A reminder to all of us...

[Burnt Fingers]

Some of us, and I'm one, tend to accumulate lots of "stuff" related to our hobbies.

I've been helping a widow go through and convert to cash all of her late husband's reloading gear and firearms.

I can't begin to tell you how much work is involved here. He owned well over 1000 boxes of factory bullets. We're at 52 die sets and counting. Primers, powders, brass, reloading accessories of all kinds. We haven't gotten to the firearms yet. There's well over 40k rounds of factory ammo and close to that of reloads.

Please do yourself and your survivors a BIG favor by at least organizing and labeling all your "stuff". If you've got "stuff" you haven't used in a couple of years find it a new home.


When I got into this as a favor to a friend of a friend it really opened my eyes to what a mess we can leave behind for others to clean up.

[TNsailorman]

Amen brother, I started labeling and organizing "stuff" more than a year ago and I am still working on it. I think I will end of selling most of it. james

[fredj338]

Yes! After my father died I had to sort thru his stuff & he didn't have a lot compared to me. I plan on getting rid of most of it before I hit the wall but **** happens. A good reminder to at least do a prelim inventory of what things are worth & keep it with the life ins & other such things.

[Petander]

We tend to think that "stuff" keeps its value but it doesn't. Especially when we're dead.

[buckwheatpaul]

We are doing the same thing....we have stuff and it is time to keep what we need and get rid of the rest.......good luck brothers and sisters!

[bedbugbilly]

Sage advice . . if you can get folks to realize they have too much and need to do their spouses/SO a favor.

I'm in the process of doing just that this summer. I have always been an accumulator". I'm no where as bad as the situation you are i, in terms of the quantities . . . but still too much stuff. I'm downsizing on guns, calibers and stuff the has been sitting around waaaay too long.

I cast and all I shoot is cast . . this afternoon and this evening I went through all o fly boolits. I had way too many peanut jars and coffee cans full of boolits that I've cast but maybe only used a few times. I'm limiting myself to a few cartridges and after cleaning the boolit shelves, I have a bunch to melt down, poor ingots and have on hand for when I need it. My shelf looks much neater now, every container is labeled with the contents and the gun it's used in and what took up a large 2 X 4' shelf is now downsized to a 1/3 of the space. And the best part is that it "feels good" to know it's all organized, labeled, neat and tidy and I still have more than enough boolits to load up and shoot.

I have "passed on" some things to those that I know will get some use out of them, I have sold some things and I'm still sorting. Today, I got a "tote" out and as I sorted, I was able to put in a spare RCBS 505 scale, a bag of 38 special brass, a good set of 38/357 dies and a decent Lyman 55 powder measure that I am going to give to a young fellow - well he's 50 but that's a ways under what I am. He's like a son to my wife and I and he's expressed some interest in re-loading as well as shooting a revolver - currently he has a 40 cal Sig. By the time I'm done sorting,I will have him equipped with what he needs to reload 38 Special - including a good supply of boolits - and he'll be all set when I give him my Combat Masterpiece that I want him to have. I have enough 38/357 to shoot and he's going to get the CM when my time comes so he might as well have it now and enjoy it.

While wee may "like" having all this stuff . . . it's no pleasure for a widow to have to deal with. I've got die sets and brass for guns I don't even own but I "accumulated" it because "I might need it some day". If I haven't used something in the last two years, it's going.

Good luck with your job of helping with the liquidation - not an easy task. I have done similar things several times over the years in helping wives of friends deal with it. I have also settled several estates as the Administrator/Trustee and it all comes back with posts like yours as to how we need to keep things "simple". With no kids, I want it so whoever Administrates our estate has it simple and with the minimum amount of work. An inventory of what a person "keeps" after "getting rid of", along with an approximate value is also a big help to those who have to come in and "tidy up".

Best of luck to you - I'm sure you help is greatly appreciated!

