Ownership of Imperial era Weapons and Armor?

[Q Rutilius]

If the government paid the man's mother for his weapons, I wonder if this means that: a) Soldiers bought their weapons, and b) At the end of their service the government bought them back? At first I thought this was a laughable idea, but given the Roman view of property rights, perhaps it is not so far fetched. And if sword or helmet is well maintained, how many generations of soldiers can use them?