Sublime days with firearms

[Dave DeLaurant]

There have been certain days in my life when my interest in firearms has been so stimulated by my surroundings that I was able to completely forget my woes and live entirely in the moment. The last time this happened was at a small local museum in the early 1990s, when a friend and I volunteered for a few days as amateur experts to curate a surprisingly good firearm collection. Today was another one.

I was invited along to help organize, identify and facilitate the sale of a gun enthusiast's rather substantial estate. We counted a total of 65 ammo cans filled with ammunition and handloading components (including approximately 1K lbs of lead ingots) 82 lbs. of propellent (mostly in 8 lb. jugs), NIB ammunition including rimfire and some vintage factory stuff in 10 boxes and bins, 20+ long arms and 35+ handguns.



There are two layers of cans in this photo BTW, with another mountain of cans off to the left of the photo.

Here's about 1/3rd of the handguns:




I couldn't take many photos in situ due to poor lighting and just having both hands full (my friend and I went through this stuff for six hours), but we spotted some real gems in the collection. Unfortunately most of the milsurp longarms had been sold decades earlier during a divorce. The bulk of the remaining long guns were sporting arms, with an emphasis on Browning and Remington products. Among other things, there were two beautiful Winchester pump-action .22s (a 1890 in 22 Short and a 62), two Browning Auto 5s (one Belgian and one Miroku), a really clean Parker boxlock SxS, a like-new 1900 American Eagle Luger, a very good Radom Vis with all levers present, the cleanest Russian Nagant revolver I have ever seen (very tempting!), a decent Gen 2 or 3 Colt SSA in .357 Magnum, two beautiful Hi-Powers (I'll buy one if I can afford it) and a bunch of S&W revolvers with a few Colts for variety. Also a very clean Persian Mauser 98 long rifle (we negotiated a price and I'm definitely buying that one!) and a sadly sporterized Type 38 in .257 Bob with an intact mum that almost brought unhappy tears to my eyes. Tens of thousands of primers, and quantities of brass and bullets.

There were also a half-dozen nice pieces the executor is keeping, including a Nazi-marked PP, a couple of S&W N frames and beautiful Winchester 1895 in 30-06.

I put together a box of stuff for myself ($605) that included the following:



If you look closely, there's a full Norma factory box of 7.5 Swedish Nagant revolver ammo. I own two of those revolvers, BTW. The ziplocks contain 17 Garand en bloc clips. There's a total of 600 rounds of 9x19, 150 of .32 ACP, 40 each of .303 British and 7.92x57 Mauser, an additional box of Norma .303 brass, 100 rounds of CCI .22 Short and a vintage box of Remington .30 Luger. Hiding in the back are three case gauges.

The can below of .303 British unfired brass (R-P) and clips was thrown in free for my trouble by the executor.





The two boxes contain a Dremel tool and a bunch of burrs. There's an Ideal tong tool in 25-20, a case of Hoppes No.9, a still-in-wrapper Lee Enfield No.4 buttstock, and a USA-made Vise grip pliers. Along with these books, the box also included 4 lbs. of Unique in an 8 lb. jug.



On top of everything else, we got treated to pizza!

Most of the guns will probably go to Lock, Stock & Barrel for auctioning, and what's left of the ammo and components after we've contacted the old boy network here will probably be sold in small lots through either an LGS or gunshow.

Man, I am tired but happy this evening.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Now thats a good day. The gentleman who passed had good taste for sure.

 

[270OKIE]

Can you verify that the powder is sealed and if so, you maybe be able to get some guys on here to buy it pretty quickly if they are anywhere near ya. Probably wouldn't be easy to ship though....

 

[JTHunter]

Dave - looking at those pictures and reading your post has me drooling like a rottweiler with a large steak on a plate in front of me !

 

[dh1633pm]

My dad passed away on the 8th. He had an extensive collection of reloading equipment, manuals, bullets, primers, brass, and firearms. Most of it now sitting in my basement and in the garage. Not really sure what to do about all of it. Made me think that I already had too much and need to not be such a pack rat.

 

[Ks5shooter]

I am 20 years older than my wife.That being said I am downsizing my collection of firearms.I ask her if she is interested in what I dont shoot much ,on a gun by gun basis.What she is not interested in I sell off and we go on some nice vacations or we buy things she needs for the horse farm.She is certified judge, technical delegate and trains and competes in Dressage.So when she travels I tag along and we make her sojourns mini vacations.She is an avid shooter and hunter so we may travel for some hunting trips.My point is that besides what Im going to keep Ill sell what I dont shoot and enjoy my time with her.We are down the beach right now with our carry permits and edc guns for 10 days.You cant take it with you and time is more precious than anything I could leave.She will be comfortable when Im gone.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Can you verify that the powder is sealed and if so, you maybe be able to get some guys on here to buy it pretty quickly if they are anywhere near ya. Probably wouldn't be easy to ship though....

Most were still sealed, rifle powders. I think Plan A is LGS consignment, due to the shipping hassle -- my friend is going to inquire.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

My dad passed away on the 8th. He had an extensive collection of reloading equipment, manuals, bullets, primers, brass, and firearms. Most of it now sitting in my basement and in the garage. Not really sure what to do about all of it. Made me think that I already had too much and need to not be such a pack rat.