[Hairy Dawg]

I don't have to worry about it. Both of my boys reload, and will have no problem knowing what I've got and putting it to use after I'm gone. I do have everything labeled, however, just so I can locate what I need, when I need it. Sometimes small parts that go with different tools, presses, etc. are not easily identifiable if not separated and labeled.

[FerricOxide]

I can't imagine hording 40K rounds of loaded ammo.

[Conditor22]

Face it, when (IF) you go through, sort. organize and inventory your stuff you'll find lots of stuff you didn't know you had.
I have my guns, powder, primers, sizing dies inventoried, my dies are labeled and most of my brass is sorted and labeled. I need to do another inventory after I get the shelf unit (bookcase) completed and a shelf for all my turrets and I can do a good clean of my loading bench.


**spell check doesn't work if the misspelled word is another actual word :( **

[Tom W.]

Two of my boys handload and all three fish, so Lori will give them a key to the shed and tell them to have at it. She'll probably find handguns and a few rifles stashed around the house, but the boys won't hesitate to collect them......

At the range the other day I and another guy unloaded about well over 100 rounds of 9mm that I didn't think shot well. The other guy was having a ball. I let him use my Ruger LC9S Pro as that was what the rounds were loaded for, but I didn't like the way they printed.

All of my loaded ammo is labeled with a label on the inside of the box, and some have a label on the outside as well. My boolits are in containers, the ones that are sized and lubed have labels on the inside. The others are in military ammo cans with the contents written on the lid with a magic marker, as is my cleaned and sized brass.

[Petander]

Face it, when (IF) you go through, sort. organize and inventory your stuff you'll find lots of stuff you didn't know you had.


This is so true. I recently checked a "to-be-sorted" box and found a Lyman 4cav 45 acp mold,well oiled and in the original box. I have no idea where it came from or when... never used it.

Anyway,most of my "stuff" has very little re-sale value. Many presses,yes but not expensive. Guns keep better but still they go cheap. Quality scopes hold some value. I have a few decades relationship with a local dealer,if I go first my wife knows to take all my guns there to get a reasonable price.

"Stuff" can go to whoever friend wants it. Well, maybe my ton of lead could be sold. But I'm not going anywhere yet.

[6bg6ga]

I can't imagine hording 40K rounds of loaded ammo.

Hording 40K of loaded ammo? Heck son that's just a start for some of the folk here. We don't call it hording either its just having a few rounds on hand.

[lightman]

I started thinning out my stuff a few years ago when I retired. I sold almost all of the electrical inventory out of my shop along with several tools. I cleaned out my closet and drawers and sold or gave away a bunch of knives and belt buckles. I sold a bunch of reloading equipment that I didn't use or that were duplicates. I sold or gave away several guns that didn't mean anything to me anymore. I organized my ammo, brass and lead stashes. I've made an effort to be better at labeling my reloads.

Not just material things but one should have a will and do at least a little work on estate planning. Several years ago the Wife and I started getting separate credit cards and I had Her finance Her last couple of vehicles, trying to establish Her some credit independent from me. One should verify the beneficiaries on their savings plans, life insurance, retirement accounts, ect.

We are all going to be gone someday. I started thinking ahead and trying to make it easier for my survivors.

[6bg6ga]

I've seen extensive record and inventory keeping only to have it go up it a puff of smoke when a widow simply sells it for 10 cents on the dollar after her husband has passed away. Some simply want it to go and go quickly some simply because they hated their husbands hobby or hated guns.

While I agree with inventory and record keeping in some instances its just a waste of time in that either the widow doesn't care or one of the late husbands "Good Friends" convinces the widow that the equipment and firearms aren't worth much.

[Land Owner]

Burnt Fingers - I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. I purchased my boss' father's reloading/casting equipment, guns, and factory and reloaded ammo after he passed in order to keep his grieving mother from putting it all out at the curb for the garbage man! First though, I estimated the "street value" of the estate for the son (my boss at the time). He had my values verified by independent sources. Then I made him an offer for the lot of it, which he accepted.

