You Need One Rifle
BY Herschel Smith
2 years ago
This video is apparently a well-watched video. I don’t usually like to embed video that I don’t really think is worth the viewing time it will take to go through it all, and I especially don’t like stream of consciousness presentations that could be done more efficiently, any more than I like watching other men scratch their beards.
However, I wanted to ask these questions of readers. What adult needs to be told that manufacturers are out to sell things and take your money? What adult needs to be told that there is a difference between what you want and what you need?
Exclude the category of collectors, which as far as I’m concerned, is a legitimate category and limited only by the size of your bank account. And also exclude investors – guns can be a legitimate investment as well.
If a man can only afford a single rifle, or in other words, he must make the decision to eat or buy another rifle, what mature adult is going to go hungry or let his family go hungry so he can buy another rifle because some video tells him to?
He does make some interesting points about the monetary transaction necessary to get your product “reviewed” or get it good press. I had always assumed that. And the great majority of the time for me, I do an awful lot of research before I buy any product, be in rifle or refrigerator. But I’m just not that impressionable from videos and popular reviewers telling me anything at all.
Whether rifles, refrigerators or truck tires, I do my research and I buy what I want if I have the financial resources to do so. If I don’t, I settle for second best.
This is how most mature men do things. And I don’t have thermal scopes, ballistic helmets, NODs or night vision.
On November 4, 2022 at 11:06 am, 41mag said:
The “steady stream of consciousness” must be a by-product of the long-form conversation videos & podcasts. If you cant state your point(s) without rambling, say this to yourself 3x: “Get to the point”.
I appreciate the quicker videos that are ‘cut’ piecemeal or at least edited to be that style. The hosts points are made and evidence/analysis/opinion delivered so the viewer can ponder themselves instead of “watch me stroke my beard”.
On November 4, 2022 at 12:30 pm, Sal said:
I would agree with the video and above. Maybe designed for the 30 and under crowd that now have disposable income. Then you have the lifer anti
-gunners beginning to see what may be coming and are having to learn a lot quickly. You see questions on forums all the time about “what I need?”.
….or the YT’ er got sick of all the hype on every single aspect of the firearm industry and new products.
On November 4, 2022 at 2:56 pm, Latigo Morgan said:
He’s not wrong, but variety is the spice of life.
I like shooting different types and calibers of firearms. Sometimes, I get an itch for the smoke and boom of black powder. Sometimes, I like the lever action rifles and single action revolvers. Maybe I just want to shoot the bolt action rifles or double action revolvers and so on through the gamut.
I wonder if he has 10,000 rounds through his favorite AR-15?
And if someone is so easily manipulated by what they see on TV, Youtube, or magazines as to go out and buy things they cannot afford, while not buying food or paying the bills, then they should probably have a live-in guardian or be institutionalized.
On November 5, 2022 at 10:03 am, blake said:
Shoot multiple firearms to get some basic familiarity with other platforms, should one have to use an unfamiliar weapon in life and death situation.
Train with the weapons one plans to use on a regular basis, for instance, your carry weapon.
On November 6, 2022 at 8:25 am, Rocketguy said:
Need is a funny word. To to do all the things I like to do with guns, I’d *need*:
12 GA pump with a riot barrel and a hunting barrel
A 22LR rifle – call it a basic Marlin 60 or Ruger 10/22
A decent scoped bolt action centerfire in a broadly capable caliber – maybe 30-06…you might even substitute a cantilever slug barrel and delete this one?
Decent centerfire handgun
Maybe argue for a 22 pistol.
So we’re done, we have plenty of budget for ammo and practice… and we’re painfully boring.
On November 7, 2022 at 9:11 am, Pat H. Bowman said:
I watched that video with mild amusement. While I agree with him in principle that we only *need* one gun, the idea that gun companies are “lying to us,” is somewhat laughable. While he acknowledges it is part of capitalism and he doesn’t begrudge anyone making a living, he then went on to rant about gun companies telling everyone about their new products. When it comes to paid endorsements of gun products in YouTube videos, well, duh. Every industry works like that. It’s known as marketing. Either you’re an adult and have discernment or you are a child and are swayed by every flashy video Garand Thumb puts out.
Through decades of hard work and study, I’ve found myself in a career that pays me fairly well. Through decades of frugal living, we are now in a position to have some extra. I love hand loading and load development–experimenting with new bullets, powders and calibers. Thus, I’m occasionally buying a new platform to experiment with. And, all those hours sitting at the bench trying to shoot tiny groups pays off. At a recent class, I hit the headbox of a 2/3 scale IPSC humanoid target at 275 yrds. on the ground, prone with my carbine. Turns out, you can learn stuff in different ways.
I also buy some new guns just because they make me happy. I bought an old Model 37 16 gauge at a gun show because it was the shotgun my father had when I was a kid. I hardly shoot it but just owning it makes me smile.
We all make decisions on what we spend our money on. Bear spends a lot of money building new structures at his farm in preparation for SHTF. I built a couple chicken coops and a garage. Now I’m back to buying gun stuff.
And if it comes down to it, I’m pretty sure at some point I’ll be able to trade a gun for something else I might need.