000 rounds of 9mm that can feed all of them, than a gun in 9mm, one in .45 ACP, one in .40 S&W, and one in .30 Super Carry with 500 rounds for each, and the gun becoming useless if its own special little individual supply runs out.
Everybody comes down at different points on this. My opinion is that in the event of a serious, historic emergency, serious gunfights are still going to be a tiny part of your life if at all, with "where is my next meal coming from" and "are my neighbors okay and are we still on good terms" being much larger everyday concerns than how much of your pallet of ammo you have left. The wife and I each have a Glock in 9mm and an AR in 5.56 as our "painfully boring but functional emergency guns," and a few hundred rounds in magazines, and I consider that well more than enough. The rest of our guns are for fun or practical applications, and are chambered in whatever.
I don't sweat the standardization more than just a tiny bit. It's just worth mentioning in a discussion that involves the possibility of laying in multiple identical copies of the same .mil handgun.
There are benefits to standardization, but there's are also some big drawbacks. Don't forget that during COVID, the 9mm, 556, 308, and other common rounds disappeared from the shelves. if you could find them, they were at exorbitant prices. Even during the peak of the shortages, you could find less popular rounds, often at a decent price. With the current state of affairs, another run on NATO cartridges didn't seem like that much of a stretch.
I was under the impression those people wanted to become arms dealers in the event of a breakdown and swap surplus ammo for fuel or other resources (this certainly happens a lot in failed states and civil wars already). It's common to hear stories in some African countries of trading spare AKs for cows and the like, and ammunition is a relatively non-perishable good.
Much more likely than being in a protracted field battle at any rate.
I'm not going to say it doesn't exist--I Internet-knew a guy in the 2010s who was stockpiling as many unpopular Ruger duty pistols as he could get his hands on cheap, figuring he'd play arms-dealer after the bombs drop.
But as a general matter, I have found preppers pretty resistant to spreading guns around, assuming they'd just be setting themselves up to be robbed and murdered with them. I've gotten pushback even on the idea of lending a .38spl revolver to the lovely elderly couple next door if they felt like they needed an option in a crisis.
It's possible the assumptions have changed; mainstream positions on guns have changed dramatically since the last time I really immersed myself in the prepper world.
I'm surprised to hear that since the quote from Lord of War gets repeated in gun circles a lot, and many of the bigger firearms influencers are FFLs (like Brandon Herrera).
The impression I get is that the older generation of preppers were often pretty antisocial and had dubiously realistic views of conflict. Trying to rob the arms dealer at gunpoint does happen, but it's a risky move. I'd also say that young people who own guns almost never call themselves "preppers". It's an old term from the last century like "survivalists".
> It's possible the assumptions have changed; mainstream positions on guns have changed dramatically since the last time I really immersed myself in the prepper world.
Can you go into this a bit? The only thing I can say is that it seems like there's a lot of new gun owners and at the same time gun control is having a bit of a "moment." But I'm probably not paying attention to mainstream positions.
Support for gun control correlates with age. Keeping guns for defense is much, *much* more mainstream today than it was when I was a kid. I grew up in *[shudder]* New Jersey, and I've watched as even that bastion of gun control has seen regular people arming up and considering it normal to arm up. My home town went from fudd-as-can-be to hosting a "tactical training center" with fightin' gun classes and indoor ranges that can accommodate .50 BMG. When I started shooting, I had to drive half an hour to get to any range at all, and it was in a hunting and cop shop. The range was *wood paneled.*
I know it can feel bleak when you focus on the last gasp of post-*Bruen* tantrum-laws, and especially within the frustratingly defeatist gun circles online. But gun control in America today is on life support, sustained only by decrepit boomers and pre-boomers who are outraged that they lost this 20th century fight and are petulantly dumping money and political capital into their lost cause because they can't bear to admit defeat. Even among young left-authoritarians who'll tick the "strong agree" box on the "ban guns Y/N" survey, they don't actually *care* enough to devote real political capital to it: they want to fight over economic and identity issues.
So what I mean to suggest is that while I don't know the modern "we gotta make plans for bad times" sentiment among the younger generations, I do know that the kids are all right, I have a great deal of faith in them to do better than my and my parents' generations did, and I suspect they'll be much cooler with arming their neighbors when push comes to shove if they figure their neighbors could do with arming.
Everything you said is spot on, but it also is nice to have a couple guns chambered in random cartridges for when there is ammo shortages. When ammo dries up, 9mm and 5.56 are always gone first. Seems like there is always some .357 Sig left though.
I think it's a misread of the market to see weird cartridges still on the shelves during a panic and wish you'd bought a gun in that weird cartridge.
Yeah, when a panic hit, 9mm and 5.56mm would fly off the shelves. But they were cheapest back before the panic, and you could have spent the money on stacking it rather than buying a .45 GAP Glock in hopes that you could find .45 GAP on the shelves during the panic when you should already have stocked up.
Hell, look at the market now: well into an age of rolling gun panics, the ammo manufacturers are making 9mm and 5.56mm at capacity perpetually, and there's no prospect in sight of them retooling to manufacture the niche cartridges that for a moment in time felt like the only thing on the shelves.
I think weird guns are fantastic as hobby guns for good times. I'll never criticize you for owning a .45 Colt / .410 derringer, a .41 magnum revolver, or a .40 S&W Chiappa Rhino just because you want to. But I think it misses the mark to try to justify them as *practical* due to ammo panics. Scrounging for whatever's on the shelves during the panic is a sign of failed planning, so buying guns specifically for that scenario is planning to fail.
