Ever notice the thread counts on gun forums?

In every internet forum where I've spent any amount of time, I have noticed that the "gear" section threads faaarrr outnumber the training threads. I think this says something about both as a culture and as a group. It's very easy to go out, acquire stuff, and then "feel" safe. It is much harder to go out and train - even though it is much more fun and good AAR are very interesting to read on a forum.

Mind you, I'm a serious Geardo myself, so I'm not throwing rocks. But remember the saying, "Be wary of the one-gun man" - he probably knows how to use it.

Generally speaking, I now only purchase firearms and "hard" gear (knives, etc.) which are worthy of being passed down to kids and grandkids. If the item doesn't pass the legacy test, I'll pass on it.

Comments? Thoughts?

I expect you are right but strikes me the gear section can potentially cover soooo much ground with the diversity of stuff available plus - new folks always coming along with questions. So much shere variety.

Training does not I feel have quite the available content in as much as - there are a number of recognized forms and variations but only so many - added to which sometimes discussion can lead to heated debate when one camp roots for one regime and another something different.!!

Here on CC however training and methods do come in to discussion a lot - just not always recognizably compared with being in a dedicated sub forum.

I most assuredly agree with the ''one gun man'' principle for sure and have settled on my current carry pretty much for keeps this last 20 months.

My purchases cover two main aspects - quality (the legacy category) and also tho the pure recreational stuff, which can include many C&R's - in fact anything that takes my fancy. Those would be disposed of with many fewer tears than the legacy material :wink:

That is a slight over simplification but convenient!

Good post, I never really thought about it that way.

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Originally Posted by Freedz

Good post, I never really thought about it that way.

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Now that you have pointed this out to me I would suggest that gear is easier to get than training, not justifying the lack of training but stating a point of reality.

I have always thought that one should buy the good stuff even if he had to save his pennys for a year or so to do so. I can speak from experience on this.

It falls in with the saying "He that dies with the most toys wins!"

We truly have become a society of MORE!

My parent's generation struggled to just have enough (My parents survived the Great Depression). My generation began the trend of having "more than one", my kids stepped it up a notch, and my Grandkids? Let's just say that they are attempting to raise the economy to new heights by living up to the expectation of MORE.

Back to the point, why have lots of guns and gear that you can only use adequately. Doesn't it make more sense to have only one or two items that you can employ defensively as an "expert". Be it guns, knives, batons, mace, tactical lights, etc., training will usually show that skill will negate the need for quantity.

A few quaint sayings come to mind: "Be quailty and only cry once." "Buy cheap, buy twice." "It is better to master one technique than to be exposed to many."

I really enjoy browsing gun stores with my Kimber on my side, my Spyderco Manix in my waistline, my Browning rifle and Swamp Rat Knives at the house - and looking at all the latest and greatest go-fast gadgets and thinking, "Yeah, that nice, but I've already got mine." :D

I'm a geardo like everyone else, but I have finally come to understand that having a closet full of guns does not a shooter make. In fact, to many guns/too much gear can work against your level of competence (blasphemy, I know!). That said, the new S&W M&P makes me tingle. :)

Edited to add: O.C. - agreed, training involves committing time which is more precious than money. The lack of training is understandable, but....

That's is true, at one point I had a BUNCH of milsurp rifles as well as others. Keeping up the reloading for them got to be more of a chore than fun; about 10 different types of rifle cartridges and 6 for handguns.

Now I'm down to 3 centerfire rifle calibers(.308, 7.62x54R, .223) and 3 centerfire pistol calibers(.45ACP, 9mmPara, 9x18Mak). Don't know if it will go up any but I don't want to have to keep track of more that 10 total myself.

My defensive pistol designs are cut down to 1911, Sig DA/SA and Makarov DA/SA. Semi-Auto rifles are M1A, FAL(L1A1) and AR-15.

I'm even thinking of standardizing as best I can what type of knives and multi-tools I own and carry.