Simpsons can sell stuff like that (usually in lots) but you'd probably need to U-Haul it to Illinois. Shipping at current rates would be a killer for the heavy stuff. Given where you are, local sale via word of mouth might be something to consider.

LS&B will actually come out, appraise and pick up large lots of guns, so depending on how smoothly this deal eventually goes, they may be my chosen exit strategy when the time comes to liquidate my own arsenal

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks Dave. Not as many places here, but I wasn't worried about selling all the firearms. I have a friend who will do consignment for some. Others will be kept. Its the books that will be the hardest to find new homes. I will start by doing a little at a time. I have given away some of the firearms, ten to be exact. Between his and mine, I now have enough reloading components to never have to buy most anything ever again. .357 Covered, 45 Colt Covered, 45 ACP Covered, 44 Magnum Covered, need I go on.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Thanks Dave. Not as many places here, but I wasn't worried about selling all the firearms. I have a friend who will do consignment for some. Others will be kept. Its the books that will be the hardest to find new homes. I will start by doing a little at a time. I have given away some of the firearms, ten to be exact. Between his and mine, I now have enough reloading components to never have to buy most anything ever again. .357 Covered, 45 Colt Covered, 45 ACP Covered, 44 Magnum Covered, need I go on.

High-end gun books (first editions, Collector Grade pubs, etc.) are worth selling via Gun Broker or eBay (Simpsons sells a lot of books too), but they seldom make up a very large part of private gun libraries. I've got about $6K of my own money invested in this type of literature on the theory that when I'm too decrepit to shoot or have some other reason to sell off my firearms, I'll still be able to sit quietly and read about them.

Lately my not-particularly-rare books tend to go to a couple of charities, since we're down to only one actual, brick & mortar used book store in my area and they pay peanuts. Times have sure changed -- in my teens I could spend an entire day rummaging through the half-dozen or so local bookshops.

When it comes to factory ammo, these days I mostly acquire 9x19 and .32 ACP, plus 5.56 and 7.62 M80 ball for my few autoloaders. I handload for everything else, much of which isn't available from factories anyway.

BTW, there was a lot of bulk .45 ACP ball ammo in the estate, but the executor wanted to keep that.

 

[Legionnaire]

Cool! Sounds like a good day ... except for the loss that precipitated it.

 

[lemaymiami]

Dave, your comment about bookstores struck a chord… I’m a serious used book junky - but the number and quality of used bookstores keeps getting smaller and smaller down here in south Florida..

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Dave, your comment about bookstores struck a chord… I’m a serious used book junky - but the number and quality of used bookstores keeps getting smaller and smaller down here in south Florida..

I hear you brother! I came by my book addiction honestly -- one entire wall in my childhood bedroom was shelving for my older brother's books (there were two more floor-to-ceiling bookcases to the left of this view):



I met my late wife Lisa at the local State university library while working there part time, and then I went on to work 26 years for the local public library system before retiring. Lisa worked at three different libraries locally. Between us, we were employed for over 65 years in the company of books.

We used to have four new book stores here at one time (I moonlighted at the local B. Dalton during a Christmas season), but we're down to just one Barnes & Noble now and the selection there isn't very interesting. The space devoted to history was gutted during Covid, and they mostly gave up on Music CDs, DVD & Blu Ray movies and TV. The only remaining used book store worth mentioning in our area is actually in the neighboring community of Clovis, but as a teen I could easily bicycle from my house to three quite decent used bookstores.

On the plus side today, we do have this one interesting store called Mad Monk, which sells used discs, books and clothes. The Fresno store occupies the former Copeland's Sports building, maybe 20K sq ft of reasonably-priced goodies -- I could easily waste a entire day there if I brought my own folding chair. The used books there are sort of an afterthought though, but I've found a few nice ones. The link below is for the Modesto store, which is pretty similar to the one here in Fresno. It's only open four days per week, but worth paying a visit to every month or so.

Mad Monk Vintage

Mad Monk Vintage is a curated thrift store for new and used clothing, music and movies. We buy and sell all types of clothes, records, cds, DVDs, blu-rays and games

madmonkvintage.com

Shopping for books online isn't the same -- the experience is closer to buying pork at a meat market than hunting wild boar in the woods.

 

[JTHunter]

I am 20 years older than my wife.That being said I am downsizing my collection of firearms.I ask her if she is interested in what I dont shoot much ,on a gun by gun basis.What she is not interested in I sell off and we go on some nice vacations or we buy things she needs for the horse farm.She is certified judge, technical delegate and trains and competes in Dressage.So when she travels I tag along and we make her sojourns mini vacations.She is an avid shooter and hunter so we may travel for some hunting trips.My point is that besides what Im going to keep Ill sell what I dont shoot and enjoy my time with her.We are down the beach right now with our carry permits and edc guns for 10 days.You cant take it with you and time is more precious than anything I could leave.She will be comfortable when Im gone.

Cradle robber !