I spent the next year in retail sales of used firearms, ammunition, and casting and reloading equipment out of a rented storage unit. I lucked out at a garage sale finding twelve (12), metal, 3-shelf, library bookshelves, 100 psf load rating per shelf, each four feet long and four feet tall, for $10.00 total (take it away or the Junk Man commeth!)!!! The storage unit was well organized after purchasing the bookshelves, which I resold for $120.00.

In the middle of that year my good-time buddy and reloading Mentor of 25-years passed. Thereafter, I inherited all of his reloading estate and guns. I currently have SO MUCH on hand (including my own) that the floors of my two story house groan from the load in the bank of five (5) 4-drawer filing cabinets, one for each caliber.

I had 10 unopened cases/5,000 rounds per case of just 22LR Factory Ammo! I sold bricks of 500 rounds to shooters for less than Wal Mart when their supply was limited in the Obama era.

I got BURNED OUT in retail sales, but still have a heap to sell (including a heap of my own!) but no motivation. It is important to remember, BUY LOW, SELL HIGH, and DON'T FORGET WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THE MEANTIME. There is too much flea market mentality and too many shooters bargaining with nothing at $0.10 on the dollar for clean, well oiled, and completely functional equipment that cost $100.00's of dollars new. If they meet me at or about 60% of new, I am good with that on some things - or they walk away empty handed.

Well maintained and popular guns GAIN value over time. I sold many firearms for their original purchase price that cost a lot more now . Some firearms I let go at WHOLESALE prices and the purchasers went home with a smile on their faces as I turned to the bank with a smile on mine.

Retail sales will teach you a lot about your self restraint in not shooting many sorry individuals you will have to deal with along the way. On the other hand, I offered my hand in friendship after each sale to many great shooters, reloaders, and casters.

[Burnt Fingers]

A buddy and I were talking at our match yesterday, btw he took 2nd and I took 3rd, about this very thing.

He's an accumulator too. He's got one son and he really wants to keep his firearms out of the hands of the kid as the kid will just take them to the pawnshop for the quick dollar.

What we've decided to do is help out younger guys who are into the hobby but really don't have the money to enjoy it to it's fullest.

We're writing down the story of the significant firearms that we own and will gift them to those young bucks, with the understanding that these firearms are NOT to be sold. They can only be passed along and the story goes with them. My buddy has firearms from three generations of Texas lawmen, all of them have stories attached to them that should be remembered.

40,000 rounds of ammo isn't all that much, I've got that and more in .22 LR, and I hardly shoot it since I started casting 9mm boolits.

[mdi]

I have given my wife some "loose" instructions on what to do with my stuff when I leave, sell give away, whatever. My firearms will be taken care of by two close friends who are gun nuts and shoot a lot. My reloading tools and equipment will be handled by one friend who is a long time reloader. I have a list, sorta, of "give aways", like my Pastor gets my S&W 629, one feller gets my Garand and AK, etc. I already spoke, casually, about this to the men involved and there's no problems so far. If my son wants them, he can have my tools (30+ years accumulation of mechanic's tools). Not overly concerned with selling or getting money out of the stuff, that's why I have life insurance.

[376Steyr]

On more than one occasion, I've been approached by friends and relatives who've inherited firearms and have absolutely no idea what they have. My good deed is to take "hang tags" and write down my identification of make, caliber, and my best guess as to value, then tie them onto the guns. This is at least a first step in avoiding them being cheated by the unscrupulous. Now I just need to do that with my collection!

[Drew P]

If any of you old farts want to start donating equipment I’m only 44 and will accept all donations, labeled or otherwise.

[Shuz]

If any of you old farts want to start donating equipment I’m only 44 and will accept all donations, labeled or otherwise.

Contact Waksupi--I bet he has a whole passel of lube grooves he could donate!:kidding:

[SSGOldfart]

Hording 40K of loaded ammo? Heck son that's just a start for some of the folk here. We don't call it hording either its just having a few rounds on hand.

Never a truer statement,I gave a key to both shops to my boys and had them added to the safety deposit boxes my oldest is to get the largest Uhaul truck and have at it,he may not want all my stuff,my wife gets what ever she wants,and the rest can go to the trash if they don't want to go through it all.I'm sure they will find the guns.