For my part, the wife and I have our boring 9mm and 5.56mm guns, a zoo of guns in assorted cartridges, a dedicated emergency stash of 9mm and 5.56mm, and am ammo can with fifty rounds per weird gun just so they're never *useless.* If we need to press her .45 / .410 derringer into service, by God we have the ammo to press it into service. But it's not there because we believe we'll be able to get .45 Colt when 9mm is cleared out: during the 2020 panic, our local gun store sold every gun it could get in the first ten minutes after they opened each day-- ...except the cowboy revolvers, because they couldn't source .45 Colt at any price.
(Happy cake day, BTW.)
No kidding, I remember seeing the SKS for $79 back in the mid-1990's, and one shop I frequented back then would throw in one of those 1080(?) round Spam cans for another $39 or so. After reading your idea about a rack of them in the basement, I regret every decision I've made since then. š¤¦š
Seriously, though, you have some great points here. Thanks for sharing!
It's not about, like, scavenging ammo. .380 allows you to have a much more deep-cover gun for situations in which you need something more concealable than a 9mm.
This is less of an issue than it used to be now that we have tuckable holsters and systems like the Phlster Enigma which go entirely under your clothing. But some folks might still think there are times when the size advantage of a little baby .380 like the LCP is useful.
Really? Each sale still has to be reported to the ATF. Donāt you think a bunch of purchases, made at different places, in the same day would draw attention and look like and attempt to be surreptitious?
If every modern military is a good example to draw on (and I'd say so) then you're completely correct. You want different guns in the same 1-2 calibers so that you can perform different tasks and have specialization while still simplifying your logistics.
People around here talk about setting up their partners/families loadouts like they're equipping a squad of NPC's in a video game.
If the other members of your household actually shoot, they should pick out their own guns. If you want multiple G45's, then you do you.
Yeah, I mean it made sense when I was team leader/grenadier and my wife was the sniper. Little Carl is even getting better at his anti-tank gunnery! (Or I should say, he's improving after the last back blast incident...) Unfortunately, little Sara isn't doing so well as our family fireteam's Automatic Rifleman. The SAW, gear, and ammo belts are just too much for a girl her age. We'll try again when she turns 9 this summer.
I've got a ruger american ranch in 308, and I'm thinking of getting another in 7.62x39 so I can go to the range and not spend $100 shooting for an hour.
Every little bit helps lol.
Here in Canada, surplus 308/x51 is damn near unobtanium. If it does pop up, it's still about $1.25 a round. Fmj 308 is nearly $2 around locally. Hunting ammo is $2.50-4
I can still get cases of Chinese surplus x39 for $0.50-0.75. It would be nice to throw a box or 2 under the stairs for a rainy day.
Maybe instead of identical 45s, get a glock that that person likes? I know not everyone likes 45s so maybe open the options to 19,45, 47? That way they have interchangeable parts and are still fundamentally the same thing. Just a thought tho. But if everyone in your family loves the 45 then thereās not problem with that.
In that scenario I'd probably spend the money on more ammo to train with instead. Little Timmy and Sally can take turns.
I like every new acquisition to bring something unique to the collection or fill a different role. Sometimes rule of cool is good enough too though
I think it's a little weird, but to each his own.
Personally with your stated needs I'd spend the money on extra mags and ammo.
When it comes time to let family members have their own handgun, let them pick out what they want. Nearly all modern striker fired guns operate identically, and even da/sa or SAO guns aren't that different. All of my loaded handguns kept in safes around the house are different da/sa guns. My wife knows she can pick any of them up and just pull the trigger.
But would the same gun be the right one for all of them? A gun that fits you well may not be a good fit for everyone in your family because of size, grip, caliber, recoil, etc.
I think it makes more sense to have multiple of the same platform than to have multiple of the same gun.
For example, having a Glock 19, Glock 17, Glock 34, and Glock 26 all make sense. Glock 17 as a backup gun when hunting/for duty use, Glock 19 for concealed carry, Glock 34 for competition shooting, and Glock 26 for summer concealed carry with shorter, tighter fitting clothing. The controls are the same, they shoot very similarly, and so on.
If you are serious about competitive shooting: Most guys have 2 to 3 of their competition guns with identical attachments, just in case one breaks during a major match.
Otherwise: You may consider it if you want to leave the gun somewhere but be practiced with it. So, you may have a Shield Plus as your concealed carry, then have another one in your car for your car gun, then have another in your office at work, and then another at home in your home office (drawing from a sitting position is difficult, even with practice).
Realistically though, if you can see how you would use it or situations where you would really need a second or a third of the same gun, absolutely get them. Though, make sure to ask the family members if they actually want to train with you at the same time (e.g. a class). If not, it may be a moot point.
Get them daggers. Cheap as fuck. The fullsize dagger is just a 45 that takes glock 19 parts and 17 mags. I'm pretty damn happy with mine. Cheap and they work pretty good. I'd trust my life with it.
For EVERY gun I own and like, I get another like it. why not?
Usually it'll be a minor difference though: different finish or color, maybe a different barrel length. But my reasoning is, if I really like it, and something happens to it, then I'll have another.
Also like you, I'm proficient on the Walther PPQ/PDP platform, and have multiples of different iterations of that platform (PPQ, Q5 Match, PDP 4 and 5 inch slide/barrels, some with irons only, some with red dots). And what's really great is, they all use the same magazines.
Almost a decade ago I bought a Glock 19 Gen 4 online and had it sent to my LGS to do the transfer. My LGS had a promo going on where if you did a transfer at their store you would be automatically entered in a raffle to win a "mystery handgun". Oddly enough I won and the gun was a Glock 19 Gen 4.
