Must be getting old since I am thinking of reducing my small collection of handguns

[Hardtarget]

No need for the guns to go...yet. I still shoot, hunt, reload, and shoot some more!
I have two sons and four grand children. They can divy up when I go. They will have a good time talking it over and making decisions about who should get what. If I have "fair warning" and a bit of time I just might preside over the event! That would be the best fun for me.

Knives, reloading gear, and all the extra stuff we gather around our hobby.
Then they can start wondering where to put all that stuff!

Mark

 

[Brad]

I'm also getting to that downsizing stage. Having been a collector/shooter for much of my adult life, it's seems like I've either owned or shot most everything out there. Unfortunately, there's really not much to get excited about any more.

It really has gotten to the point where I'd like to focus on a few guns that I shoot regularly. It might be a sign of age but it is also an indication that my interests have changed.

There's something to be said for keeping things simple in terms of the number of guns I own, caliber, action type, etc. I wouldn't have thought this 10 years ago but there's no denying the urge to surround myself with those few things I really want to use and spend time with. And these days, it's more likely to be golf rather than shooting!

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I go through bouts of wanting to sell down to the essentials. I mostly talk myself out of it given how little space it takes to store them and I'm not hurting for the cash.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I'm also getting to that downsizing stage. Having been a collector/shooter for much of my adult life, it's seems like I've either owned or shot most everything out there. Unfortunately, there's really not much to get excited about any more.

It really has gotten to the point where I'd like to focus on a few guns that I shoot regularly. It might be a sign of age but it is also an indication that my interests have changed.

There's something to be said for keeping things simple in terms of the number of guns I own, caliber, action type, etc. I wouldn't have thought this 10 years ago but there's no denying the urge to surround myself with those few things I really want to use and spend time with. And these days, it's more likely to be golf rather than shooting!

Kind of related, I want to get into woodworking with a focus on hand tools. I've been spending considerable time researching what is needed vs what becomes excess.

 

[GoWolfpack]

Does this mean I can stay young forever if I just keep buying guns?


Sometimes I think about how little I really shoot and how many of my guns don't get shot regularly. Then I buy a few more guns.

 

[Tallball]

My father passed away a couple of years ago. He had an extensive guitar collection, around 20-25 guitars, some of them quite valuable. I got half and my sister got half. She plays guitar and kept five or six. I don't, but I kept his favorite in case my kids ever learn to play. The rest we sold intelligently and got good value for. I turned about half of my guitar money into guns.

Getting to the point, every single one of the guitars I sold had appreciated in value significantly since Dad had bought it. They were a good investment. He didn't really need more spending money. He kept them around and enjoyed them, and then they became a significant part if our inheritance. I hope that my firearms will be the same for my kids. They will probably keep a few and sell the rest. My kids are smart enough to do a little research online (or whatever replaces it) and will doubtless get what they are worth. I don't know if my guns will appreciate as well as Dad's guitars, but I doubt if I have owned a quality firearm that wasn't worth more than I paid for it after five or ten years.

 

[Officers'Wife]

I don't own very many handguns. Let's just say around a dozen. But I find that I am thinking about selling off several of my guns because I hardly if ever shoot them. I have 3 that I use for concealed carry (different clothes calls for different guns and holsters), one nice range gun (22LR) and my home defense gun. I think I could get down to these five and be pretty content. I guess its a sign of getting old since I also find I wander around the house and garage looking at what I should sell or throw out since I haven't used it in a year or more. But when I think about how little I am likely to get for some of these guns, like my Browning Buckmark that a LGS would only offer me $125 on a trade-in, I put it back in my safe. I find for that little sum I would prefer just to hold and clean this old gun once in awhile. Worst comes to worst, my widow or kids will have to deal with all of my guns, ammo, reloading equipment, etc.

Old? Perhaps. Or perhaps just practical. A few months ago one of our "landlords" gave me one of his knives that I knew he had an attachment to. Since the gentleman is in failing health that no longer allows him to do many of the activities he enjoys my first thought was he was planning suicide and was greatly concern.

When I (gently) questioned him on the why, his answer was simply he no longer took joy in owning the tool and knew I would. I got the impression then that this was simply his way of his enjoyment of tool use vicariously through me. His COPD no longer allows him to gut deer, cut baling twine from hay bales or the hundred other uses a good knife is put to on a daily basis.

Once I realized that, I took the tool to the saddle shop and had a new sheath made for it with his initials on the front and "a gift from a dear neighbor" inside. I make it a point to wear it when my brother and I go over there to scoop out his drive, deliver his firewood or pay the cash rent.

The story is told that in ancient times the guy used to work the last blacksmith shop in the county appeared at my uncle's back door with a collection of hammers, hot and cold chisels, files and other tools of that particular trade. It's said the old man left them in my uncle's shop and drove off without a word. He could have sold those tools as antiques and had a comfortable retirement from the proceeds. Instead he chose to have them in the hands of someone that would use them, not with the skill he had but at least knew the basics.

