thinking of culling the herd

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dakotasin

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lately i've been thinking of reducing my herd of rifles. i seem to have way more than i can shoot, and some i don't care if i shoot. i have very mixed emotions about selling guns... i generally don't do it, but they seem to be getting out of hand.

the first 3 on the chopping block haven't been fired in 2 or more years, and in the case of the ak (sar-1), it has never been fired by me.

just wondering what the consensus is on selling some off. my thinking is if i sell the first 3 off, then i can take the money and buy/build 1 very nice rifle. this would give me one very nice gun that i'd shoot in lieu of 3 average guns that take up space. of course, i bought the guns, and set them up in a way that i liked for a specific use - and that took lots of time and money.

also, any idea on what a fair price is for each one?

the first one is a rem m7 youth in 243 w/ a compact fixed-6 (cabela's alaskan guide - $150 new), and wood stock. the action has been bedded by somebody else, and it works, just doesn't look very good. the gun is in 90-95% condition. it is a pre-iss gun w/ 1-piece leupold base and leupold rings.

the second one is a sar-1 in as-delivered condition, and is unfired by me. got the gun from aim.

the 3rd gun is an old mossberg 22 bolt action. 26" heavy barrel. it is probably in 85% condition. no open sights. there is a weird scope mounted to the gun via the peep-sight holes. the scope holds zero just fine, but as far as i am concerned, the scope adds no value. don't even know the brand.

thanks for any suggestions or pricing help.
 
thinning out the collection?

I THINK YOU SHOULD SELL THE ONES YOU DONT USE OR WANT ANYMORE AND USE THE MONEY FOR SOMETHING NEW, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO ONLY KEEP THE ONES YOU USE THE MOST, I DONT BELIEVE IN BUYING AND NOT USING, IF YOU DONT USE IT, LOSE IT!
 
Did that recently---got rid of 12 or 13 and brought home 3 of very high quality---now there is room in the safe---and my overall collection is MUCH nicer.

No regrets here.
 
My rifles fill niches. I have a few rifles that fill the same niche, and some slightly overlap more than one niche, but my goal is to have a rifle for just about any situation (and some situations more than one rifle is needed!) Now, is it the rifle's fault if Nazi hordes don't invade every other weekend? No! So to sell off the rifles that don't get used much would mean I'd be without if the hordes ever did decide to invade. Do I get attacked by ferocious animals, or even get out into the backcountry for that to be a concern as often as I used to? No, but that isn't the fault of my Ruger .44mag Vaquero, is it?

I don't sell rifles (or pistols) that don't get shot often, I sell them when they no longer fill a useful niche in my collection. I did sell a rifle recently, but the reason was that it was replaced by a much better rifle. I tried to slide it into another niche, but it just couldn't compete with the competition.

Other than the "working rifles", I also collect C&R guns. These serve no purpose but to be adored, fondled, and shown as pieces of our history. They get shot from time to time, but that is no longer the reason for their being.

Personally, I wouldn't sell the AK until I had a better rifle to fill its niche (a better AK, or another service rifle.)
 
the first 3 on the chopping block haven't been fired in 2 or more years, and in the case of the ak (sar-1), it has never been fired by me.
Click to expand...
Why would you own a gun for two years and then sell it without ever firing it? :confused:

Aren't you the least bit curious about how it shoots? Buy a box of ammo and try it at least once. Maybe you'll like it. ;)
 
dakotasin
I collect old Mossberg .22's. If you can give me the model number,I can help you out on what it's worth. The model number should be on the barrel.
 
stoney- thanks for the help. i can't find much on the barrel, but does a model 44 sound possible? the barrel has on it:
o f mossberg & sons, inc
new haven conn u.s.a.
44 u.s.@ 22 lr pat

the gun is mag fed, steel buttplate, and fingergrooves made from (something, but don't think it is steel) incorporated from the triggerguard back to the wrist. the scope is a 7/8" 2.5x weaver, fine x-hair.

again, thanks for any help.
 
cyberdyne, omaha- you are echoing my sentiments. thanks for the validation.

j. wise- i doubt i'll have any qualms about letting the ak go... it was either the ak or the m1 carbine. i haven't shot either in a few years, but since i inherited the carbine from my dad, i have more sentiment attached to it than the ak. if i need longer range or more power than the m1 can deliver, it is not a problem to get ahold of a little more whoop-hiney. i really like what you are saying, though. your reasoning works for me. the m1 took the ak's niche, and the ak is now nicheless!

dmk- why would i own a gun for awhile and not shoot it? well... it happens. dunno what to say. i used to think that would never happen to me as i am an avid shooter. but, the herd has gotten built up quite a bit. w/ the ak, when it was new, i was extremely busy and didn't have time to shoot it. since then, i have lost interest in it... i'd rather go play w/ my bolt guns. i have a few guns that haven't been shot in a long time...my current 'record' is a s&w 686 that hasn't been heated up in 4 years.

as for buying ammo... i have. i have a few boxes of it languishing in my 'ammo dump'. am i curious about how it shoots? no. not even a little. i am an accuracy fanatic, and i know it won't shoot anywhere close to any of my bolt guns, so i just am not that excited about it.

as far as liking it... yeah, i know i'll like it. i like all guns. i just like some more than others! :D



sooo...any input on fair prices for the toys??
 
The guns I regret getting rid of are ones I can't replace...ones my Dad got me and I sold when I lived in an area where I couldn't hunt

If it's nothing special (an off the rack 10/22) then I figure I can always replace it

Remember, we don't "own" anything but ourselves. Everything else is just rented while we're on earth
 
Dakotasin
The model 44 was made by Mossberg during World War II as a training rifle for the military. The U.S marking marking on the barrel indicates this.
Does the barrel also have U.S. Property marked on it. If so , it is a military training rifle. The CMP sold these buy the thousands and they are a common rifle worth 200.00 to 400. 00 depending on the condition.

At 85% yours would go for 250.00 to 300.00 dollars. If it does not have a U.S Property mark on the barrel, it's most likely a civilian model which would lesson the value by 50.00 to 100.00 dollars.

I don't know about the scope, if you could prove that it was placed on the rifle by the military, you would have a vary rare and valuable rifle indeed.
I have never heard of the military scoping these rifles. The used a peep site.

Check out AuctionArms or Gunbroker auction sites and you can see how your rifle looks compared to the people selling Mossberg model 44's on those sites.
 
culling is good, to a certain point.
I did it for practical reasons. It makes for better practice/proficiency(sp), less storage space required, easier on ammo/reloading logistics, easier to decide what to take to the range, etc.
 
stoney- thanks much, i appreciate it.

the rifle does have what i assume to be its original leather sling. i have no way of proving the scope was or wasn't added by the military, but since there is no marking on the gun indicating it is 'u.s. property', i can only assume it was added on by somebody other than the gov't. the peep sights are gone.

by your estimation, then, the gun might bring $150... i think it is probably worth more than that to me to keep it. thank you for helping me make the decision - of the initial 3, this is the one i was most torn about getting rid of.


now, i just need to figure out what the ak and m7 are worth, and then dump 'em. i'm pretty sure these 2 will go - i just don't use them, and don't foresee myself using them anytime soon.
 
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