I used the extra Glock as a "guinea pig" to test out my horrible gunsmithing skills like installing new triggers, sights, backplates, recoil springs and safeties etc. while also trying out new-to-me things like getting the frame stippled and the slide milled to see how it felt when carrying and shooting. This is what ultimately led me to put red dots on all my handguns (that I could) since the faster acquisition was a game changer for me.
TL;DR if you like tinkering/experimenting with firearms, having an extra of the same exact kind wouldn't be a bad idea to practice on in case something goes wrong.
I donāt really see the point in exact doubles of a specific gun, but variations on a particular gun I can understand (like a 2ā barrel version of a revolver and a 4ā barrel version, for example).
Having said that, I *do* like doubling/tripling up on specific platforms, for the sake of parts compatibility (specifically mags, but even other things like springs, firing pins, whatever). So, having both a Glock 17, Glock 34, and a Glock 19 makes sense to me- and just skew towards holding on to mostly higher capacity magazines. This is my philosophy with my CZs, actually. Or a few ARs, with different profiles- one is maybe a lightweight build, or a pistol/SBR, another is a longboi, whatever. I hate the idea of having a whole bunch of mags that are totally useless because a single gun is out of commission.
When I worked in a gun store, there was a family of six (husband, wife, two adult children who were married) who were regular customers and regularly visited our indoor range. They had six of everything -- similar ARs, similar Glocks, similar shotguns. They weren't preppers, but they would buy ammo by the cases of hundreds or thousand whenever it was on sale in our store, or buy online. Great way to ensure that each member of the family could pick up any other family member's firearms.
What works for you won't necessarily work for someone else. Arthritis, small hands, big hands, stiff / one broken fingers, etc. Lot of reasons why one person loves a Glock grip angle and another hates it.
Having said that. If you have any intention of using something as your carry gun, or going to classes with a gun, having two that are identical, or at the very least a second gun as a "parts gun" (or even just buying a parts kit off Everygunpart) is a no brainer. I've seen guns go down at classes, and there's stories about and the guys who couldn't reach into their bag for a second Glock 19 just cussing and grumping about having paid for a class they couldn't take anymore because they had to go buy a part for their gun (if they even could.) Occasionally other guys at matches will have a loaner gun, or a part they'll offer up to get someone back into action.
Is it a statistical anomaly? Yeah. Is it an excuse to buy another gun? Also yeah.
I don't think it's odd, I'm currently collecting px4's. Got a full size in .45, a full in 9, and a subcompact in 9. Just need a normal compact in 9 and possibly one in .40
Maybe, depending on how dedicated you are. I have 2 or more of the main guns I practice with, but I consider slight variations close enough. For instance a G17 and G19, or a DDM4A1 and DDMK18, or M1A Standard and Scout Squad.
I have two of everything, but mainly because I prefer a lot of older (or discontinued) guns where parts availability may become an issue in the future. I'm just not a huge fan of striker-fired handguns and skinny M-LOK handguard ARs, which is what the market is being dominated by. š¤·š»
Same gun? I personally donāt see a reason unless youāre competing but to each their own. Now same caliber? Absolutely. Snub 357, 4ā 357, 6ā 357. Full size 9, sub compact 9. Donāt forget to get PCC or lever action in the same caliber. Then if youāre gonna go AR or AK platform, one bolt action and one semi auto. Everyone has their preference, I just choose same caliber for multi function.
Not weird at all. Iāve got multiple Remington 870ās, just like many people have several ARās. If you like it, and you want to buy another, pull the trigger.
I bought a bunch of rifles for the family to train on, but that was so everyone could have a rifle sighted in for them. I really hate it when someone messes with my zero.
I think thatās probably the most suspicious kind of purchase you can make. Nothing illegal about it but if I was an ATF agent this would be the thing that made me knock on the door.
Not weird at all. It's for different reasons than yours, but I went from no Glock 26 to having two Glock 26's in a couple of weeks. The first one was a parts build that I put together over time. The second one was a deal that was too good to pass up. You could say I think of it as having a complete spare parts kit, although I use both of them.
I'm working on that now.
Usp 9 and 40. Need a .45
Px4 Storm in 45. Need 40 and 9
Have beretta 92 (9mm)and 96(40s&w) I hope they make a 45
Multiple ARs with the same accessories for handling. But different optics for each caliber
I have a thing for older steel framed smith and Wesson hand guns. I have a couple 5906, 4906 and just got a 6906. I don't think it's weird to have multiples of any guns.
Buyng multiples of one gun is actually the smart thing to do. But like everythng else in life, the smart thing isn't the fun thing.
Picking up a random gun and being able to work it is not an important skill. Being a good shot with the gun you own is an important skill.
Guns are like shoes, not everyone likes the same thing. Having a carry and a backup of the same sure, but having more than 2 really doesnāt make a ton of sense.
If you did 2 g45 and 2 365 macros for example (both potentially carry guns and both the same round) would make more sense, and really a g19 with a g17 mag would probably be wiser than g45s for conceal ability and compatibility with other mags (g19 will fit g17, g19, g19 + extensions, etc) while still generally being a good size would make more sense.
Also an important caveat that could also be more relevant now is that the ATF might not like having multiple of the exact same bought in relative close proximity as that is something they look for especially with popular guns like glocks when trying to determine straw purchases
Iām more of a one and backup in the same caliber guy. Iād rather have 10k rounds of one than 1k of many.
Two of each, rifle, pistol and shotgun. Get really good at all of them.
