Time to get out?

[JRuby]

When i look at a firearm i think about how much more its going to cost me after i get the firearm. A sporting rifle in a new caliber i will need a scope, a scope mount, a sling, dies, brass, and that does not include any gunsmithing. It is not hard for even a cheap rifle to cost over a grand.

 

[41mag]

I too have found it liberating to do an inventory purge on a relatively regular basis. There is something about out with the old and in with the new.

well stated! And it has worked several cycles in my own attention span.
Just yesterday ran across some old ammo still with the original BiMart 5.99 sticker. I guess Remie 223 is going for a bit more lately. And it's just amazing the kinds of rifle brass I hadn't traded off. Some of them rifles I send away when Nixon was prez!!!

 

[41mag]

hose funds better in our investment portfolio.

uhnnn---oh--oh!!!! Don't look back. Yer youth is fleeing and you will turn into a pillar of salt!

 

[Doctorona]

I guess I'm fortunate to not have been a gun hoarder.. I own 4 pistols, but only need 2 really.
I have been buying up ammo though.

Downsizing is a good feeling in my opinion. I'm down to one motorcycle and two cars.
There's something to be said about keeping life simple.

Best of luck..

 

[PDXbiker]

Forty years ago I bought a safe which I thought would more than accommodate my interest in firearms. Now I have one twice as big filled. With no family members interested in inheriting firearms it is either die with everything or keep a few special ones and sell the surplus. I'd rather do that while alive and enjoy the money spent on my vacations. Vs after being gone the family selling them and then enjoying my money on their vacations, or new car, house etc.

 

[jbett98]

I have decided to sell one of the machine guns that I inherited.
Anyone interested in a full auto tax stamped transferable Thompson, let me know as I'm going to find a dealer that handles consignments.

 

[Ruger Rich]

Lotta good thoughts going on here. I relate to many of them. I've already passed on probably 15 or so guns to near by family members and a good friend or two.
Got a few more to go. I'm thinning down to the more popular calibers. I've had/have a few less than popular calibers. I see ammo manufacturers in the near future
cutting down to just the more popular brands ( possible exception, Hornady), and governmental restrictions may become a serious issue. I have only one gun valued in excess of 3K and likely 5 a bit over 1K each. Almost all my guns are "average Joe" guns. I recently have found that I have serious issues charging my various rear charge AR's. I now have a side charge in 7.62X39 that makes my arthritic hand feel much better. I'm switching over an AR10 to the same. Some time in the near future I'll be finalizing the labeling of each gun as to who gets it and the others I'll place a realistic value on. Just a small life insurance at probably not more than 20/25K in value. And, Oh Yeah, if ammo prices stay stupid there's a decent pile there as well. I love shooting and hunting even more. 80 this month
and I still make it thru the woods pretty good, but I know the end of that is near. Sh!t I say. And what the hell, it's been great.

 

[CLT65]

It sounds like I'm far from alone in my thinking here.

I've bought some estate lots over the years, usually reloading stuff, and it always makes me feel weird when I go through and sort it out. This is someone's stuff, their prized possessions, and here it is now, just a pile of stuff. I've heard so many stories about stuff like this.

Some years back I heard a story, might have been on this forum but I don't remember. Whoever told me the story had a friend who passed away. This friend had an extensive gun collection, as in hundreds of nice guns. The widow asked him if there were any that he wanted, as he was welcome to a few. He declined because he didn't want to take advantage, and recommended that she get an appraisal and have an auction or sell on consignment.

Instead, he later found out, after the funeral the whole extended family came to her house. She emptied the safes and had them all laid out in the bedroom. She told everyone to go in and choose whatever they wanted and take them with them. I imagine that most of them went straight to the nearest pawn shop.

I've started the process of digging out. It's mostly reloading stuff and ammo so far; Ebay and Gunbroker are working well. The guns are harder to part with. This one's special, can't sell it. That one I've had for 35 years, can't sell it. This other one I might need someday...

What's making it easier is the realization that I can use this to get a few things I've always had my eye on. I can sell a few guns that I don't need, and use part of that money to buy something I've always wanted. There's a couple of older revolvers I've been looking out for for a long time, but never seem to see the right one at the right time, and if I ever find the right Trapdoor Springfield when I also happen to have money in my pocket...

 

[TTSX]

I recently purged 5 handguns in one transaction, covered the cost of another much more expensive rifle I wanted and paid some debt. Considering selling a few long guns, too since the ice is broken. There are really only a handful on guns I refuse to sell and it's all sentimental. You can replace an object, usually, but you can't replace the memories

 

[OldTengu]

I sell what I want. Buy what I want. I don't have kids, and my wife likes guns too. Even if she is (or was) a blue voter. She doesn't care what I spend my money on as long as she gets to shoot it before I decide to sell it.
But, I wish I hadn't been so shortsighted when it came to ammo. I have been around firearms my whole life, but never really experienced the bans and panic buying until now, because my mom and stepdad were preppers and had what they knew they would need, times 4. I have sold ammo that I regret selling. Moreover, I regret not taking the time to learn reloading until now. Thankfully, a very benevolent member is helping me out with that, and I will be well on my way to ammo subsistence soon.

