Thought about selling, then decided not to

[GasGuzzler]

I have the same problem (?).

I have two rifles, one shotgun, and two hand guns I have never shot. I have many others I have had outside only once. Most of them are worth 3X what I paid or more. That's appealing until I realize how hard it was to find most of them (I do not buy off the internet or from retail stores) and even at their inflated value, the money isn't enough to change my life.

I have price sheets made up for my Marlin 783, pre-safety Rossi M92 .357, and my highly modified 1978 .357 Blackhawk but I have not listed any of them for sale.

I did sell a very nice .410 pump shotgun and shells to a buddy a couple weeks ago. I had it since 2019 and never shot it, just fully refinished the wood and polished the bluing. It had no sentimental value other than the effort I put into it ... plus I sold it to a buddy. In fact, the last three guns I sold (over the course of three years) have all been to friends. Guess that's a good way to do it when something needs to move along.

 

[rwp315]

I only own a few guns, nothing compared to what most here on the forum talk about owning. A few of my guns have a real purpose, discreetly placed in a few places in my home so that I am not likely to ever be in a part of the house when I hear a break-in and find myself unable to arm myself. A few serve as fun for putting holes in paper at the range. And a couple serve as concealed carry guns. But I have a few that almost never come out of the safe. I thought about selling 3 of them, but then thought about how much I was likely to get for them, and realized that this small amount of money would make no real difference in my life. I just like having them, taking them out once in awhile for cleaning and casual handling. I've decided that the occasional enjoyment I get out of owning these guns is worth more than the several hundred dollars that I would make for selling them. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but its how I feel.

Don't sell. 5 years ago I unloaded quite a few because I became overwhelmed moving. Blackhawk, 45 lever actions and a beautiful Sharps that isn't made anymore.

Regret it often.

You are not alone.

 

[Larryburford]

Makes sense to me also. I do the same thing. I have given a couple of nice ones away to good friends in the last year. The only way a person gets a gun you want them to have is if you hand it to them. After you die then who knows what happens.

 

[Yaworski]

My aunt had promised me her father's service pistol from WW I. After my uncle died, her family came out of the woodwork, cut her off from her husband's family which was my side of the family, and the will got completely rewritten. I can only hope that a collector wound up with the pistol.

 

[gnappi]

My aunt had promised me her father's service pistol from WW I. After my uncle died, her family came out of the woodwork, cut her off from her husband's family which was my side of the family, and the will got completely rewritten. I can only hope that a collector wound up with the pistol.

Such a shame that these things happen. When my mom's parents passed away her brother locked her out of everything.

 

[Heliman]

A few years ago, I had both my Son's over to the house. I offered a dozen guns to them. After alternating choices 12 guns were gone from my inventory.
Flash forward to today and once again it is time to thin the herd. This time I will have them on my table at the gunshows.
I am in my late 70's and no longer hike the hills in search of deer and elk. Therefore, long guns will be going first. I will keep a couple for occasional use and nostalgia.
I have more than enough handguns for personal defense, plinking and collector interest.
Bottom line, I am done buying, except for the occasional bargain I can flip.
Don't get me wrong, I am still a firearm enthusiast, just backing off a bit.

 

[Yaworski]

Such a shame that these things happen. When my mom's parents passed away her brother locked her out of everything.

I hear stories like that on a regular basis, more often now that I'm getting older.

 

[Randyzzz]

Worst case scenario…one of my acquaintances had an extensive collection of extremely expensive shotguns and many other guns. He passed away and his wife was overwhelmed- never liked guns and there were no kids to help out. A "friend" offered to sell them for her. Over the course of 2 years he gave her appx $500. Always excuse after excuse- "high dollar guns are hard to sell". I guesstimate the value of the collection was about $100k or more. Well, she passed on about 2 1/2 years after my acquaintance did. The "friend"? He kept everything. Crook.

