What museum will you leave your historical toys to

[Bad Water Bill]

I was talking to a special member here today and he asked me if I had ever thought of leaving any SPECIAL firearms to a museum and why,which one.

Well here is your question of the day.

What say you?

[TXGunNut]

I'm thinking Cody may be interested in one rifle I have. Nothing really special, just a 98% 375 Big Bore. I think they need a good example of that type rifle, don't think they had one when I was there last. I'm thinking my PPC gun may retire at the Whittington Center museum someday. She's on her third barrel, second cylinder but it's the same gun I shot for 15 yrs. :wink: Has more miles on her than a good used car and upwards of 200K rounds of swaged lead 148 gr HBWC's.

[runfiverun]

I swapped off the only cool one I had.
it was a 450 express mag with 45 win mag and 45 colt changeable cylinders.
the fore runner to the 454 casull made by north American arms in partnership with Dick before he opened freedom arms.

[GabbyM]

Only if you have no children or your parents grandchildren and so on. Who want to feel there family history.

My experience is this:

My Grandfather was a Chaplin Eighth Air Force WWII. Stationed in England with a B-17 Wing. Few survived. Not even the ground crews as they went down in the English channel after there barge was torpedoed. He had a issued communion kit. Like the one featured in the film “Longest Day” as the priest searches in the water for his kit while under fire.

Any one who knows anything of the casualty rate amongst bomber crew in WWII know that after there first mission not many young boys thought they were invincible anymore. Hundreds if not a couple thousand young boys received there last communion from this kit. We do not know. Now it sits in the storage room in a flea bit small town museum which only exist to drum up downtown business.

After my parents die off I’ll be going in there to attempt to by it back. My total net worth would not cover what it’s worth but I’ll hope they don’t have a clue. More likely they’ve already swapped it off for some old bikers leather jacket as that’s what I see when I scout the place out. Not seen the kit in ten years. I’ve never expressed my disappointment to my mother. Not my place to tell my parents how to burry there parents.

Before you give anything to a museum check out what the curator makes per year. Where's that money come from?

That may put a check on your inflated ego.

[GabbyM]

P.S.
Library of Alexandria was nothing more than a target for insurgents. Absolutely nothing exist from it after the second razing. Only stories of what it was.

Historical guns in museums are only waiting for some Nazi or Communist to pile them up on a burn then gather around to sing patriotic song. Just like the book burnings of Germany. Where my family comes from. But had sense to escape in the 1840’s.

[gew98]

Museums have a tragic record in regards to "keeping" donated items. Many are often walked out the back door by various persons ..for profit of course. As well often curators or those in control sell off what they want to fund the venture regardless of historical value or wishes of the donors.
I'm aware of more than a handfull of such 'museums' that have done these fails. Hence nothing I own will ever see a museum.

[gew98]

P.S.
Library of Alexandria was nothing more than a target for insurgents. Absolutely nothing exist from it after the second razing. Only stories of what it was.

Historical guns in museums are only waiting for some Nazi or Communist to pile them up on a burn then gather around to sing patriotic song. Just like the book burnings of Germany. Where my family comes from. But had sense to escape in the 1840’s.

Remember what the german communist party in then east germany did ?..... they took every experimental and rare mauser in their state museum and drilled holes in their barrels to dewat them in fear they may be used against them. Many museums in europe deactive beautiful peices to satisfy their insane fears of armed insurrection by a mostly unarmed populace.

[waksupi]

Most don't realize the amount of items a museum have in their vaults, that will most likely never see public display. My business took me into many of these vaults across the U.S. and Canada. It isn't uncommon for a single location to have over 100,000 items in storage. It seems everyone thinks the Dutch oven their great grandparents carried across country in a covered wagon needs displayed, so is donated.
Items are de-ascensioned from museum collections all the time, including the Smithsonian. It is a matter of storage space, actual historic value of a piece, and condition. Local interest can also enter in. North Dakota has a fine collection of Native American pieces. The curator told me most of the board members are farmers. If they had their way, they would get rid of all that Indian junk, and have a John Deere display instead.
An unknown fact is that museum curators are restricted from privately collecting anything that may be displayed in their particular museum. A few high profile cases of ignoring those rules have happened over the years, resulting in prison time, and fines.
Very few curators are raking in big bucks.

[Blacksmith]

Best place for guns and most other things is in the hands of someone who will cherish, use and maintain them as they were meant to be cared for. Mine will go to my son and his sons including the Parker double my grandfather owned, several things my father had, and what I have acquired. They all were raised to appreciate firearms. My great great grandfather's civil war guns are in the hands of a cousin.

If I had no close relatives then I can think of no better mission than to find some deserving young person to mentor and eventually pass on my pieces of our heritage. I have donated things to museums and some items do belong there if there is a historical connection or there is a need for conservation but such items and museums need to be selected carefully.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I was once told by a guard in the Los Angeles County Museum that there were thousands of old guns in storage that will never be displayed. The only time a few are displayed is when they fit a particular history display such as the story of early California. What is really upsetting to me is to see the leather items that are donated with the guns are allowed to deteriate, and being organic they surely will if not treated. My wife and I were in a museum in the little town of Santa Yenez where they had a large collection of old wagons, stage coaches and tack including some beautiful saddles. Some were made by makers like Garcia and Bohlin and none of them looked as though they had ever received any kind of care. When I commented to the curater what beautiful saddles they had he said,"there are saddles in there worth thousands of dollars". I then asked him, well why don't you put some preservative on them. You would have thought I had asked him to loan me a hundred dollars. I wouldn't donate a clothes pin to a museum.

[shooter93]

I've always figured all my guns would end up in some evidence room.

[JWFilips]

Be Really Careful: I had a great association with a local historical museum where I had an 18th century gunshop in Susquehanna Co in NEPA. Many good times there hosting 18th century events and also one to one with the public ( school trips....etc) Then all of a sudden the Museum board shifts to the "dark side" & I'm am the enemy based on their neo-social agenda! So All the good I have done in the past along with all the accurate historical teachings are all for not!

[Harter66]

shooter, you and me both ........... after the lake is dredged......

My kids have a great sense of family/historic value. While my few arms roughly span 1840ish through 195? ,but no authentic bits of any real historic value...... family value,well unless i get run over by a bus,there should be a number of pieces when my time comes ,like a frog pin fire piece dated w/an assigned dated bayonet.

[Lead Fred]

Already in my will. All my ML stuff, and the custom flintlock I made myself goes to the grandson.

The rest gets sold to patriots so my wife can move back to Asia.

[TXGunNut]

It's true that many museums cannot display or even keep all that is donated to them. I know the Cody museum has many items in back rooms but they are available for research or special guests. Some of their surplus guns are sold at their annual gun show.

[JeffinNZ]

I am inclined to think that collectors are the best people for a lot of items. Museums are mostly run by Roman sandal wearing, anti fossil fuel burning, decaf latte supping, hemp suit owning, anti spanking, wine spritzer drinking, hippy greenies. They are not interested in what we are.

[Love Life]

My gun safe can be classified as a museum....

[jaystuw]

What is said about museums rings true. I don't belive they care for your guns as much as you do. Only a fellow collector will appreciate what you have. jay

[Lloyd Smale]

heck ive got a couple spare bedrooms now. Send em here. You can call it a museam if you like
My gun safe can be classified as a museum....

[Bad Water Bill]

Lloyd In about 6 months that grand daughter of yours will be trying each and every one out and SHOOTING for effect.:bigsmyl2:

I will gladly send her more ammo.