A true tool user like you knows that tools are meant to be used. Thinning the collection isn't a sign you are getting old, it's a sign that you respect their use and want to see them fulfill their function. So when you sell them to the next user, don't think you are getting old, just that you are listening to the whispers of the ghosts of the tool user that have come before you. And if it's true that the tool user puts a bit of his heart in every tool he ever works with, passing the tool on is your bid for immortality.

 

[huntsman]

every single one of the guitars I sold had appreciated in value significantly since Dad had bought it. They were a good investment.

I hope that my firearms will be the same for my kids. They will probably keep a few and sell the rest. My kids are smart enough to do a little research online (or whatever replaces it) and will doubtless get what they are worth. I don't know if my guns will appreciate as well as Dad's guitars, but I doubt if I have owned a quality firearm that wasn't worth more than I paid for it after five or ten years.

The thing about collecting and making a profit is it requires what is referred to as The Greater Fool Theory.

Gold/silver is something that has intrinsic value, but man made objects? it's all about trends/fads, supply/demand and most importantly disposable income.

I do believe firearms have an intrinsic value in that there's value in a tool that can be used for protection or to feed oneself.

To pass on wealth by trying (or hoping) to anticipate demand seems risky, if you collect because it gives you pleasure then why worry about future value? if your goal is to provide wealth then maybe less guns and some PM's would be the best of both worlds.

 

[JWH321]

I've been thinking of downsizing, too. The fact is, there are only three of my guns that ever get any time out of the drawer. The are others that are just taking up space.

What's worse, I've made several trips to the LGS and have come home with nothing -- nothing intrigued me. My last purchase was a VP-9. I had actually gone in to look at a P2000, but the VP-9 felt better in my hand.

I'm old and unlikely to really NEED anything more than the VP-9 and a small gun for concealed carry. I haven't fired the shotguns for a good while, the rifles have not been out of the closet (except for cleaning) for several years. The older I get, the more important it has become to me to simplify my life. This may be the time.

 

[Teachu2]

Leaving a garage full of tools, is a lot different than leaving a closet full of firearms.

It sure is - there aren't any honest, licensed tool dealers in my neck of the woods, and she'd have a tough time loading up the lathe to take it somewhere to sell, even as scrap.

We've gotten a pretty sweet deal in our lives - a house the wife is happy with, a shop that I'm happy with, and more stuff than we need. Many of the tools I own came from my family, and as much as I love my step-sons, they really couldn't care less about the history. My great-grandmother's apple-peeling machine is junk to them. I will probably outlive my sister. That kind of stuff my wife can keep it she wants or donate to the museum - I won't care.

My other tools will be left to my stepsons and their sons, and some special tools left to young folks I've mentored over the years. If I go first, the wife will sell the house/shop/property, as she knows it's too much for her alone. She'll replace or downsize as she sees fit.

The guns she doesn't want to keep until she's gone will be left to the stepsons and their kids. I have a spreadsheet tagged accordingly. If I get to the point where I'm not using a significant portion of the collection, they will go to the kids while I'm still here to hand them to them.

I'm going to enjoy my possessions as long as I please, and pass them on when it pleases me. After I'm gone, my heirs can follow the terms of my trust - then do whatever they want with what is given them. No strings attached.

 

[ACP]

I just brought three long guns and a pistol to the LGS last weekend to sell. I get tired of seeing stuff in the back of the safe or staying in its factory box and never shooting it. I figure I need to spend my time and my money (for ammo) on the guns I rely on the most: self-defense and plinking. Gives me more time to practice with/master those SD guns too.

What do I mean by SD guns?

S&W stainless revolvers and a BHP; AR-15; Mossberg 590.

Plinking is a CZ 453 (scoped) and a Ruger Mk III (red dot).

I do have a few "collectibles" that I like due to their historical significance, quality and beauty: Colt WWI repro, Colt SAA nickel plated, and Colt Navy BP.

 

[JSH1]

Apparently I'm "old" even though I'm only 36. I've often used the 1 year criteria to purge items from my possession. We just moved and did a massive purge of items that we hadn't used in years. Guns are not magical. If you don't use them and they don't bring you enjoyment there is not reason not to sell them or give them to people that would enjoy them.

I've attended my share of estate sales. In general your possessions are only valuable to you. Your heirs most likely already have they own houses and possessions and don't need yours.

 

[Shadow 7D]

After the experience of my Father In Law passing away, and how things got done
I made the decision long ago, to have nothing I cared about where it went, with me when I die, if I can help it.
I would rather hand it away to someone who will cherish and value it like I do, than face the fact, that much of what my FIL cherished was either hidden by other family for my wife and my kids and my BIL's kids, or, long ago was sold to pay for the BIL drug habits.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

All the guns I have purchased so far are still interesting to me. If and/or when they are not interesting any more I might think about selling them. Who really will care what happens after they die? No one! You care now what will happen after and at that point give, will, or sell what you see fit. This is my personal opinion and by no means should dictate what any other person thinks or does.

 

[vito]

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I haven't sold any of my handguns yet. I took them out for cleaning and lubrication, and thought about the ones that I almost never fire. My one and only semi in 40S&W caliber is not much fun to shoot, but then I thought, why would I sell my only 40 which some day I might want to use as carry gun? My only 45acp is not worth much, but I decided its still a pretty nice gun so I'll keep it. And so on and so on.

