Until recently I’ve never really done a lot to customize the guns that I own. In my mind, if it worked, why mess with it? But then that led to a completely different and often far more expensive alternative. BUYING MORE GUNS!!!! We’ve all been there. The thrill for most of us is the thrill of the hunt. Searching articles, watching review videos, and asking co-workers about their recent purchases. Then we end up going into a shop “just to see what they have” or “do I even like holding it”. Next thing you know, we end up walking out the door, having spent at least $500 on the gun, then $10 for the background, taxes, and while we were at it…..let’s just grab a holster and some of that fancy self-defense ammo. The entire time your wife and kids are rolling their eyes because they’ve been in this situation before. Then they ask “How many guns do you need?” “Don’t you have that one already?” “How long is this background check gonna take Dad?”
Face it – you’ve been there too. But I do have a solution for you. Instead of selling one of your current guns to buy another (which you will always regret and wish you had back), or going to buy a new one all-together (which will eventually lead to the need of a new safe), pull up some videos featuring people that have customized one of your favorites. You’re gonna find the typical cerakote jobs, stippling, sights, red dots, etc. But then you’ll find that crazy red neck who just made butt loads of cash working in the oil field who figured out how to full auto his Glock 19, and suddenly he becomes a like a Shaman to you, and you feel like you need that mystical unicorn to shoot at your range!
Now in most cases, you can pull off a small to mid-level customization for far less than it will cost to purchase a new gun. However, you can quickly jump into the deep end and get way over your head. Follow these few simple rules and you will likely make it out with your wallet intact:
Use your “thrill of the hunt” mindset to your advantage. Scour the interwebs and find those sales.- Watch all the videos you can, people will flat out tell you what to avoid, what worked, what didn’t, and how much they paid.
- Look on ArmsList
- Be Fully Aware: These added parts will not (in most cases) bring any more value to your gun. You should just plan on keeping it forever because you’ve just limited your market size for others looking for that gun.
- Sometimes “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is the best advice you never listened to. This is important – especially when it comes to triggers. You can easily take a gun that never fails and turn it into a nice looking paperweight with crappy parts.
- Learn to do everything yourself. Paying someone else to do the work completely defeats the purpose if you’re trying to save some dough. Plus you learn something new in the process and the sense of pride you’ll have will add, even more, value to the project.
Those simple, yet impactful, tidbits will save you time, money, and stress, if you apply them correctly. The last step is to get out to the range and show your new toy off. Share the process with others so they can learn from what you’ve done! As always, enjoy, and be safe!