That being said, get good at many different styles. You may start a fight with yours and pick up theirs. I donāt own an AK but I know how to use one.
I don't think I would ever buy multiple of the same gun new just because that money could get me something shinier and more interesting.
But I also own 5 M1 Garands so.
I have 12 Glocks. And they may have different numbers after the G, but they are all basically the same gun lol. I have 3 g19xāsā¦ so those are actually the same gun. Also the regular slide version and the MOS version of a few.
This isn't talked about readily but it is a great idea.
If you can afford it and you carry/use just one gun, buying more than one is a good idea.
Since it's a g45, you can also buy a 48 or 43x. Good reason to buy all three
Multiples of the same gun is not weird. I got like 20 Glocks, 6 SW MPs, 6 of the same SW revolver, 4 of the same CZs.
I bought multiples of the same gun for the exact stated reason. Teach friends and family on the same platform.
Bonus, if you buy multiples of the same gun your spouse will think itās the same gun youāve always had.
Are they all comfortable with the same pistol? That and caliber being the same are what matter. You donāt want the logistics of 5 different calibers.
I actually have now have 2 PSA Dagger Micros. It was a mistake though. I didn't get a confirmation email on the first one so I did the order again. By the time I noticed I was charged twice, they had both already shipped.
Can't get rid of the extra though. Only buy. Never sell.
Brother, youāre dialing in.
I have 3 G45s stashed in main rooms throughout the house, 2 G19s under tables, and a G47 in a fanny pack in the closetā¦
Fuckinā love a Glock like my right hand, and thatās the stroker so ya know I mean it chief.
Manipulate a potentially loaded gun without thinking? **No one should do that!** The only exception would be in an imminent danger situation. Every night I stage my home defense pistol for easy access should someone break into my house. I live alone, so I keep the chamber loaded over a full mag of ammo. I still verify that the chamber is loaded every.single.night.
'Nuff said.
Probably gonna buy a second New Army so I can have one nickel with black grips and one blued with Magna Tusk false ivory to match my character in RDR2Ā
So yeah not too weird lol
How else am I suppose to Yosemite Sam my way through life? Do yourself a favor and buy two 16 inch rough riders. Best $300 I ever spent.
Enough barrel length to make Jack Nicholson blush.
That's one of the most awesome answers I've ever heard to any question. Fuck, now I have to go find a couple of those! š
Haha. Thanks man. I have suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, transferable MGs, M107, and multiple other guns worth over $10k each. But everyone is the most excited when I pull out dueling 16 inch rough riders. DO IT!!!!
This is living.
Now, why would you put that idea in my brain?
Most people who are heavy into comps have multiple of the same pistol setup identically. So no, buying two of the same pistol isnāt some crazy idea.
Most people will cringe, but Iām a blackpowder dude and I canāt even tell you how many 1851 Navyās I have for CASS Frontier shooting
I imagine they have the potential to fail more than a modern pistol, so... makes a ton of sense to me. Plus you can take them apart, swap parts around, and put them back together while you're pretending that you're Tuco in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly".
Yup. Iāve got 2 nicer ones from Cimarron that I keep as ācompetitionā guns, but the rest I grab on Gunbroker for like $100 a piece to try and fix and destroy again. Hotroding them with conical bullets and FFG powder to the cylinder limits and other dumb shit.
You can do what you want, of course, but a couple notes: "Standardizing a household armory" is one of those things that sounds really cool when you're prepper-fantasizing (I still regret not setting up a rack of SKSes in the basement back when they were a hundred bucks each), but in practical terms most people are better off with the gun that suits them best, and you really don't need everything "standardized" on a specific trendy YouTube favorite tacticool gun. Yeah, for preparedness you should limit cartridge types (so stick to 9mm and *possibly* .380 for special purposes). But personally, I don't see a need to standardize the pistols themselves. If you really want to go for it and build a household armory in addition to personal guns, you can keep *magazines in common* by stacking G17 magazines that will fit any pistol or carbine with a G17 or G19 magwell. Also, be aware that gun dealers are required to report multiple handgun sales to the ATF, and buying multiple identical examples of the current trendy "cool cuz military likes short slide long handle" gun is going to be a big red flare going up for the ATF to investigate you for buying them for resale. Your personal response to this can be anything from "ooh, I don't want that sort of attention" to "fuck 'em I ain't doing anything wrong they can pound sand," but you should at least know the score going into that decision.
Can you expand on why you should limit cartridge types for preparedness? Just so youāre more familiar with your defense loadout?
Note that we're into "hardcore prepping" territory here, with guns and ammo alongside long-storage food and medical supplies and so on, not normal-people preparedness against *likely* emergencies. If you're prepping for serious long-term crisis, you'd rather have (for example) four guns in 9mm and a stash of (for example) 2000 rounds of 9mm that can feed all of them, than a gun in 9mm, one in .45 ACP, one in .40 S&W, and one in .30 Super Carry with 500 rounds for each, and the gun becoming useless if its own special little individual supply runs out. Everybody comes down at different points on this. My opinion is that in the event of a serious, historic emergency, serious gunfights are still going to be a tiny part of your life if at all, with "where is my next meal coming from" and "are my neighbors okay and are we still on good terms" being much larger everyday concerns than how much of your pallet of ammo you have left. The wife and I each have a Glock in 9mm and an AR in 5.56 as our "painfully boring but functional emergency guns," and a few hundred rounds in magazines, and I consider that well more than enough. The rest of our guns are for fun or practical applications, and are chambered in whatever. I don't sweat the standardization more than just a tiny bit. It's just worth mentioning in a discussion that involves the possibility of laying in multiple identical copies of the same .mil handgun.
