Anyone use any firearms collection software?

[QuarterBoreGunner]

After going through my safe about a year ago and finding guns I don't remember buying (when did I get a 6" Model 19 S&W?), i realized that my collection was... uhm... a bit much.

So I broke down and bought a copy of GunTracker from the guys that publish the Blue Book. It works pretty well, includes a digital copy of the BlueBook and I like how it ties the database of your firearms to their value (and adds it up for you- YIPES!) and has some nice reporting functions, but the picture feature kind of sucks rocks.

So I was wondering if anyone else had better luck with anything else?

If not... come there has to be a couple firearms owning programmers out there? Put yer guns down and start coding!

 

[synoptic]

be careful with that software, if she knows what you have then your quote won't work

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

*cough*password protected*cough*

 

[Smoke]

MS Excel.

Works great. Description, serial number, Photo, anything you want. IF you dont like Excel you can build your own database in MS Access, a bit more complicated but you can manipulate it to do more too.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Smoke-

I actually tried this awhile back; and yes it works nice but I was looking for something a little more dedicated...Hmmmm, I may fool around with it again some. I did try MS Access, but frankly didn't want to spend the time learning how to use it correctly.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Another MS Excel user. I tried Guntracker a few years ago, but like Excel better.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Ok, so I see that MS Excel is gathering some steam here; but I'm curious- are you devoting an entire page in a workbook to each individual firearm? Or a single spreadsheet for everything? I ask because I've got my collection in a single spreadsheet for reporting purposes but how is it possible to have multiple pictures of each firearm without dedicating it to a seperate page in the workbook?

Or am I even explaining this correctly?

bleah- it's Friday and it's going to be raining all weekend, so no rifle shooting this weekend; might as well work on this project.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I use a single spreadsheet and dedicate a worksheet in it to each firearm for data and pictures. I then create a "report" worksheet that gets its information from the other worksheets and displays it in a simple format.

This means the ways of displaying the collection are endless. I can have worksheet that shows my entire collection, one for NFA weapons only, one for C&R weapons only, revolvers only, etc. If I go in and change information on a single gun's worksheet, that information is automatically updated on all "report" worksheets that list that particular firearm. One benefit of this is I can include information on my data page that I don't really want to see every time I look at the collection, but it is there if I want it. This includes things such as magazine reviews, sources for spare parts and a copy of the instruction manual.

You can also have it access information in other spreadsheets or even retrieve it from the internet. And it's all stored in one simple, password protected file.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Looks like I'm going to have to brush up my excel skills this weekend; thxs Hkmp5sd.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Hkmp5sd

Any chance of making your spreadsheet available to us in a blank template form? I am horrible at using Excel. Right now, I just use Lee's niffty little firearm tracker database that comes with thier reloading program.

 

[rock jock]

Whoa, don't let the gun-grabbers knowthat you need a database to catalogue all your guns.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Kamicosmos,

I'll see if I can remove my information and create a basic template and PM it to you. It's using the '95 Office version of Excel and is a "work it progress", which means I have no logical format. It has just "grown" over the years.

It's about time I sat down and straightened it out anyway!

 

[Yohan]

What happened to the old fashioned "taking inventory with paper and pen" method?

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

I like pen and paper too; used to keeping my A&D books that way- but I'm such a geek that I'll always try and do it by computer too.

 

[geegee]

Didn't someone release a program about a year ago for Palm Pilots? Seems like I read that somewhere. geegee

 

[jayhway]

Does anybody have a sample copy of their spreadsheet for their gun collection that they could post? I made up a crude Excel sheet at work but I don't know what I'm missing. When I'm done with finals, I'm going to inventory my collection, along with digital pictures. I'm going to put all this on a CD-RW and keep a copy in a safety deposit box, for insurance purposes.

 

[Cableman]

I have written my own MS Access database, includes the most common fields; serial #, price paid, current value, date made, even a digital pic. It has a few simple reports and forms for data entry and views. I would be glad to send a copy of it if someone wants to host it. It is simple but it works