Today is the first day of my vacation.(well technically Saturday was, but who is counting). My collection of guns and boxes need some reorganizing (already did the sock and underwear drawer). I have always stored the boxes separate from the guns. But having gone through the death of my father recently, and the moving of my mom to a retirement facility, my brother and I started cleaning the house out in order to put it on the market.

Now my dad was not a shooter, but he was a bit of a pack rat(a trait shared by most reloaders and gun owners). Many things he had in his "workshop of horrors" were unopened packages of a variety of hardware, hundreds of screws and tools, or parts to things that were not obvious or left unexplained. Into the trash they went, for the most part.( I did manage to score a cordless drill to use for trimming brass)

But, it got me thinking about what would happen if I dropped dead tomorrow. Aside from all of my reloading stuff that would likely go into the trash (no respect for the dead), the boxes and accessories (grips, holsters, manuals etc), for my S&W revolvers may not survive the initial purge.

So my question is, what do you do with boxes and assorted accessories tied to a specific gun? Do you store the guns, literature etc inside the box?

Where I live, Canada, (where gun ownership is a tough road) we have to store all of our handguns in safes, or locked containers. This poses some issues when it comes to humidity etc.

But, I also want to be able to enjoy them and match the "extras" with the gun.

Now I do have a database that lists everything. But somethings are not obvious and even though my wife shoots, she would not appreciate the value or nuances of certain things.

So, since the thrill of organizing the sock drawer has worn off, I now turn my attention to the important possession of my life. Any suggestions? Pictures" Thoughts?

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Existimo ergo sum armis

I never store guns in their boxes. The older S&W cardboard boxes were never acid-free and over time could cause spotting in areas like the cylinder or frame if left in it. They will also yellow the paperwork so I usually keep the literature and accessories in a plastic zip-lock bag inside of the box and then wax the gun and keep it in a gun sock in the safe.

The blue plastic boxes are even worse because they trap moisture and the foam inserts will ruin anything blued. What I've been doing to organize things is keeping a list of what's in my collection and mark down model, serial number, grips, and any accessories with it. That list is on paper and in my safe. This way if anything ever happened anyone could just figure out what goes with what.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

Well, about 30 years ago I bought my first Smith revolvers.

And promptly threw away the boxes.

Never thought they would have any value.

I was wrong, but if you keep everything, you eventually end up with such a pile of junk that can't find anything anyway.

Plus, as you say, the next generation will toss it all the week after you kick the bucket.

I'm not a hoarder, but my mom was. She had a huge number of file boxes with every bill she ever paid.

You never know when you might need your June 1974 water bill.

I understand your pain. That is why I was looking for suggestions on how to keep it all together as well as to see creative ways people have kept things displayed or stored.

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Existimo ergo sum armis

I keep the boxes (tools, papers, etc) separate from the guns, in large Rubbermaid type storage totes. I stack all the boxes neatly in there and the totes sit on a shelf in my gun room. I do the same for spare grips, SAT's, internal parts, paperwork, etc.

Now, I have not went as far as to label which box goes with which gun, how much each set of spare grips are worth, SAT's, etc., etc. I guess this is something I (we forum members) should do in the event that the items need liquidated and I (we) aren't around any longer......

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

I am running into this as an estate issue more and more these days. In the past, more guys had someone they would leave all of their guns too - namely a son(s), daughter(s), nephew(s), niece(s) kid next door- so the issue was not as paramount.

But with so many young people not taking up interest in shooting, let alone collecting, this has stated to become an issue. I am like the cobbler's children, - my systems and documentation are not what they should be.
If you look at the age of most of us here on this forum I suspect the average is closer to 60 than 30. Death, statistically, has a far greater chance of darkening our door now than when we were younger.

So preserving and maximizing value for the estate is paramount in my mind.

That is why I am keen to hear how you guys handle this.

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Existimo ergo sum armis

Designating someone to liquidate your collection is just as important as cataloging everything. Most collections wind up getting parceled out after the owner passes. I've seen this become a burden to surviving spouses and family members. At the least, think about designating a local dealer, shop owner, or another collector whom you trust to help with this. It can really ease the burden on your spouse and help ensure they get a maximum return when they may need it most. I have a short list of such people available to my wife if anything happens to me. Other than a few guns earmarked for the different kids, I've set it up for her so it can be as painless as possible. Something to think about.

Firearm Boxes, Documents, Tools and accessories - on a shelf in the "Man Cave". The serial number is usually on one end which associates or ties it to the firearm. If there isn't one there, you can create one with a label from an office supply store.

