quote:

I completely understand the desire to keep firearms acquisitions within a given price point. The efforts of some are truly admirable.

I get where you're coming from, fritz. Really, I do. But you gotta know that you come from the point of a competition rifleman - and a damn fine one from what I've seen and read here - but also one who can afford his passion.

I understand what it takes from a dollar investment to compete at that level. But the above sounds condescending as heck to the guy who does not compete at your level, yet still understands Trayvon Martin was killed by a KelTec PF9. Gnome sayin? (Sometimes the cheaper thing works just fine.)

No need to come into budget threads and remind us we're poor. We know! That's why we're in this thread.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
I have never considered a firearm that cycles flawlessly and that places rounds were aimed to be boring. My biggest irritation with guns are those which function with surprises. I can make enough errors on my own -- I don't need a gun to make things worse. Guns/sights/ammo/magazines that don't perform 100% don't last long in my inventory.

Look at it from another angle. At this point, I am more interested in why things break, or don’t run well.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
But you gotta know that you come from the point of a competition rifleman - and a damn fine one from what I've seen and read here - but also one who can afford his passion.

I understand what it takes from a dollar investment to compete at that level. But the above sounds condescending as heck to the guy who does not compete at your level, yet still understands Trayvon Martin was killed by a KelTec PF9. Gnome sayin? (Sometimes the cheaper thing works just fine.)

No need to come into budget threads and remind us we're poor. We know! That's why we're in this thread.

I wasn't blessed with a big inheritance, a high-tech job that pays by the boatload, or a lottery win. I'm a working stiff at an office job -- one that fortunately pays a few bills. I must plan for my recreational expenditures. Firearms purchases are spread out over time.

Records show I bought a 22lr upper for an AR15 in 2023 -- that was it. In 2022 I had my local 'smith assemble a 6 Creedmoor bolt action from parts I had acquired over the better part of a year. A couple of the 6CM components came from match prize tables, therefore my costs were essentially those match's entry fees. I probably purchased components for an AR15 upper in 2021, or it might have been 2020. So...one firearm purchase per year for the each of the last 3 years. There were no "Hey, I saw this in the LGS last week, and it followed me home". My AR10 took around 2 years from first component purchase to the final one, and then having my 'smith assemble it.

I'm not buying 5 to 10 firearms a year -- generally just one. My total annual outlays might be less than the guy buying lower-priced guns every month. My one scope won't be cheap, but I'm not buying a handful of commie Chinese sights in the year, either.

And because my hard work on shooting fundamentals sometimes produces decent results, many of my firearms are comprised of match prizes.

***
As for Keltec PF9's performance -- yes, it slings lead. For every successful use of a cheap firearm, I suspect with enough digging one can find an equal or greater number of instances where said budget gun failed.

Different strokes, different folks Fritz.

Though while I say that I AM slimming down my collection to focus more on proficiency and training with a select few firearms.

So your path is probably one that SOME folks will evolve towards, some folks wont ever see it that way. In my family alone, only my cousin and I enjoy higher quality items (though we still own several PSA AR's between us). Most will never buy anything more expensive than a Glock. And they are damn happy to have what they have. I wouldn't spend the money on what they do half the time, but we all enjoy shooting them at the hunting camp all the same.

Bought an upper and a lower from palmetto and snapped them together for $350-400 and called it good.