Silver Supporter
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"He who dies with the most toys.... wins!"
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Ditto as well, after I retired from the Marines I had almost 600 rifles/pistols/shotguns, and a unknown amount of ammo, im now 65 and recovering from 2 major colon surgeries, and over the past 10 years I have sold off almost all of my rifles all but 1 shotgun and most of my pistols, the funny thing is, when I had 100`s of bolt action rifles I still only hunted with the same 2 or 3 rifles that my Dad had bought for me more then 50 years ago, a Win model 54 super grade in .257 Roberts, my Remington Model 760 pump in .300 Savage ( great rifles) Ruger NO1 in 300 H H Mag( for the big stuff), and I traded for a Christensen arms carbon fiber, in 308 Win last year that I have yet to even shoot.My wife is way more happy not having all of the extra rifle stuff around, happy wife happy life.I started thinning stuff out at 50. I need to make another pass through my garage and dump more. My health is declining and I can't do what I did ten years ago so I am getting things in order for my old age. I have nobody to leave my stuff to so from here on out I will continue to off load things and only keep what I can use. I'm only 58 but my physical self is worse than a few 70 year olds I know. That has a big impact on my life.
He who dies with the most toys, still dies."He who dies with the most toys.... wins!"
I aint 50 yet!It must be a 50ish thing for sure! I think back when I was younger and I didn't have much but I think I was happier with less. Now I have all the stuff I could want plus and I've been wrestling with letting go of some things for a while now. It's really tough to do because a lot of it's sentimental. I've got my dads old truck that he had all my life, my dads model A and my fully rebuilt CJ7 out in the barn. Haven't driven any of them in years because I have three cars in the driveway as well. What am I doing with them? My best friend died this last fall. Knew him for forty years. He was a month older than me. It really gets you thinking........
You're supposed to just keep buying bigger houses to store more stuff.When is it enough for "stuff", including gun stuff? While I am not old, I am coming right up on 50 and the way I look at things has changed a lot. I still find myself wanting a lot of things, but I also end up asking myself when am I going to use it, how much will I use it, where will I store it, etc.
For example I have wanted to learn a lot more about metal working and get a welder and a nice lathe but between space, time and I do not have any specific projects that I need the for hold me back. I also do not want to leave a huge pile of stuff that someone else has to deal with when I am gone. I have some friends that have been going through this with their families. With that said, I did just pick up a nice 15" drill press off the local classifieds.
So now that brings me to gun stuff. I just saw another good deal on a press I really want, and 20 years ago I would have just bought it, but now I find that I am asking, "what am I going to do with it". I have 2 of the same progressives now and 3 single stage presses. My original plan was to set up one progressive for each main caliber I run so no change over needed, but things are pretty well loaded up.
I look at some of the stuff I have stashed away also. At one point I owned a belt fed, semi auto M-60 so I have enough stuff to load about 10,000 rds. I no longer have that gun and I only have one semi auto .308 and I have a ton of loaded ammo so I have been think about selling off some/most of the components. Same for a few other the other calibers I rarely shoot. I am in the process of loading up a batch of around 500 .243 ammo for my hunting rifle and that will last me the rest of my life. I do have my core arms and a good amount of ammo for all of those and that will not be changing. I also have family and sentimental stuff that also will not be changing.
My wife and I both remote work so we travel frequently, often for months at a time. When we retire we will likely continue to travel, but for longer periods and to more distant places.
I know that is a lot of misc ramblings, but when did you start making changes in your habits? What did that look like? Are you happy with your change?
Makes me think of the tv show American Pickers. How many old men did they run across who couldn't let go of even one little thing..like a jar or oil can. Instead they just kept adding sheds and out buildings.You're supposed to just keep buying bigger houses to store more stuff.
Yes, I will be passing a lot down. I also do not want to leave a mess that someone else has to deal with. Some of that simply comes in the form of organization and labeling. Like I hav a box full of springs and spare parts for guns. I know what they are, but it is not inherently obvious what they are for. Or ammo that works great in gun A, but not in gun B.I appreciate you guys who give stuff to your kids and grandkids. That's been a bit of a foreign concept in my family. My dad was more generous with strangers than he ever was with family, and I only have a very few of his guns. One I had to trade him for, another he wanted back a couple years before he passed, and another my mom gave me after he was gone.
I'm changing that. In coming years as my kids grow up, I plan on passing on some of the special guns to them at appropriate times.
I sorted through mine last week and it was tough but I threw some things away. They were things I won't use but I still had this attachment to them for some reason. I get a guilty feeling thinking someone else could use them so I should keep them. I have some holsters that are in the same situation.Yes, I will be passing a lot down. I also do not want to leave a mess that someone else has to deal with. Some of that simply comes in the form of organization and labeling. Like I hav a box full of springs and spare parts for guns. I know what they are, but it is not inherently obvious what they are for. Or ammo that works great in gun A, but not in gun B.
That is something that happens so often also. One of our major hobbies is off roading in our UTV. I see guys that put all kinds of fancy stuff on them, do a full detail wash/wax after each ride, and keep them in immaculate shape, but hardly ride them.I had a brand new Fender American Ultra Stratocaster that just hung on my wall for four years. played it twice. I didn't want to mar the pickguard, so my go-to was a G&L ASAT (fender telecaster like) that I built from scratch..finally sold the strat two weeks ago and haven't regretted it one minute. The new owner loves it.
Same with a vintage Giant Road bike I built..it hung on my office wall for years, while I road a Bianchi mountain bike I built..selling that now too.
I guess for me, if I'm not enjoying using something..someone else will..and I'll get some $$ out of it.
Funny you bring that up…You're supposed to just keep buying bigger houses to store more stuff.
I had been musing about what folk might do given no heirs. One of the Waltons died not too long back. She gave PBS/NPR like $40B.. like they need it.. it's publicly funded through taxes, groan. It's just more gas for the gaslights.Well youngsters, I'm just shy of 70 years old. My guns are my friends. I shoot almost every week. I will not sell my friends.
I have seven, gun safes stuffed with so much stuff that it overflows into other places in the man cave/house.
I have no heirs and don't need no more money.
My hobby makes me feel good, and that's good enough for me.
When I die, I die. I will not worry about my stuff left behind.
At my age, I'm constantly reminded that there are more birthday candles behind me than in front of me.
The enjoyment I get from shooting and being around other shooters makes me happy and takes my mind off of the fact that death is closing in on me real fast.
I hope but for the grace of God, I will still be shooting till the week I die.
Hey, anyone without someone to give their 2nd amendment stuff to can always gift it to me and be at rest that they will treasured and never leave my family.I had been musing about what folk might do given no heirs. One of the Waltons died not too long back. She gave PBS/NPR like $40B.. like they need it.. it's publicly funded through taxes, groan. It's just more gas for the gaslights.
Along those lines, I was wondering who here might give their estates to a worthy cause like perhaps GOA or somesuch instead of it going to the state?