 

[wired]

I dont know. I sell or trade stuff as I get bored of it . As ammo has become unreplaceable Im holding course and trying not to sell of much. Buyers market and sellers market at the same time. Im naturally a wheeler and a dealer ( my wife in her best THICK Russian accent says " You are like Jew " which I take as a compliment ) and I have tried to mitigate that by SBR'ing EVERYTHING to make it harder to unload when I get a whim.

 

[Mark W.]

My two cents about year 2000 i got into building my Canon FD mount film camera collection. As everyone had long since gone auto focus. I built up about 18K in camera equipment I was shooting a wedding every now and then to buy more. Then Digital came in and more people left film and I swooped in and bought some Leicas some 1950's Canon rangefinders and some other really cool cameras in my youth I couldn't even dream of owning.
Now everyone is digital only art students die hard and collectors what the cameras I have and I would be lucky if my 18k in cameras netted me 3K if I sold them. I ran the curve the wrong way.

On the other hand in about 2005 I got into vintage stereo gear and collecting LPs and now with 2800+ LP's worth 10 times what I paid that investment is doing great. And will continue to grow. The don't make any more half speed masters of Pink Floyd's the Wall any more but people sure pay over $100 to have one. I paid $40.

So what i am saying is you got to hit the curve right. And if you want to sell a firearm I can't think of a better time.

 

[cigars]

I should probably downsize my holster drawer(s).

 

[jrd541280]

It sounds like I'm far from alone in my thinking here.

I've bought some estate lots over the years, usually reloading stuff, and it always makes me feel weird when I go through and sort it out. This is someone's stuff, their prized possessions, and here it is now, just a pile of stuff. I've heard so many stories about stuff like this.

Some years back I heard a story, might have been on this forum but I don't remember. Whoever told me the story had a friend who passed away. This friend had an extensive gun collection, as in hundreds of nice guns. The widow asked him if there were any that he wanted, as he was welcome to a few. He declined because he didn't want to take advantage, and recommended that she get an appraisal and have an auction or sell on consignment.

Instead, he later found out, after the funeral the whole extended family came to her house. She emptied the safes and had them all laid out in the bedroom. She told everyone to go in and choose whatever they wanted and take them with them. I imagine that most of them went straight to the nearest pawn shop.

I've started the process of digging out. It's mostly reloading stuff and ammo so far; Ebay and Gunbroker are working well. The guns are harder to part with. This one's special, can't sell it. That one I've had for 35 years, can't sell it. This other one I might need someday...

What's making it easier is the realization that I can use this to get a few things I've always had my eye on. I can sell a few guns that I don't need, and use part of that money to buy something I've always wanted. There's a couple of older revolvers I've been looking out for for a long time, but never seem to see the right one at the right time, and if I ever find the right Trapdoor Springfield when I also happen to have money in my pocket...

great topic sir. one that many of us over the 60 year age group probably start to think about either openly or privately. i too have acquired a good amount of what i've bought over the years, as well as what dad left me 2 years ago.
i have decided for me, to try to find a good home for the guns and reloading gear that i know i will ever use. for me, that will be a start. getting rid of any of it is like giving blood, but after you have, you hopefully will think "i had plenty and that person needed it more than me".
that's just me and where i'm gonna start.

 

[Tige]

NEVER, EVER give up you gun.
nuff said.

FAITH
COURAGE

 

[Mark W.]

I got a Son and a Daughter and two grand daughters all willing to fit each other in a no holds barred cage match to end up with as many of grandpa Marks firearms as possible. I have already got a list that specifies where each one goes if not to my son. And a lawyer to make sure it goes just that way.

 

[CLT65]

Like I mentioned before, I'm probably a little different from most. I played with a lot of different guns when I was younger, before I started family life. I'm still a long way from 60, still on the sunny side of 50, though not for long.

My kids are young yet, so I don't know how many, if any, will be interested in them down the road. I don't know how many older guys I've heard say something along the lines of how their kids all moved to the big city and became "gun-hating liberals", and now they don't know what to do with their prized collection of guns.

 

[caliberbob]

Forty years ago I bought a safe which I thought would more than accommodate my interest in firearms. Now I have one twice as big filled. With no family members interested in inheriting firearms it is either die with everything or keep a few special ones and sell the surplus. I'd rather do that while alive and enjoy the money spent on my vacations. Vs after being gone the family selling them and then enjoying my money on their vacations, or new car, house etc.

You're not by chance wanting to adopt?

 

[American123]

Really depends on what you plan to do with the money you get in exchange for your guns you currently own. If whatever that is sounds better than the guns you own, sounds like that is a good decision for you. If you'd rather have the guns, it doesn't matter how much they could sell for.

 

[Pops1911]

Guns are no problem for me ... it is GUITARS! I have reached the age that I am no longer publicly performing with my band. No plans at all of returning to the stage so to speak. I have 1 or 2 guitars for just about every need plus amps, etc. Strangely none of our kids play guitars and are not interested in them at all. So, like this discussion with firearms, I am warring with my self over all the memories of where my guitars have been. Not asking for advice just sharing my own conundrum. Thanks