My guilty pleasure firearm I keep, because I can't bring myself to sell it. A Marlin model 92 made in 1903, 32 Caliber, will shoot 32 long or short rimfire or Colt centerfire by switching the firing pin. I have the earliest made Mossberg 4X scope mounted on it. I have had to replace the extractor, the ejector, the bolt, buy the centerfire pin, it had extra holes drilled in top of receiver and not the most accurate rifle by far. Ammo is hard to find, expensive, & harder to reload than any other caliber I own. It's a pain in the old hind end, but fun to shoot, others at the range who see it always want to look it over.

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I have a Ted Williams 12g (a Win 1400 made for Sears) that belonged to my dad.

Can't shoot steel, won't cycle trap loads, can't add to the mag tube, cracked & repaired forend, but I'll never sell it.

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Psalm 27:2

I had some early brownings handed down from granddad, held onto for many years but never used them. Finally made a list of guns I wanted and went to local dealer and traded them for what I really wanted.
Never looked back or had any remorse,

All of them

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It is the Indian not the arrow

1. My dad's Western Field 22 (A Mossberg bolt action).
2. A beat-up Winchester Model 97 marked Adams Express Company.
3. My two ivory-handled Colt SAAs in 45 Colt.
4. My OM Vaquero converted to 38-40, sheep-horn grips, case hardened, matching Bowie, restored/converted EPS holster and a matching 1892 Winchester, re-blued and cased. Both engraved with Cherokee tokens to honor my grandmother (going to my daughter).
5. 1901 Colt Bisley in 41 lc. Engraved by an Indian craftsman. Shipped to Mexico City and then ...???? Carved ivory grips with ruby eyes.

Where to start?

Easier to list what I’d be willing to sell.

I do have a Model 46 that I haven’t shot in this century.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

At this stage of the game ALL fill a niche, in my mind anyway. My wife would certainly give a different answer. Granted some are "if I ever... again guns, they are still very hard to part with.

I have a Savage/Stevens bold action .20 ga. that is missing the bolt, was one of my dad's guns so it will stay in the safe. Still can't bring myself to sell off the M&P 15 sport i bought a few years ago and haven't shot.

Grandfathers Remington model 17 , 20 gauge pump circa 1929.
This Browning design bottom load/eject became Ithaca's model 37.

My Dads only long gun , a Sears , bolt action 16 gauge shotgun . Dad bought it after getting out of the Navy in 1945, he said it was the only shotgun they had in the store....pickings were slim and he had planned to go back and buy a better shotgun but he got married, two boys came along....always a lack of extra money. He used it all his life, rabbits, squirrels, coons, quail, ducks , geese and with slugs/buckshot , deer and hogs. His only gun , his entire life.

I hunt with both , I have to ....it's my connection to my ancestors.

When I was 12 , Dad gave me a Wester Auto , 410 single shot bolt action shotgun.
I thought it the finest firearm ever made. Mom didn't want me to have a gun ...but Dad bought it anyway , hid it in the trunk of his car and gave it to me Christmas morning
I know now he must have caught holey heck for doing that....but he was the best !

Can't sell any of them , not for blood or money.

Gary

Both of them!

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Good shooting.

These were my Father's and are cherished by me. These are what got me interested in firearms and the shooting sports. They still see regular range duty and will never be sold out of the family. Both Colt's, a MKIII Border Patrol (1972) and a 3rd Series Woodsman Match Target (1959). A pic of my Father in England during WWII, a member of the greatest generation.

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My paternal grandfather's 1897 Winchester, exposed hammer, in 16ga. He used it to shoot geese on the shore of Lake Geneva, WI during the depression for meat, not sport.
I was in SASS for a number of years and used it then. Not too much now though. It looks used, but functions perfectly.