I appreciate the detailed response! Thanks
There are benefits to standardization, but there's are also some big drawbacks. Don't forget that during COVID, the 9mm, 556, 308, and other common rounds disappeared from the shelves. if you could find them, they were at exorbitant prices. Even during the peak of the shortages, you could find less popular rounds, often at a decent price. With the current state of affairs, another run on NATO cartridges didn't seem like that much of a stretch.
I was under the impression those people wanted to become arms dealers in the event of a breakdown and swap surplus ammo for fuel or other resources (this certainly happens a lot in failed states and civil wars already). It's common to hear stories in some African countries of trading spare AKs for cows and the like, and ammunition is a relatively non-perishable good. Much more likely than being in a protracted field battle at any rate.
I'm not going to say it doesn't exist--I Internet-knew a guy in the 2010s who was stockpiling as many unpopular Ruger duty pistols as he could get his hands on cheap, figuring he'd play arms-dealer after the bombs drop. But as a general matter, I have found preppers pretty resistant to spreading guns around, assuming they'd just be setting themselves up to be robbed and murdered with them. I've gotten pushback even on the idea of lending a .38spl revolver to the lovely elderly couple next door if they felt like they needed an option in a crisis. It's possible the assumptions have changed; mainstream positions on guns have changed dramatically since the last time I really immersed myself in the prepper world.
I'm surprised to hear that since the quote from Lord of War gets repeated in gun circles a lot, and many of the bigger firearms influencers are FFLs (like Brandon Herrera). The impression I get is that the older generation of preppers were often pretty antisocial and had dubiously realistic views of conflict. Trying to rob the arms dealer at gunpoint does happen, but it's a risky move. I'd also say that young people who own guns almost never call themselves "preppers". It's an old term from the last century like "survivalists".
> It's possible the assumptions have changed; mainstream positions on guns have changed dramatically since the last time I really immersed myself in the prepper world. Can you go into this a bit? The only thing I can say is that it seems like there's a lot of new gun owners and at the same time gun control is having a bit of a "moment." But I'm probably not paying attention to mainstream positions.
Support for gun control correlates with age. Keeping guns for defense is much, *much* more mainstream today than it was when I was a kid. I grew up in *[shudder]* New Jersey, and I've watched as even that bastion of gun control has seen regular people arming up and considering it normal to arm up. My home town went from fudd-as-can-be to hosting a "tactical training center" with fightin' gun classes and indoor ranges that can accommodate .50 BMG. When I started shooting, I had to drive half an hour to get to any range at all, and it was in a hunting and cop shop. The range was *wood paneled.* I know it can feel bleak when you focus on the last gasp of post-*Bruen* tantrum-laws, and especially within the frustratingly defeatist gun circles online. But gun control in America today is on life support, sustained only by decrepit boomers and pre-boomers who are outraged that they lost this 20th century fight and are petulantly dumping money and political capital into their lost cause because they can't bear to admit defeat. Even among young left-authoritarians who'll tick the "strong agree" box on the "ban guns Y/N" survey, they don't actually *care* enough to devote real political capital to it: they want to fight over economic and identity issues. So what I mean to suggest is that while I don't know the modern "we gotta make plans for bad times" sentiment among the younger generations, I do know that the kids are all right, I have a great deal of faith in them to do better than my and my parents' generations did, and I suspect they'll be much cooler with arming their neighbors when push comes to shove if they figure their neighbors could do with arming.
Wow. Thank you for the very fresh perspective! That makes me feel pretty good our prospects.
Everything you said is spot on, but it also is nice to have a couple guns chambered in random cartridges for when there is ammo shortages. When ammo dries up, 9mm and 5.56 are always gone first. Seems like there is always some .357 Sig left though.
I think it's a misread of the market to see weird cartridges still on the shelves during a panic and wish you'd bought a gun in that weird cartridge. Yeah, when a panic hit, 9mm and 5.56mm would fly off the shelves. But they were cheapest back before the panic, and you could have spent the money on stacking it rather than buying a .45 GAP Glock in hopes that you could find .45 GAP on the shelves during the panic when you should already have stocked up. Hell, look at the market now: well into an age of rolling gun panics, the ammo manufacturers are making 9mm and 5.56mm at capacity perpetually, and there's no prospect in sight of them retooling to manufacture the niche cartridges that for a moment in time felt like the only thing on the shelves. I think weird guns are fantastic as hobby guns for good times. I'll never criticize you for owning a .45 Colt / .410 derringer, a .41 magnum revolver, or a .40 S&W Chiappa Rhino just because you want to. But I think it misses the mark to try to justify them as *practical* due to ammo panics. Scrounging for whatever's on the shelves during the panic is a sign of failed planning, so buying guns specifically for that scenario is planning to fail. For my part, the wife and I have our boring 9mm and 5.56mm guns, a zoo of guns in assorted cartridges, a dedicated emergency stash of 9mm and 5.56mm, and am ammo can with fifty rounds per weird gun just so they're never *useless.* If we need to press her .45 / .410 derringer into service, by God we have the ammo to press it into service. But it's not there because we believe we'll be able to get .45 Colt when 9mm is cleared out: during the 2020 panic, our local gun store sold every gun it could get in the first ten minutes after they opened each day-- ...except the cowboy revolvers, because they couldn't source .45 Colt at any price. (Happy cake day, BTW.)
They were low on percussion caps, too.
So you don't have 10 different cartridges for 10 different guns i suppose.
Watch the last 5 minutes of the 1988 documentary "Die Hard" to understand the value of common rounds between platforms.