Firearms - kept in my Liberty "Lincoln" safe. I also have a dehumidifier in the "Man Cave" that keeps the humidity level around 50%. There's a heated "Golden Rod" and rechargeable desiccant crystal unit in the safe along with a temperature and humidity monitoring device.

Firearm Accessories - I bought an 18-tray storage device from Lowes that has the serial number for each firearm on the end of the small tray. The small drawers are used to ONLY store 1911 magazines, small parts (screws and sight parts, etc) plus the plug wrenches for my 1911s.

Inventory - I maintain a running inventory for all of the details, including serial number, purchase date, purchase price, etc in Microsoft Excel. I also have five to seven photos of every firearm on my HDD.

Documents - I maintain a binder with s separate section for each firearm with pictures, the bill of sale, etc. There's also written instructions at the beginning of the binder that informs my heirs of the trusted contact person, name, address, etc. and how to dispose of all of my firearms. Our estate planning attorney has also recommended that I have a "Personal Property Memorandum" that lists all of my firearms so that they bypass my estate and go directly to the person(s) whom I have designated as the recipients.

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That's what we do!

Do you have a picture you can post so we can get an idea what to look for on our next sojourn to Lowes?

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Existimo ergo sum armis

This is a great statement and suggestion!

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Existimo ergo sum armis

This is a very interesting and important topic.

I DO store my guns and tools in the original boxes (if I have them). If the gun didn't come with a box, I usually buy an age appropriate S&W box and put my own label on it. each gun is wrapped in a sock or cloth so that it never touches cardboard. If I've changed original stocks, the originals are also stored in the box if they fit. If they don't fit, they go into a separate box inside a plastic zip bag with an ID card indicating Model and serial number. Also stored in the box with the gun is a small information card that I print from my computer. This has all the pertinent info such as model, serial, finish, price paid, etc. etc. Each year I also update a ballpark value on this card.

All paperwork that came with the gun and all sales receipts etc. are stored in plastic 8.5 X 11 protective sleeves made for three-ring binders. This very large binder is stored in the safe with the guns. Each gun has a cover page that I produced on my computer containing pertinent information that can easily be matched to the gun.

My wife and son both understand and know my system. They also are well-aware that guns have significant value and will be treated that way in the event of my death. Once my system was set up and complete, it has been very easy to maintain when another gun is added.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

I looked at the Lowes website and could not find the one that I have, but this Stack On version from the Amazon website is very similar:


The end labels are easy to create. Revolvers require very little space in a drawer, but my 1911s require more with the magazines and plug wrench, extra grips, etc.

Update - The individual drawers are 2 1/2" high X 4 1/2" wide X 6" deep. Generally speaking, my rifles and shotgun require very little drawer space. Revolvers not much more, but 1911s are space hogs. These units are stackable or can be used side-by-side. Multiple units can be purchased, if needed. Each drawer has, on average, accessories for three firearms. Some drawers (for a rifle, revolver, and 1911) may have space for five.

The comprehensive system that you select may require a day or so to initially set up, but afterwards, it requires very little time to continuously maintain.

My next procedural step is to sit down with our oldest son and take him through my "system" so he'll know exactly what to do when the time comes.

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That's what we do!

OK: From a professional perspective as an appraiser; I have to spend time and effort trying to mate pistols with boxes ,extra magazines etc. when they are not stored together. This cost the clients extra money and is a particular problem when the collection is large and the owner kept no inventory.My advise: Don't leave your heirs in this situation.
On a personal note; All my pistols that have original boxes and accessories are stored together in a safe. I live in Arizona where humidity and rust are not real problems and some of my guns have been stored this way for years without any apparent ill effects. I keep an updated inventory including current values of my collection detailing what if anything goes with a particular firearm. This is a computerized file which I periodically copy to disk and send to a family member for off site safekeeping.
Jim

That Amazon drawer unit is no where large enough to hold a gun and the accessories associated. Biggest problem is the humidity in most of our locations and storing in a box. I keep the boxes in a large trunk, and hope my wife remembers that I told her to match up all the guns with the boxes. On my Excel Inventory spread sheet I have a column that says "Box" where I indicate yes or no if there is a box or not. only about half of mine have boxes.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Guns get cleaned, waxed and stored in a gun rug, zippered case etc.

Paperwork is put into ziplock bags and stored in their appropriate box with tools and SATs

Boxes are then put into zip lock bags or wrapped in plastic. (The cleaner bags work well actually)

Stocks and other accessories are wrapped in something protective and stored in a larger box.