[Land Owner]

I'm sure they will find the guns.
You can only hope they don't find the receipts for the actual purchase prices you paid rather the prices you SAID you paid.

[Reverend Al]

Hording 40K of loaded ammo? Heck son that's just a start for some of the folk here. We don't call it hording either its just having a few rounds on hand.

If you don't have at least 40K of just .22 LR on hand then you're definitely a rookie!

[smilie=l: :guntootsmiley:

[Reverend Al]

On a more serious note though, I have made an Excel spreadsheet of my guns and approximate market values for my wife's benefit since she'd have no clue of their values if I got hit by a bus tomorrow. I'm doing the same with my larger items of reloading equipment, (Dillon presses, Rockchucker, lube sizers and dies, Hollywood press and swaging dies, etc.) plus the ammunition and components on hand. I've also drafted a Word document with a lot of specific instructions for her regarding selling not only my guns plus my shooting and reloading items, but my 2 vintage collector cars, my current late model truck, some antiques, etc. Not really something any of us enjoy thinking about or doing, but you have to give some thought to those that we leave behind since none of us are going to live forever ...

[Land Owner]

I have a single three tiered fishing tackle box of all caliber gun cleaning supplies, lube dies, top punches, etc., as well as some small miscellaneous items. when I put each of these in a spreadsheet the replacement value amounts to over $1,000.00 IN THAT SINGLE BOX. I asked the spousal unit not to give that box away at $0.10 on the dollar after I pass.

Food for Thought: When you retire, you are faced with a choice, pay Microsoft for an annual license to use EXCEL, WORD, POWERPOINT, etc., or convert to something that is FREEWARE. Plan ahead.

[6bg6ga]

If you don't have at least 40K of just .22 LR on hand then you're definitely a rookie!

[smilie=l: :guntootsmiley:

I don't waste my time on 22LR.

[beagle]

My shooting partner passed and liquidated his stuff. Another buddy did the guns. Cans and boxes of loaded ammo. No loads listed and he wasn't the most careful reloader so I pulled it and remelted the bullets and reprocessed the cases (mostly 9mm). Man, what a mess. Took me over 6 months working at it hard.

Its a good point though. My wife has no idea of gun values. Tends to overprice on common things. I've been culling the herd lately but still have along way to go. Got some nice pieces that I'd rather see go to a shooter than just some guy at a gun show.

Hard decisions but they have to be made./beagle

[redhawk0]

Some of us, and I'm one, tend to accumulate lots of "stuff" related to our hobbies.

I've been helping a widow go through and convert to cash all of her late husband's reloading gear and firearms.

I can't begin to tell you how much work is involved here. He owned well over 1000 boxes of factory bullets. We're at 52 die sets and counting. Primers, powders, brass, reloading accessories of all kinds. We haven't gotten to the firearms yet. There's well over 40k rounds of factory ammo and close to that of reloads.

Please do yourself and your survivors a BIG favor by at least organizing and labeling all your "stuff". If you've got "stuff" you haven't used in a couple of years find it a new home.


When I got into this as a favor to a friend of a friend it really opened my eyes to what a mess we can leave behind for others to clean up.

Are you gonna make some of it available to us here on the S&S forum? Or are you hording it all for yourself?

Seriously, if you posted some here I'm sure we could help the widow out with some cash for all that "stuff".

redhawk

[Burnt Fingers]

Are you gonna make some of it available to us here on the S&S forum? Or are you hording it all for yourself?

Seriously, if you posted some here I'm sure we could help the widow out with some cash for all that "stuff".

redhawk

I might. I'm still going through stuff. A lot of the factory bullets are partial boxes. From what I can see it looks like he would get a rifle, buy 10 different bullets, work up a good load and then put the rifle in a safe and wait for his next rifle to do the same thing.

I'm also going to be posting a list at the gun club that he belonged to and I belong to now.

