Letting go of a gun

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Hanzo581

Hanzo581

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I am in a bit of a dilemma, just wanted to know how some of you rationalize the selling of firearms from your collection.

I bought a Sig 556 classic when they first started hitting the market years ago. Since then most of them have been discontinued and I can see Sig shifting their focus away from the platform. I liked the rifle at first, then I started looking for accessories, they were scarce and expensive, and they still are. The rifle is heavy, far too heavy for what it is, and to me is just passably accurate. At any rate, to make a long story short I still can't bring myself to sell it even though I don't "enjoy" owning the gun. Is it easy for you guys and gals to get rid of your guns even if they aren't your favorites?

Any advice or anecdotes are welcome!
 
I keep saying I've got to thin the herd a little, as I do have guns that I don't shoot, and/or are "replicated" in general form and function from others.

But, yes, I really haven't been motivated enough to send any off. Haven't needed the money, found anything I'd be able to trade 'em off toward, and, besides, the .gov hates me having them..! :D
 
What you are describing is what I call "trade bait". I have a few pieces that qualify myself.

I am not in a rush to convert the items to cash, but I could stand to part with them. They would probably do me more good on a trade with something than to just sell or hock.

You've listed plenty of (good) reasons for this particular piece. I have some that I just have a better version of, in some cases. That alone can be enough - especially when storage space gets low.



If you're not in a rush, just hang on to it and keep an eye out for your next purchase with the trade bait in mind. That is my spartan advice on the matter. Good luck.
 
I dont collect. I buy and sell guns depending on my mood.

Easy come, easy go , easy come again.
 
i only keep nice machinery.
guns that don't make the cut, go.
i shoot handguns at 25 n 50 yards.
some guns won't do what i want.
i sell them n find something that will.
just tools.
 
If it doesn't make it's way out to the range atleast a few times a year, that means I don't really like it and what is the point of keeping it any longer? I can sell it, take a $100 loss and buy something I do like. I've been considering getting rid of my beretta m9. Not sure exactly what I want, but it will likely be a rimmed straight walled cartridge. A 3-4" 38spl would be a fine partner for my 6" 357. A 44 mag would be a fun new caliber to load. A 500 mag handi rifle seems like a blast and I already load the cartridge.

If you don't like it, get rid of it! It isn't one of a kind and there are plenty of better guns out there in need of a good home.
 
I used to horse trade a lot in my younger years. Now the only guns that get dumped are those that turn out to be unacceptably unreliable or otherwise troublesome. The real crapola is long gone years ago. Anything else I just keep it. Considering what little the US dollar buys these days, and the time and possible hassle it is to sell a piece, meh.

To the OP; if you like enough to doubt, just hang on to it. If there ever is another obnoxious ban, while unlikely, you've already have one. Worse case it just stays in the safe. As an example, I have a big, honking 10-gauge that I have zero need for now that I no longer hunt, but I just like looking it at when getting something else out. Good enough. ;)
 
Well, you have half-way talked yourself into making it trade bait.

I wound up with an extra Colt Officer's which I turned into a Marlin .357 lever action. Got bored with that, and traded it into a Camp Carbine 45, which I still have. All good in the end.
 
To be honest I'm glad they banned the interstste trade in ivory ( not really glad ) . Makes me hold onto a lot of guns I'm sure I would have foolishly traded or sold off later.
 
The guns I have collected/inherited over the last 40+ years have taken too much time and energy to acquire. I forced to surrender a Marlin Golden 39A .22 levergun and I traded a 7.5" Ruger .22 pistol (what you might call a "Mark I") for a .380, a move I still regret even though I like and still have that .380.
As "Chuck H." used to say, these firearms I have now will have to be taken from my "cold, dead fingers".
 
I rarely sell guns - nearly never - but recently sold a G17L and a G41. I bought both a couple years back when it appeared that Glock might well discontinue Gen3 and SSE was ending, leaving the CA market bare. Shot them both and didn't care for them, so they took up space. Last month, I realized that those two models are in considerable demand in CA. An hour, both were sold at considerable profit. A week later, I'd used that money to purchase five .22lr guns I will enjoy teaching the grandkids on.
 
Hanzo581

I had the same dilemma a number of years ago. I had an HK SL7; a well made rifle that was basically a "sporting/hunting" version of their HK 91 rifle. Biggest problem with it was finding any accessories (scope mounts, extra magazines, sling), and what they cost if you did find them. Eventually I decided to take it to a gun show and see what I could get for it in trade. Found a NIB FEG SA85M complete with all it's accessories and did the trade even up. So while the SL7 was a fine rifle in it's own right I was limited by the availability and cost of parts. Still have the SA85M and it's been much easier and considerably less expensive to have it and maintain it the way I want to.
 
It's very easy for me. Anything I don't want, I sell. I have no emotional attachment to any of it. It's just metal.
 
Let it go,if it's not of collector/sentimental value and it's not bringing you joy then it is time to send it off.
 
This is an easy one, an unequivocal "I don't like it". No brainer, dump it for a new experience with something you might enjoy.
 
I look at the guns for their utility, now and in the future.

If the SIG 556 is reliable, fires a good cartridge, and is tough enough, well, that's your go-to rifle at "the right time".

If it's what I think it is (an AR-15, basically, with a piston system), I'd keep it.

I get attached to guns, too...but for an assault rifle; go with what works.
 
After years of accumulating, I decided that I had more than I'll ever need to keep me happy. I decided that if I wanted another gun, I had to sell one. It put things into perspective but I found that it is a good compromise. It also makes me think long and hard about if I really want the "new" gun. It has worked well for me. I have acquired a few new guns and I have let go some "unused" guns to make it work. Win/win.
 
I got rid of a couple of Airweight revolvers recently because I just couldn't stand to shoot them any more. I really liked them, carried them for a long time, but my hands seem to have aged faster than the rest of me. When it's time to let go, it's time to let go.
 
I took her out of the case today to get the optic off since I wanted it to go on her replacement.

I just couldn't do it. Now my new rifle will have a buddy and I get to shop for glass :)
 
Life's too short to deal with things you don't like

I've quickly got rid of guns I don't like or work for me---and have multiples of guns I do like.

Guess I'm kinda crazy that way --things I really like, I have 2 or more---never know when they are going to change or discontinue something----heck, if I were richer--I'd own 2 of the same car, truck or motorcycle----mostly guns and knives now.
 
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