I'm now toying with the idea of giving one designated handgun, in my will, to each of my grandchildren (right now ranging in age from 19 down to 1 year old), even if that means I need to buy another gun or two. Knowing how anti-gun my grown kids are, it brings a smile to my face to think of the dilemma that my wishes would put them in, i.e., having to store and safeguard a gun that they hate for a number of years until the particular grandchild reaches age 21! Yet I know that they would feel obligated to honor my dying wishes.

This solution sounds so much more satisfying that getting a few hundred dollars that I don't desperately need right now and risking sellers remorse. Plus it requires me to actually add to my small collection rather than reducing it. Life is good! This is much more fun to think about than to dwell on my recent bout with kidney cancer, or my coronary artery disease, or my just getting older at almost 72.

 

[THe Dove]

Vito, you sir are a character........ If nothing else, get the grand-children some 22 LR ammo (each of them) and let mom/dad buy the fire-arms to use it in. LOL

The Dove

 

[sgt127]

As I get older, I plan on selling off some guns and converting it into silver or gold. Bullion, coins whatever. My kids will each get one or two good carry guns, one or two high end collectors guns or family guns and then they get precious metals. No hassle of ownership if they move to an unfriendly state or even out of the country.

They're not really into guns. They like shooting, they want a few guns for protection, but, they would have no idea what to do with all of them and might get ripped off if they sell them. PM's have a fixed value, anywhere in the world and are alot easier to store.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Its been awhile since I started this thread, and I haven't sold any of my handguns yet. I took them out for cleaning and lubrication, and thought about the ones that I almost never fire. My one and only semi in 40S&W caliber is not much fun to shoot, but then I thought, why would I sell my only 40 which some day I might want to use as carry gun? My only 45acp is not worth much, but I decided its still a pretty nice gun so I'll keep it. And so on and so on.

I'm now toying with the idea of giving one designated handgun, in my will, to each of my grandchildren (right now ranging in age from 19 down to 1 year old), even if that means I need to buy another gun or two. Knowing how anti-gun my grown kids are, it brings a smile to my face to think of the dilemma that my wishes would put them in, i.e., having to store and safeguard a gun that they hate for a number of years until the particular grandchild reaches age 21! Yet I know that they would feel obligated to honor my dying wishes.

This solution sounds so much more satisfying that getting a few hundred dollars that I don't desperately need right now and risking sellers remorse. Plus it requires me to actually add to my small collection rather than reducing it. Life is good! This is much more fun to think about than to dwell on my recent bout with kidney cancer, or my coronary artery disease, or my just getting older at almost 72.

Vito, I used to collect Orchids
when it comes to orchids, I have a standard I have developed over the years
I give orchids to enthusiasts like me, who will get years of enjoyment out of these unique, beautiful plants, or give showy cheap ones to people who I'll get the pleasure of seeing them slowly kill a "cherished gift" over 6 or so months

It can be down right amazing the lengths people will go to keep from admitting they killed the plant you gave them.

Instead of giving the guns to the gun hating parents, I would take the grandkids shooting, and let them KNOW that this gun you are enjoying, is yours, it's a treasured family heirloom, and when I die, I'm giving it to YOU, as your (father, mother) has made it clear that they do not value you it, and I want it to continue to serve the family yada yada yada...

make sure the grandkids know what's coming to them, so if mommy or daddy get rid of it... they can face the consequences of their actions.

 

[wad]

Though I have never looked into it, I think a good way to sell off some of my collection would be to rent a table at a local gun show (when one comes to town).

However to date, most of my collection reduction has been to finance the purchase of more interesting, expensive or collectable guns. Sort of a five for one collection reduction Also along the way I have also managed to reduce the number of calibers I have to stock and/or reload for.

 

[short barrel]

I don't have many handguns either--six I think, but I have a use for each of them. Two .38's in the house my wife can get at, two single action hunting guns, and the two autos I carry. I'm finally at a point I don't want to sell, buy or trade.

I also have six long guns, all of which have a hunting purpose.

Satisfied in my old age with firearms I own.

Although I won't buy anymore, I don't advise selling anyone to sell. Politics are our enemy. Keep them and fight to keep them.

 

[Sniper66]

Vito,

I like you second plan a lot. Receiving a thoughtful gift from you will almost certainly be appreciated. It took you a long time to acquire guns you wanted, so just selling them and paying doctor bills ( or something else you won't remember) sounds like a poor trade. I am 68 and still accumulating guns and selling one occasionally, But, I have friends age 75 and 79 and a brother age 78 who still buy the occasional gun and have hardly thought about selling. I like your plan better.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Vito,
Good plan to leave them to the Grandkids. If you search some you may be able to find ones which were made the year they were born.

I was able to do that when Ruger put out their 50th Anniversary Blackhawk in .357 (2005) and then when they made their first 4in Super Blackhawk (2007) (I think that was the right model for 2007 but wouldn't swear to it).

Something to think about if you're going to plan to leave them to the kids.