old guy thread

[bigbear]

I have acquired all my Holy Grails. Gasp! I don't want /need any more guns! Hear me out, no need to organize an intervention. I need to thin the herd and am looking for a place to get some good advice. my youngest son is a shooter and his advice is suspect. If it does not have a magazine and shoot without working a bolt or a lever (except for his Win94 mag carbine I gave him) no harm in selling it. What logic do you use in thinning your accumulation? All mine are carefully reseached gems or lucky finds. Can't sell any of my 71's, no one will give me what they are worth (to me), my Win 94 375Win? 358savage99? savage99R in 308, Savage 99 250Sav with Redfield receiver sight (maybe) I hope you see my problem ! Help, I want to finance a big hunt or a quad. what's an old guy to do. Only old guys need to reply, you young guys just wouldn't understand

[725]

Is there a need to sell? If not, keep 'em like treasured friends.

[JohnnyFlake]

Sell them off my friend! I am 71 years old and held onto many guns for many, many years, I would not sell anything! Finally about 12 years ago when I relocated to where I am now (Henderson, Nevada) I just broke down and started to sell, sell, sell.

Actually, I enjoyed doing that, as I found I didn't miss them as much as I thought I would. The silver lining in doing so, gave me some extra $$$ to take a long awaited vacation and to search out other guns, that I had wanted in the past but could not afford. Now days, I still have many guns but if I run across something that really catches my interest, I don't hesitate for a moment to sell off what I need to get my newest love!

[pergoman]

I am dealing with the same sort of situation but from the other side of the table. My dad is in his early 70's and attempting to thin his heard. He has some pieces I will cherish, when the time comes. Not in a rush.
He has some things that he just couldn't pass up. He doesn't need these or use these guns. Mind you, his collection numbers over 120 long guns and about 30 handguns. He shoots a few times a week but some of these guns have not been fired in 20+ years.
He knows which guns I would enjoy owning and he has no intention of selling these. His 52-2 is in my safe right next to mine. He does not need the money from selling the guns. Each of the grandsons got a pre-64 model 70 for their 16th birthday.
I would advise you to sell anything not seeing even occasional use. Get rid of guns with no special sentimental values. Get rid of guns which are not wanted by your son because they do not meet his needs or desires. In short, trim the fat and keep the lean.

[bigbear]

Is there a need to sell? If not, keep 'em like treasured friends.

Do I "need" to go on another hunting trip? Do I need a quad? Hard question. Problem is, I have too many treasured friends, and my tastes have gotten too refined. These are not everyday Remchestermarlimossbergrugers we're talking here. Browning 1886 carbine (high grade) I got for half price with enough minor blemishes on stock I shoot it , I sold my Win 88 when I found an 88 original carbine, put a 4x scope on it, put 4 rds Win 150gr Silvertips in 1" , cleaned it and put it back in the safe. Can't sell that one, now can I? Where would I find another one? and so forth. The easy ones I've already sold to get these.Wednesday is my birthday so I'll go through my safe and pick some likely suspects ,take em to the range, and see where the chips fall.

[sharps4590]

bigbear, I don't konw what to say. I wanted a particular firearm a week ago and started pilfering through the toy box and the only answer I got was "not that one....no, not that one either....the oldest son wants that one....the youngest that one....Momma likes that one....oh I just couldn't sell my _______......ain't no way I'm gonna sell that one" and so on. I just sprung for the "new love" as Johnny called it. I guess it's the closest I'll ever know to having a harem.

[.22-10-45]

sharps4590..I know what your going thru..this doesn't pertain to firearms..but it just as well could. All my life I was told by my mother.."Don't you worry about a thing..when the time comes..all dads tools you want will be yours." Well, dad had a nice collection of antique broad axes..the only ones I really wanted were stamped with the family name of an old timer who was a very good friend of family..his parents emigrated from England in the early 1870's..and he told me his dad had purchased them before they set sail..they were also marked cast steel.
Well, the time came..but of course I wasn't in any hurry..working alot of o.t. & just didn't have time at the moment. Besides, after dads passing..I just didn't feel right removing stuff from their home so soon...Boy was I wrong..when I next visited..the wall was empty of axes! Mom quickly said..oh I saved these for you..a couple of rusty beat up examples..probably no one else wanted! I asked her how much she got for the English ones? I said she could have gotten more for those alone than the whole lot..they were in like new condition..she kind of got a sick look then..so a word to the wise..make sure anything you would like is put in writing..or better yet, talk to the old man about "loaning "it to you NOW!

[Lonegun1894]

I recently sold off a few, but my criteria was that I got rid of anything that I either didn't like to begin with, or had not fired in at least 10 years. I am 32, and I was surprized how many of those I had. I am the opposite of your son though, in that several semi's went, and a couple "newer" bolts, but the older stuff and the levers stayed. Then there were a few calibers that I just dont use and have absolutely no use for, like the .32 acp and .380 acp, since the smallest I really like, aside from .22, is the .357 mag, and those aren't going anywhere.

[bigbear]

Problem I have is when I think back to what I sold in years gone buy,) when I had to tuition, textbooks, Mac &cheese getting through school, the old way working and borrowing) they are all worth 3-4 times what I got and many can't be replaced ... a factory mannlicher stocked Ruger 44mag carbine for instance, think I may have got $450 for it, Smith &Wesson Model 25, 45ACP, 547 in 9mm, Colt Python,can't go on with the list, the horror oh the horror.Maybe I won't sell anything, just keep working and working and working.