I think I have all the empty brass, all 190 lbs of it. I still need to sort a lot of that as it was in buckets of unsorted brass.

I'm doing PT for my knees twice a week right now. That takes two days off the schedule right there. I also have some other commitments that limit me to just a couple days of "mining" a week.

[Thin Man]

The last 4 years (including this one) have laid heavy on me. Each year I have lost a close friend who was a collector - hunter - shooter whose family needed help with disposing of the left behind firearms and ammo and reloading gear. My message to each family has always been the same: your money is no good around me. The help I give you is free. You cannot pay me or give me any gift from the estate for my efforts. I am willing to work for the family, to help them through the loss of a loved one, to get the value of these materials into their hands. I offer my help to them, as I knew their lost family member would have offered to my family if it was my time to go. This work is my donation to the memory of a friend that all of us will miss. The current estate is from a friend of 40+ years. He had around 100 firearms (really great quality Garands, Carbines, Lugers and S&W revolvers) and volumes of ammo but no reloading. I should finish the inventory today if my strength holds out. She plans to sell the firearms in an online auction with a local auctioneer plus a local FFL storefront. Now I'm wondering who will be the one to go next year. Hope it isn't me...

[30calflash]

A good friend of mine started liquidating a few years ago when he was started having problems. He is and his wife are older, they have no relatives close by so he decided to start thinning the herd. It was a good thing as his wife now has medical problems and he is spending most of his time with her. I'd say he sold off more than half of his fireaarms, reloading I don't really know at this time.

I met another man who was in his 60's years back at a gunshow. He was a commercial caster and had a table of cast for sale but always had 2 racks of long guns F/S at either end of the tables.

I saw enough of him to ask about them and his reply was he had over 300 long guns at the time and didn't need them all. He especially did not want his wife to have to go thru all of this if he passed unexpectedly. He was planning ahead, which is a good thing. He thought 20 would keep him out of trouble until he met his Maker.

So, you can hoard, collect, acquire, whatever you want to call it but remember we are all only part time holders of all things we 'own' here. Find some folks you'd like to gift things to, use the things you have and decide which you really want and have plans for all the other items. And maybe start the selling process yourself. You can't take it with you.

[largom]

Do to age and health reasons I have already started disposing of a lot of my "stuff". Like most wives my wife has no interest or knowledge regarding guns, shooting, or handloading and would take 10 cents on the dollar for it. I have sold 3/4's of my guns and have been selling reloadng/casting items here. Still have a ways to go but I would rather sell here than on eBay.

Larry

[jmort]

I am right there with you
Have not started on reloading stuff but have sold all the guns gathering dust
Everthing left gets shot except the safe-queens.
Next to go will be the safe-queens.
Don't shoot them, but I like having them, but to what end?????

244068

[Burnt Fingers]

Well, I've most of the stuff transferred to my house. Not the firearms as those will be done later. I've got the reloading and ammo moved.

Luckily my wife went out with me this weekend and we were able to finish it. I'd be lost without my wife. As we were talking with the widow after we had loaded the truck she asked if I was into bullet casting. It seems there's more stuff in a workshop.

There wasn't as much as I originally thought as the deceased kept all the empty bullet and ammo boxes and the empty powder jars. My wife and I filled three large garbage bags full with broken down bullet and ammo boxes.

Now that I have it all here at the house I need to sort it out. One surprise was a Redding six hole turret press. It's got some rust and the ram is frozen but it's soaking right now.

The good thing is my wife was firm in her belief that his mess couldn't be any worse than my mess. She admits his mess was MUCH worse than mine.

I've paid the widow $1000 up front since it's going to take me some time to sort and sell this stuff.

[bdicki]

You don't have to die, you just have to move to a new house with less barns.

[FISH4BUGS]

I can't imagine hording 40K rounds of loaded ammo.
Really? I know a fair number of machine gun shooters that have that as STANDARD inventory.

[SSGOldfart]

You can only hope they don't find the receipts for the actual purchase prices you paid rather the prices you SAID you paid.
Well I'll be gone so what differences can it make ??

