To shoot or not to shoot

It's fathers day. The sentimental value is far greater than the monetary value anyway, and unless you plan to eventually cash in on the future collectability, I'd shoot it. Shoot it in memory of your dad. Then hand it over to your kid to love and shoot.

It seems your Dad might have been alright with you selling it, considering the possibility of it going up in value. That said, he might have been alright with you shooting it if it didn't. Go find out what the Arkansas State Trooper qualification was at the time with a revolver, and shoot a 100% with it.

ontarget

It's fathers day. The sentimental value is far greater than the monetary value anyway, and unless you plan to eventually cash in on the future collectability, I'd shoot it. Shoot it in memory of your dad. Then hand it over to your kid to love and shoot.

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Excellent idea! To me it was like the father was giving him a savings account for the future in the belief that the value of the unfired gun would continue to go up and up. Well the fact of the matter is most commemoratives don't bring that kind of big money any more and if the son doesn't really need the money, then why not shoot it and enjoy it in memory of his father. Then when the time comes he can pass it down to his kids so they can enjoy shooting it.

EIB0879 said:

Arkansas State Police 50th anniversary S&W 586 revolver manufactured in 1985.

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Just how many people collect Arkansas Police memorabilia? How big of a closet would you need if you stuffed inside all the collectors of Arkansas Police memorabilia? Would a 2 X 3 foot closet or a 4 X 6 foot closet, fit them all?

Take that M586 and and shoot it till the bluing wears off.



Bud of mine owns this one, a blued stainless steel M686. Never saw one before. He is shooting it, does not care one whit what the collector value might be.

I'm in the shoot it camp, The loved ones that passed guns down to me loved to shoot and handle their guns. I spent many treasured hours with them on many of those outings to range or woods. In my case the monetary value simply can't compare with sentimental value. I won't sell them, I'll shoot them, remember my loved ones and I'll pass them on.

Here's a song that kind of shocked me because it hit so close to home, some of my guns have been to the very places of which he sings. Get a little teary eyed every time.
Enjoy.

Your Father thought he might make you rich someday. He did, every time you pull the trigger you'll remember the things that make this firearms so special.
When you see him again he may just ask why you waited so long, when you found out it wasn't worth a retirement.

A ceremony is in order if you do decide to shoot it, with you kids of course!
Happy Fathers day!

Slamfire said:

Just how many people collect Arkansas Police memorabilia? How big of a closet would you need if you stuffed inside all the collectors of Arkansas Police memorabilia? Would a 2 X 3 foot closet or a 4 X 6 foot closet, fit them all?

Take that M586 and and shoot it till the bluing wears off.

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Bud of mine owns this one, a blued stainless steel M686. Never saw one before. He is shooting it, does not care one whit what the collector value might be.

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You do know that not only people that collect Arkansas Police memorabilia would be interested in the gun. There are those that collect Police firearms. The same as the people that are starting to collect the Winchester 94 Commemoratives.

Beautiful gun and case.

Shoot the gun.

EIB0879, You would know better than anyone here, but it sounds to me like your Dad thought the 586 commemorative might go the way that Pythons have gone lately, hence the advice not to sell too early. With the benefit of hindsight, we see that the commemorative S&W guns haven't appreciated a lot relative to their non-commemorative siblings, so my speculation is that your Dad would be fine with you doing whatever you want to do at this point -- keeping it unfired, or shooting it and enjoying it. Whatever you do, you should make the choice yourself, or possibly with the counsel of family members.

On the topic of heirlooms, my Grandfather had two identical Craftsman American Eagle large stockman pocket knives that he ordered at the same time from Sears & Roebuck in the early 1970s. One of them he carried for many years on the farm, castrated thousands of pigs with it, cut away vines and Johnson grass that clogged the rollers on the corn picker and cotton from the spindles of the cotton pickers, scraped dried mud off of nuts and bolt on farm equipment, and used it for every task that came along where a different tool might be better, but knife could serve in a pinch. He used it so much that he had to have a local gunsmith replace the pivot pin in one end of it, and the blades were very worn from use and repeated sharpening.

The other knife he never used, and it was still NIB several years later. I traded him some type of European knife of similar size for the NIB American Eagle, and I'm very, very thankful to have it now, 13 years after he died at 99 years of age. I'd never sell it or voluntarily give it up other than to hand it down to one of my sons.

I don't know who ended up with the old American Eagle that my grandfather used for years and almost wore completely out, but if I had that one I'd value it about 20X more than this unused one that I have. As heirlooms go, there's something to be said for actually using things you plan to pass down.

GunnyUSMC said:

You do know that not only people that collect Arkansas Police memorabilia would be interested in the gun. There are those that collect Police firearms. The same as the people that are starting to collect the Winchester 94 Commemoratives.

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Make the guy an offer he can't refuse, before one of those collectors do.

Someone bought this Boker, bicentennial Johnny Reb commemorative knife,and kept in perfect condition for over 30 years, just for me. I think that was so nice of the first owner. He had it all this time and kept it pristine. I think it was an estate sale item, the guy never used this knife. I of course, sharpened it up, used it, and now it has got rust on it. I am such a vandal. I bought this, in the box, for around $30.00, hard to say that with inflation that it really increased in value. It is certainly worth less than the $30.00 I paid, I do hope all the buyers at my estate sale, cry like babies, because I shot my guns, used my knives, and reduced their profits while enjoying my toys.

