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Old 05-02-2012, 09:33 AM
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Question What to do with my guns when I'm gone?

Something to think about.

Not to be morbid, but a serious question. I do not plan on going anywhere (does anyone) but I could get eaten by a Alligator or run over by a bus.

When the time comes, I do not want to burden Mrs Rule (who is not a gun person) with the hassle of disposing of my firearms.

There is no one in our families that I want to leave them to(enough on that).

Seems my only option(s) is to have her take them to my LGS where I have dealt for years. They are fair and honest but of course they need to make money.

I have a inventory with the details, but only the price paid, not what they may be worth whenever.

What if the LGS is no longer in business or different owner? That leaves a few other LGS which I will not walk into.

The only other thing I can think of is a/an Auction? But that seems like more of a burden and what percentage do they take?

I would like to sell them to some forum members but that would be to much for her to deal with without help. Pricing, shipping, transfers etc. I would need to appoint a trustee or something.

This is a serious question and no, I am not sending them to you.

So, with that said, any other advice or suggestions?

Thanks
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Old 05-02-2012, 09:51 AM
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I got that planned out. I have 5 kids. When I go my wife, (or whoever is running the program) is going to put 5 numbers in a hat. Each kid draws a number. That determines 1st pick and such.

All my guns are going to be piled in the floor, who ever drew #1 gets first pick, 2 the second and so forth.

After the 5th makes his choice, they start all over again with #1.

That's about as fair of method I could think of. All 5 kids and wife agree on that proceedure. There is certainly enough guns no one should be slighted.
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Old 05-02-2012, 09:51 AM
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I could have wrote what you did, and probley have in the past. I dont have a son, I do have a son in law that I think a lot of but have only seen him a few times as they live far away. Also like most younger guys he seems to be into the modern stuff and mine is mostly old classics. For now the best we can do is try to keep records that show what they should be worth as a guide.
I plan on doing a sheet of instructions with leads to gun chat sites and how to sell them like smiths to here, winchesters to levergunner, colts to the colt site etc. I am 71, and getting to the point I know I should be selling safe queens I dont use. The problem with that is from lifes experiance I know that as I sell them, a week later I couldnt tell you what I did with the money! Thats why I next to never sell guns or anything else. I have to work on this too!
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Old 05-02-2012, 12:32 PM
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Well there are lots of males in the Clan, but I would not give most of them the time of day.

The easiest would be the LGS but the Auction idea might generate more money. I guess I could call some local speed talkers, but not sure if I trust them.
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Old 05-02-2012, 01:07 PM
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Default disposing of guns after death

If you do not have any children or family that would welcome your collection, I would, seriously, donate them to the National Firearms Museum. The NRA has a process for such transactions and would welcome the collection. Just a thought I would mention for future thinking.

Nick
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Old 05-02-2012, 01:46 PM
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If you do not have any children or family that would welcome your collection, I would, seriously, donate them to the National Firearms Museum. The NRA has a process for such transactions and would welcome the collection. Just a thought I would mention for future thinking.

Nick
That is a good thought for a few of my guns, but most would not be Museum worthy. If I had not moved from Clearwater we would be neighbors
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Old 05-02-2012, 01:50 PM
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It is definitely something I've thought about. I've got more guns than family members that could use them. Basically what I did was outline in my living trust (will) that my younger brother would be in charge of disposing of my firearms. I then outlined a group 6-7 family members that should receive a firearm of their choosing. I trust my brother to do whats best by the family and use good discretion. After the family has cherry picked what they want, my brother would likely sell the balance of my collection with proceeds going back to my immediate heirs. This is a challenging area since we hate to think of our prized collections going to someone who doesn't appreciate them or doesn't value them appropriately. By brother is by no means as "into" guns as I am, but he does have some working knowledge and interest, and I trust that he would do a fair job at handling this chore.
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Old 05-02-2012, 01:51 PM
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That is a good thought for a few of my guns, but most would not be Museum worthy. If I had not moved from Clearwater we would be neighbors
Make a nice list for the lady of the house. Brand, Model #, price.
Then when you leave the planet she can put them on consignment at your LGS if they have such a set up.
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Old 05-02-2012, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by kraigwy View Post
I got that planned out. I have 5 kids. When I go my wife, (or whoever is running the program) is going to put 5 numbers in a hat. Each kid draws a number. That determines 1st pick and such.

