Having 2nd thoughts about the .45cal Lancaster...

[roundball]

I think I may need some sort of "12-Step Intervention".
I'm having thoughts that ordinarily border on blasphemy...beginning to think I have more long guns than I need.

I started transitioning to long guns 3 years ago, selling off everything I no longer used or needed in preparation for retirement.
The idea was to pare down to the essentials of just a few basic long guns, realistically trying to project that I'd only shoot & hunt for a few more years and then wrap things up...didn't want to be faced with a big investment gathering dust that I then had to deal with.
But as this year's deer season has peaked for me and I look back I've realized that I had a lot of flexibility to jockey around using first this gun, then using that gun, etc...too much unnecessary flexibility really.

So now I'm wondering if I might have gotten caught up in the whole notion of having long guns built and once the momentum got going just kept talking myself into needing "just one more"...really haven't stuck to the original plan of just having a basic set built to cover my needs for a few remaining years...a deer rifle, a smoothbore for shot loads, and an economical weekend range/small game rifle.
Instead, I've ended up with .40/.45/.50/.58cal rifles, and .54/.62cal smoothbores. The .45 & .54 are actually a pair of twin interchangeable Rice barrels fitted to the same Early Virginia stock, but I recently placed an order with Matt to build a separate Late Lancaster for the .45cal barrel....and it's this separate .45cal build that I'm starting to have second thoughts about.

From strictly a practical point of view, by the time it arrives next year I'll be close to 67 and clearly I already have more separate long guns than I can put to good use as it is. As long as I have the .40cal Lancaster, that's mainly what I'll use year round at the range, not the .45cal...the .50/.54SB/.58/.62SB are all proven powerhouses for deer and already more than I need for that...haven't deer hunted the .58 or .62cal this year at all.

So setting aside that I'd just 'like' to have a separate .45cal Late Lancaster it seems like it would mostly just lay in its case, and I'm trying to decide on canceling the order...or, letting it come on in and selling off one of the others...but it just seems overkill to simply build it and ADD it to the group I already have.

:hmm:

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Awe I feel so sorry for you, Chuckle Chuckle :wink:

 

[roundball]

Cute.


No matter...just collecting my thoughts enough to document them was all it took...I've already cancelled the order.

 

[Trench]

I think you made a sound decision there.

 

[roundball]

Yes, I think all the 'building' took on a life of its own and I got carried away with it...it was all interesting stuff to do and learn about.
But now that the dust has settled it's become clear I don't 'need' all that...will probably sell one of the existing ones after the first of the year too, get back close to my original plan...

 

[Rat Trapper]

Roundball,
It is all your fault that I have all these muzzle loaders. I read too many of your post saying how good the TC rifles were. So I fail to feel sorry for you. Let the rifle be finished and come to your door. You will now that you are retired find time to play with it too. :haha: But please don't try to talk me into following in your foot steps on the quest for more toys, I have enough already! :grin:

 

[Eric Krewson]

Building my own rifles has kept my collection in check but I have a lot of experience with the same phenomenon in custom bows. There is definitely an "addiction phase" anyone who orders custom work can fall into.

From my observations I find folk who get carried away with custom orders develop a "waiting for Santa" type excitement with every order.

The most extreme case I know of is a guy in California that has ordered countless hundreds of custom bows, admits he has a problem but can't stop. He told me he had 17 bows from one builder alone. The majority of his orders cost between $500 and $1000, he apparently has the recourses to cover the costs.

Back when I was doing custom work, I could spot the guys who had a problem and wouldn't do work for them if it looked like their addiction would cause a financial hardship for their family.

 

[tg]

Buying/building ML's can snowball for some, I have had nearly 30 guns at one time over the years and now find that one fills all my current needs and have sold a few that I swore I would have had put in the coffin beside me, the addiction is different for everyone as is the solution to any conflicting/confusing thoughts it may spawn.

 

[smo]

Roundball, we only live once :wink: In our retirement years one should be able to enjoy the fruits of one labor. Just remember that it is soon to be 2012, people now live longer than they once did. I have several guns myself that don't get used much, but i enjoy having them. I also plan to leave a couple after I leave this old world to the Grandkids along with the property we have purchased in the last couple of years. That way i'll know they will always have a place to hunt if they want or just to come and hang out in the country and enjoy life. :thumbsup: I'm sure a man could have too many guns, but we only live once. I can't belive I just said that i'm going to get my thermometer now... :shake: Good Luck I'm sure you will find the best answer for yourself. :hatsoff: :v Maybe just order a pre carved stock and you will have something to do on these cold 29 deg mornings .... :hmm: Just another thought.. :shake: :shocked2:

 

[BillinOregon]

Roundball, you're a lucky man to be tortured in this manner! Actually, do you have anything in a pipsqueak bore -- .28, .32 or .36?

