Disposing of a firearm

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Comrade Mike

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Don't jump on me!

I was wondering if anyone has ever had to dispose of an old firearm? Say something that's old and shot out, maybe the receiver is cracked, the barrel is rusted, etc.

what would you do with such a firearm if you saw no more earthly value in it and just wanted to get rid of it? Surely everything has a service life. Has anyone ever faced this issue?
 
I'd probably use it as a wall hanger for decoration in the gun room, man cave, garage, etc. Depending on what it is, of course. Have to be pretty ugly to not qualify for wall hanger.
 
My buddy has one of those. He's fully a "don't get rid of any gun" kind of guy but this one is just near dangerous, ugly.. He's hoping for a gun buy back program to show up. Get some credit for something. Minus that I suggested he band saw it up and make sure it does not hurt anyone.
 
Jennings nines and such easily qualify. I had one that fired out of battery and string fired a couple times. Truly junk. Luckily I had $20 in it as a parts gun so I wasn't hurt by it monetarily and physically I wasn't injured either. It got stripped and sold as parts minus the frame and ssear. The sear got tossed into the woods to rust away and the frame got crushed in a vice and tossed into a deep part of the creek on the family farm.
 
Many years ago I was working in Seward AK during my former career. One day this out-of-state city slicker shows up at the office to ask how he should dispose of some ammo he had removed from his recently deceased father-in-laws house.
So I volunteered my services as the new ammo disposal officer and helped him unload and entire station wagon of various ammo types into my office.

So I asked this obviously anti-gun yahoo were all the offending rifles were located. He then proudly proclaimed that he had taken them to the boat yard and had paid a welder to cut them up with a cutting torch and power hack-saw.

I drove like the wind to the boat yard and found the welder in question who was on the verge of tears. He then showed me the huge pile of parts and pieces that had previously been around 30 fully collectable old Winchesters.

The traumatized welder explained that the loathsome anti-gun knucklehead had stood there and watched as every barrel, action and stock was reduced to worthless scrap. So he was unable to save even one classic rifle.
 
Two decades ago my girlfriend (later wife, currently late wife) innocently brought home a break open shotgun with a serious problem not realizing what she had. She surrendered the part at issue to the Lady of the Lake.

Mike
 
Gunsmithing practice

I have an old Jennings/Bryco that never worked well (no surprise) and I have used it to practice engraving, checkering, etc. Maybe find a smith just starting out or even experienced one, they may take it off your hands as a practice piece. I would anyway.
 
Take it to one of those stupid no-questions-asked buybacks and get $100 or whatever for it.
 
Never had this situation, personally.

I'd probably keep it or sell it for parts, if that was an option based on the condition.

If it had other intrinsic value or sentimental value, I'd just keep it.

Otherwise, I'd probably just cut it up and trash it.


Some have recommended turning it in at one of those "buy-backs" (yeah, right...like they ever sold it to me in the first place or would pay me full value anyway). I like the thought of selling them something totally useless for my profit, but the principle of it would irk me. Both that they're trying to take guns away from people and that they're using MY tax dollars to do it.
 
Some have recommended turning it in at one of those "buy-backs" (yeah, right...like they ever sold it to me in the first place or would pay me full value anyway). I like the thought of selling them something totally useless for my profit, but the principle of it would irk me. Both that they're trying to take guns away from people and that they're using MY tax dollars to do it.
Click to expand...

Might as well have some of your tax money go back to you, since it's going to the rest of the yahoos in line anyway. Just looking at this from a realistic perspective.

Also, the buy-back line is a great place to find some deals. All you have to do if offer a few bucks more than the buy-back price.
 
Years ago before gun buy backs (pleasantly enough, North Dakotans love our guns too much to bother with such foolishness anyways) I had an Iver Johnson TP22. The first one broke frame at the trigger pin hole so I sent it back to be repaired. Later, the replacement pistol they sent back also broke but by now Iver Johnson was out of business so I took the remains to a gun show and sold it off for parts.
 
Depends.

There aren't really any buy-backs around here, so that's not an option for me, but not a bad way to turn a pile of junk into a few bucks.

If there were useable parts, I'd either sell them off on eBay or see if Numrich was interested in the thing.

If it were truly worthless, such as every part severely corroded, I'd smoke axe the receiver and put the whole thing in my scrap metal pile.
 
Some of this is a repeat, partial or otherwise, of earlier comments, but ...

If you determine the poor-condition firearm is potentially dangerous if fired and you'd like to keep it as a wall-hanger, either:

1.Remove the firing pin(s) and hang it above the fireplace, or...

2.If not dangerous but not worth refurbishing (often much more than the piece is worth) PLEASE part it out! Someone needs those parts, you'll make a little cash and you'll make an enthusiast quite happy and gain a friend.

Further, unless you are taking advantage of a local "gun buy-back" program by "selling" your trashy mechanical device to some "authority", don't give them the satisfaction of "taking a gun off the streets" ... have someone destroy the serial-numbered part and take a pic to document the destruction.
 
Clean it up pretty, make it non-firing, mount it in a small shadow box frame, and put it on the wall conspicuously near the door you use to enter the house most often. One day, when you come in and see it gone, go right back out to the truck, get your shotgun from behind the seat and come back in to ensure the burglar is no longer there.
 
there is almost always a market for such guns. Gun collectors/dealers will buy them for parts. At every gun show I attend I see many tables full of odd parts and other gun guys pouring over them. Why not make few bucks and sell??
 
My experiences:

Hydraulic press
Band saw
Planishing hammer

Different tools for different materials. I run into absolute trash through my wife's estate sales quite often.

If it has no aesthetic or parts value and is unsafe - it usually gets mashed.
 
I had an old bubbafied mas 36 (by CAI) that after awhile got all the small parts sold off and the reciever went out in a pile of scrap metal
 
I like the idea of a gun-buy-back. But to stand in line and offer others who may have “Gems” $20 and your junk for them to turn in instead.
 
I initially liked the "Buy-back" idea as well...

I just don't think I want to support the programs.


Read giddily: "John, to date this program has taken over two hundred and fifty dangerous firearms off the streets - think of how many more are out there, John.... back to you!"

'Course, it would give me a reason to be standing in line: "How 'bout I give you $50 for that thing Hoss and you get to go home early rather than wait for your Applebee's certificate?"
 
I have an old single-shot 12 gauge that someone gave me 20 years ago. Never fired it. Some previous owner had cut both the barrel and butt down, bringing the length of the barrel, and the overall length, to just above NFA standard minimums. The remainder of the butt is wrapped in electrical tape (classic NYC holdup weapon from the 70's, I guess!)

Anyway, I've often wondered if I should make this thing disappear as well. Never any gun "buy-back" (how is that even possible!?) events around here in my city to take it to. I could toss it in the Atlantic or Lake Okeechobee, or any of the waterways in between, but it's really not taking up that much space here.

I've never shot it. The guy who gave it to me did twice (after he got it from a brother out in Texas or somewhere) and was done with it.
 
If it was any kind of old gun that had useable parts I would just torch/plasma cut the receiver in two places and sell it/give it away as a parts kit. If it was a modern gun that was worn out or unsafe i would simply melt it to a pile of garbage with a torch and chuck it in the trash. (Pics saved to show proof of course) Of course it helps if u have these tools in your garage. You could always just disassemble it and wack it a few times with a sledge hammer to deform it and throw it away in pieces. I dont think any gun would survive very long in a garbage incinerator or land fill and nobody is going to make sense of random parts that are flattened with a 12lb hammer
 
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