How do you inventory your firearms?

[L84Cabo]

Thanks folks! I honestly had not thought about video. I am however in the process of taking photos of them all.

Yes! And even if you can't quite get to pulling everything together just yet, take five minutes and go for a walk through your house and video every room and closet. Every cabinet, drawer and the safe too if you can manage it. Even that five minute video is enormously helpful should have to pull a list together of everything.

It's also good to get in the habit of sitting down at least once a year and updating everything and reviewing your insurance coverages. Because if you're like most people, you've bought and/or sold a few guns each year, etc. It would suck to lose everything in a fire. But it would suck twice as much if you then find out you don't have enough coverage on your policy to make you whole again.

It also does you no good if your photos and records are lost in the fire too, so you need a solution for that...a backup copy in a safe deposit box, the data stored electronically on a cloud server, etc. And if you're worried about being hacked, it's easy enough to encrypt the data.

And don't even get me started on wills and living trusts!

 

[MountainBear]

I just post them all on the internet. Let's the scary lurking black helicopters know what I have, and gets people all in a tizzy and has them reminiscing boat accidents.

Actually, I use an A&D (acquisition and disposition) log, same as when I had an FFL. It's nice because it already has all the pertinent info. Make, model, type, caliber, serial number, and where it was acquired. If I ever sell it, it's easy to just enter in the info to the disposition section. This way, if anything ever comes up, I maintain all the pertinent info of guns I have owned.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...ords-books/firearms-record-book-prod1694.aspx

This is an easy to update and maintain system. You can afford to have multiples and it's not that hard to maintain two log books and store them separately. Add to that, I take photos of all my toys on my phone and that uploads to the cloud automatically.

Honestly, I need to take better photos and serial number lists of my machines and tooling. I have the big stuff, but there is a lot tied up in my toolbox fillers...

 

[CountryGent]

• Master spreadsheet (Excel) with make, model, serial number, caliber, purchase date, purchase price, etc.
• NFA-registered firearms have approved Form 1s and Form 4s scanned into Adobe PDF format.
• Relevant receipts, pictures, etc., scanned and saved to the respective transaction in Quicken as part of regular record keeping.
• Hardcopies in the Trust paperwork. When I make a trip to the safe deposit box, I normally toss a hardcopy in there too.

 

[jmh119]

L84Cabo, CountryGent and MountainBear,
Thanks for the replies. Good info for all I would think!

 

[pharmseller]

I keep all of mine in a big trailer. Twice a year I take it to the scales and weigh it.

Too much, I sell a few.

Not enough, I buy a few.

I think it's called first in first out, or just in time, or something else.

 

[jmh119]

I keep all of mine in a big trailer. Twice a year I take it to the scales and weigh it.

Too much, I sell a few.

Not enough, I buy a few.

I think it's called first in first out, or just in time, or something else.

Sounds like WIP to me Pharmseller! Work in Progress!

 

[PNWhunter541]

Great ideas on here!!

 

[jmh119]

Great ideas on here!!

I totally agree! I'm very glad i asked the question as there have definitely been methods brought up that I had not considered.

 

[Mike97124]

With only my one pistol, my wife's 22 rifle, and an old Daisy BB gun, it doesn't take us long to inventory. But because I'm thinking ahead, I've got a 1 terabyte hard drive, a dozen 64 gig memory cards, a ledger book and pencils, Office 365 for Excel, Power Point and One Drive, and I'm building a MS SQL database. I think I'm all set for storing the information of when I buy that next gun. Hmm, I think I forgot the pencil sharpener.



I wish I had the problem some of you people have on keeping records on everything. Starting late in the game I probably never will unless I start collecting virtual guns.

Mike

 

[DuneHopper]

It in a log at the bottom of the lake after that boat accident, before then, photo, where what and who,., using a simple graphed log book like I used when I drove a truck.

I also found posting them on my facebook page with serials allow me access all over the world..

 

[nammac]

Spreadsheet with make, model, serial number, purchase date, price and purchase location or transfer location. I also have columns for disposition as well, just so I have a complete record. This is augments by color photos of each firearm, including serial numbers.

This is also handy for any potential insurance claims in the future. Copy kept off site in a secure location...

 

[shibbershabber]

How do I inventory?

I dont know about you amateurs...

I have to call in the professionals

 

[nehalemguy]

My firearm inventory is so secret that I'm not even sure how many I have.

E

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

There's a little card on the counter at Sportsmans you can take (free) and fill in the details there.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I rent a glass bottom boat ever once in a while just to have a gander. but that's me

lol

 

[Member 5605]

Mine are inventoried on the trust paperwork.

 

[jim6br]

If you can trust Google online, I use Google Sheets on Google Drive to keep a spreadsheet that is available to me on my phone, ipad, or computer; it is as safe as Gmail, and I use double authentication for my email to add security.

 

[Concorde]

I use "My Gun DB" -- simple, inexpensive program that does the job very well.
https://mygundb.com/home/
I'm not associated with the software, just a happy customer.

 

[gdogs]

I keep a Word document with Make/Model/Caliber/Serial#, along with a list of all guns sold/traded in the last decade or so - where they were sold/traded (forum/GB/gunshow etc), and who they were sold/traded to. I also keep an Excel spreadsheet with Make/Model/Caliber/Serial#, along with the original purchase price and the insured value. This way my wife can see what they are actually worth should something happen to me. Updated list always printed out with a copy in the safe, and saved digitally in a draft on email.

 

[CLee0507]

I just use Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format with columns for manufacturer/model/type/caliber/capacity/serial number/description

I use the description column to list any special features, add on's, etc. For instance a home built AR would show parts breakdown. I also have a spreadsheet showing costs paid for each item. So I can look up exactly what I've got into a particular firearm.

I also have pictures of all serial numbers/logos attached to the same file.