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

I have a bunch of them, all of them belonged to my dad, uncles or granddad’s or friends who are long departed.
All of them are steel and wood guns, all of them were “working guns” or guns used to compete with. And as such, all of them have memories attached to them that only I know.
I have my dad’s Savage/Anschutz 22 sporter that he taught me shoot with in the early 60’s. I have his 16 gauge shotguns that I learned to hunt with.
I have guns that belonged to Uncles who I grew up hunting with.
I have a Colt 32 auto that belonged to my grandad, who was a bootlegger during prohibition.
I have my long time bird hunting companion’s 410 O/U that he bird hunted with for decades.
I have guns that I became the custodian of when a friend who then was in his 90’s and forced to moved back to New Jersey sold to me so that he knew they would be cared for. He was a life long competitor in rifle and handgun disciplines, his kids had no interest in his guns other than what they could pawn them for.
I have my guns that I have carried as duty guns, or guns that I competed with, or hunted with all over this great country.
Everyone of these guns “ speak to me “ when I handle them or take them to the range or afield. They are my connection to my past with relatives and friends and wonderful times that now exist only in my mind. So, yeah I will probably be keeping these for a while longer.

This one will be passed down not sold...

For me, guns I own that I wouldn't sell would be for sentimental reasons, not because of their ultimate $ value.

The following are staying until the end-

A Ruger .44 Deerstalker carbine that was a gift from Bill Ruger to my father. It became his favorite Maine deer rifle.

My dads Remington Sportsman 58 shotgun that was his favorite duck / pheasant gun.

A 1950's Browning Light Auto-5 that was gifted to me by an Uncle after he gave up hunting. Spent a lot of time in the woods with that shotgun.

A 1909 Argentine Mauser that I sportsterized and rechambered to 35 Whelen when I was a kid.

An early Browning BLR in .358 Winchester that like the Mauser above, has been a "go to" big game rifle for many years.

My 586 no dash that was my first duty gun.

A Ruger Redhawk with an Ultra Dot sight that has been a reliable deer killer for the past 36 years or so.

Larry

Colt .22 magnum Frontier Scout my father bought about 1965.

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Isaiah 41:10

LOL.....X2

Some very nice firearms pictured. Makes double tough to let go especially if it is a past down heirloom. Many who sell later regret as myself letting that Model 19 go years back.

ALL of them. I have sold 2 guns since starting my collection ( a stainless H&K USP45 Compact and a Browning Citori Feather). Both were great guns.Sold because at the time I needed the money,regretted it ever since. REFUSE to sell any more.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

My late father's Ithaca Model 37 16ga pump, his Marlin 1895 45/70, Ruger Redhawk, 41mag. The pre-'64 Winchester 94 in 32spl he bought me back in '69. Guns I'd never have bought, but they're not going anywhere.

Ditto times two.

My dad was not one to have guns in the house so he didn't own any. That all changed when a long brown box showed up containing a pristine 1891 Argentine mauser in 7.65x53mm. First words out of his mouth was "he's gonna shoot the neighbors". Truthfully no neighbors were shot. Mom on the other hand as she grew up in a small town called Honesdale Pennsylvania and although she didn't hunt was around guns most of her life until she met my dad and got married and moved to Jamaica New York. Thus began my gun collecting,shooting,reloading hobby. Since the only mil surp ammo available was SF 1946 made in Argentina. 10$ for 100 rounds. That an some occasional 1928 dated Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik ap at the same price.Frank

All of them.
Traded off some when I was young and dumb. Never again.
Now that I'm old and dumb, I need to make a list for my kid's of what heirloom guns they "should" keep.
Won't matter to me by then though.

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Some men, you just can't reach

Most of them.

Two that I inherited from Cousin, a pre-war M70 and a '58 Marlin Mountie.
Mom's Ruger Standard.
Dad's Ruger Mk I Target.
My 5" Ruger bull barrel Mk I.
A 3 1/2" pre war .357 that was issued to a Texas Ranger then displayed in the Director's office at TXDPS, then issued to me - nice!
A 4" 28-2 that was issued to me.
A commercial 1911 that was issues to me.
A Browning Light A-5 12 ga that I skipped lunch or dinner in 1963 long enough to pay for it. (About $135)
A LC Smith 12 ga hammer gun, and a 1919 ..32-20 hand ejector from wIfe's grandfather.
A Browning SA .22 and a Remington 510 .22 from Father-in-Law.
A Piegon Grade Browning Superposed from '63 that I have had for the last 30 years.
A 50th Anniversary Ruger .44 Mag Flattop that my wife gave me for our 50th wedding anniversary.
A matched pair of Browning Safaris built on the small ring FN action in .243 and .308 that I have had for at least thirty years. This pair could do everything that I have left to do with a Centerfire rifle.
Two Marlin lever guns (of nine total) that stay as long as I do. A .218 Bee and a .357 Cowboy Ltd.
Four J frames and a pocket Colt .380
A Grade III (hand engraved and super wood) Browning BAR that I like.

