Need to pare down my handguns...maybe...want advice

Of what you have, Rugers tend to be built very tough. The Stars are good, but spare parts are very hanrd to come by. 38s made my Smith and Colt tend to be rugged enough, (I'd never let go of my Smith Model 10), but usually are not quite as environmentally rugged as autos tend to be. How many MUST you be rid of? (I'd love a Star BM, )
For out in the dirt long term running from the Zombies, ( ) tough, I'd go auto.

To me it would make a difference in what make the revolvers where.

I would keep the P series for the same reason of parts available if the go down.

If you have a first gen. Taurus in 357 vs a Colt in 38. go with the Colt.

Keep the autos, drop the revolvers. Maybe keep one revolver in .38 as backup and in case you find .38.

~Norinco

I'd keep a Ruger, DW, one of the 9mm, and a Model 10 for yourself. Give either the other Ruger Service or 9mm to your sons and the other Model 10 for your daughter.

of that collection, i'd probably keep mostly the revolvers, but that's just personal taste. it does seem you have lots of multiples, so maybe you should just give some of the doubles to your kids...

Ok, first off, don't pare down *too much*. Guns do hold their value reasonably well and a spare gun now can be turned into $$$ if times are tough later.

As far as maintaining an extra gun, just oil it up really well and check it every now and then. If it's not being shot you don't really need to do much to it except wipe it down with oil again every once in awhile.

As to "autos vs. revolvers" my answer is "both." They both have some advantages and even if your collection is heavy in one, there's no reason not to have a few good examples of the other kind as well.

A lot depends on what you intend to do with the guns. If you hunt with a handgun a large bore revolver or .357 Magnum is the thing to have. For home defense, a semi-auto with a large ammo capacity is nice. For concealed carry, both auto's and revolvers can fill that niche.

Here's my thoughts on your specific guns:

.380 ACP
Bersa .380
Bersa .380

The Bersa's are OK little .380's. I'm not a huge fan of the .380 ACP round, but these are a good size for carry. If you already carry something larger then these can go. If a Bersa is your carry gun, then a spare is nice to have.

9mm
P-95
P-95
P-89
Star BM
Star BM

The Ruger autos are rugged and generally reliable guns. I'd keep the two P-95's and ditch the P-89. That way you have "one and a spare" of the P-95. That is a good gun for home defense and general shooting. The P-89 is generally not as highly regarded as the P-95 due to problems with the early guns. That and you already have two of the P-95's so having a different Ruger 9mm is kinda redundent.

Now, if you really prefer shooting the P-89 to the P-95, that changes things. Then go with what you like best.

The STAR BM's 9mm are interesting in that they are kind of a "poor man's 1911." If you like to shoot them, hang on to both. Parts are hard to find and a spare pistol is nice to have. If nothing else you'd really increase the odds of having at least one functioning gun for years to come by using one as a donor gun to keep the other running if somthing breaks that you can't replace otherwise.

If you enjoy shooting the Star's, keep 'em. If a family member enjoys shooting the Star's, they might be a good gift. They are also inexpensive enough so that you really won't get that much out of them if you sell them so you might as well keep them or give them to a family member (unless you really need the cash now).

If you really like the single-action design of the Star's you could upgrade to a "real" 1911 from a current manufacturer. Selling the Star's to pay for part of that might not be a bad idea.

.38 Special
Taurus M-85 snub (great condition...tight lock-up)
S&W Model 10-5 snub
S&W Model 10-3 service-size
S&W Model 15-3 service-size
Taurus M-82 service-size (great condition...tight lock-up)
Rossi M-851 stainless service-size (great condition...tight lock-up)

For revolvers, S&W's are just better then Taurus or Rossi. Even if the Taurus and Rossi revolvers are shooting well now, the S&W guns just hold up better over time.

I'd keep the 10-5 Snub as that makes a nice carry gun. I'd also keep the 15-3as that full size gun with the adjustable sights makes a nice shooter. That large rear sight notch makes it easier to shoot then the small fixed sights on the Model 10.

If you *have* to ditch one of the S&W, I'd get rid of the 10-3 service size since the 15-3 fills the same role. That Model 10 service size might make a nice gift for a family member though.

I would *definitely* ditch the Taurus M-82 service size. The Model 15 does the same thing better, so it's redundent. You could give it, and the other Taurus revolvers, to family members, especially if they like shooting revolvers. Just realize they aren't as durable long-term as the S&W's so those aren't as likely to be "lifetime" guns for those family members.

