Well StevieK, as this disease progresses, and it will, you will begin to hallucinate that there are perceived holes that need filling, for perceived reasons that are totally beyond your ability to explain to your spouse. (Perhaps you stumbled upon a thread by an idiot who firmly has himself convinced the shooting world needs a 23 caliber?) Then as the disease worsens you will find yourself wanting a collection of a certain type of firearm, for no good reason what-so-ever........old Winchester leverguns, for example, or Handi rifles in every incarnation of the 308 case, or every caliber the 700 Classic was offered in etc....etc....etc. Then as your age and financial security increase, you may start to dream of hunting weird and exotic animals on other continents and as you look at your collection of calibers, you realize you don't have the perfect caliber for that animal (which of course you do).....POOF, 2 or 3 more calibers arrive and you start working up loads for them to get the perfect rifle for the "Short eared long horned Garsamit", convincing yourself that you will sell the other two once you decide............you never do.
Then the heavy dangerous game bug bites and of course you don't have the perfect caliber for that game, so now you delve into the whole new world from 40 caliber and up. As you start to look into heavies you realize that there are 404s, 416s, 458s, 475s, 500s, 505s right up to 585s in bolt guns, but wait maybe a classic double rifle is the right way to go and you start again at .400 right up through the 700 NE (if you have attained significant financial success).
Ah, but it's not done with you yet, as you now decide you should delve into some different disciplines of this disease......F-class, Cowboy Action Shooting, benchrest, 1000 mtr, 50 BMG...........and you need a whole 'nother raft of rifles/handguns and gear to be competitive, and there goes another few grand down the tube......
The prognosis is death, for this disease..........with significantly less money than you would have died with otherwise. There is no cure, except possibly to marry a truly evil women who HATES, and I mean absolutely detests firearms, and who forces you to move to Toronto or Vancouver and take up art gallery, opera and zoo viewing instead. It has been known to cure this disease in some men, however it is not guaranteed and sometimes all it does, is take all your money several years down the road and you find yourself all alone, wanting guns even worse than ever, but now you have no money to feed your addiction................but wait "I have 150 bucks for that cute little .22 in that shop, if I walk to work for a month".............and your addiction starts all over again.
I'm hoping a little insight into my life might "scare you straight" (in a gun addiction context not ###ual), but I'm not holding my breath..............