All my guns are going to be piled in the floor, who ever drew #1 gets first pick, 2 the second and so forth.

After the 5th makes his choice, they start all over again with #1.

That's about as fair of method I could think of. All 5 kids and wife agree on that proceedure. There is certainly enough guns no one should be slighted.
So does your wife let you buy 5 guns at a time? It's all for the sake of fairness to the kids right

I only have 2 kids, but I have made a list of the guns, serial#'s, accessories, approximate value, who the heirloom is being passed down from. Hopefully it will clear up any confusion, in case something happens.

Last edited by novalty; 05-02-2012 at 01:56 PM.
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Old 05-02-2012, 03:43 PM
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I am of the few legal guncollectors in Holland. When I fall over my wife has 3 years to get rid of the guns. I am planning to get real old.
When I am about 70 I gonna sell them (probebly).
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:00 PM
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Rule: I have a similar situation. I combined my shooting hobby with an investment; meaning I only buy quality with an eye towards appreciation. I figured at some point it wouldn't be practical for me to keep up with my hobby and I would sell off my collection a piece at a time to supplement my retirement investments. Should I pass before that happens my wife has access to a database listing the details of my collection, what I paid and what its worth. The latter is a data field I update every 6 months or so using the Bluebook as a guide. My wife is a smart gal so armed with this info I'm confident she can strike a fair deal with my LGS and/or individuals that come calling.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by kraigwy View Post
I got that planned out. I have 5 kids. When I go my wife, (or whoever is running the program) is going to put 5 numbers in a hat. Each kid draws a number. That determines 1st pick and such.

All my guns are going to be piled in the floor, who ever drew #1 gets first pick, 2 the second and so forth.

After the 5th makes his choice, they start all over again with #1.

That's about as fair of method I could think of. All 5 kids and wife agree on that proceedure. There is certainly enough guns no one should be slighted.
Only change I might suggest is to have the order go 1-5, then 5-1. Mathematically that's more equitable.

First method:
#1 gets pick 1 and 6, total 7
#2 gets pick 2 and 7, total 9
#3 gets pick 3 and 8, total 11
#4 gets pick 4 and 9, total 13
#5 gets pick 5 and 10, total 15.

Second method:
#1 gets pick 1 and 10, total 11
#2 gets pick 2 and 9, total 11
#3 gets pick 3 and 8, total 11
#4 gets pick 4 and 7, total 11
#5 gets pick 5 and 6, total 11

There may be many other factors for you to consider, but that's how it goes by the numbers.

Hope this exercise is done FAR into the future.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:10 PM
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I am not going to donate guns to any museum for a number of reasons. First my wife will need any money she can get out of them. Not two days ago I wrote this on another thread here.
Back in the 50`s when I was a teenager the oshkosh wisconsin city museum had his revolver on display. The story given back then was it was taken off probley younger when the group got off a train with their horse`s. It was taken off the man on a vagrancy charge. A few days later after the northfield raid the police chief or whoever else looked in the flap of the holster to find, "from maj. quantrell to c. younger. Also on a stock is carved "CY". I belive the police chiefs daughter later donated the gun to the museum.
I belive the gang rode the train and shipped their horses north, got off at oshkosh and then rode their horse`s west to northfield minnesota. I checked out that revolver a number of times in the 50`s.
About 2,000 I went home and to the museum to see it again. It was gone. I asked the young currater about it and he knew nothing of the revolver and just shrugged his shoulders and said maybe it`s in storage. He even seemed disinterested. A old secatary overheard our conversation and said "I remember that gun!" She said we used to have a postcard of it that we sold in the gift shop. I got her to check storage and she found me a card. (I have been looking for it and misplaced it myself).
The museum had a fire back in 1994. Some things were destroyed. They had recently reopened it when I questioned the young new currater.
I have googeld the gun and found this on it: http://www.oshkoshmuseum.org/Virtual/ex ... 30266a.htm
I do not trust people that well. Sure, might work a few years but over many years I aint so sure.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:29 PM
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Rule: I have a similar situation. I combined my shooting hobby with an investment; meaning I only buy quality with an eye towards appreciation. I figured at some point it wouldn't be practical for me to keep up with my hobby and I would sell off my collection a piece at a time to supplement my retirement investments. Should I pass before that happens my wife has access to a database listing the details of my collection, what I paid and what its worth. The latter is a data field I update every 6 months or so using the Bluebook as a guide. My wife is a smart gal so armed with this info I'm confident she can strike a fair deal with my LGS and/or individuals that come calling.
My Wife is also smart, (hey she married me) I will add that to my list of instructions, Buy NEW Blue Book) Of course ya know how the BB goes over at the LGS (The values are only good when they want to sell, when you want to sell "Oh that's just a estimate.") But at least she will have something.