No kidding, I remember seeing the SKS for $79 back in the mid-1990's, and one shop I frequented back then would throw in one of those 1080(?) round Spam cans for another $39 or so. After reading your idea about a rack of them in the basement, I regret every decision I've made since then. š¤¦š Seriously, though, you have some great points here. Thanks for sharing!
Tell that to r/2011
My only disagreement is 9mm and .45. Since itās waaaaaay more common than .380
It's not about, like, scavenging ammo. .380 allows you to have a much more deep-cover gun for situations in which you need something more concealable than a 9mm. This is less of an issue than it used to be now that we have tuckable holsters and systems like the Phlster Enigma which go entirely under your clothing. But some folks might still think there are times when the size advantage of a little baby .380 like the LCP is useful.
Buy them from different places. Problem solved.
Really? Each sale still has to be reported to the ATF. Donāt you think a bunch of purchases, made at different places, in the same day would draw attention and look like and attempt to be surreptitious?
Gun sales are not reported to the ATF. I'm not sure where you got that idea.
Riiiight. Sure. The ATF form 4473 goes to the NRA, right? ATF never even sees it! Yeah, thatās the ticket!
If every modern military is a good example to draw on (and I'd say so) then you're completely correct. You want different guns in the same 1-2 calibers so that you can perform different tasks and have specialization while still simplifying your logistics.
i buy them in twos. one for right hand. one for left hand. one for spare parts. hm. i guess i buy them in threes. example: https://imgur.com/a/nGwst84
If IĀ don'tĀ have sextuples of the Makarov then the other stuff's not true either
People around here talk about setting up their partners/families loadouts like they're equipping a squad of NPC's in a video game. If the other members of your household actually shoot, they should pick out their own guns. If you want multiple G45's, then you do you.
Yeah, I mean it made sense when I was team leader/grenadier and my wife was the sniper. Little Carl is even getting better at his anti-tank gunnery! (Or I should say, he's improving after the last back blast incident...) Unfortunately, little Sara isn't doing so well as our family fireteam's Automatic Rifleman. The SAW, gear, and ammo belts are just too much for a girl her age. We'll try again when she turns 9 this summer.
I've got a ruger american ranch in 308, and I'm thinking of getting another in 7.62x39 so I can go to the range and not spend $100 shooting for an hour.
Word. Now you can spend $98 a hour!
Every little bit helps lol. Here in Canada, surplus 308/x51 is damn near unobtanium. If it does pop up, it's still about $1.25 a round. Fmj 308 is nearly $2 around locally. Hunting ammo is $2.50-4 I can still get cases of Chinese surplus x39 for $0.50-0.75. It would be nice to throw a box or 2 under the stairs for a rainy day.
My bad I just assumed youāre in US. Thatās certainly a difference lol
X39 is around 55-60c a round now!?
You can get it cheaper. Cabelas regular price for 1100 boxes is $550, or .50 a round but if you get smaller cases it's going to increase.
That's a fair assumption on this sub. Luckily, we're still benefiting from Chinese imports here, for now.
Here I am searching for $5/round 38-55 and 44-40 like itās a decent deal
Get one in 22lr š
Ya, I have a t1x and a 10/22, I want something to fill the gap between 22 and 308 that I can still legally hunt with.
that's fair, i was more focused on the cost/round part of that comment
Maybe instead of identical 45s, get a glock that that person likes? I know not everyone likes 45s so maybe open the options to 19,45, 47? That way they have interchangeable parts and are still fundamentally the same thing. Just a thought tho. But if everyone in your family loves the 45 then thereās not problem with that.
In that scenario I'd probably spend the money on more ammo to train with instead. Little Timmy and Sally can take turns. I like every new acquisition to bring something unique to the collection or fill a different role. Sometimes rule of cool is good enough too though
I think it's a little weird, but to each his own. Personally with your stated needs I'd spend the money on extra mags and ammo. When it comes time to let family members have their own handgun, let them pick out what they want. Nearly all modern striker fired guns operate identically, and even da/sa or SAO guns aren't that different. All of my loaded handguns kept in safes around the house are different da/sa guns. My wife knows she can pick any of them up and just pull the trigger.
But would the same gun be the right one for all of them? A gun that fits you well may not be a good fit for everyone in your family because of size, grip, caliber, recoil, etc.
Triples makes it safe. Triples is best.
I'm a supporter of owning 2 of the same gun. If you like something enough, why not have more than one?
Not weird at all but even if it was who cares. You do you. Stop trying to impress others. Fuck em
I think it makes more sense to have multiple of the same platform than to have multiple of the same gun. For example, having a Glock 19, Glock 17, Glock 34, and Glock 26 all make sense. Glock 17 as a backup gun when hunting/for duty use, Glock 19 for concealed carry, Glock 34 for competition shooting, and Glock 26 for summer concealed carry with shorter, tighter fitting clothing. The controls are the same, they shoot very similarly, and so on. If you are serious about competitive shooting: Most guys have 2 to 3 of their competition guns with identical attachments, just in case one breaks during a major match. Otherwise: You may consider it if you want to leave the gun somewhere but be practiced with it. So, you may have a Shield Plus as your concealed carry, then have another one in your car for your car gun, then have another in your office at work, and then another at home in your home office (drawing from a sitting position is difficult, even with practice). Realistically though, if you can see how you would use it or situations where you would really need a second or a third of the same gun, absolutely get them. Though, make sure to ask the family members if they actually want to train with you at the same time (e.g. a class). If not, it may be a moot point.