One of my good friends passed several years back. I was asked to sell his guns and ammo. I sold everything at what current retail was less 10%. But not before clearing it with his widow. I bought a Benelli Nova Tactical, a bunch of ammo, and she gave me a H&K USP9 SD as a Thank You. I sold the rest. There were .22 rifles, small caliber Berettas, and other what I call "off brand" guns. The only ones I didn't sell were a Dan Wesson .357 and an octagon barrel Winchester pump .22. I told her that if she ever decided to sell those I wanted to be first in line.

At some point I'll let my kids decide what they want out of my collection.

 

[southernbuck101]

My aunt had promised me her father's service pistol from WW I. After my uncle died, her family came out of the woodwork, cut her off from her husband's family which was my side of the family, and the will got completely rewritten. I can only hope that a collector wound up with the pistol.

I too, have learned that family will break it off in you upon the passing of a relative.
It was my biological sibling in my case.(I'll never refer to him as a brother. A Narccist on steroids for sure. Poster child material in that sense)
Never came around to help maintain the homeplace or help with doctor visits for our parents, or anything that involved labor or his time.

I fathered the only blood grandchild of the family.

He adopted a few future inmates after collecting foster parent money as long as he and his crazy strung out wife could bullshit the caseworker.
I never figured out how they were allowed to be foster parents.
Makes me cringe at the thought of that broken system of Government .

Sometime during my father's hospital stay that he never returned home from, he cleaned out the gun safe and the coin collection safe .
Minimum of 100K in rare and uncirculated coins And enough pre 64 silver coins to break the bed.
Close to 50K in firearms,2 of which I had asked for years ago.
A mint 1956 Winchester 94, And a mint Winchester 62a.
Not to mention all the Brownings and Smiths and Colts.
I didn't think it proper to ask for anything after the burial.
I knew my mom would eventually divide what was there in time after her grief.
Turns out she knew nothing about the Coins, and didn't give the guns much thought, but still had no idea of the value of any of it.
And the safe was cleaned out without her knowledge.
Hell,I never even knew the combination to those safes.
But if that's what it took for me to only have to be civil to my sibling ,one more time,upon the passing of my mom,which I hope is a long time from now, it was worth it, I suppose.
As long as he don't piss me off at that time.
Because it wouldn't take but 1 crossed word from his pie hole for me to stomp a mud hole in his ass from here to China.

 

[jav]

I think Vito you make perfect sense I have several guns that don't hardly come out to play but I ain't selling them either

 

[LAH]

I have things not used but at this point I enjoy giving them to friends & family.

 

[gnappi]

Worst case scenario…one of my acquaintances had an extensive collection of extremely expensive shotguns and many other guns. He passed away and his wife was overwhelmed- never liked guns and there were no kids to help out. A "friend" offered to sell them for her. Over the course of 2 years he gave her appx $500. Always excuse after excuse- "high dollar guns are hard to sell". I guesstimate the value of the collection was about $100k or more. Well, she passed on about 2 1/2 years after my acquaintance did. The "friend"? He kept everything. Crook.

I view stories like this that there's a payment to be made eventually. I had two widows ask me to do this for them in both cases I gave them a written valuation based on gun sale / trade sites with my opinion of collector value on rare samples.

Collector value

Distress sale value

Current actual sale prices

In all cases I declined to buy any of the items in the collection.

The last widow told me "I don't know if I can trust you but my husband asked me to contact you". Holy crap! I gave her my list with pix to help her identify his firearms and never spoke to her again.

 

[wproct]

My wife and me had a couple that we had been good friends with ever since we had been married, 60 years. He wasn't a true gun fanatic like me, but he liked to deer hunt, both with handgun and rifle, and he was good at it. The rest of his guns were mainly ones that had been handed down to him, and he had a few nice ones. As time passed on and we were both over 60 almost every time we got together his wife would start informing him that he needed to sell his guns as she didn't want to have to deal with it when he was gone. This went on for a number of years and finally one day I just asked her, what makes you sure he will go before you? Maybe that was kind of insensitive on my part, but it would end the conversation. Well, she passed before he did. Then before He passed and was unable to hunt or shoot he told his two sons to divide them up among themselves. He was able to see what they chose and they did so without any arguing or hard feelings.