I'd be tempted to give the Taurus M-85 snub to a family member who needs a snub carry gun. Or keep it for yourself for the same use. Even if you carry an auto, sometime a small snub is a nice thing to have for when a larger gun won't work. If the gun runs OK now, and you don't shoot the Heck out of it, it should last long enough to be worth keeping.

.357 Magnum
Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" stainless
Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" blued
Dan Wesson Model 15-2 6"
Dan Wesson Model 14 6"

Personally, I see these as all either keeper's or gifts to family members. They are all nice, solid guns. The Rugers are rugged and reliable and that 2.75 barrel length will work for home defense or concealed carry (not to mention target shooting.) The Speed six is out of production so replacing them later if you change your mind would be difficult if you sell them. The Ruger's are twice the gun of the Taurus.

The Dan Wesson's are a bit collectible, so if you plan to buy new guns, especially if they are semi-auto's, you might want to sell them for cash to pay for your new purchases.

"I have two sons and a daughter that shoot, too. I would like to give them a gun/guns out of my collection with the same considerations. So, maybe ya'll can help me make a choice of 4 guns or combinations of guns. "

Up to you, but I'd look at what guns they like best and try to match them up that way.

Now in my more "mature age" I really regret EVER getting rid of any of my sidearms/long-guns/shotguns.....especially knowing now that firearms have had such a steady rise in market value. I like your thoughts about handing them down to family....as it should be IMHO.
I'll second the sentiment about getting rid of the P-89 (DC?) if you really have to thin it out. One of the worst handguns I ever owned.
I remember having a Smith and Wesson Model 669 that I wish I still had.
Maybe if you have a carbon copy (the .380's) then ditch one of those.
If I had to say stainless or blued on the revolver, I'd go stainless.

What Trebor said! ++100

Great analysis and advice.

Maybe you guys will hate me for saying this, but perhaps you could sell some of your guns and get something a little more upscale? Sometimes the higher end models have better ergos etc.

Didn't see a 1911 on the list?

I agree with much of what Trebor said, but I'll post my suggestions anyway. I'll be more cutthroat, however.

If it's in red, dump 'em:

.380 ACP
Bersa .380
Bersa .380

Too big and heavy in a near worthless caliber

9mm

P-95
P-95

Give one each to your kids when they're old enough.

P-89

P89 is a great gun, but chunky, clunky and hard to hide.

Star BM
Star BM

Good guns, but parts availability has been mentioned, but it might be worth the $150 you could get for them to keep them as "stash" or emergency guns. If you keep them, buy plenty of magazines for them.

.38 Special

Taurus M-85 snub (great condition...tight lock-up)
Taurus M-85 SSUL
Taurus M-82 service-size (great condition...tight lock-up)
Rossi M-851 stainless service-size (great condition...tight lock-up)

To be blunt, these are all cra----, ummmm, less than ideal choices.

S&W Model 10-5 snub
S&W Model 10-3 service-size
S&W Model 15-3 service-size Jewel of a gun, never sell this one.

The 10-3 is a bit redundant to the Model 15, and it's a solid gun, but expendable if need be.


.357 Magnum

Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" stainless
Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" blued
Dan Wesson Model 15-2 6"
Dan Wesson Model 14 6"

The S&W's and Dan Wesson all take the same speedloader. The Ruger takes a different one and I kept one Speed Six because it's such a cool gun, but unless it's for CCW, it's pretty big and heavy for what it is. The Dan Wesson with a 6" barrel and adjustable sights gives you something the others don't.

But, from your list, if I could only keep ONE, it'd be the S&W Model 15.

I'd try to sell the ones in red and use that money to buy one or two NICE guns. If you favor the Ruger revolvers, then find a 4" or 6" Security Six to balance out the Dan Wesson. Or, dump ALL your .357's and get a Security Six and/or a S&W Model 19/66/686

I'd also look at getting a Glock 17 or 19, an XD or XD-m, or S&W M&P, all in 9mm. If you had any money left, buy more magazines and ammo.

Of the guns that you own, I think that I would sell off the S&W 10-5 snub, and both of the Speed Six's....because those are the ones that I'd like to buy from you.

Seriously, I think that you've gotten some good advice in this thread. Good luck in your "downsizing" endeavour.

TMann

franconialocal +1

Dont sell any... Oil them up and put them away... If you are not hard up for cash, why bother? You just dont know what you will like shooting tomorrow...