Probably better than my buy high, sell low history.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:45 PM
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As for my meager collection of handguns, I refuse to leave any of them to any family member, they would be sold of for booze, drugs, or even worse used in a crime.

I do though have a great long time friend who appreciates quality firearms as much as any of us do, sadly do to a special needs child has never had the extra funds to splurge on guns. So when I die or get to the point I can no longer use/enjoy my revolvers they will go to him. It's a win-win deal for both of us.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:46 PM
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When it comes time to sell guns I would like to find a nice gunshop and sell them on commision. I done this with a few years ago and it worked well. I belive the commission usualy runs 10%. Some will try to get 15% but I think thats too much.
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Old 05-02-2012, 05:57 PM
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When I get a few years older I plan on have the kids, grandkids, and ball and chain go through my small collection and let me what firearms they want and I log them in the will to given to them. The rest of the herd I figure on selling off when I get a few years older.

There are firearms I bought years ago when the NRA was selling them that haven't seen the light of day since to late '50s or early '60s.
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Old 05-02-2012, 06:47 PM
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Have your wife bring those guns up to north Georgia (right around the corner from where you stayed last year). She is welcome to stay with us and recover from your loss, and I will pick through your inventory and give her an honest price per item. Then I will take the rest to the LGS's there and get her the best prices I can for the rest.

Not many people would offer to do this for you, but I am a compassionate person. As a matter of fact, my Compassion Award is on the fireplace mantle there at the mountain house. Your wife can admire it while counting her money.
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Old 05-02-2012, 07:37 PM
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[QUOTE=The values are only good when they want to sell, when you want to sell "Oh that's just a estimate."

Hey, we most frequent the same LGS
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Old 05-02-2012, 08:22 PM
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Have your wife bring those guns up to north Georgia (right around the corner from where you stayed last year). She is welcome to stay with us and recover from your loss, and I will pick through your inventory and give her an honest price per item. Then I will take the rest to the LGS's there and get her the best prices I can for the rest.

Not many people would offer to do this for you, but I am a compassionate person. As a matter of fact, my Compassion Award is on the fireplace mantle there at the mountain house. Your wife can admire it while counting her money.
Colby, I would gladly make you my trustee. Maybe I can have Sheriff Oconee give her a armed escort!
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Old 05-02-2012, 08:33 PM
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IMHO: sell your firearms now on this forum.
Keep only a few that you are going to use.
After your death your wife can use this forum to sell the few left.
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Old 05-02-2012, 08:44 PM
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Take them with you. The resulting scarcity will inflate the value of our guns. Plus, it'll be fun watching the pall bearers try to lug a few hundred extra pounds of iron up the steep slopes of Boot Hill.

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Old 05-02-2012, 08:48 PM
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All good suggestions, except for the "donate" part if your survivors need money. As for the commission sales at the LGS, y ou can have your spouse get the BB, determine what the piece will show for at the step below yours: 100% gun would be a 90%, and ask for the 90% price. Let the LGS then mark up his percentage from there, so that the buyer pays it and not your spouse. Not much different than the other auctions where the price is X dollars with a "buyer's premium" added on. The guns aren't likely to get cheaper, so that's a fair way for all. Me? I'm taking all of mine with me when I go, if that ever happens! I am always amazed when I hear folks say, "If anything ever happens to me." I guess we don't want to say that four-letter word...DEATH.
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Old 05-02-2012, 09:02 PM
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Colby, I would gladly make you my trustee. Maybe I can have Sheriff Oconee give her a armed escort!
I like the goof sheriff quite a bit...but I do not need any competition. Besides, I haven't been able to get him up there yet.
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Old 05-02-2012, 09:22 PM
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i'm still fairly young and single and thus far my plan is be buried with my guns.
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Old 05-02-2012, 10:02 PM
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I had a good friend pass away a couple years ago he left a couple special guns to his son , the rest the Masonic Lodge auctioned them off. His wife came out very well. I'll probably do the same - if the family can find them.
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Old 05-02-2012, 10:09 PM
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I have strict instructions for my better half if I go first.