I have a son and a daughter. My daughter and son in law don't have guns in their house and don't want any. My son already has a few guns that I have given him but he just isn't the gun collector that I have always been. Anyway, when I am gone I have complete confidence that my son and daughter will work things out fairly. I will turn 80 in April and I think by the fall I will make sure which ones my son really wants and the rest I will start to thin out. It's just a hard process to start.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Some of y'all got some real crappy family. I ain't lucky. I am normal. I still believe.

 

[ned]

My interest in Rugers and several guns came from came from a great old guy who took me under his wing when I was a young engineer at Boeing. After he died I tracked down his grandson who is a Ruger fan. I never met him, but knew of him. I shipped them to a local, to the grandson, FFL. He thanked me profusely and it felt right…and still does….better than money. I'm now the age he was, 75, when he gave them to me. I will give away more if I ever find someone who will appreciate them. Nothing collectible, just stuff that followed me home from gun shows. My daughter thinks they should be destroyed and her kids feel the same….however did she come from my loins? My friends are my age with their own and the few younger friends don't have any interest.

 

[turd]

^^^Send them to me.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I'm getting older now, and I'm not able to get out hunting, or pack a moose in, as I used to do, I've given my son some guns over the years. His wife doesn't want them in the house, and he doesn't have a safe to put them in. He's left them at a "friends" for safe keeping. I doubt he even remembers what all I've given to him. Breaks my heart. I have far fewer guns than in the past, but don't feel a real need to pass on more to him, as I figure he'll just sell them at some point. But I also don't feel a real need to hang on to them. If someone is going to sell them and get the money, it might as well be me.
I still have those that I've had for years and will probably hang onto them for sentimentality. His oldest kid isn't 4 yet so hard to know if any of them will have any interest.
I could always use the money to buy another rental, which he will probably get but at least they will help him prepare for retirement at some point.

 

[bigbillyboy]

I'm getting older now, and I'm not able to get out hunting, or pack a moose in, as I used to do, I've given my son some guns over the years. His wife doesn't want them in the house, and he doesn't have a safe to put them in. He's left them at a "friends" for safe keeping. I doubt he even remembers what all I've given to him. Breaks my heart. I have far fewer guns than in the past, but don't feel a real need to pass on more to him, as I figure he'll just sell them at some point. But I also don't feel a real need to hang on to them. If someone is going to sell them and get the money, it might as well be me.
I still have those that I've had for years and will probably hang onto them for sentimentality. His oldest kid isn't 4 yet so hard to know if any of them will have any interest.
I could always use the money to buy another rental, which he will probably get but at least they will help him prepare for retirement at some point.

You , could consider gifting to a friend or junior Hunter that really would appreciate a gun or so . I did that on two different occasions myself . I gifted a flintlock and a win . 94 30-30. to two different young hunters a while ago . In both cases neither had the means to buy a gun financially . Sort of a redeeming feeling I would call it .

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Actually I've done that before in the bush of Alaska as a reward to going back to school and getting his grades. Unfortunately the teacher that put that together nearly got fired. I would never have thought that in the bush. The boy got his rifle.

 

[kmoore]

Unfortunately, as some mentioned stuff disappears upon the death or just before of many family treasures. Most of the time it's likely family or close friends but it could be druggie friends of the family with some knowledge of an easy score. Also unfortunate is that when these types cases happen and an attempt to get police involved. Not much can be done due to the spouse or children don't have serial numbers or even know what was solen. We can all go in an accident or after a long illness. Its time now to plan what you want to do with stuff in the safe or other things around the house. Write it down save it in several places. Only tell those you trust about your wants.