 

[lemaymiami]

My reading jones came to me by circumstance - as an Army brat living in places overseas without great language skills, I began reading as a kid and the interest never waned... Nothing stays the same, though. I'm down to one good local used book store - but they don't buy them back -so I end up donating bags full from time to time to any outfit that wants them...

 

[Kookla]

My dad passed away on the 8th. He had an extensive collection of reloading equipment, manuals, bullets, primers, brass, and firearms. Most of it now sitting in my basement and in the garage. Not really sure what to do about all of it. Made me think that I already had too much and need to not be such a pack rat.

Condolences for your dad.

 

[JTHunter]

My reading jones came to me by circumstance - as an Army brat living in places overseas without great language skills, I began reading as a kid and the interest never waned... Nothing stays the same, though. I'm down to one good local used book store - but they don't buy them back -so I end up donating bags full from time to time to any outfit that wants them...

The number of times my mother caught me reading something by flashlight under the bedsheets when I was supposed to be sleeping are too many to be remembered or counted.

 

[tark]

Hi Dave.! Thanks for that very interesting post. Reminds me of the similar experience I had thirty years ago when Illinois State Trooper Stanley Talbot was killed on his last day of active duty. I was asked to inventory and appraise his collection.

The thing that caught my eye was that box of Remington .30 Luger ammo in your fourth picture. Not very much of that stuff around! And that Nagant does look unusually nice! I still have a box of ammo for it sitting around here somewhere. Do you remember what caliber that Colt hogleg was?

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Hi Dave.! Thanks for that very interesting post. Reminds me of the similar experience I had thirty years ago when Illinois State Trooper Stanley Talbot was killed on his last day of active duty. I was asked to inventory and appraise his collection.

The thing that caught my eye was that box of Remington .30 Luger ammo in your fourth picture. Not very much of that stuff around! And that Nagant does look unusually nice! I still have a box of ammo for it sitting around here somewhere. Do you remember what caliber that Colt hogleg was?

Fortunately our situation was just the normal variety of sad, not an utter tragedy like yours!

The SAA is in .357 Magnum (2nd Generation.) When we went back again this Sunday to do a little more organizing (mainly tying tags onto handguns), we found a stainless Ruger Blackhawk in the same chambering that we'd missed the first time around, still in its cardboard box.

BTW, the other Colt in the first photo, the Officer's Model Match at the top, was in .38 Special. It needs some action work before going up for sale.

I did a couple more pix for my Swiss collectors FB group showing the Luger and Nagant boxes, plus a unopened pack of Swiss GP90 ammo, possibly for firearms sold previously. The .30 Luger ammo would work in the American Eagle, but that handgun looked unfired to me. It's too bad the Norma Nagant ammo is Berdan primed -- I'll probably shoot it sometime soon and then reuse the cool vintage box.




BTW, my friend Bob has been busy doing the rounds. About half the powder has been sold @ $200 per 8 lb. jug. The primers have been going fast too.

Bob has been making noises about getting a local gun show table to liquidate some of the other non-regulated material, such as the ammo cans, lead ingots and any remaining reloading components. California gun shows are such sorry things now that I haven't gone to one in years. I'll probably be roped in to help if that idea happens.

The executor accepted my offers for the Czarist Nagant and one of the Hi Powers, plus a nice LE No. 4 Mk I (one of five in this collection!) I may find money for another revolver later, but as it is I'll be spending my Social Security checks as soon as they are deposited for the remainder of 2023. We'll also be in and out of my favorite LGS quite a bit to do the transfer paperwork -- I just hope he doesn't tempt me with anything else for awhile!

(BTW Tark, there's a little something from this estate on its way to you.)

 

[tark]

Thanks, Dave.

 

[rust collector]

We just celebrated the first anniversary of the death of one of my old friends. Family gathered, and guns went home with a few of the nephews and brothers in law. I had tagged the guns with basic info and LGS appraisals. I discussed the various options in the order established by the widow, and five guns went to very appreciative and enthusiastic relatives. Remaining firearms will likely be sold to LGS, but one has been sold to a mutual friend at the appraised value, and I am tempted to purchase a leftover on similar terms. It's good to be able to help under these circumstances, but there are still a couple guns he talked about that we never found.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

We're preparing to get together at a LGS to do the FFL paperwork on my purchases a little over a week from now, as well as those for two other friends who are making purchases. The logistics of getting five people in the same room at the same time are a bit of a struggle.

Along with my Turkish K.Kale and Persian Mauser rifles, I'm buying a very nice post-war Fazakerley No.4 MkI Lee Enfield (no photo yet), a Czarist Nagant revolver, a S&W M60 and a Browning Hi Power.





Here's the 1908 Nagant beside a Soviet-era (1930s) example to compare the difference in finish, front sight.



The Czarist Nagant is also a single action example.



I also recently bought about 550 150 gr. .308 FMJ BT bullets, 4 lbs. of Red Dot, several calipers and micrometers (Sterrett and Mitutoyo), and this cool Hollywood single stage press:



We still haven't made much of a dent in the pile, but we've sold about $4K in miscellaneous stuff for the executor. Bob and I will check out a local gun show on Saturday to see whether getting a table at the next one will be an option for unloading more cleaning and reloading material.