Updated values of anything I still have are in her file box. She is to rent a table at the largest gunshow in the area (Oct usually best) and hire as many of the Swedish Bikini Team members as she can afford to act as, um,..., sales people. Then go and sell everything she can! Guns for sale as well!
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Old 05-02-2012, 10:37 PM
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My Wife is also smart, (hey she married me) I will add that to my list of instructions, Buy NEW Blue Book) Of course ya know how the BB goes over at the LGS (The values are only good when they want to sell, when you want to sell "Oh that's just a estimate.") But at least she will have something.

Probably better than my buy high, sell low history.
I would avoid the BB like the plague to value firearms. Take a look at some of the SW values, they are a joke. As to selling the firearms I would contact a reputable dealer such as our host on this forum Lee or David Carroll to evaluate and sell the guns, you will not be cheated. Remember, your LGS has a very limited audience unlike a nationally recognized dealer or auction house.
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Old 05-02-2012, 11:03 PM
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Over the last several years, I helped my husband dispose of two good friends guns. Then I had to dispose of most of my husband's collection due to his death from cancer. So, I feel like I can at least tell you of my experiences. The first friend that died had a large collection, the majority S&W. My husband did a silent auction of the guns for only members of the SWCA. He was able to get the widow above the going rate for many of the guns as he knew who wanted which guns. Others did go to dealers, who of course have to make money, so they did not go for full retail. ANother friend had a very nice collection as well. Ray also did a silent auction for them. I will tell you this, it was a heck of a lot of work. We had to put together a list, making sure that it was accurate, mail it to prospective bidders, receive the bids, notify bidders if they won, pack the guns securely and ship. We had 4 people helping us, plus a couple reputable dealers to make sure we had things going the right direction. It took quite some time to complete. Several others had asked him to do the same if something happened to them as they loved the idea of them going to a good home. However, he had decided not to do any like this in the future, just too much work.

When Ray died, he had an excellent excel spreadsheet for me, giving me all the info on each gun. Type, serial#, condition, type of grips, sites, when and where he had bought it and what he thought it was currently worth. It was updated at least once a year. We had discussed what was to become of the guns when he passed. Knowing that I could not do an auction by myself, I went to a national gun dealer who has a large following. He has sold the first 100 for me and will be picking up the next group this month. He has done an excellent job. Using someone nationally instead of local has allowed the guns to all find good homes and at a very good price. We have a number of very good national dealers here on the forum. I would suggest that you introduce yourself and your wife to them so you feel comfortable in dealing with them.

As I have been an active participant in the collecting I will be keeping some for myself and have been thinking about what I want to collect on my own.

Hope this helps.

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Old 05-02-2012, 11:13 PM
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This ain't our first rodeo on this subject. And I've been watching others in similar situations.

My wife's instructions are pretty simple, when I croak, she's to call David Carroll and have him stop on his way past. He comes this way every other month and I'd guess as a favor he might even make a special trip. One of our friends died a while back. His widow was faced with just such a situation. She had maybe 300 guns to sell, and it took her a few years to get up the nerve to part with them. The local gun shop came to her home early and did an inventory and made her a low ball offer. Worse, it was the only one she got and she used it in the estate. Caused her some grief and cost her a bundle in income tax between what the used as the value at the time and the increased value when she sold them.

From that we took a few lessons. First, get multiple estimates, and the LGS that wants to sell them also wants to buy them "right." Its OK if you sell to them, but if you allow someone else to sell and they get significantly more, it'll cost you. In all fairness, David eventually took the guns and sold them at various shows and online. But he got twice as much as the initial estimate. That was in the middle of the recession we're going through right now. In the instance of my passing, she'll just let him take the guns he wants to take. I've already given my sons a few guns.... If she wants to give them another one or two, its OK. But the idea is not to allow relatives to cherry pick the collection, taking away the lions share of money she may need in her later years.

