Ever feel like reducing down to just a few firearms?

[Jimbo80]

The only time I think of selling some of my collection is when I get my insurance bill. On occasion I buy guns that are not for my collection but so underpriced they are too good to pass up. I'll sell those guns for profit which is reinvested in the permanent collection.

 

[Captcurt]

I got rid of 2/3 of my private inventory. I had several that I had never shot. Had two 101 Winchester 20ga's that never saw the light of day unless they were getting wiped down. A Ruger Red Label and a SKB 600 Skeet that were in the same safe. I decided that if I didn't shoot them I didn't need them. A dozen handguns and eight shotguns are gone. Still have a few to cull and right now is a great time to do it. I won't say anything about the new Weatherby that is coming in next week.

 

[Hookeye]

Buying to resell at profit ( flip ) technically requires an FFL.

 

[Hookeye]

Now if you buy right and change your mind later, thats cool.

Intent is key.

 

[doubleh]

Answering the OP, that would be a no.

 

[George P]

Buying to resell at profit ( flip ) technically requires an FFL.

Incorrect; buying to flip once in a while is one thing; intent to make a living is another

 

[BigBore44]

No. The firearms I own will go to my brother, nephew, or close friends when I pass. I plan to have them stay in the family (close friends included). I purchased every firearm I own because I liked it and wanted it. That goes all the way back to my first firearms purchase at 18. Just a Benelli Nova. But I still love it. Just like all the others I have. And I don’t even know how many I own. Maybe 50?

I’ll definitely concede I’m not anywhere near the end of my days. I hope to have at least another 50 years. (knock on wood). And my outlook may change. But I don’t for see that happening.

 

[CopperFouling]

I have sold off more than I have replaced them with and will continue to do so. 2 handguns for carry (2 is 1, 1 is none) my shotguns for clays and birds,maybe one centerfire rifle in case i do go for deer or hog and sell the others. Deciding if I want to keep my .22 rimfires or simply sell and get a .177 or .22 PCP

Seems like a pretty reasonable collection to me. But don't sell the .22s. They're too much fun.

 

[Waveski]

I’ll definitely concede I’m not anywhere near the end of my days.

Holy Cow - I'd never say that out loud!

 

[High Plains]

I have never had the desire to get rid of any of my firearms because I thought I had too much. I traded a Savage rifle in 308 Win for a great guitar but that is the extent of it.

 

[John Joseph]

It depends on your intentions. There's nothing wrong with collecting, however for me I found that having a lot of guns around is a distraction unless I can reason that they provide a tangible benefit (protection, hunting, some target sports, a family heirloom, maybe a .22 for training the young'uns etc...) otherwise it is just taking up space, is a liability and ties up ca$h.
OTOH buying new guns, learning to shoot them, and appreciating the History of a good design is a heck of a lot of fun, but maybe not as much fun when you're retired and on a fixed income.

 

[mnrivrat]

Age and poor health has me down to only a couple guns. I sold off most within the last three years. My AR's went several years earlier when talk of another ban came about. I doubled my money and wasn't using them so it worked out well. Went on to consign some for sale on GB and the rest were sold on in state private sales.

 

[BigBore44]

Holy Cow - I'd never say that out loud!

“Technically” I didn’t. But even if I die tomorrow, I’ve been blessed and am thankful for what I have been given in my life. I know my day will come. I don’t welcome it. I’m not ready. I probably never will be. But it’s coming nonetheless.

 

[FFGColorado]

Not really I have 8 guns, rifles and shotguns(1) now and each has a specific purpose.

 

[Legionnaire]

Not really I have 8 guns, rifles and shotguns(1) now and each has a specific purpose.

Keep buying, man! You haven't reached "a few" yet!

 

[P89DCSS]

No

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

... for me it's time to find a different hobby that isn't affected by the political winds.

Archery is a fun hobby and, since I build selfbows and wooden arrows it satisfies both the crafting and shooting aspects of my interests.
(Course, now I have many bows and bundles of arrows down in the shop...)

 

[3Crows]

I'd probably ask my kids (twice) if they want a specific gun before I'd sell it. Some of you may have inherited cherished guns from your grandparents/parents. What if they had sold those guns off because they hadn't been shot in a few years?

Of course everyone's situation is different. I don't mean to judge.

Most of my guns I inherited from my grandfather, my father (still living) and a great uncle. What if they had sold them off! And, I come from a bunch of hunters, they used their guns as tools and the guns show the patina of use, even hard use and occasional abuse. And I love them for that.

If, if!! I were to sell off my guns, I would keep only my stainless Marlin 336S and 1895SBL (Remington built), a stainless Kimber bolt in 6.5CM, one good pump shotgun, a stainless .45 1911. Why stainless, well, like my grandfather, great uncle, father, I use my guns as tools, they live sometimes in harsh conditions and there in such use stainless steel reigns supreme IMO.

But that will never happen. I ain't planning on going anywhere for a long time and I have folks I can leave each one too and even dibs called on some of them already! As far as political winds, the wind blows this way, then it blows that way. Nobody is going to come looking for treasured shotguns, bolt rifles and American as apple pie six shooters and lever guns (people just need to CTFD on that!). Much less my Kentucky long rifle I built from a kit when I was sixteen.



For me, not just no, but Hell no. If political winds are an issue, perhaps you have the wrong sorts of guns to be in love with.

 

[Commader47]

A few decades ago it occurred to me that I had a lot of guns. After taking serious inventory and getting them all sorted out I decided a few things.

1. I have a LOT of different calibers. I mean......a lot. And many of the calibers were just flat out bizarre.

2. In line with the above, I had many obscure and weird brands, styles and type.

3. Most of my guns, at the time, were not collectible, nor were they particularly valuable.

The first thing I decided to do was limit the calibers I wanted. And first on the list to get rid of was .25, .32, 9mm, 40 and a bunch of weird European calibers that ammo was hard to find and expensive when I did. Rifle calibers were also on the list to lose. I decided that I only wanted .22, 30.06, 308 Nato, 5.56 Nato, and 7.62 x 39. That meant getting rid of 7mm, .243, 8mm, and several others.

So over the next few decades of horse trading and such, I ended up with a rather large collection of a lot of guns in calibers I like. In one of my more bizarre trades, I gave up 12 guns for a brand new Springfield M1A. Folks thought I was crazy. In hindsight, I realize it was one of the best deals of my life. That is easily one of my favorite guns. It gets more valuable every day. The guns I traded are lost in time.

Another sweet rifle I have does fall into the "not one of my caliber" rifles. But I really like it. 1873 Springfield Trapdoor with original frog and bayonette. It's in 45.70. I justify it to myself because, after all, it is a .45.

I ultimately decided that I was only going to have guns in these calibers.....and reload them (except .22), .22 .38 and .45 and the rifle calibers already listed.

My wife started to get concerned and said I couldn't have more guns then fit in the safe, so bought a bigger safe.

 

[Old Dog]

If political winds are an issue, perhaps you have the wrong sorts of guns to be in love with.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but it's almost as though you're saying that AR-15s (AK variants, too) and standard capacity (15-19 round) semi-automatic pistols are "the wrong sorts of guns."

 

[George P]

Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but it's almost as though you're saying that AR-15s (AK variants, too) and standard capacity (15-19 round) semi-automatic pistols are "the wrong sorts of guns."

In these political winds ALL guns are the wrong sorts of guns to our "betters"

 

[Old Dog]

I'm harkening back to this post I'm quoting below (which echoes my point of view), because some other guys made statements indicating that they didn't really care what happens after they die.

Frankly, that strikes me as rather a selfish attitude if one cares about one's heirs at all. For those of us who've actually been involved in settling a relative's estate, sorting through the junk from the jewels, liquidating assets -- it is hard, tough, work -- long hours, and can be emotional as well.

It took my wife and I a year to finalize my mom's estate and she lived a few states away. 14 hour roundtrips every few weeks, then dealing with stocks, bonds, household goods, etc. was very tiring and stress-filled. Guns, being the political and polarizing items that they are, might become something of a nightmare down the road to try and dispose of, so if it just sits, it makes sense to sell it now and either invest the cash or go buy a different gun you want; JMO, YMMV

This is a good view of it. My kids (and their spouses) already know which firearms they want and will inherit. It is difficult and time-consuming to sell off a hundred firearms -- especially in a state requiring background checks and waiting periods -- especially if one's heirs live out of state. For those who've never tried, it can also be tough to find honest, reliable appraisers and agents to handle stuff. My mother-in-law sold of thousands of dollars worth of firearms for a few hundred dollars because it was taking so long for her daughter and I to go back and forth between our states and go through all her husband's stuff (not just firearms, but precious metals, lots of silver and other valuables).

My main point -- some of us really do need to downsize before we're ready to go. I've been involved in the nightmare scenario of a relative's sudden passing and leaving a massive estate with sizable collections of valuable goods. But if you don't care because you're still gonna be dead, like I said, that strikes me as a bit selfish.

 

[Obturation]

Pairing down is giving up. Never give up.
DOUBLE DOWN and let the extras gather dust until you want them to shoot again.

 

[Old Dog]

In these political winds ALL guns are the wrong sorts of guns to our "betters"

True, but I'm still a little taken aback by a member here implying that some guns are "the wrong sorts of guns" simply because they're not old-fashioned "treasured shotguns, bolt rifles and American as apple pie six shooters and lever guns..."

At any rate, I'm seeing some posts here by (presumably) some of our younger members who haven't had occasion to face their mortality close-up yet, nor had the opportunity to preview exactly what their families will be stuck with after they're gone.

In the end, it's all just stuff. I want my family and friends to be partying at my wake, not still be going through the dusty attic, garage and gun safes trying to figure out how to get rid of all my "stuff."

 

[Phydeaux642]

If political winds are an issue, perhaps you have the wrong sorts of guns to be in love with.

Odd statement coming from a "gun guy". Very odd.