Looking for advice on which rifle to trade/keep

[JD22]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the site and just wanted to get some opions of knowledgable gun enthusiasts. First off, as you will see I am new to the world of arms but I have a growing interest. I own three rifles of which my Father gave me and was thinking about possibly trading one for a handgun. But I'm not sure which one would be the best one to part with. I don't know a lot about what I have but here is what I have reasearched and found out about what I have...

Browning A-5 Semi Auto (looks to have a long barrell... I think its from the 70s)
SKS Chinese with bayonet (appears to be from mid-late 70's)
Ruger .44 Mag Cal Carbine (70's) with what appears to have a nice scope

They all appear to be in good condition (need cleaned though)

I'm not sure how much these are worth either ... That may be my next post so I can maybe get some more info and help with learning more about them. So any advice and/or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[psyopspec]

Welcome to THR! I've been through times where getting a new gun meant that I had to trade away another. Had I done this with any guns that my dad had given me or that I'd inherited, I think I would very much have come to regret it later. Were it me, I'd save up for a handgun, giving the prices on them time to normalize while keeping what would surely have sentimental value.

 

[Solo]

Those are some pretty nice longarms.

 

[Prophet]

Those are some pretty nice longarms.

I have to agree, pretty nice. I wouldn't sell any of them. Save up and purchase a handgun. Sometimes you can find some pretty good deals on Davidsons Gallery of Guns, there's really nothing to it when purchasing a firearm through one of their dealers.

 

[bigwheel]

Got to agree keep em all. If that aint meant to be..I would ditch the Chicom model...unless it some kind of rare and wonderful model. No way anybody could pry an old Browning scattergun out of my hands. The Ruger sounds cool too. Think thats the one they used to show in the gun mags of killing a giant gorilla. Yep..ditch the rice burner..lol.

 

[returningfire]

Take my advice and don't sell anything you got from your Dad. These will become more and more precious to you as time goes by.

 

[JD22]

Starting to make me think twice...

Well so far the advice seem similar as I should just keep them. I was only thinking of parting with one as they do hold sentimental value for sure. I guess I was just thinking it would help me get a pistol quicker. Maybe you guys are right.. Maybe I should just build a nice little rack instead and start saving. But I would like to learn more about them though anyway. I've looked at some websites but just seem to get a possible date range. Thanks for the posts and advice though.. I wouldn't want to have regret later down the road.

 

[meanmrmustard]

If you must, I'd sell the SKS.

There are venerable numbers of Chinese SKSs to replace it later.

 

[sansone]

If you must, I'd sell the SKS.

There are venerable numbers of Chinese SKSs to replace it later.

don't sell any, but the above post is correct

 

[jim243]

Browning A-5 Semi Auto (looks to have a long barrell... I think its from the 70s)
SKS Chinese with bayonet (appears to be from mid-late 70's)
Ruger .44 Mag Cal Carbine (70's) with what appears to have a nice scope

The Browning A-5 should be between $1,300 to $1,500 and you will not be able to replace them. Newer ones are not worth as much you most likely have a Belgin model.

The SKS between $300 to $600.

The Ruger is most likely the bolt action model in 44 mag and should sell for around $250.00.

All three will be hard to replace in todays market and should be kept, you will regret selling them.

Jim

 

[Redlg155]

The value of you Chinese SKS has increased exponentially, so if you must, you will get the most return from selling it. Twenty years ago they were free with the purchase of a case of ammo. Now they are easily 5-600.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Take my advice and don't sell anything you got from your Dad. These will become more and more precious to you as time goes by.

+1
Your dad won't be around forever. I don't know how you feel about it, but I have a few guns that I got from my dad, and there's no way I would ever sell them. Of course my earliest memories of my dad are hunting and shooting, so that was a big part of my life from very early, so there a lot of memories attached there.

 

[fanchisimo]

The value of those firearms from your father extend far beyond money. I have sold guns to buy others, but I will never sell the shotgun and bolt-action single shot .22 that I got from my father that he got from my grandpa. They aren't worth much that much, prolly 400-500 altogether, but they will be handed down to my son or daughter someday, being in our family for four generations.

 

[SabbathWolf]

Possibly not a politically correct question but...
Is your father alive or deceased now?
Have you asked him the same question or....is that not possible?

 

[HoosierQ]

If you must, I'd move the SKS. Is your Ruger a semi-auto? Those are no longer made. The Auto-5 is a real gem.

You might be able to get a pretty penny for that and finance a couple of new guns. For some people, guns have sentiment, for others, they're just things. I can go either way.

The ruger, if it's the semi-auto .44 carbine essentially has no modern equivelent and, as such, while not worth as much as a real nice Auto-5, it may have greater intrinsic value as a firearm. A .44 magnum carbine is a powerful gun in a small package with very manageable recoil. A very handy firearm to have.

The SKS is just an SKS...they made millions of them and there are millions of them out there circulating around and they are in demand. They are a lot of gun.

Basically, except for a handgun, without getting rid of anything, you've got the tri-fecta of long arms there. A shotgun, a handy carbine (the Ruger) and a powerful SD rifle that is also very useful in the woods for deer sized game.

But if you really need to sell on to get a handgun, you need to balance the financial value vs the intrinsic value as a firearm. For me, that would make the Ruger (if it is the semi-auto carbine in .44) the top keeper. The SKS the top mover. The Auto-5 as the cash cow, possibly sellable for sufficient cash to pay for a very nice handgun and a .22 rifle let's say.