I've been in a few LGS over the years. I've seen a bunch of guns, but I've seen some treasures sell for a fraction of what they should. For rare or sought after guns, they belong in the hands of a good marketer who knows the guns and buyers.

Here I don't even agree with Feral (usually I do). I don't mind the 15% commission if the total pie is twice as high. I got burned one time on such a sale, and it won't happen again. My guns go to someone I trust and have seen make similar sales.

And I've seen the other side a few times. Where someone dies and the widow doesn't know how to sell the guns. So she tries the LGS and they offer her pennies on the dollar. So she goes to a trusted friend or two. I learned long ago that its a thankless job, and a loser to get involved in. They see the world one of two ways. If they feel the guns were just old junk, they may be satisfied getting a fair value. But the opposite is often true. They feel their hubby was the smartest gun guy around. Every thing he touched was gold, and his walmart shotgun, all scratched and dented, with rust is worth twice what a new one is worth. And if you try to sell for her, you'll be going to multiple gun shows and it'll be a rare instance they agree to you selling at a fair price. You usually end up paying for the tables, your hotel, meals, and travel "because you were a trusted friend."

The reality here: I don't even know what my guns are worth. But I know there are people who can do a better job than I can.

Now for my story when my father died. My mother hated guns. So we had to summon my brother from the frozen north to come home. And as a surprise my mother had already laid them out on the bed. She said she wanted them out of the house because she didn't want to sleep with them one more night. Then she told us to look at them and she'd be back. So I figured I wasn't dealt the best hand, but there were 2 guns I wanted badly. So instead of handling or looking at them, I picked up a Remington 721 I'd sold to my dad years before, and then his 32 Regulation Police. Those were 2 guns that stood out as unusual for my old man.

So my mother returned and told my brother since he was older, he got to pick first. And like clockwork, he picked the Remington (the only scoped gun.) So I took his Winchester M12, the gun we'd hunted together with so many times. And he then took the revolver. I really wanted that gun, but I could live without it. I took the 1917 Enfield that we'd sporterized (maybe ruining it). But we'd spent the time together working on it.

Then I walked out. My mother said wait, we've still got a dozen guns left. I told her to let him have them, I've got the family guns. The moral here is that guns can vary in monetary value and in value as family heirlooms. I was dad's companion and gun nut. My brother hated guns and still feels they shouldn't be privately owned.

If you're in a family situation where you feel one son or daughter should have a gun upon your passing, make it clear beforehand. Most of us don't have the luxury of knowing when the end is coming. Just give away the guns now. While you're still alive and no one can argue or protest. Get them gone ahead of time. Then you can cut the protester out of your will! People can and will say anything after you've died, but they won't open their mouth while you're alive.

My big problem: Who's going to haul all my ammo to the dump?
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Old 05-03-2012, 12:17 AM
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Consignment at your LGS vs auctioning them off. Biggest difference is time factor for how soon your guns will sell. At the LGS, they can and will sit there on his shelf until somebody comes in, sees it, decides he wants it and hauls out the checkbook. Could be a day, could be a year. At an auction, your guns WILL sell that day. All of them, unless you've put reserves on them the bidders don't want to meet.
At the LGS, your guns are only going to sell for what your asking price was. At auctions, I've seen guns go for more than what they were worth to people that either didn't know any better or had a wad of cash just burning a hole in their pocket.
Both will charge you a commision of some sort and it would be in your interest to shop around ahead of time.
At the LGS, the potential buyer may try to make a deal on the price with the dealer. At an auction, some peoples competitive nature kicks in and a bidder will decide that he or she WILL have that gun, price be darned.
Hope this helps.
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Old 05-03-2012, 02:18 AM
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Thanks for sharing your experiences and some good advice Sheryl.
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Old 05-03-2012, 02:54 AM
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Something to think about.

Not to be morbid, but a serious question. I do not plan on going anywhere (does anyone) but I could get eaten by a Alligator or run over by a bus.

When the time comes, I do not want to burden Mrs Rule (who is not a gun person) with the hassle of disposing of my firearms.