Guns, boxes, and stocks that have lasted this long should be taken care of and I would kick my own *** knowing that the condition deteriorated because I didn't take the time to preserve it.

To respond to H Richard's points on the humidity problem - this can be or is a problem depending on your geographic location.

In the Atlanta area, generally speaking, humidity is our biggest problem. I have a Frigidaire dehumidifier in my "Man Cave" that manages the humidity problem. Conversely, although I don't use one, a humidifier could be used in the winter months to maintain the same approximate year-round goal humidity level for me of ~ 50%.

All of my "collector" firearms are thoroughly cleaned, oiled, and waxed twice a year. All of my "shooter" firearms are always thoroughly cleaned, oiled (internal) and waxed after every trip to the range.

Rather than store my firearms in a sock or other item I prefer to allow the temperature and humidity-controlled air to circulate around them.

This works for me. Other forum members have solutions that work best for them.

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That's what we do!

To begin with, sorry for your loss.
Regarding gun boxes and literature of the guns I leave that together with the box. Believe it or not when the gun is valued, these things add to it, Example a Colt Anaconda original box with papers is $75.00 more of value to the gun. So it behooves you to properly store these and make sure that they are classified accordingly to the gun. I have a computerized Excel file for all my firearms with the pertinent info on each, including equipment added to it i.e. scopes, slings, grips or stocks and the value of the firearm based on the NRA condition index.

In addition I keep a record of all dispositions i.e sold guns with a bill of sale, pictures, and details of the buyer. You never know what trail those guns will take, better be safe than sorry. I am OCD for record keeping and it has save my tail many times.

Storage is what is available to you, my firearms are in a temp controlled/fire retardant safe, my ammo is stored separate in a safe with desiccant canister or silica gel sac to control moisture.

The boxes a safely stored in a dry closet hopefully my survivors will be able to match all these up if they are desirous to sell.
I hope that this will not overwhelm you, some people don't care for record keeping I think it is very valuable.
Hope it helps you out.
Regards
Lou

There is a German collector who posts pictures of his hyper-organized collection on the Walther forum under the name TANFOGLIO.
His system is to just keep adding safes.

Do you have a link?

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Existimo ergo sum armis

I don't think were supposed to post links to other forums, but here's a fisheye of his setup.




It just occurred to me, I'll PM it to you.

This is why I'm putting desiccants in my factory storage boxes.

"... TANFOGLIO. His system is to just keep adding safes."

I had a call on a guy who had died at home. He had about 15 large gun safes, most lined up like filing cabinets in his living room, and the rest in a downstairs family room. Most of his other walls were lined with filled bookshelves, mostly gun and hunting books. He lived in a humble working class neighborhood of small homes and fairly low incomes. I was blown away. I would have loved to see inside the safes.

It's very dry here. I keep most of my handguns in their original boxes wrapped in the vapor paper. As the new handgun boxes have gotten bigger and bigger and take up more safe room, I began storing them in zippered pouches wrapped in vapor paper. I used to separate the papers that came with the guns but they have been scattered around the house in my horrible records keeping fashions. As I run across them, I am putting them back in the boxes.

I am getting older and don't shoot many of my guns and have nobody that shoots to leave them to. I am going to start thinning the herd.

My accumulation is approaching 50 S&Ws. I keep an inventory in Excel with each gun having an inventory number. I made some tags out of Lexan (the type of plastic usually used for those clamshell packages than only a 5 year old can open) like the closure tabs on bakery (bread) packages, but larger. They will snap onto the hammer spur or trigger guard of the guns with the model and inventory number on each tag. I also put additional tags on or with any accessories that are gun specific like boxes, stocks, holsters, etc. that ID what gun the item goes to. If I have a purchase receipt, it’s in a separate folder and also numbered to the respective gun.

I have one heated Treadlock safe for S&W's. I keep them in Allen gun rugs and have some on shelves and some hanging from pegs and the rest are stacked like cordwood resting on the bottom of the safe. I keep the boxes with accessories or paper work in them in 4 large plastic storage tubs and have a box for almost all of my guns. It should be easy enough to match them back together if needed. I also have a data base with the info on each firearm with purchase info and estimated value. Security is very important as are good records.

All my collector handguns are cleaned and polished with Renwax, then stored in the appropriately size "Bore-store" soft case. You can stack them anyway you want without fear of damage. The paperwork and tools stay with the box, also in the humidity and temp controlled safe. Never had any issue.