If you MUST sell to pay for... whatever... I agree with David E. Thats a solid list...

V.

Upon further reflection, if the 2" Model 10 is a square butt, sell that and keep one of the Taurus .38 snubbies instead. Me, I'd want more gun than this for defense, but every well-rounded handgun battery has at least one .38 snubby.

If the Model 10 is a round butt, keep IT and get some concealment grips for it.

I'd probably keep the Bersas, the P-95's and P-89, and the Security Sixes.

Tough decision. I would keep the S&W revolvers and the Speed Sixes. The S&W 15 is a keeper for sure. The Bersas and the Stars if you want a small concealed pistol. Parts may be a problem with the Stars though.

I'd say get rid of the Bersa's. The Bersa Thunder 380 is a good pistol, but it's also very large for it's caliber. If you want a SD pistol, replace them with a Kel-Tec P11 and have 9mm stopping power in a smaller package.

I'd also consider getting rid of the Stars just because of the uncommon parts. Unless you want to collect modern curios and deal with the maintenance issues of one, I'd just sell them off and put the cash towards some ammo cans or towards a gun safe. I find 30-cal and 50-cal surplus ammo cans to be one of the most indispensable items a shooter can own.

My take is two groups, one pistol in any caliber in each group. Group 1 is defense...small, potent firearms. Group 2 is sporting...anything VERY accurate, but can range from .17 to .500....whatever I find fun to shoot. But I would limit myself to one in each cal.

Oh, and DO NOT PART WITH THE S&W 15.

Other than Trebor's more open minded thoughts along with a couple of other similar posts everyone seems to be putting their own personal slant on this issue while what is really needed is for YOU to put your OWN slant on what you use the most and why and how you want to use them.

If you're really keen on slimming down the collection make a resolution to sell of 2, 3 or 5 guns, whichever you think is an appropriate number, and then do a scoring on all your guns and ditch the lowest ones in the score. Score them all on a range of 1 to 5 for factors such as effectiveness and frequency for self defense, commonality in your collection for cartridge size (the .38 and .357 Mag would be 5's in your case), ease of carry for SD or use for HD, range fun, uniqueness in your collection, sentimental value, how often it actually gets taken out to use, how well it feels and shoots, and whatever else you think is important to YOU and not to us. Oddly enough I do not think that condition such as "tight lockup" should matter. If it's not a gun that you or someone in your family enjoys shooting then the mechanical condition shouldn't matter a hoot. Sell it and use the money to buy something that you or they WILL shoot more often.

Once you do up a table with the guns and factors score them and total the scores for each. Then without a second thought put up the low score guns for sale.

To a large extent the popularity of a gun will be seen in the "how often taken out to carry or shoot" score. If it sits in the safe then it's obviously not a popular gun with any of the family and can safely be sold off in favour of something else. Never mind that it's one that is in good shape with tight lockup or any other factor. If you or the family isn't using it then it's because they don't like it and it may as well make room for something that does get used.

I see a lot of duplicates in this list as well. The lesser of the two could be sold off without any issue unless there's a key family group related reason why you need to keep two of something such as a backup for a carry gun that someone is really keen on.

Anyhow, hopefully this helps you figure out a system to score them for popularity in factors that are important to you and yours so you can best decide.

I would probably keep these:
9mm
P-95
P-95

.38 Special
Taurus M-85 snub
S&W Model 10-5 snub
S&W Model 10-3
S&W Model 15-3

.357 Magnum
Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" stainless
Ruger Speed-Six 2.75" blued
Dan Wesson Model 15-2 6"
Dan Wesson Model 14 6"

Can you tell I like revolvers? I suggested keeping all the .357 Magnum revolvers because they are good guns and you said you want something nice to give your children. Between the Dan Wesson and S&W revolvers you have what you need for all involved IMO. I suggested keeping the P-95's because the kids might want a semi-auto over a revolver. (but I can't understand why?? LOL)

Dave E has the right of it.

But if you are really just wanting to get rid of guns because of maintenance concerns there isn't much a point. If you are really worried about rust just get some anti-corrosion bags

Storing ammo is also easy, just get some ammo cans an toss some silica packets in there with the ammo.

The only reason to sell a gun in my opinion it so fund another gun purchase.

Ask the kids what they would like to have and go from there.

I only see 18 on the list ... you neeed to add more!

I, too, like revolvers ... but also pistols (Semi's). Damn, I like 'em all. For a fail safe HD I usually pick up a revolver.