How do you decide?
 

I have come to the decision that I do this, and I'm wondering if anyone else does? I've been going back and forth with what gun I'm going to buy after selling off the smokeless set up for a month or a little more. No matter what I decide, within a day or two I begin to second guess myself and start looking all over again.
So how do you all decide what gun you want when you're looking to buy a new one? I know it's best to go shoulder them and see which one is best and all, but outside of that - what criteria do you use to help you make a purchase?

You buy them all! :)

Yes shoulder them to see how they fit if possible. I find that in my "heart of hearts" I know which one I really want. So forget the advertising or what others may say they are not the one buying...buy what fits your needs and makes you happy.

You won't regret it.

If I get an urge, I usually force myself to ponder for a while. Pro's / Con's and do I really need it (well that answer is usually always NO, but I talk myself into it being yes LOL)Once I feel that I really want (whatever it is) then I begin my search for a deal on whatever I am wanting.

On the other side, sometimes I stumble upon a "deal" that I can't pass up. Something that I may not need, but know I'd probably like --- but if I don't, I can unload it for as much or more than I paid and quickly. Lately, that seems to be the route I end up going...searching for deals and picking some of them up. I hate paying full price for stuff, and really never do. I'll wait till I can find the deal I'm happy with. I guess I'm cheap :D

I'm really undecided. The two guns I'm considering the most right now are opposites (kind of) - I want the Ultra Lite for it's smaller size, but love the Mountaineer for the thumbhole stock.
The Mountaineer is also quite a bit cheaper - I could basically get a scoped Mountaineer for the price of an Ultra Lite, but I have to hunt muzzleloader season with open sights anyway so a scope would just be for fun/load development.

I went to bass pro and a local shop and shouldered several guns and then went from there. I then called a few shops to get their opinion on the guns i was interested in and see what they had to say. Then did lots of searching on the web about the guns(pros/cons) and then lots of questions on forums about the guns. I wound up buying the new cva optima v2, but thats me.
Good luck with your decision and let us know what you ended up getting

I really look at a couple things..

Can both guns do the same job as well or is one better suited to my needs.

Can I physically enjoy each rifle equally for their intended purpose. Here is a case where I examine what physical requirements the gun my call for. If its going to be a walking rifle, then I look at weight and balance. It it is going to be a stand rifle, where I sit for hours a day, then weight really means very little to me.

Then I look at which rifle I really like the looks of. Does one stand out more then the other. When I purchased the Optima for instance.. I could have purchased the thumb-hole stock model. But that camouflage thumb-hole stock was rear end ugly in my opinion. While the black and stainless always does appeal to me.

And then of course price. Is one really worth that much more then the other to make it a better choice? Also this is a very good time (as my Dad used to call it) to get cheap. When I would ponder the purchase of something, he used to say.. get cheap. Do you really have to have that item? If the answer was no, but I can afford it, then it was not important which one I selected. But I can not tell you how many times I entirely talked myself out of a purchase too.

Lets face it .. we don't need all these rifles we own. My Dad survived for years with one shotgun, a .22 rifle and a military surplus rifle. In fact when he comes to my house and goes in my gun room, he just shakes his head and laughs at me. So you need to ask.. which one trips my bubble? And then go with your gut feeling.

[QUOTE=RobertSubnet;4037756]You buy them all! :)

Yes shoulder them to see how they fit if possible. I find that in my "heart of hearts" I know which one I really want. So forget the advertising or what others may say they are not the one buying...buy what fits your needs and makes you happy.

+1 on this I know for me if I have a choice between 2 items there is always some thing about one of them that makes it stand out more to me,its a personal thing only I have to like my choice.

[QUOTE=gman57;4037780]Cost is always an issue with me but the above statement holds true with me also. That is why I like the Taditions Deerhunter model sidelock rifles. They have an adjustable trigger that I like very much. Plus they shoot great groups.

I did several things
 

One, I knew there would always be another gun to buy and avoided buyitis.
When I studied and decided which one, I paid - Cash.
Watching those twenties, fifties or hundreds rolling off the fingers can sure cure buyitis. You don't want to do that too often.

And it cured any inclination to sell them later. I only bought what I could afford, when I bought it.

Not using plastic helped me avoid a lot of problems.

I can assure you I will be paying cash for whatever I get. I had a Pro Hunter set up for smokeless that I sold as I decided I just didn't want to pursue smokeless muzzleloading. I just don't know for sure where to go from here.