There is no one in our families that I want to leave them to(enough on that).

Seems my only option(s) is to have her take them to my LGS where I have dealt for years. They are fair and honest but of course they need to make money.

I have a inventory with the details, but only the price paid, not what they may be worth whenever.

What if the LGS is no longer in business or different owner? That leaves a few other LGS which I will not walk into.

The only other thing I can think of is a/an Auction? But that seems like more of a burden and what percentage do they take?

I would like to sell them to some forum members but that would be to much for her to deal with without help. Pricing, shipping, transfers etc. I would need to appoint a trustee or something.

This is a serious question and no, I am not sending them to you.

So, with that said, any other advice or suggestions?

Thanks
Rule3 are you sure you dont want to give them to me....they would have a good home with plenty of ammo to go through and cleaning atleast once every two months lol jk. if i was in you situation with no one to give them to donate to some PD department or appoint a friend to sell them on here.
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Old 05-03-2012, 08:09 AM
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My dad is 74, and I'm in my mid 40's, with two boys in their teens, who are the only grand children. Every gun owned has a clear, person who is second in line, with the vast amount moving down the line from Dad to Me to Boys. For example, My dad's Sauer 308 is my youngest's to use as needed, but ends up in dad's safe at the end of the day (most of the time). The Win. Md. 71 is older son's, and I have a clear claim to the Md. 94 in 38-55, etc. The same from me to my son's, oldest get's the Kimber and a particular Blackhawk, youngest get's the Colt Gold Cup, they both get a Woodsman.

There are some minor diversion's from the rule. We all know a cousin in TX, gets one of Dad's shotguns (first gun the cousin ever shot, he was hooked), and some of the guns from my Grandfather(s) are "owned" by extended family. But given we are a small rather tight knit group, this very informal, but clearly defined "Gentlemen's Agreement" works well for us. That said, divorce, step kids, second wives, etc. can really put a kink in a otherwise plan, so everyone needs to address the issue in the light of their situation.

One final thought, do you have a group of gun buddy's who might have use for them. A extended friend in the knife world passed on several years ago, he left a detailed list of close friends who would have interest in his very large collection, giving each a "gift" of one knife and a option to purchase a list of other knives from his widow at "a fair price" to be agreed upon at the time. Needless to say, the guys showed up on a agreed day, and in effect divided up about 80% of the collection per the list's the dearly departed had made up. They swapped stories, traded options based on the list (ie I really don't need another one of these, Bob I'll trade you for the Randall on your list).
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Old 05-03-2012, 08:34 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions.

I apologize but do not know who David Carroll is? Is he a National auction person? Deals with any and all guns? If so that would certainly be an option.

My collection is of course not all S&W, I am an equal opportunity buyer So I do not know if that makes a difference in auctioning them. Some admittedly are not big buck items.

My LGS, where most have been purchased can either buy outright or put on commission. No , I or my wife would not get top dollar there, but would get a pretty fair deal.

My main consideration is ease of sale for my Wife. Basically here they are, sell them all and be done with it.

RBurg brings up a whole other subject. AMMO (Factory) and all my reloading equipment and supplies. Good grief
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Old 05-03-2012, 09:17 AM
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...Just give away the guns now. While you're still alive and no one can argue or protest. Get them gone ahead of time. Then you can cut the protester out of your will! People can and will say anything after you've died, but they won't open their mouth while you're alive.
This is sure the truth - well, at least except for the last sentence. I know a family that wasn't so lucky. Dad decided to divide things up while he was still kicking. The resulting rift between the three sons endures to this day, with two on one side and the third basically mad at the world. That was nearly twenty years ago now. So Dick's final thought there is not always true, but the idea at least is 100%.

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Old 05-03-2012, 10:49 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions.

My main consideration is ease of sale for my Wife. Basically here they are, sell them all and be done with it.
Why don't YOU sell them NOW? - Keep a few for protection.
Put the money in a bond or something and tell your wife to cash it in when you've gone.
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Old 05-03-2012, 11:10 AM
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I keep a current list of all my firearms detailing original price paid, date purchased, etc. There is also information as to current value.

