I was a happy kid when my dad bought me that 22 marlin semi auto, It replaced the two BB guns I had guarded the local prairie dog fields with till I was 12 and old enough to upgrade. Thats what it's all about after all, right? The UPGRADE, faster, farther and more situation/game specific. I understood the concept as a child, thats why it's shocking when it takes me by suprise.
Fast forward 20 years, I am surrounded by a mortgage, kids and a wife who thinks my guns reproduce when left unsupervised in the gun safe. The latest chapter in the upgrade process, was to go a step up in the prairie dog department (reverting back to childhood aren't I) "What I need", I explained to my wife " is something with a little more reach than the 22." This was the explanation behind the .17 hmr, and it worked just fine... out to 200 yards...and on little prairie dogs. But the coyote that shrugged off a well place .17 slug (can you call something under 20 gr a slug?) and the dogs that mocked me beyond the 200 yard mark needed attention too, so i needed an upgrade. Ahh a .220 swift. Dies, brass, powder etc. " I can just go over to Deen's house to reload" I told myself.

Then I didn't like the Swift, it just wasn't what I wanted so off it went, replaced by a CZ 550 in 22-250. I loved it, It shot exceptionally well and toppled the PD's that thought they could mock me from the safety of eye blurring distances. But it was heavy, and way too good looking to just toss on the back seat to be within reach when needed. Plus the cost of components was adding up, and the inconvienence of driving 2 blocks to reload was to much. I annexed part of my wife's scrapbooking room and put in a reloading table. Nothing fancy, just an RCBS kit and all the doodads I need from time to time.

Then I found just the gun I was looking for. A Rem. 788 in .223. It was horrifyingly ugly, but shot superbly and the .223 would solve the cost problems. Finally a gun I could throw on the back seat and not worry if it got a scratch, and also not think twice about throwing 40-50 rounds into a PD town.

But the stock was Sooo ugly that I thought it would be a good practice refinishing job. a week later it sits cautiously in the corner, gleaming. A light walnut finish topped with 5 coats of high gloss urethane. Much to good looking to toss on the back seat. So now I'm thinking, "you know I hear alot of good about the new .204, If I was to pick up one of those with a (shudder) synthetic stock, I could just toss it on the back seat where I would have it when I needed it.... Yep I'm a sick man, I even commited the blasphemy of referring to my wifes scrapbooking room as the reloading room... there's just no hope for us, I might as well start construction on the addition to my house. A bedroom for night when I'm in trouble and a huge room for gun stuff...until then, Got an extra cot Saeed????

What???? no one relates???

Shhh, you are exposing us all to the light of day!
The reproducing thing has been our best kept secret.

You ALWAYS tell your wife they are are your
BUDDIES!! And you are just storing them!


Whats the matter with ya!!

Take one gun to the 'smith. Come back with two...or three.

ZM

My technique is to walk out of the house with gun cases (empty of course) on the way to a gun show. I'm trading whats in the cases as far as she knows. The cases sometimes come home with things in them.

I have not figured out how to sneak in a new second gun safe yet. I may actually be forced to cull the herd in the existing one god forbid.

Wait till your wife comes home one day to find you in the living room having a drink with a guy you introduce with "Honey, this man has been on a safari in Africa and we were just talking about it." You'll find that that other exterior signs of weakness pale in comparison.

I like the name game...anaconda, python well, you know. It worked for the first couple of years!

I can relate......I tell the missus that shooting is like golf, you need many different clubs/guns to make shots....from pitching wedges when in the bunker (45/70 Marlin) to 1 woods for power and long range (.416 Rigby) to accurate clubs for precision (22/250 with big scope).

She gets the picture......you also need to keep up-dating

Repeat after me: "Huh? That old thing?" Even my kids and my brothers kids can say it.

Eventually you will find that the only solution is to have seperate houses.

When I have more guns than my wife has pairs of shoes, I'll call it quits.

Just buy your wife a nice, new rifle for Christmas or birthday every year. Then when you head off for your hunting trip, see if you can borrow her's cause your's is broke, dirty, bent, or whatever.

Nashcat

I remember a post about a year ago.
The fella was wanting another rifle(who don't) and when the missus found out it would run about $900.00, she said no.
So this guy waits about a week and starts leaving lil' pamplets all over the house.Beside the commode,beside his chair.in his shirt pockets(to be found during laundry prep),by the coffee pot,on the nightstands, everywhere. They were ads for Bass Boats, $ 7,000.00 and up.
He got the rifle.

I told my wife she could have a horse, or horses, so long as she paid for them out of "her" earnings. For the first time in years she currently only has one (but has 7 saddles 4 pair of fancy dressage boots, and God knows how much else...). We also apparently own 1/4 of a Ferrier, 1/3 of a Veterinarian, a barn and an Olympic-sized riding arena where I am sometimes permitted to store as much as a single step-ladder.

She now doesn't even look in my gun rooms. And she NEVER mentions cost.

Life is all accomodation... (and I happen to know she is looking in Canada and Germany for another warm-blood.)

I guess I'm just lucky. My better half sees all the new ones coming in as cash on hand. She knows how easy they are to liquidate and also knows I will do it if needed. Though never discussed, I'm sure she knows how to get her 1/2 plus some more if the marriage goes south.
Fortunately for us both, 25 years and things are stronger than ever, not worse.

I wish everyone the same great fortune!