Ethically what should I do?

be a gracious reciever.

Don't sell any of them while she is alive. Honor the gift.

You've gone above and beyond what most dealers would do. You have my respect.

Now, until she dies or moves away, pickup the litter that blows into her yard, mow the lawn and shovel the snow.

Check on her, watch for activity and lights going on and off at appropriate intervals, visit at least once a week and listen to the same stories over and over. Send her holiday cards and occasional flowers.

I agree on suggestions offered.

What a nice old lady
Treat her nice, watch out for her, send her little gifts on holidays, do some basic home/yard maintenance for her...All sound like good suggestions. She is nice to you and you are nice to her. That is a good neighbor to neighbor relationship worthy of recognition.

Good on you for giving her $500.

Don't sell any of them while she is alive. Honor the gift.

You've gone above and beyond what most dealers would do. You have my respect.

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+1

As we go through life, we accumulate possessions that we no longer need or want. Generally it is a relief to be rid of such burdens; our only desire is that they are passed on to people who will appreciate them.

Personally, I would rather give something away to a friend than sell to a dealer who tries to 'nickle and dime' me. Presumably your neighbor feels the same way.

You have been up front with her, and she wants you to have the guns. Don't spoil her generousity by turning this into a purely commercial transaction.

Great advice from Six!

Some people have all the luck is all I can say. You tried to do what you thought was right. She refused any additional money, so its obvious this isnt about money.

Its Karma perhaps....

As other have said, be a good neighbor to the lady, perhaps take her out for a nice dinner, and enjoy your good fortune.

You didn't do anything unethical. You told her they were worth more than she was asking, and she still refused to take it. It appears she doesn't care about the money and wants them to belong to someone who will appreciate them. Remember that whenever you see her needing help with something around the house.

Give them a good home and a warm safe to sleep in at night. That is what she wants and that is what her late husband would want.

"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 22:22

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"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3

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"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

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You did not take advantage of her, and you will do well to look after her.

I think you did fine. She clearly wants you to have them and, like other have said, reciprocate her kindness. Now, if it will assuage any misplaced guilt you have, feel free to send me that model 36.

Continue to "Be a good neighbor". and whne you are "snow blowing", don't forget to do HER driveway, etc.

Since we're quoting scripture:

"And those of you who die and leave wives behind, a legacy of maintenance of their wives for a year, without turning out. But if they go out, there is no blame on you then with regard to what they do about themselves in a fair manner. And Allah is exalted in Might, most Wise." Surah 2(Al-Baqarah) verse 240.

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I imagine it sounds better in the original Arabic.

Well...

On the one hand, if she's of sound mind and wants you to have them. Great, enjoy.

On the other hand... (drum roll for unpopular comments coming...)

You've helped her with small things over the last ten years or so. Isn't that what we're all supposed to do anyway? From your description it doesn't sound like you know her all that well. Did you know her husband? How would he feel about all this?

If you wanted to overthink the situation, it can be a sign of mental health issues when the elderly give away possessions. Or it can be a sign of impending mortality or, even worse, suicidal thoughts.

You're (the OP) right on in your thoughts that she could have gotten more. You're also the only one that can tell us whether she's well off and doesn't need the money (sounds like it) and whether her actions are what you would typically expect from your friendly old lady neighbor.

At the end of the day, I guess I would ask myself if her generosity matched the situation at hand – your relationship to her, how long you’ve know her, whether she is a casual social friend, whether you have a deeper friendship, etc.

Knowing just what you’ve said, I think that I might offer her market prices for the items in question, and, if she refused, tell her that I respected what she said but didn’t feel comfortable and felt like I would be taking advantage of her friendship. I’d then offer to sell on the open market and tell her I was going to donate the proceeds to a cause for which she felt passionate if she refused the money. I’d also offer to buy any item in which I had a particular interest.

It’s nice to be able to be a rich old lady and do something nice. Your question is very much a balancing act – you know her better than we do, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. The reality is that she is very likely being a nice old lady… yet it could point to other issues. Ask yourself how you’d feel if she were your mom or your grandmother and let your conscience be your guide.

Nothing to be worried about here, you did more than you needed to and she probably enjoyed your enjoyment. Like other posters said, you have helped her out in the past and likely will help her out in the future think of those things as part of your repayment.

Since we're quoting scripture:

"When we reached Khaybar, Muhammad said that Allah had enabled him to conquer them. It was then that the beauty of Safiyah was described to him. Her husband had been killed, so Allah's Apostle selected her for himself. He took her along with him till we reached a place called Sad where her menses were over and he took her for his wife, consummating his marriage to her, and forcing her to wear the veil.'" Bukhari:V4B52N143 & V5B59N523

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Muhammad, PBUH, doesn't just take care of widows, he creates widows! (by attacking Khaybar)

(I imagine it sounds better in the original Arabic. )

;-)

I would become her gaurdian angel and make sure she is looked after to the best of your ability. When you grow old your freinds disappear and family stops visiting and all that good stuff. I allways stop to listen to the old guys war stories and such and the widows at my ES allways have something to talk to me about. Make sure the guns are given the respect they deserve.
The S&W BB gun I have a buddy worked there 36 years he might know something about it.

Posters have mentioned doing small chores for your neighbor. Please continue to do those things. More important TALK to her and give her some companionship. She is probably lonely. She will appreciate these visits and chats a lot. I know my mother was lonely for a long time after my dad died.
Joe

Ditto on doing those small things for her. To honor her gift the most, take them out and put a round in the chamber and let the sear trip on each and every one of them (barring any unsafe to fire) Tell her how much you enjoyed them. Get a friend to take some pictures with that grin on your face.

A lot of elderly folks simply like to "give with warm hands". Don't over-analyze it. I think you've taken the high road so far.

If you want to sleep better, dont run to the pawn shop to collect your winnings

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This

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

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And be sure to regularly take care of her house, clean snow from her driveway, etc.

I would not sell any of the items while she is still living. It's unlikely but for some reason known only to herself she may want to look at one of the items at some point in the future. Maybe just to relive a memory. By keeping these things in a trust so to speak, you will be able to allow her to do so.

Well I think the only thing to do is to clean them, take pictures, post them here, take them out shooting, and then do like several others have suggested and make sure you continue being a good neighbor by taking care of the lawn or other easy maintenance procedures.

I don't think that you need to feel bad about the deal at all. In fact, I think that you are a stand-up guy. She clearly wanted you to have them: not the dealer down the street, not the guy on the internet, not the collector with the deep pockets. She wanted you to have them, and she was willing to get them into your hands for a song. The fact that you told her that they were worth more than she was asking -- and the fact that you actually paid more than she wanted -- well, that says a bunch about you, sir. My hat's off to you.