I have a bunch more that I could easily get along without, but they stay because I like them. The grand children and great grand children get a .22 and another pick. Then the heirs can sell what they don't want.

Jack

There has to be a good story behind this one....care to share it ?
This would be my "only in my dreams" gun...grew up on watching westerns , TV shows and movies and this gun was the ultimate Six Shooter .
Gary

My accumulation of firearms, was collected during a long period of time. Thinking about their future, brings tears to my eyes. My intentions were to pass them on, to my son, but that won't happen. I've never sold a firearm, that I didn't regret. The old saying is, "Live & Learn", but I'll add, what It doesn't say, "It's always too late", to do anything about it. After 87 yrs. of learning, my addition to that old saying, "It's Always too late" has surely, "Come Home To Roost", for me. 'Nuff Said.

Chubbo

These are my sentiments as well. I’m fortunate that I have a bunch of guns I’d never consider selling for various reasons (heirlooms, rare collectible guns, guns that I shoot well and often).

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Some Might Say.

M1A;

We have a lot in common. I am also a retired electrician, I started to gather all the acccoutrements to shoot in SASS, but never got to participate in that game. I was also given an uncle's old hard used Winchester 16ga. Mod 97 shotgun with a Polly Choke. He loaned it to many of the members of our family. It was used so much that almost all of the external bluing is worn off of it. another uncle, dropped it in the snow, and shot it, without cleaning the snow out of the barrel, causing a bulge in the barrel, so it was shortened, and a Polly Choke installed. The old shotgun, is as tight as new, and when I tried it, was able to shoot a 25 straight, in skeet with it. That old gun was promised to me, by my uncle, at around 5 yrs of age, to be mine, when I arrived at age 21. I was finally given to me, by my aunt, when I was much older than 21, and I have cherished it since. It's one of my prized possessions, and I wouldn't take all "The Tea In China", for it.
Chubbo

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Wife #1's Steyr M9 because it was the first gun in our household. (She passed 2011)
My fullsize steel Baby Eagle in 9mm because it was the first firearm I bought myself.
A mismatched, unrefurbed 1943 Izhevsk Mosin because it was the first milsurp I purchased. Boy, is that a slippery slope.

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Release the Kraken

I only have one gun that I don't know why I still have it. A Rem
870 Wingmaster bought new in 60s by me. Never did like it after
I got it. It looks new. I have no connections with it at all. It was
first NIB shotgun I bought. Maybe I keep it to remind myself not
to buy guns just because they are popular. No more " keep up with Jones" gun purchases. All my buddies were buying them, so
even though I had Win 12 and other top shelf shotguns I had to
have one. I made the same mistake with a 742 Rem but it didn't
take me very long to off it.

There are more than one for me but, this one stands out in the crowd. A Browning A5, Sweet Sixteen that remains unfired and has the original hang tag/envelope with the instruction manual.

This shotgun was purchased by my F-I-L's cousin from Sears on Poplar Ave in Memphis. I have the original sales slip, the Ted William gun case, 16 gauge cleaning rod and two boxes of Sears 16 gauge shotgun shell he purchased as well. He purchased eight other boxes of various 16 gauge shells as well and I have those as well.

My F-I-L had two other S-I-L(s) at the time but, they had no appreciation for firearms therefore, I got the nod. This one goes to my only child and favorite daughter!!!

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I'll keep my old standbys like a Remington Model Four and my 700 because they put the offerings today to shame for the most part. Have seen some real ugly ducklings at my club lately.