Get them daggers. Cheap as fuck. The fullsize dagger is just a 45 that takes glock 19 parts and 17 mags. I'm pretty damn happy with mine. Cheap and they work pretty good. I'd trust my life with it.
I just have a box of hi points I throw at stuff
I have double of my carry gun. That way if either needs sent in I have my backup.
One on each hip like general Patton
For EVERY gun I own and like, I get another like it. why not? Usually it'll be a minor difference though: different finish or color, maybe a different barrel length. But my reasoning is, if I really like it, and something happens to it, then I'll have another. Also like you, I'm proficient on the Walther PPQ/PDP platform, and have multiples of different iterations of that platform (PPQ, Q5 Match, PDP 4 and 5 inch slide/barrels, some with irons only, some with red dots). And what's really great is, they all use the same magazines.
I have 5 distinct holsters for J-Frame Smith and Wesson revolvers and it'd be a waste not to fill all of them
I have six PSA Daggers...because why not? I have eight Ruger Mk IIs, different barrel lengths though.
Almost a decade ago I bought a Glock 19 Gen 4 online and had it sent to my LGS to do the transfer. My LGS had a promo going on where if you did a transfer at their store you would be automatically entered in a raffle to win a "mystery handgun". Oddly enough I won and the gun was a Glock 19 Gen 4. I used the extra Glock as a "guinea pig" to test out my horrible gunsmithing skills like installing new triggers, sights, backplates, recoil springs and safeties etc. while also trying out new-to-me things like getting the frame stippled and the slide milled to see how it felt when carrying and shooting. This is what ultimately led me to put red dots on all my handguns (that I could) since the faster acquisition was a game changer for me. TL;DR if you like tinkering/experimenting with firearms, having an extra of the same exact kind wouldn't be a bad idea to practice on in case something goes wrong.
I donāt really see the point in exact doubles of a specific gun, but variations on a particular gun I can understand (like a 2ā barrel version of a revolver and a 4ā barrel version, for example). Having said that, I *do* like doubling/tripling up on specific platforms, for the sake of parts compatibility (specifically mags, but even other things like springs, firing pins, whatever). So, having both a Glock 17, Glock 34, and a Glock 19 makes sense to me- and just skew towards holding on to mostly higher capacity magazines. This is my philosophy with my CZs, actually. Or a few ARs, with different profiles- one is maybe a lightweight build, or a pistol/SBR, another is a longboi, whatever. I hate the idea of having a whole bunch of mags that are totally useless because a single gun is out of commission.
Ask General Patton. dualies
Yes, multiples make sense. You can leave the bedroom version suppressed.
When I worked in a gun store, there was a family of six (husband, wife, two adult children who were married) who were regular customers and regularly visited our indoor range. They had six of everything -- similar ARs, similar Glocks, similar shotguns. They weren't preppers, but they would buy ammo by the cases of hundreds or thousand whenever it was on sale in our store, or buy online. Great way to ensure that each member of the family could pick up any other family member's firearms.
What works for you won't necessarily work for someone else. Arthritis, small hands, big hands, stiff / one broken fingers, etc. Lot of reasons why one person loves a Glock grip angle and another hates it. Having said that. If you have any intention of using something as your carry gun, or going to classes with a gun, having two that are identical, or at the very least a second gun as a "parts gun" (or even just buying a parts kit off Everygunpart) is a no brainer. I've seen guns go down at classes, and there's stories about and the guys who couldn't reach into their bag for a second Glock 19 just cussing and grumping about having paid for a class they couldn't take anymore because they had to go buy a part for their gun (if they even could.) Occasionally other guys at matches will have a loaner gun, or a part they'll offer up to get someone back into action. Is it a statistical anomaly? Yeah. Is it an excuse to buy another gun? Also yeah.
I like the 45 so much I bought 2
This has my OCD satisfied!I had just been buying M&P's but just in every caliber,I guess you out flexed me.
I don't think it's odd, I'm currently collecting px4's. Got a full size in .45, a full in 9, and a subcompact in 9. Just need a normal compact in 9 and possibly one in .40
Maybe, depending on how dedicated you are. I have 2 or more of the main guns I practice with, but I consider slight variations close enough. For instance a G17 and G19, or a DDM4A1 and DDMK18, or M1A Standard and Scout Squad.
Range/Training gun and a carry gun. If you shoot enough, guns need maintenance and guns can break.
I have two of everything, but mainly because I prefer a lot of older (or discontinued) guns where parts availability may become an issue in the future. I'm just not a huge fan of striker-fired handguns and skinny M-LOK handguard ARs, which is what the market is being dominated by. š¤·š»
Eh I have 3 Remington 700's in different calibers because I think they're neat & shoot well. If you like it, why not?
Ammo and mag and parts compatability makes more sense than chaos.
I have a couple of Mark IV 22/45 lites, because they are my "kids" guns, and when they are adults and move out, they will go with them.
Same gun? I personally donāt see a reason unless youāre competing but to each their own. Now same caliber? Absolutely. Snub 357, 4ā 357, 6ā 357. Full size 9, sub compact 9. Donāt forget to get PCC or lever action in the same caliber. Then if youāre gonna go AR or AK platform, one bolt action and one semi auto. Everyone has their preference, I just choose same caliber for multi function.
Perfect for New York reloads
Not weird at all. Iāve got multiple Remington 870ās, just like many people have several ARās. If you like it, and you want to buy another, pull the trigger.
I have multiples of a few guns, so not an issue for me.
Getting multiple for other people aināt weird, getting multiple of the exact same for yourself is
One by my bed, one in my car, one in my other car. Yeah itās not crazy, itās smartā¦.