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm single ATM, but if married, why in the world would you KEEP receipts to be found? Seems as wise as smoking atop a huge open barrel of FFg Black Powder, or beating on a 10# blob of Mercury Fulminate. I for one can find lots wiser things to do :p

40k seems a good number of rounds to keep on hand, though; Means you don't HAVE to reload every week, though you still CAN :)

[dverna]

My friend asked me to help his wife if he passes. I dread the task...but not as much as losing him.

He has cases of factory ammunition, a number of guns, and some very expensive shotguns. He has bequeathed me his Silver Seitz but I will sell it and give the proceeds to his widow.

[LEADLUBBER]

I am 40 now, and I can’t tell you how much a gift of a nice firearm and reloading components would mean to me if I was so lucky.

I am not a “black gun” aficionado as are most my age. I don’t hate them, but I have never kept one for long.

I appreciate the higher quality, more craftsman-made guns ( pre-64 Winchester’s, older S&W’s, etc.), or any other guns that were cherished by their owners for some special reason.

Gifts of these types to us of the “younger generations” will have a lasting effect to keep the hobby and craft alive during this upcoming time of more gun-ignorant future generations.

Let’s be honest, lots of millennials and younger generations won’t give $.10 on the dollar for “old guns”, reloading, or casting equipment, and likely won’t ever care about them either. This will have to likely be taught by those of us in our 40’s and 50’s now.

Another point is that if someone gifts you a gun and doesn’t need your money in return, I would say you probably do the most honor to the person and their gift by keeping it and or passing it as a gift to another worthy owner.

Living here in Colorado now, after moving from Texas, shows me that according to gun show tables here, this must be one of the worst “old hoarder” places to be. Lots of rich older guys who are apparently telling their wives they are “selling all their collections” who drag the same way-overpriced inventory from one gun show to the next. I know of several of these “collectors” and I have a very good memory, so I recall which dealers had what guns from show to show, and many aren’t even turning 10% of their inventory in a year or more. I think many of them are doing this to either brag about their collections to those who are interested or brag later to their friends and wives about selling something they own for more than the normal market value.

I also believe there will be a time in the somewhat near future where many of these items will lose much of their value, because of a lack of future generations having as much interest in them and also not having enough expendable income to buy at “normal prices”. I foresee this happening with classic and collector cars as well. Once most people have never read about and ridden in a big block SS Chevelle, they will cease to value them as much as a 450hp brand new Camaro that can be bought for the same money, financed through a bank, and have a wife or girlfriend who inevitably likes the new car much more as well.

[Nazgul]

Getting ready to move, doing the clean out now. Wow! I have to admit I have too much stuff!

Year ago got a great deal on 1500 308 150gr FMJ for the M14. Went to shove it under the bench out of the way and it wouldn't go. Found 2 unopened boxes of 1500 already there!!

Don

[Burnt Fingers]

One really important thing.

Try and keep the handloaded ammo stock to a reasonable level. Factory ammo is easy to sell/gift. Reloaded ammo, not so much. Components are much easier to dispose of than the loaded ammo.

I went to the range yesterday with a buddy. While getting ready I realized that I've got almost 5K of reloaded 9mm on hand. That's about a years worth of shooting for me. I need to cut that WAY down. It only takes a few minutes to crank out a couple hundred rounds on the 650.

[JMax]

I had a friend of 43 years that was a shooter and reloader that had advanced brain cancer. I went out to spend a couple of weeks with him and his local friends and we were able to get the guns valued and put up for sale at a local gun shop. A couple were transferred to friends but reloading supplies and equipment were a mess. Most powder was going bad so fed his property, I got bullets and shot and we got the equipment finally sold. A huge problem but it opened my eyes and I have been on a long term project to thin the herd on guns, reduce calibers and keep no more than a thou pistol rounds loaded at a time and only a hundred or so rifle loaded. All bullets are identified as to alloy and weight. Still working on keeping my spreadsheet current. This is a work in progress.