Wonder if I should sell some handguns

[vito]

I'm getting older, my wife dislikes guns, none of my kids is into guns and none of my grandkids are old enough for me to give them a gift of a handgun. I think I really only need 3 or 4, and sometimes think about reducing the number of different calibers just to simplify life. But when I think about how little I would get for some of them, I always stop short of selling. Even if I don't often fire it, for example, I get too much fun out of my old Buckmark to give it up for just $125! Maybe I just need to stop buying more guns and hope I'm around long enough for my grandkids to get old enough that I don't need their parent's permission to give them a gun as a gift.

 

[contender]

Many folks face this type of decision. However,,, if you feel you are getting "too little" for them,,, maybe you need to find a better place to sell. A Buckmark for $125 is a steal,,, for the buyer. Do some internet price shopping. Look at Gunbroker at completed auctions. You may find your guns are worth a bit more than you realize.

 

[Bob Wright]

A Buckmark for $125? Surely you could do better than that!

But enjoy your guns while you can, don't worry about "when, if."

I've seen a couple of such posts lately. There almost seems to be a feeling of near impending doom. If you're still alive, God still has use for you. When you wake up in the morning, pray "LORD, I somehow thank you for the opportunity of this day. This is the day the LORD hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Bob Wright

 

[Pierow]

.............Maybe I just need to stop buying more guns and hope I'm around long enough for my grandkids to get old enough that I don't need their parent's permission to give them a gun as a gift.

You can accomplish all of this Vito with some proper planning. You can structure your estate to hold firearms in trust for your grandkids if you wish. Nothing their parents can do if the guns are held until they are adults. My brother and I have been doing educational workshops on this subject at Giovanni's restaurant for the past 8 years or so. Send me a pm if you want to come to one.

Pierow

 

[cruzerlou]

With the money being so tight around here I've had the same thought a few times of late .I could sell my one of less than 350 ever made Arsenal milled receiver A.K. that I paid $1250.00 for back around 2005 that now if you can find one is selling for $3500.00 and up.
I could sell either my 1986 pre Lew Horton 3" 657 and get at least $1500.00 for it or my 1982 M-29 and get about the same and last but not least my beloved M1A " Loaded" and get at least what I paid for it ,but then again i'd never be able to replace them so I guess I'll just sit here and be gun poor LOL.
At least I'm well armed .
Lou

 

[hittman]

Wonder if I should sell some handguns

If so ...... we should meet half-way, do lunch, have a little face-to-face transaction, etc. :lol:

 

[DGW1949]

Sell 'em or die with 'em.
In the grand scheme of things, it really aint going to matter much.....they're just stuff.

DGW

 

[Pal Val]

It can be a tragedy what happens to firearms when the owner dies. A neighbor of mine had a Parker shotgun that had been in his family for a century, together with a few other very valuable guns, all in extremely good condition. When he died, I offered to buy the guns from his widow, at reasonable market value. I set out to put together the money. When I went back to her a few months later, I found out that her daughter-in-law had taken the whole collection to a "guns-for-groceries" program and gotten $200 for them. $200 for a collection I valued at $7,000 (on the low side). I didn't have the heart to tell her, but I saw the daughter-in-law a few weeks later and told her what she had done. Her reaction was to hurl a barrage of insults at me, as if I had done any wrong! She "had" to get rid of all those ugly guns, and that was the best way she knew.
The guns were all destroyed.

 

[Xsales]

It can be a tragedy what happens to firearms when the owner dies. A neighbor of mine had a Parker shotgun that had been in his family for a century, together with a few other very valuable guns, all in extremely good condition. When he died, I offered to buy the guns from his widow, at reasonable market value. I set out to put together the money. When I went back to her a few months later, I found out that her daughter-in-law had taken the whole collection to a "guns-for-groceries" program and gotten $200 for them. $200 for a collection I valued at $7,000 (on the low side). I didn't have the heart to tell her, but I saw the daughter-in-law a few weeks later and told her what she had done. Her reaction was to hurl a barrage of insults at me, as if I had done any wrong! She "had" to get rid of all those ugly guns, and that was the best way she knew.
The guns were all destroyed.

This kind of result always make me sick to my stomach

I cringe at the stupidity of people and the amount they could have but choice not to

Sickening

 

[rugerguy]

well, there is selling them, for fair market value and there is giving them away, if you have in your mind a Buckmark going for $125, wow, you just may be a bit 'out of touch'..yes, gun shops have to make a living( ha ha) and have their "book values" ( 60% of blue book is about tops in most shops) and YES, any and all auction house have to collect "fees" ( both from buyers as well as sellers), so they too are "making money", and yes any private sales you better set a good, fair value up front........me, I tell folks to get at least 3 different appraisals of just what exactly you may have for sale , then go from there...market areas change, things sell differently in different markets, coast to coast, same for "on line and again you run into fees, tranfers, shipping , insurance. A lot to take into consideration....some folks are very good at marketing, do a fair ,honest job, and can get YOU top dollar, and others will steal you blind, and these same folks will NOT tell the widow just what she may be sitting on or in the case of 'get them out of the house" happens all too often, we see it ALL the time, MORE get screwed , than taken care of............do your homework 8) :roll: :wink:
Gun buy backs are for ONLY junk ,saturday night special, crap, to just get them off the street :(

 

[RugerHound]

rugerguy is right... It's easy enough to find out what the going rate (generally) is for any gun you might have with the internet!

The way I look at guns - If you enjoy them, you're not eating dog food to survive, it doesn't matter if the kids or the wife don't like 'em or not!

My stepkids (except one) don't give a damn about the guns, but they DO know the value of 'em! If I keel over tomorrow, I can go to my grave knowing that they're not gonna give 'em away for a week's worth of groceries! ;)

Enjoy what you have for as long as you're able. After that, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[737tdi]

Vito: I did somewhat the same thing for a different reason. I had 15+ different calibers and knew it was out of hand, at least for me. I picked the one's I liked the most. There are some you just can't get rid of, like a couple of .357 flattops but I sold all of my other .357s. I downsized a lot but still need to do more because I see something and fall in love with it. I have kept 2 .40 autos, one 9mm concealed carry gun and the rest now are pretty much revolvers. Got rid of all of my .45acps (tear). I mostly shoot my .44 mags and .22s but then came across a .17 HMR single six. Had to buy it because it was a good deal. I am almost back up to my pre sell numbers of calibers and if you can't tell I have no answer. It is very tough to limit ones self to minimals. Hell I just won a Benelli Nova tactical at an NRA event, well then I have to buy a mag. extension. It is a dang disease.

Oh well, I have not been successful in reducing the number but have made some money.

Semper Fi:

Karl

 

[DA_TriggR4Ruger]

With the money being so tight around here I've had the same thought a few times of late .I could sell my one of less than 350 ever made Arsenal milled receiver A.K. that I paid $1250.00 for back around 2005 that now if you can find one is selling for $3500.00 and up.
I could sell either my 1986 pre Lew Horton 3" 657 and get at least $1500.00 for it or my 1982 M-29 and get about the same and last but not least my beloved M1A " Loaded" and get at least what I paid for it ,but then again i'd never be able to replace them so I guess I'll just sit here and be gun poor LOL.
At least I'm well armed .
Lou

This is EXACTLY what I did 3 months ago.

One of the best investments I made, it seems...