Shotgun that was my dad's and some that I purchased when a teenager.
I have already passed two of these on to my nephew who lives on the
old home place.
I think it sad when standing in someone's yard during an estate sale
and buying guns and other things that these people cherished with the
heirs only interested how much money they will have at the end of
the day. So if you have family heirlooms please pass them on to
someone who will also cherish them.

I keep telling myself that I could/should sell one or two......or I'll buy this one and sell one....right! I have gifted several to family. But can't seem to find the time to sell any of my accumulation. But then why should I ? There's always room for `one` more in the safe(s). I enjoy shooting, cleaning and teaching those around me as to the history and differences between each revolver. Although i have much to learn.
Thanks to all here for teaching me..

I really have no family heirlooms, an old .22 bolt action Winchester rifle that came from an uncle to my father which I claimed.
But my collection is everything I have acquired over the years, some new unfired and some new I fired along with many other fine used specimens.
Now in my early days I sold two pieces I wish I hadn’t but that’s old history.
Which brings me to my current dilemma? I think I’m at a time in my life where I should start selling some of them off but I can’t bring myself to do it? I don’t know where to start? There are plenty there that will never see range time again but I just can’t start parting with them?

I have an H&R Bay State 20 guage single shot shotgun. I got it when I was 13 (40 years ago). It was last made in the 1940's. It was in my grandfather's possession when he died. The forearm is not original. The forearm was missing when I got it. I had a forearm from a modern H&R cut down to fit. There are dice inset into the stock on either side (4/3 & 5/2). There was also a hole cut where someone was going to inset a coin. I hacked it up and put a fake giant penny in the hole. It was dated 1965, which is the year I was born. It was there for about 20 years. My wife won a commorative silver coin from a slot machine in Cripple Creek Colorado. It said Legendary Law Men on one side and had Doc Holliday on the other. Since Holliday was a shotgun man, I removed the penny and had my F-I-L clean and enlarge the hole and inset the coin. Will post pics later. If anyone knows where I can get an original forearm, it would be greatly appreciated. I would have the 6/1 inset into the forearm.

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otis

Dr. No...I have no use for it, I do not shoot it but love to have it around...I have a hunch that once sold I'd be thinking about it.

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S&W 34-1 that I bought when my up-til-then anti-gun wife turned the corner and decided she wanted to learn to shoot about 12 years ago. She's fired maybe 50 rounds through it. I also used it as a learning pistol for my grandson. I don't use it much since a 60-15 is my preferred "kit gun". I really ought to sell it and get a model 17.

BTW, the wife now has a Ruger LC9s by her side that she picked out and shoots.

My late father's 12 ga. J.C. Higgins pump he bought when he tried his hand at farming in the early 50's. Not a successful undertaking. And my early 80's satin chrome Hi Power

What he said. I have sold all the guns I want to sell. The rest are lifetimers. My kids will get to decide what to do with them. Some have moved on to the next generation I guess.

ca. 1955 "Early J frame model of 1953". Retains earlier Baby J. hammer, 4 screw ( no trigger guard screw), "new" trigger guard shape, serrated ramp front sight, and genuine India Sambar Stag grips.

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John

I guess "all of them" describes the gun I can't bear to sell.

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Paul
Salome, AZ

That would have to be the one I have owned the longest; my S&W 39-2 that I gave myself for Christmas of 1975.

I had gone to the local range with the base pistol team and fired the S&W 52 and fell in love. But, I didn't want to be stuck with wadcutters as the only ammo.

So, I found a 39-2 and grabbed it. The wife was not pleased that Santa brought me such an expensive gift.

When I got my first carry permit I qualified with it. I got a lot of folks coming over to see what that blue steel and walnut gun was.

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Sounds like the beginning of another "bear gun" thread!

I've got a couple. An old Revelation bolt SA .22LR & 20ga H&R single break action. I had them both in the woods before I could grow whiskers. Taught both my boys to hunt on them.

My inherited guns won’t be sold as for what I bought my BDA, bought in 03 carried for 6 months after I got my CCW now it’s a fun gun.


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