Just for the record, no, I haven’t started writing for the mainstream media, and if someone asked me “How pro-gun are you?”, I’d show them a photo of a battleship. We’ve all had a good laugh whenever the media announces that someone was found with “an arsenal” that included two pistols, a rifle, a scope and (gasp) 1000 rounds of ammo. However, the question still remains, how many guns can one person own? I suggest there are several limits – let’s explore.

Fun Guns @ TFB:

• Behind the Scenes: The SilencerCo Batcave
• Top 5 Most Fun Guns
• The Top 7 Handguns for Your Mom
• One Man’s Garbage, Another Man’s Gats? 250 Guns Found In Dumpster
• Slo-Mo WWII Machine Guns On The 4th Of July

HOW MANY GUNS CAN A PERSON MAINTAIN?

The biggest limiting factor in how many guns one person can own is being able to properly maintain them without having them rust or seize up completely. The estate gun auction I attended last year was a big eye-opener for me, because the late collector had a lot of great guns, but only the most valuable were maintained well. The man had amassed an impressive collection of more than 100 guns but didn’t have the time or inclination to care for them. Maintaining our firearms collections takes both time and money, between keeping them oiled and keeping the humidity at bay wherever they’re stored. Safes and vaults are great ways to keep thieves from taking our guns, but it’s part of the “cost of business,” for lack of a better term.

Field-stripped Ruger SP101. Knowing how to disassemble your guns can help with maintenance.

I won the bid for this revolver for $10. Can you guess why?

AMMUNITION FOOTPRINT

Having a vast gun collection could mean that you have a wide ammo footprint. As long as you have enough money to stock plenty of ammo for each of your guns, that typically allows for more guns to acquire. Although, I’ve found that owning historical guns, means that obsolete and obscure ammo is hard to find, and can be quite costly. At the aforementioned auction, I grabbed an Italian Carcano for $100, chambered in 7.35x51mm. At current prices, I can get ammo for it at $47 or $58 per 20-round box (not including shipping)! I love shooting historic firearms, but post-covid ammo prices have curtailed that aspect of my range time. Handloading can alleviate the shortcomings of production ammo, but is also time-consuming and takes good organizational skills if loading for a wide variety.

The tale of the “38’s.” .380 ACP, .38S&W, .38 Special.

Image credit: TFB’s Nathaniel F.

HOW MANY GUNS CAN ONE PERSON ENJOY?

Lastly, we want to enjoy our collection. However, if you’re weary of constant rust checking, cleaning guns and sourcing decently priced ammo for all of your guns, you may have more than you handle. While I’m not going to say how many guns I own, the surplus guns have begun to tip the enjoyment factor for me personally. The amount of time you have can also be a limiting factor to how many guns you can enjoy. Are you able to enjoy all of your firearms?

CZ P10 F Competition Review.

CONCLUSION

While I haven’t actually cited a definitive number of how many guns someone can or should own, this will have to be a self-limiting determination. I recently discovered that one gun was too much for someone to maintain as it was covered in rust and pits, while most of our readers could probably maintain up to 100 or more, depending on the factors above.

What do you think? Are there more factors at play when it comes to how many guns you can own? Have you already limited yourself from buying more?