When I die, my wife or daughters have carte blanche to do exactly as they please with my firearms. I wouldn't have it any other way. I want everything I've got to be used to provide the very best benefit for them. Anything less would be selfish. They may keep those which have meaning to them and sell the rest or whatever. They are astute adult women who have watched me buy and sell firearms, cars, etc. They know how to go about selling items surplus to their needs.
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Old 05-03-2012, 11:13 AM
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I really won't care once I'm gone.

I lost all mine in a boating accident anyway.

All good ideas so far though.
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Old 05-03-2012, 11:14 AM
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Why don't YOU sell them NOW? - Keep a few for protection.
Put the money in a bond or something and tell your wife to cash it in when you've gone.
Well how would I feed my my Gun obsession then? Why buy them in the first place?
(it is a pretty lame hobby isn't it?)

I thought guns and gold were a hedge on inflation. I have no Gold.
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Old 05-03-2012, 11:36 AM
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My Bro-in -law being an attorney, and describing the worst fights he has ever seen as those of a family haring a will being written and arguing over little nothing trinket, he is very emphatic about having a "Trinket Clause" in your will. I have one listing about only 5 guns I specifically want to go to specific people, and the language that the spouse or executor then sell those remaining. If anyone wants any of the others let them buy them as they would then participate in the proceeds of the will and be reimbursed (at least partially). I see no sense in leaving a lot of guns to individuals that will just sell them off or stick them in the closet and forget them. I just finished selling a half dozen guns for my Bro-in-law, who now has Parkinson's and has no use for them and his children didn't want them. He had some very fine guns, and they did bring some good money. I bought one SKB 20 Ga. O/U which had had maybe 8-10 rounds fired through it and offered the est. retail $700, but they gave it to me at half that for doing the selling for them. I will remember him always when I use it.
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Old 05-03-2012, 01:07 PM
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I have one small caveat to add to the idea of selling at auction. If you have anything other than very ordinary, using guns, it would be a good idea to use an auction house that has national exposure and some form of offsite bidding. A number of years ago, there was an auction held at the local fairgrounds. There were over two hundred lots, with many collector pieces. The night before the sale, there was an ice storm, and the roads were pretty dangerous. There were less than thirty bidders there, and everything went very cheap, probably less than thirty cents on the dollar.
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Old 05-03-2012, 01:43 PM
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You know, I have often wondered this same thing about my firearms future when I leave this world. I will be 71 soon and of all things I am still buying guns every once in a while.
After reading this and doing some thinking in the past few years I really don't need to be buying new ones. I need to be selling some of the ones I have. I hate the thought of not purchasing and the thrill of looking and shopping for firearms. It doesn't set well with me so I just buy another one and then I feel better. I know I better stop this and liquidate most of mine except a few. It would be easier on my wife not to have to deal with it.
I have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren and I have picked out some special guns for them and I guess I will sell the rest. No maybe I won't. I will let them divide them up. Well I don't really know what I will do.
I do have detailed lists of all my firearms, model #'s and serial #'s and descriptions. My spouse would be lost when it comes to getting rid of what is left. I would rather both my sons would help her in this situation and I have discussed this with them.
Well I'm not in the mood today to buy a gun but maybe that will change again. We'll see

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Old 05-03-2012, 01:49 PM
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Well I'm not in the mood today to buy a gun but maybe that will change again. We'll see

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Well maybe just one more
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Old 05-03-2012, 02:13 PM
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This is a subject that really needs to be given serious thought. I grew up in a house full of guns. My Dad and his Dad were collectors, although Grampa's was quite small. When my Grampa died in 1980 my Gramma gave them to my Dad and I. On birthdays and Christmas she would give us a card that read "take a gun". We each got half.
My Dad was a collector of old Single -Shot rifles, and he had some really valuable ones. He also had some newer stuff. He passed almost 18 years ago. My Mom is still alive, and they all belong to her, although several are in my possession. If she needs money, I will help her sell them. In her will, I get the guns. She knows I know about their value, so no problem there.
My advice is get a list of TRUSTED collectors to help your heirs. I remember my Dad joking with one of his friends that they should call another guy they knew who is nationally known as a dealer of fine older Single-shots and tell him my Dad had died. They laughed and said he'd probably be on Mom's doorstep, cash in hand the next day. Truth is, when Dad died, mom got a very nice sympathy card from him, with no mention of buying anything. I spoke to him on the phone some time after that, he never asked if anything was for sale.
I started making a list of my guns, with descriptions and values. Missus P&R Fan will have a list of people I trust to help her dispose of my stuff. One of them I met through this Forum. I trust all of them, and know she will get full value.
It just takes a little planning.
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Old 05-03-2012, 02:59 PM
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I apologize but do not know who David Carroll is? Is he a National auction person? Deals with any and all guns? If so that would certainly be an option.
David doesn't do auctions very often, he's what we call a purveyor. Lee here on the forum is or was in the same business.
The key is you get a person very familiar with the kinds of guns you have to do the hard part. I've known David long enough to trust him. He also knows almost all the big name buyers and collectors. After seeing him do a first class job on the friends guns, I could only hope he would do the same for my wife (if smaller in numbers). David has a web site someplace.... Try