Slamfire said:

Make the guy an offer he can't refuse, before one of those collectors do.

Someone bought this Boker, bicentennial Johnny Reb commemorative knife,and kept in perfect condition for over 30 years, just for me. I think that was so nice of the first owner. He had it all this time and kept it pristine. I think it was an estate sale item, the guy never used this knife. I of course, sharpened it up, used it, and now it has got rust on it. I am such a vandal. I bought this, in the box, for around $30.00, hard to say that with inflation that it really increased in value. It is certainly worth less than the $30.00 I paid, I do hope all the buyers at my estate sale, cry like babies, because I shot my guns, used my knives, and reduced their profits while enjoying my toys.

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I think you misunderstood what I was saying. You pointed out only those collecting Arkansas Police Memorabilia, I pointed out that it would appeal to those that collect police firearms. The OP has not offered to sell the revolver and I have not hinted in any way that I would want to buy it. Just pointed out that it has a little more value the your standard 586.
unlike the knife you bought, with the intent to use it, the OP’s revolver has been sitting in his gun safe for 22 years. It’s not like he just went out and bought it.
Years ago I picked up a 6” S&W Model 19 that was unfired in the box , it was made in 1972. It was just over 20 years old. I put thousands of 38 Spl reloads through it before I sold it to a good friend of mine. I to was happy the the previous owner had kept the 19 unfired for me. But I do have to say that I took better care of it then you have have your knife.
If the OP wants to shoot his revolver, that is totally up to him.

OP, you could always list it on Gun Broker with an Absolutely Absurd reserve and see what the gun world thinks of the value and then make up your mind.

What I have noticed about "antiques" and Collectables is that there are a bunch of people who give estimates, high estimates, of the worth of something. Encounter them all the time, they usually spoil a deal because they fool the seller into thinking the item is worth more than the offer on the table. I have also noted, when it comes down to actually putting money on the table, the whole herd of these "experts" never match their estimates with money.

I just searched Gunbroker completed items for Smith and Wesson commeratives. A 50th anniversary M41 sold for $3,000. It was engraved out the yazoo.



This M41 will never show up on the firing line, so someone bought a beautiful paperweight.

The commemorative police revolvers, lots of askers, no sales, be the prices $600 or $1,200. There are bunch of new, 4" and 6" M586's, all going for $703 all day long.

EIB0879 said:

I inherited it from my father, a retired ASP Sgt in 1996 when he died of cancer. He had told me to hang on it and not shoot it because it might be worth a lot.

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IMO your father did not intend for you to keep the gun forever. He considered it to be a gift that you will sell if &/or when you need or want to cash it out.

The gun is meaningless to your children unless one of them had a strong connection to your Dad.

Personally I would shoot it as I would like to have a 6" 586. No-lock S&W revolvers are getting harder and harder to come by and I think it is a more difficult gun to sell as it is viewed as too rare to use and shoot.

If your Dad thought it might be worth something, see if you can find someone on an Arkansas police site who might pay a little extra for it, then buy a new plain one, for yourself to shoot, with the proceeds.

because, when you drop it and put a big scratch in it, the memories of your father will never be the same. if that gun represents the memories of your father, don't shoot it. if it doesn't, shoot it. just my opinion.

murf

I would just ogle then , if it makes you happy . I have a few guns that I have not shot yet , but I do plan on shooting them . I would not buy a gun that , I would not shoot , but a gift is something else .

How did you respond to his wish? Did you agree to promise to not fire it?

How old is the child you will give it to when you pass? Why wait to give it? What kind of joy will you get from seeing your child fire the unfired firearm of their grandfather (then fire it after them since it's been "devalued")?

All things to be considered...

Value can extend beyond your generation. Your father’s advice could apply to multiple generations for the same gun. Who knows what it may be valued at in the future, but it looks like the value if guns have steadily increased over the last hundred years or so.

Some families use the same approach with land. Next generations are told to never sell. Now there’s a big difference between one gun and land, but there’s enough parallel to make an example.

So although your father may not have been motivated by sentimental reasons, he may have had a good reason for his advice, especially if he were to hand down to you other guns as shooters.

EIB0879 said:

I think some people misunderstand what my father said and meant. In 1985 he said when I inherited it not to shoot it because he thought it would be worth a lot of money as an unfired commemerative. There was no other reason. .

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Communication is an interesting thing. My wife and I have this running line: "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I don't think you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." What I'm hearing you say is that you understand your Dad meant "This gun will be worth more if you never shoot it" rather than "You should never shoot this gun." Even if both clauses are "true," you would only realize the enhanced value if you sold the gun. "Value" is a funny thing, too. To hold a gun unfired because of its collector value treats it like an objet d'art rather than a gun. I get this. I bought an unfired stainless Ruger Old Army thinking I'd make it a shooter, but couldn't bring myself to destroy what might be real collector value to someone else. So I sold it ... for more than three times what I paid for it.

So I say shoot the thing, or sell it to someone who will appreciate its collector value, and spend the proceeds on something you will shoot. Your Dad must have been a gun guy, and I think he'd enjoy your shooting something! Or else decide it has collector value to you, and enjoy ogling and fondling it on occasion. Either way, you win.

Legionnaire

A very well thought out and logical piece of reasoning on the matter!