Ever Thin Out Firearms Collection?

I was wondering if any members realized their firearms collection was too large and decided to thin out their collection? I own eight firearms now and want to add a few more. However, since I shoot only a few times per month, I wonder if the guns I buy will just be safe queens. Was there ever a point when you looked at your firearms and realized you weren't shooting them and they were just collecting dust? If so, did you sell some and only keep the guns you actually shoot?

About every 5 years. Usually, I try to get down to common calibers to save on ammo. Just downsized to only .357 mag .22, 12 GA...went from 19 guns to 7

I recently cut my collection back by 25 firearms to let other people use and appreciate the ones I had gathering dust and to reduce the number of calibers I have to stock. I also did it to upgrade the quality of what I kept in my collection.

Don't worry though, I still have more than I sold...

Alsoplustoo - the average of a 125% profit didn't bother me much.

Ever Thin Out Firearms Collection?

Been there. Done that.
Sold two 12 gauge riot guns and bought three pre-64 Model 70's
Felt much thinner

Yep. A few year ago I got rid of several very good guns that I didn't shoot and bought a few that I do shoot. I don't deer hunt so why did I need 2 .30-06s, a 7mm mag, 3 .243s, a 6.5X55, 2 .308s, etc. These were Winchesters, Weatherbys,CZs, Rugers,etc but they just didn't get shot.

I got 9 that's close to my all time high and there's nothing I want to part with and really nothing I need to add.

Yes, it's part of the process for me. I can't rent or borrow most guns I'm interested in - classics, rarities, antiques, higher end stuff - so buying is the only way to experience them first hand. Most stay, but some get sold if I find I don't like them. Also, I will upgrade stuff, so if I get too many duplicates i will sell some. At the end of the day, our collection is growing, not shrinking though. Just trimming the fat so to speak.

No. Standing right now at more than a dozen and less than a hundred with several interesting antiques as well as historical military arms.

yeah... sure... I've sold a 4" Kimber 1911 (didn't care for the way it recoiled) and a HK45 (got a Glock 21 instead)

I went through my collection within the last year and most things that hadn't seen any range time in over a year went to friends first, then on the market for sale/trade. Not only did I consolidate the number of firearms I had, which helps me to stay proficient with everything I own and simplify reloading, but I ended up with a lot higher quality pieces in the process.

Sell one to buy one is my general rule.

Except for some guns that I inherited, everyone that I bought had a purpose for either now or the near future.

For example: The safari I planned to take in Africa is not going to happen, barring a lottery win, so the Weatherby .378 and .300 Magnums are of no use for where I’ll be hunting.

The Winchester Model 97 for cowboy action shooting has yet to fire it’s first shot at Black Bart or Rattlesnake Smith.

I can sing the same tune for about twenty other guns, so with many guns bringing premium prices it just might be a good time to thin the herd.

Only once, when I broke my leg a couple years ago, was feeling low and thought my shootin' days were over ... NEVER GONNA' MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN! Replaced everything I unloaded ... cost me more, but then I also upgraded!:D

Sell guns? Yer bordering on blasphemy there, buddy.....

Hello friends and neighbors // I call it trading up.

Thin the collection accumulation just because it was too large?
NO!
But I do periodically try to consolidate by caliber and action type.

Rather than selling guns, I should really focus on not buying guns that don't 'fit' with what I have or what I need.

ive done this to a point. ive had ust about every caliber handgun out there at one time or another.........

now i usually stick to .32acp, 9mm, .45acp, 10mm, .22lr, .38spl, .357mag, .44spl.

Apart from my late fathers shotgun I only started buying firearms in the last 2 years.
There are still many things I want to buy but I can't see myself ever selling anything to buy something else.
I would hate to be those people who sold guns only to regret it later on.
I'm sure that there are a few former Colt Python owners out there that wish they hadn't sold theirs.

I was wondering if any members realized their firearms collection was too large and decided to thin out their collection? I own eight firearms now and want to add a few more. However, since I shoot only a few times per month, I wonder if the guns I buy will just be safe queens. Was there ever a point when you looked at your firearms and realized you weren't shooting them and they were just collecting dust? If so, did you sell some and only keep the guns you actually shoot?

NOPE.......... And I have some that I have not shot in years.

I used to buy 3 recoil springs per gun, but now buy 3 guns per gun.

I do. It's educational to learn the operation and characteristics of various firerams and then trade them in for differenr models.

NOPE! I've been collecting for over 50 years, sold 1 firearm in my lifetime and never gave any away. See no reason to. Collection is way past the first 3 digits. Many of them get shot seldom only a few have never been shot, by me at least.

Yes.

I've gotten rid of my revolvers that didn't meet my high standards, i.e., those that didn't have great lock-up, good timing or weren't really accurate.

I've gotten rid of my autoloaders that I didn't find particularly ergonomic, weren't particularly accurate or reliable or just plain didn't interest me.

I've gotten rid of those guns that I never found the urge to admire because they didn't have those classic looks; I've sold off or traded those guns that never seemed to need to go to the range ...

I've kept a couple because of sentimental attachment (i.e., first gun I ever shot with my wife or kids, etc.) but ...