[Lonegun1894]

If you dont have to, I would seriously consider keeping them. The ones I got rid of, were used to fund suppressors and tax stamps, stuff I know I will get a lot of use out of, so getting rid of the things I had no use for in exchange for things I will made sense to me. But if it had been anything that I was using, I wouldn't have done it.

[smokeywolf]

I have at least 2 that I would consider parting with. Forgive the preposition. I sold one a little over a year ago that I didn't really want to sell but, the money was needed to finance a new business venture. Even though it turned out to be a very good and profitable decision, it still hurts.
If you don't need the money, take several months to think it over. You don't want to have seller's remorse.

smokeywolf

[Mooseman]

The BIG issue I see is when I sell a Piece of my collection for Money to live off of , when The money is gone I dont have the money or the gun anymore.
I have some high dollar pieces, but nobody wants to pay a fair price for them , so they will stay in the rack for me to fondle and look at..
I am so Old I still have my first stone knife and I am out of Mastodon steaks...LOL.

Rich

[Salmoneye]

Never sell a gun...

I have twice in my life, and have regretted it since...

Never again,

[bigbear]

The BIG issue I see is when I sell a Piece of my collection for Money to live off of , when The money is gone I dont have the money or the gun anymore.
I have some high dollar pieces, but nobody wants to pay a fair price for them , so they will stay in the rack for me to fondle and look at..
I am so Old I still have my first stone knife and I am out of Mastodon steaks...LOL.

Rich

Exactly, everybody wants new value plus 15% for their beat up junk and scream and moan if you ask 10% less than you paid for a choice item You think you are old, I was around when dirt was new.

[gnoahhh]

To me they are merely objects, and very few have a lot of sentimental value. I own maybe 30 guns at the moment, but have gone through maybe 300 in my life. You get used to seeing them go. The trick is to replace the gun with something else of equal value immediately (and it doesn't have to be a gun) or you'll just fritter the money away on dumb stuff like food and gas. The biggest hit I took- not selling a gun to buy another one- was when I bought a house years ago, and financed a large part of it by selling off a pile of guns. I don't regret it to this day (well maybe a couple of them I should've kept).

I don't have kids, and have given a few to nephews, probably all they'll get from me. They aren't gun loonies. If I see the end coming I'll dump the guns forthwith. If I go suddenly, well I guess there'll be a hellacious yard sale. I won't care- I'll be dead!

Like my old man said- "If you can't own them all at once, you can own them all one at a time!"

Edit: I'm getting close to 'old guy' status- 60 in a few months. The older I get the less stuff like killing the biggest buck (or any deer for that matter), or owning a big pile of guns matters to me. What matters more and more are the people I love (past and present), life experiences (not necessarily centered around guns) and fond memories. Don't get me wrong, I still count a day at the range to be a great way to spend a day, but if I had the chance to vacation in the south of France for a month with a pretty woman and all it took was selling a pile of guns to finance it (and hence eliminating a bunch of range days)- well, just hand me my passport!

[Trapdoor]

My dad enjoyed his guns but only had a few that he used primarily for hunting. I took it to another level. I lost my dad early and inherited his and one of my grandads. At that point I made a decision. My dad's guns would be passed to my son, and my guns would be passed to my grandson, if I ever had one. That time has come and the ground work has been laid to keep the tradition ongoing. My son now has his grandads. My grandson will receive all mine, with the exception of 1 handgun, which was bought as a Christmas gift for us both. It's already half his anyhow!

[Jack Stanley]

I'll look at it a little different for you . A few years back my little brother died unexpectedly , he was in his forties . I got tasked with selling not just his guns but all the supporting equipment . What the whole process did for me was wake me up to my own mortality since my accumulation of stuff was a bit more than his .

Just on the outside chance that I should go unexpectedly I didn't want the same thing happening to my wife and remaining brothers . As a result , I sifted through the stuff that I'll never/not likely to use again . Still have a little to go but I'm getting there . One rifle I gave to a close friend another to a close friends son and still have a couple that may be given away to young shooters . Next , I'm tagging the stuff I'd like to use more but isn't a big thing if I use or not . As time goes on , I'll try and use it but it will get sold or given away sometime . Then , there are the ones that mean something to me for one reason or the other . Some are just a work of art others the memories they share . When the time comes I do intend to have the pile smaller and easier to manage for those still left .

My Dad was around when dirt was still in the planning stages but he never did tell what it looked like when it was new ... any insights there ??

Jack

[northmn]

At one time I "collected" bolt action military rifles. I would get one and play with it a while and then sell them to get another. Never did have a house full of them. Sometimes, just the memories of owning one for a while and handling it are fine. I have a 300 Savage that is likely to go down the road as I have played with it. I have two Marlin CB's. One is being returned to may daughter as it was the rifle she shot her first deer with and the other is a 38-55 with peep sights whcih I am keeping for open sight use. My old Marlin 35 Remington will be kept. I sold a bolt action 270 that I must used on and off for many years, since I was quite young, and even with its memories have had no regrets. I am looking at a bunch of shotguns that need thinning. If you do not really use them and do not like them, sometimes getting the "right price" is not so important as getting a little fund built up to acquire some other interests. Discussing this has kind of helped me decide that some must go.

DP

[405]

Wow, all this sounds familiar. I've gone through two or three sell-off cycles. When younger (stupider) I sold some of the wrong ones. The last couple of years been selling off the ones I couldn't figure out why I had in the first place. That is a good feeling- no regrets. Now here's the kicker. I just realized I'm replacing them as fast as selling them and the recent purchases are more expensive. Makes no sense. Problem is I still like owning and shooting old guns. Oh the insanity!

[1Shirt]

I can see the "no need" any more, but can't see don't want any more. Just isn't logical to me!
1Shirt!