An interesting thread. Being a bottom feeder, most of the guns Ive purchased over the years have needed freshening up or have been unique in some way (like the Lafaucheux I had and shot for a while). I got into .410s when I was training my dog and grew tired of gunning down pen-raised poultry with my 12 gauge. It gets boring when you almost never miss, using a .410 and later a 36 gauge muzzle loader both put the challenge back into it. Over the past 12 years Ive owned a total of about 20 shotguns. In 2011 for economic reasons I had to sell most of the guns I considered to be my keepers, such as my 36 gauge ML and a .410 hammer gun I loved. I was down to just a few guns such as a nearly worthless 12 gauge 870 Express (it had been bubba-philed with camo spray paint), my 16 gauge SXS French guild gun (just how many 5 lb 16s are out there?), and a 12 gauge Pedersoli ML that Id extensively modified to fit me and shoot well to POI. Im having fun now gradually rebuilding my collection. The big difference Ive noticed is that now I know what to buy and what not to buy. Since Ive begun taking steps to find and purchase a class A motorhome to live in (my Escape Plan), my future gun collection will have to be limited by necessity.
When all is said and done I think Chuck said it best.
...I'm coming to the realization that hunting with my dogs and good people in great locations is more important to me than having a large pile of guns...
Steve