Smith and Wesson Collector Firearms

and then look at his catalog. He's the guy with the very impressive displays of S&Ws at the big shows. This weekend he'll be up at OGCA, usually with 5 or 7 tables on an endcap.

He gets the good collections by giving a fair deal to all involved. Some figure his prices are too high, but then try finding the guns of that quality any place else.

And he probably won't be interested in off brand firearms. But then I don't have many of them, either.

On to the ammo problem. Factory ammo is pretty darn easy to sell these days. Everyone wants it, cheap. In my situation it won't be hard for her to dispose of it. The son's will just come around with empty vehicles and will cart off all they can lug out. But they know my passion for buying ammo. And they just had to help move it 2 years ago, so they figure never again. Hah!

Reloads are another critter. I guess in theory you can't even sell them. These days the components are so high its crazy. I went to a gun shop yesterday and was looking at Barnes bullets in .30 cal. They were nearly $1 each! a 50 round box was priced at $46.99. Youngest son has already tried to shoot up my 9mm reloads - good luck with that, he's barely scratched the surface.

If you've got enough ammo, it can be worth thousands, easy. Just the ammo cans empty would be worth a bundle. Don't forget all the leather. Those of us who've been in the shooting sports for a few decades seem to accumulate a bunch of holsters. Even quality slings sell for some money. Sometime we need to talk about H H Heiser holsters. She could take a nice trip on just a few dozen of those. And reloading dies. Other gun related outdoor items are in strong demand.

One of the tricks to visiting yard sales is to ask the person if they have any guns or outdoor equipment. Many older women are afraid to even put them out, not knowing the legalities. But direct inquiries sometimes breaks the ice. Many just want the stuff gone and aren't looking for much money. No reason to cheat them, but they have no clue as to what its worth. A guy at a yard sale 2 years ago sold me 17 boxes of .32 ACP for $115. And I don't even own a .32, but I was willing to market it at gun shows. My youngest son wasn't even paying attention until he had to lug it all back to the car. Then he realized it was a windfall. Kentucky and Texas are two states where every darn house has at least one gun and the ammo to start a war (not even a small war.) Always ask.

But don't allow your survivor to eat off the scraps. My wife has been to enough gun shows (she thinks too many) to know the drill. For her, maybe the smartest thing would be to get a table with some of my scoundrel buddies and sell off the stuff David didn't carry out, or my son's have left behind. It can easily bring in $1,000 a day for a few dozen days! Anybody seen primer prices? Yesterday the crook at the LGS was asking $45 a box of 1,000. Sleeves of 10,000 might go for a good price.

To summarize, just the idea that you are thinking about it is good. I think any written plan will need adjustments as conditions change.

For an idea of what things are worth, my wife spotted the 1950s screwdriver at the antique show over the weekend. The seller demanded $6 for it. She knows it worth maybe $100, and so are all the others. Those were treated as throwaways in the past.
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Old 05-12-2012, 11:00 AM
mg357 mg357 is offline
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What to do with my guns when I'm gone? What to do with my guns when I'm gone? What to do with my guns when I'm gone? What to do with my guns when I'm gone? What to do with my guns when I'm gone?  
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I don't want to hijack or mess up the thread but here is my plan for my guns. My dad is the one who takes me to the gunshops and the gunshows anything that is gun related he does with me.
A week after he dies i am going to go down to the nearest gunshop and sell them off.
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