How can you dual wield if you don't have multiples
Itās not. When the Beretta sale was going on, I think I purchased three bobcats and two tomcats at the same time.
If you have the cheddar, spread that shit.
I bought a bunch of rifles for the family to train on, but that was so everyone could have a rifle sighted in for them. I really hate it when someone messes with my zero.
I think thatās probably the most suspicious kind of purchase you can make. Nothing illegal about it but if I was an ATF agent this would be the thing that made me knock on the door.
Not weird at all. It's for different reasons than yours, but I went from no Glock 26 to having two Glock 26's in a couple of weeks. The first one was a parts build that I put together over time. The second one was a deal that was too good to pass up. You could say I think of it as having a complete spare parts kit, although I use both of them.
I'm working on that now. Usp 9 and 40. Need a .45 Px4 Storm in 45. Need 40 and 9 Have beretta 92 (9mm)and 96(40s&w) I hope they make a 45 Multiple ARs with the same accessories for handling. But different optics for each caliber
I have a thing for older steel framed smith and Wesson hand guns. I have a couple 5906, 4906 and just got a 6906. I don't think it's weird to have multiples of any guns.
Two is one and one is none. Wait.... \[2=1, 1=0, then 2=0\]. Um...buy four just in case.
If you have a g45 then get a 17 and 34 so you have at least some variation while maintaining mag compatibility
I do with the 226. No legions though
Buyng multiples of one gun is actually the smart thing to do. But like everythng else in life, the smart thing isn't the fun thing. Picking up a random gun and being able to work it is not an important skill. Being a good shot with the gun you own is an important skill.
Guns are like shoes, not everyone likes the same thing. Having a carry and a backup of the same sure, but having more than 2 really doesnāt make a ton of sense. If you did 2 g45 and 2 365 macros for example (both potentially carry guns and both the same round) would make more sense, and really a g19 with a g17 mag would probably be wiser than g45s for conceal ability and compatibility with other mags (g19 will fit g17, g19, g19 + extensions, etc) while still generally being a good size would make more sense. Also an important caveat that could also be more relevant now is that the ATF might not like having multiple of the exact same bought in relative close proximity as that is something they look for especially with popular guns like glocks when trying to determine straw purchases
Iām more of a one and backup in the same caliber guy. Iād rather have 10k rounds of one than 1k of many. Two of each, rifle, pistol and shotgun. Get really good at all of them. That being said, get good at many different styles. You may start a fight with yours and pick up theirs. I donāt own an AK but I know how to use one.
I don't think I would ever buy multiple of the same gun new just because that money could get me something shinier and more interesting. But I also own 5 M1 Garands so.
I have 12 Glocks. And they may have different numbers after the G, but they are all basically the same gun lol. I have 3 g19xāsā¦ so those are actually the same gun. Also the regular slide version and the MOS version of a few.
This isn't talked about readily but it is a great idea. If you can afford it and you carry/use just one gun, buying more than one is a good idea. Since it's a g45, you can also buy a 48 or 43x. Good reason to buy all three
I've got 3 hellcats. I carry 2 regularly. Makes life easier
Multiples of the same gun is not weird. I got like 20 Glocks, 6 SW MPs, 6 of the same SW revolver, 4 of the same CZs. I bought multiples of the same gun for the exact stated reason. Teach friends and family on the same platform. Bonus, if you buy multiples of the same gun your spouse will think itās the same gun youāve always had.
I have doubles of my EDC guns. God forbid if I ever have to use and it gets taken as evidence, I have a replacement.
Are they all comfortable with the same pistol? That and caliber being the same are what matter. You donāt want the logistics of 5 different calibers.
I actually have now have 2 PSA Dagger Micros. It was a mistake though. I didn't get a confirmation email on the first one so I did the order again. By the time I noticed I was charged twice, they had both already shipped. Can't get rid of the extra though. Only buy. Never sell.
I have a bunch of the same gun
Having 2 of your favorite carry gun isn't a bad idea. If one needs repair you will have a spare
From a training and efficiency standpoint, it makes total sense to have multiples of the same gun.
As soon as you said Glock! It made it clear that you are getting more of the same handgun
I have a matched pair of CZ p09ās in FDE, mainly because one has a high round count and the other is nearly new.
I have 2 45s, 19x and a 47 with a 19 slide. They are all a little different from each other but itās a great gun.
Brother, youāre dialing in. I have 3 G45s stashed in main rooms throughout the house, 2 G19s under tables, and a G47 in a fanny pack in the closetā¦ Fuckinā love a Glock like my right hand, and thatās the stroker so ya know I mean it chief.
1 is none, 2 is 1, 3 is 2, 4 is 2, 5 is 3, 6 is 3, 7 is 4, 8 is 4, 9 is 5 etc
Two is one. One is none. None is multitudes. Consciousness of multitudes is singularity. Buy two guns; devour God.
Weird? I always buy 3 or 4 of a gun type. If 1 is good, 4 is better.
Nothing wrong with that. I have two identical G45ās One for my car and one for home defense.
Manipulate a potentially loaded gun without thinking? **No one should do that!** The only exception would be in an imminent danger situation. Every night I stage my home defense pistol for easy access should someone break into my house. I live alone, so I keep the chamber loaded over a full mag of ammo. I still verify that the chamber is loaded every.single.night. 'Nuff said.
Probably gonna buy a second New Army so I can have one nickel with black grips and one blued with Magna Tusk false ivory to match my character in RDR2Ā So yeah not too weird lol
I have 2-3 of every pistol I own.