Dead dad's gear

[Ralphc287]

Sorry guys to "gatecrash"your forum but my 86 year old father (Normandy veteran - Gold and Utah beaches) passed away in September, a day before his 86th birthday. He loved shooting and before Dunblane, shot handguns, black powder, the lot.

As children, we "inherited" a whole garage of bullet-making equipment. We have a Lee turret press, a Lyman Mag 20 furness and loads of moulds, dies, primers, cases, gas checks etc etc.

I am NOT asking for pricing advice, as I know some forums, don't like that. Instead, I am asking general sales advice please? We're based in Britain, should we eBay the stuff? A dealer has offered £125 for what I reckon is c.£1,300 retail of kit, which seems a bit mean. The Lee turret press and the Mag 20, should get that alone to a private buyer.

We're not trying to maximise sale price but don't want to get ripped off and want dad to think that we didn't give his kit away.

Help please fellas?

Ralph

[steelworker]

Put it on your local Craigslist?

[chuckbuster]

What voltage is the Mag20 Furnace set up for?

Some of the stuff may be an "export/import" issue due to various regulations regarding "war materials" or some such but the dies, molds etc can all be sent via postal service as hand tools.

If your Dad was that active did he belong to a club or have a younger friend that may be more familiar with your local market and who might appreciate having some of your Dad's stuff or be able to make good use of it.

Welcome to Cast Boolits, one of the nicest communities around
Kevin

[Hickory]

If you put it on Ebay or Craigs list you might be surprised at
what you get for the things that meant a lot to your dad.

Then after most of it is sold, you can sell what's left to your
local dealer for 2-3 times what he offered you.

[Triggerhappy]

Put them on ebay, you'll get more than they're worth if you word the descriptions correctly...

[trooperdan]

You should post on here a while then list the moulds for sale here! :) We are the kind of nuts that love that stuff!

Seriously, listing on ebay is a good idea, just be sure to list on the US site as well! We've seen some not rare or unusual items bring big money there!

TD

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

There are a few members here from the UK.
Maybe they could help you out.
Jon

[williamwaco]

I have sold a lot of stuff on EBAY for more than it was worth.
I see stuff on there selling for too much frequently.

Craigs's list is a different matter.
Our Craig's List ( Dallas Texas ) will not allow anything even remotely related to firearms, ammo, or reloading.

[Three44s]

My vote is for putting your deceased father's gear for sale right here on the Boolit forum.

As other's have said, you've got UK members here! And for the non-restricted tools and parts, you have a bunch of members from all over the world!

If things don't sell fast enough to suit you, then you can branch out to E-Bay etc.

Good luck either way!

Three 44s

[imashooter2]

With the prices we see on the UK version of the Midway sight, I'm sure you have some valuable equipment worth much more in country than here in the states. Your best bet is to go to a local shooting club if / as such still exist, and post on the bulletin board.

[fishhawk]

Remember to sell here you must be a member 30 days and with 25 relevant posts.

[Blacksmith]

Go to our Swaping and Selling section and read the threads and descriptions You will see what sells quickly and what takes awhile. Most show prices as well. After you have been here for the minimum time you are welcome to sell here or just look through past sales and get an idea of prices. We have sections of the forum dedicated to every section of casting and reloading so if you need help identifying things just ask.
Swaping and Selling
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18

Welcome aboard and maybe if you hang out here you will descide to use the etuff yourself.

Blacksmith

[Simonpie]

Thanks for going to the effort for your father's sake. I know a lot of people live in fear that their beloved toys will go to the wrong home after we pass.

[redneckdan]

I am sorry for your loss. My wifes father passed on unexpectedly about five years ago this month. I still miss sitting in his loading area and shootin the bull with him.


I would ask around your father's shooting club first. Odds are petty good his mates would want a crack at some of his stuff. Kind nice to remember those gone before when you crack out one of their molds for a casting run.

[swheeler]

Make your father proud, keep it all and learn to use it.

[JesterGrin_1]

Make your father proud, keep it all and learn to use it.

The best thing I have read in this thread. :bigsmyl2:

[gray wolf]

Originally Posted by swheeler
Make your father proud, keep it all and learn to use it.
I guess I see it the same way,
instead of putting it here or putting it there---
Why not put it to use ?

[runfiverun]

those were my first thoughts also.

i'd hate to see all my reloading and casting stuff just fluttered around to people that had no idea of it's particular use.
probably has a mold for every firearm.
all the effort/time expended getting things just right.
that gear is probably more a part of your dad than you kids think it is.

[Olevern]

My condolences for your loss, hope I make it to that age.