 

[Birdman]

Roundball I got to agree with SMO, every gun ya got will be an heirloom someday. Your kids n their kids will hold them n remember Dad or Grandpa, unless yer hurting for money n need to sell I personally keep them all, whats that old saying uh oh yea, "he who dies with the most toys wins" YMHS Birdman

 

[Randall Slemp]

Well, I'm 67 and have been retired for a few years and I think SMO hit the nail square on the head. To me, firearms are much more than just a "smoke pole" and I hope to leave virtually all of those I've collected since I was 11 years old to my kids and their kids. And since almost all my firearms are wood and blued steel, I'm pretty confident the recipients will treasure them for the workmanship, history and memories they represent just as I have.
Just my point of view.

 

[Hermit]

I recently gave a rifle to one of my sons that i got new in 1939 and i'm still looking to build or buy more!!!!!

 

[Mike Brooks]

Maybe you should try a gun from a different maker. I mean you had to know exactly what this next TVM was going to look like as they don't vary at all and you already have a pile of them. I could name you 1/2 dozen good and reasonably priced guys that would do a good job for you if you like.....me excluded of course. :wink:

 

[Vaino]

Cancelling the order for the .45 bbl stocking is a wise decision. You're a hunter and possibly 1 or 2 LRs are all that's req'd....one rifle and one smoothbore. Sure it's a lot of fun having all these "toys" made and spending range time in preparation "for the hunt", but I've always felt that if I can't hunt w/ a gun, it shouldn't be kept. Started building MLers in 1978 for hunting and then built many addt'l LRs that were never hunted, so after my gun racks were full, decided to sell off all the non-hunters and did just that. Got a question...after everything is said and done, was your "quest" really for the perfect "deer killer" and among all your LRs, is there one that does just that? If so, why have more? This isn't meant to be a critical post at all, just tossing out some thoughts.....Fred

 

[Geraldo]

Bill, we've done a bit of business as a few of your TCs moved to my house. Based on that and what I know of you from this forum, you're the kind of guy who goes all in on whatever he does.

My question would be why only hunt a "few more years"? Do you have some reason for believing you won't be able to hunt much longer? Why not plan to hunt until you can't get up or out of the house? You don't need to answer me, just yourself.

Finally, my uncle called me this morning. He's a few years younger than you and has a couple of injuries that are going to make deer season darn near impossible. He's also got a couple of good friends with very serious problems. Looking at it all, he says he's going hunting however he has to do it, that waiting to heal up for next year is not acceptable, and that there's no guarantee of that next season.

So my advice, which is worth every cent of what you're paying for it, is this. Quit worrying about whether you have enough or too many. Buy another or don't, but get out and do what you enjoy for as long as you can. The day will come when you can't, and until that actually happens don't even think about quitting.

 

[hanshi]

Yes it does make you step back and take stock. I recall warning you - personal experience - there will always be "just one more". Some of us - myself included - never show restraint in any of our interests; we jump in all the way. Here's my take on your concerns with a bit of :rotf: included.

1. 67yoa and won't need but a couple.
A. My sister called me and said "dad's going
deer hunting (he's 87 and never been in
his life). He bought a gun and had a
blast (pun intended).

2. Just need a basic battery to cover the game
you hunt.
A. Once you have the guns to cover all your
needs, you become a collector, that's
all and nothing wrong with that.
:hmm:
3. Another build isn't needed so it was
cancelled.
A. You can't have too many nice guns. Like
coin, stamp or car collectors, necessity
is, in the final analysis, irrelevant.
:thumbsup:
4. Don't want to have to liquidate, manage, etc,
guns you don't use.
A. Okay, I dig. However nothing is
problematic with heirlooms.
:nono:
5. Got in over your head.
A. Join the club! It's an addiction but
it keeps us off the streets.
:hatsoff:

 

[Trench]

I 2nd Mike's idea. If after all, you decide on another rifle, choose a reputable builder in your price range. "Variety is the spice of life"...or something like that. :grin:

 

[Mike Brooks]

I 2nd Mike's idea. If after all, you decide on another rifle, choose a reputable builder in your price range. "Variety is the spice of life"...or something like that. :grin:

Yea! And besides, if you choose a good builder who has studied alot of old guns and knows how they actually looked and can build them correctly you'll end up selling all of these TVA's and start the OCD thing all over again with guns that are built correctly as the old ones were! :thumbsup:
(speaking from one OCD to another :v )

 

[roundball]

Thanks...and as I mentioned, I've already cancelled the order.
I don't have love affairs with guns and am mainly interested in fit & function...don't care anything about gaudy and do-dads...just clean honest guns that will cover the range of intended uses and provide some back-up / flexibility as well.

The goal was a large & small caliber rifle, and a large & smaller gauge smoothbore. It was becoming clear to me that the addition of a separate .45cal would just be "more" without any real purpose that wasn't already covered, or couldn't be backup up by, other existing long guns...and I really won't need a .50cal either.

I'm pretty sure I'm at the point in my life where there won't be any more builds, but if there is, I'd just use the same good reputable builder I've used before.