I've decided to stick with only .38/.357/9mm/.45ACP in handguns (screw the .380, don't see the need for .22, .25, .32 or even 10mm or .44) and in long guns, I'm down to .30-06, .223/5.56mm and 12-gauge. Oh, yeah, there's always the .30-30 lever gun!

Don't do .22 and life is too short to own or carry ugly guns.

Other than two guns, I have every one I've ever bought or been given and still have my very first BB gun from 1976. I have two safes full and need a third. Then, again, I am OCD person and "collect" everything I like. At one time I had 47 guitars and basses and I currently have 12 motorcycles. I have a difficult time getting rid of anything. :banghead:

I am trying to do that now but nobody is buying bolt action surplus rifles.

I have said many times on this forum it is not how many you own.

It is how many you have owned!!!

You can only shoot one at a time!

Experience as many as you can and try something different. Every time I think I have seen every variation out there I discover an old previously unknown variant.

As you consolidate, trade up to the ones you liked the most.

I recently slimmed my collection from 73 down to 12 handguns, 10 rifles, and 4 shotguns so basically I reduced my numbers by half. But I wound up with some really nice guns by consolidating.

Yup,I've sold a few that I bought for investments. Also sold some that just did not meet my standards.I have tried to replace any that I sold with something better,or that I liked more.I have also sold a few that I would like to have back,so be careful when thinning the herd. Lightman

Moved 2000 miles, to lighten the load I got rid of a Russian/Soviet Dragoon
and a Hakim. also gave away 1000 pounds of lead

Cleaned up 3 firearms just this morning to try and sell them for new stuff. We will see how it goes.

I don't buy anything that I don't want so why would I want to liquidated any.

The only exception is a Beretta SSA 357 Mag with a 3 1/2 bbl and birds head grip. I like the gun/style, but not this one that's POS and I'll never buy another Beretta of any kind. May just sell it after Jan 1 or trade for something decent. But, that's not really thinning the herd.

I don't thin because I have too many (this condition cannot exist - it's impossible). But I do thin out because my collecting interests change. I've collected groups and types - .22 target rifles, SBT shotguns, German and Austrian SxS shotguns, etc. Switch one group out, accumulate another...

I'm seriously considering thinning the herd of S&W revolvers...mainly to help pay for the Morton building planned for this coming spring.
These revolvers are some really desirable and hard to find models that took some time and $$$$ to own...we're talking 617s, 3" big bore N frames, 3" CS-1, 66s, etc. It's a thought, but I know that deep regret would set in if i had sold them
(p.s., this is not an ad. :D)

Yes - and I have regretted it ever since I did it.

I do so to upgrade what I have. I sold a perfectly good Taurus .40 and bought a Glock 22 (for instance). Generally, I'm going in the other direction. FWIW, the current public climate, just like August 2008 through November 2010, make it a great time to find collectibles that are not at risk of an AWB. I will also buy low and sell high when I (rarely) tire of something. Good post!

A few years ago I thinned out my collection of deer hunting rifles. Made more room in the safes for other type long arms. No regrets as none of them had sentimental value or were anything that was rare or special. Still have a few "deer guns" but they are too pretty to drag around the woods, so use my SOCUM II M1A now if I go deer hunting.

Next time things get tight in the safes, will buy another safe and keep everything.

I got tired of insuring guns that I never shot. Having to inventory too many calibers. Having guns bang against each other while trying to get one in and out of the safe. Sold probably 20ish guns. I just got to the point that I had them just to have them. If I'm not gonna pull them out to shoot, what's the point?? I'll upgrade to something I'll use.

A few seasons back I sold a couple and bought a custom upper in .358 WSSM for deer hunting. Shoots three into .4". That's one I use every year now. A lot.

Just gave a Browning BLR Grade II .22 to my S-I-L. Had maybe the nicest wood I've ever seen on a production factory rifle. That was one I really liked, so I figured I'd keep it in the family. It's his first gun. Pretty cool.

Only when I'm offered silly money for guns. So far it has happened twice during last 25 years; an USAS 12 and a highly modified Colt Gold Cup IPSC race gun went for way, WAY over their realistic market value.

Otherwise I rather keep what I have, which drives my wife crazy. I honestly can't remember how many gun safes I have and most of them are packed full, to twice their rated capacity.

I just got to the point that I had them just to have them.

You say that like it's a bad thing! I didn't know there was any other reason.

I'm with dreamliner...sell one to get another

I got out of the 40 S&W caliber and sold my Sig 229 and Ruger PC4. Of course, I've since replaced it with 45 ACP and got a Marlin Camp 45. By this time next week I should have a 45 handgun. So it's a push...

I own about 20 firearms of all types so I sold off three bolt rifles this fall to fund mr AR Varmint rifle build.

Yes, in the past. Now, not so much.

Not thinning my collection these days, thickening my ammo supply though.

I never thin the heard when it comes to my gun collection. I may replace a gun due to finding a gun in better condition. I have guns that I bought new and have never fired yet. Others are to old to fire such as an Ithaca side by side with damascus barrels that was made in 1914. The number currently stands at just under 50 guns. I look at them as investments that I can enjoy shooting or just fondling when I can't make it out in the field.

Jim

Absolutely.

My arsenal is "thinned" only enough to the weapons I can field strip and clean quickly and have ample ammo for. Aside from a couple of old wheel guns from my dad, of course.

A while back I found myself with six .40 cal, and realized that I usually had to reacquaint myself with a few of them due to to lack of attention. It is much easier and more practical; less holsters, less everything. When you have several other hobbies, it pays to keep it simple.

You can reach a certain point when routine maintenance becomes a real time consuming ordeal. I take a monthly inventory (mainly to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be). But the worst is the oiling. Once burned by rust (it will happen at some point), you begin to get paranoid, handling guns with gloves on and stuff.

I'm an avid collector.. I have over three dozen firearms I've never even shot. They serve a purpose -- I enjoy looking at them. That, and it's a comforting thought to know you can, in a pinch, outfit an entire infantry company if you need to. :D

I spent most of this year doing just what you are asking. As I've gotten older my taste and purposes concerning guns had changed. So I gave a few away, decided which would never go anywhere for various reasons, auctioned 1 off for a charity and the rest went on the trading block. What happened was I reduced the total number of guns I own but the quality went up and I ended up with new guns that better suited my current interests. I got into reloading and by consolidating I've also cut my expense for the new hobby also. It's nice to be able to fit all the high value guns into one safe and the wall hangers into just a couple of racks. I also learned while doing this your gun has far more value in trades than they do just selling. Sure I'm down a dozen or so guns but the overall value of my collection ($$$$ wise and personal use value) went up.

yes, sold out some nice pieces as they were not being used and had no chance of being used. took proceeds and upgraded to firearms that see constant range time (and concealed carry). also committed to only 2 calibers--22lr pistols and 45acp.pistols and uzi 45 s/a. only thing i would contemplate purchasing is something like an H & R single shot slug gun for hunting--cheap and effective.

Thinning out a collection by selling them to dealers = losing money. Dealers need to make money so they won't off you top dollar or going rate on firearms.

Consignment is one option, you're losing some % but not as bad as an outright sale to a dealer.

The other option is to take your time and sell things individually face to face, or orchestrate trades with people. Trades are a lot tougher since you have to find someone that has something you want, AND has an interest in something you've got. :)

I've downsized once so far and thinking about it again. Sold some beautiful rifles and S&W revolvers last time.

When you look at it realistically you all probably have guns you ever use.

I can tell you I will never miss .45 Colt revolvers. The .44 just does everything better. Also sold a very nice 700 VS and model 70.

At present looking at selling a 700 classic in .300 H&H. Owned it for 12 years and never shoot it.

I did. A few months ago I looked into the safe and realized I had guns I had never thought about shooting. I came to the conclusion that I really didn't want them, I was just buying them to have "stuff." They had no real meaning to me.

So I sold off most of them. Hopefully they went to someone who will enjoy them more than I was. I started with about 50 or so, and sold them off until now I'm down to about a dozen, between mine and my wife's.

The ones I've still got I can at least think of a reason I wanted to have them in the first place.

Thinning out a collection by selling them to dealers = losing money. Dealers need to make money so they won't off you top dollar or going rate on firearms.

Consignment is one option, you're losing some % but not as bad as an outright sale to a dealer.

The other option is to take your time and sell things individually face to face, or orchestrate trades with people. Trades are a lot tougher since you have to find someone that has something you want, AND has an interest in something you've got. :)

I decided to thin my herd by renting table space at several gun shows. It worked out great.

Mine aren't eating anything yet.

I've sold some in the past. Sell one, buy one kind of stuff. I did do a safe cleaning once, and do not regret it. I had some decent surplus rifles and pistols, but with no theme and varied calibers... So I sold off the ones I no longer wanted.

There is only 1, that I wish I had back. (Not in the safe cleaning) It was a 1918 Oberndorf Mauser with major components matching. It was in 100% correct German configuration but it did have the Crescent Moon on the receiver.... It was blued by the turks, and was otherwise like new...

If anyone in Ohio has one for sale, let me know. :)

Yeh, I had at least 9 different calibers.

I'm down to AR 223, Shotgun, 22 Lr. and a 9mm

Even thinking of unloading my ARs.

Thinking my Ruger tactical 22LR, a Mossberg 520A1. and a Sig P250 subcompact in 9mm might be enough for a SHTF situation.

You can only grab-n-go so much ammo and hardware folks.

I haven't really had enough guns to be able to do that...although I did go on a KelTec purging session where I sold all 3 of them once

The MN 91/30 and both MN 44s were sold. The Mini 14 (1990) and 30 were sold. Didn't like the thick front post sights.

The Yugo Mauser will be sold, FTF only (west TN), if anybody offers near what the purchase price was.
Because of the original irons sights it has not been used in over 1 & 1/2years.

HammerheadSSN663: You might make a nice profit on the AR and could buy a large chunk of ammo after the price bubble either pops or deflates.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Right. Saw a show on the Tullip trade back in the what,...1700s or something. Fortunes were made and then lost in a single day. Somebody woke up and said, "hey, they're just flower bulbs people."