[sleeper1428]

I agree with those who have suggested that you keep the equipment and learn to use it. While it may be difficult to understand at the moment, the enjoyment, satisfaction and pride you'll feel when start casting your own boolits will more than offset the time spent in learning to use the equipment. I'm pushing 74 and I'm in the process of writing down detailed descriptions of 'how I do' each step in the boolit casting sequence, from initial smelting and alloying right down to the actual loading of ammunition with my cast boolits. I'm also having my wife make video recordings as I do each of these steps so that our son, who lives and works over 2300 miles away, will have much of the information he'll need when my time comes and he inherits all of my firearms, reloading and boolit casting equipment - plus a ton and a half of smelted 1lb wheelweight ingots!!

sleeper1428

[shooterg]

I'd vote to keep it and use it also, but I understand y'all have major headaches just owning a gun. I believe site member Dromia might be able to give ya a hand.

[runfiverun]

dromia is whom i'd suggest to contact also.

[MtGun44]

Contact Limey, he may buy some or can at least advise you.

Bill

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Sorry guys to "gatecrash"your forum but my 86 year old father (Normandy veteran - Gold and Utah beaches) passed away in September, a day before his 86th birthday. He loved shooting and before Dunblane, shot handguns, black powder, the lot....
Ralph

Others have stated you should keep all the casting and reloading equipment, figuring there were also guns to go with them. I was also thinking the same thing in the back of my mind, though I didn't mention it in my first post. I reread the OP, Now I suspect there were no firearms in your inheritance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre

Good Luck,
Jon

[vica]

I don"t know where in Britain you live, but I suggest you itemise all the kit then take it to your nearest authorised gun club [we have one here in Sunderland] and get some opinions/advice on values. Members of such clubs are usually fairly knowledgable on values and can probably steer you in the right direction. Regarding the other suggestions made, Ebay are very picky about some shooting related goods and you have to be careful how you advertise them. As for selling in the USA , Ive found their prices for gear is around half that in Britain, and the cost of postage generally makes it uneconomic. Just get as much advice as you can before commiting yourself to a sale.
Best of luck
Vica

[DCP]

Sorry for your lose

Many gave all
All gave some

He got to grow old

Please thank a Veteran


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.


For our tomorrow
They gave their today

[Springfield]

It's too bad you can't enjoy the casting equipment like your father did. And I hate to say it, sleeper and anyone else this applies to, but if your son/daughter doesn't do any casting/reloading/shooting while you are alive they probably aren't going to pick it up after you are gone. When I see deals I buy extra equipment so that my kids can have their own set of casting/reloadingools to use when they move out, not just mine. And by then they will know how to use it. Watching a video will in no way replace learning at Dad's side. I wish my father were still here so he could show me how to use this lathe in my garage, as he used one all his life(at work).

[Ralphc287]

I'd vote to keep it and use it also, but I understand y'all have major headaches just owning a gun. I believe site member Dromia might be able to give ya a hand.

Sorry guys, been busy at work and then busy eBaying the photography stuff etc.

I have a Beretta and get my kicks shooting clays. Living in a flat in central London I am not sure lead smelting will go down well with the Mrs.

Through public postings and some PMs I have some ideas and will follow them up. Certainly a friendly forum!

[sleeper1428]

It's too bad you can't enjoy the casting equipment like your father did. And I hate to say it, sleeper and anyone else this applies to, but if your son/daughter doesn't do any casting/reloading/shooting while you are alive they probably aren't going to pick it up after you are gone. When I see deals I buy extra equipment so that my kids can have their own set of casting/reloadingools to use when they move out, not just mine. And by then they will know how to use it. Watching a video will in no way replace learning at Dad's side. I wish my father were still here so he could show me how to use this lathe in my garage, as he used one all his life(at work).

In general, I would agree with your suggestion that if a child hasn't taken up casting boolits before a parent's death, he/she likely won't do so afterward. However, in making this suggestion, you are assuming that the parent himself/herself took up casting when the child was young and still in grade or high school. This wasn't the case for my son and I. While we did a fair amount of shooting together as he was growing up, I didn't take up casting boolits until the mid to late 1980's, a few years after he had graduated high school and had left home for college. And while he has expressed a keen interest in learning how to cast boolits, his present position as a chief data system architect for one of the largest health care insurers in the world allows him little time to pursue this fascinating hobby. So in our case, I do believe that he will use my written 'instructions' and videos at some time in the future when his 3 kids are a bit older and he has more free time to devote to his own interests. Until that time, I will continue to keep him supplied with reloaded ammo using my own cast boolits so he can get in some shooting on those rare occasions when he has a few spare hours to spend at his local indoor shooting range.

Basically what I'm saying is that making sweeping statements about any endeavor will usually overlook specific cases that don't fit into one's preconceived assumptions. Oh, and as far as the lathe is concerned, you might want to consider taking some courses at your local community college - if indeed they're offered - in order to learn the basics of metal lathe operation. That's how I picked up my meager amount of knowledge and it has served me well over the past few years, allowing me to use my ancient Atlas lathe to make many parts useful in casting and reloading.

sleeper1428

[dromia]

I've Pm'd and emailed you Ralph. :grin: