Should I be thinning the herd?

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Ivan the Butcher

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I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
 
Depends on how much psychic baggage they're causing you, I suppose. If you've got safe storage for all of them and you're not thinking about them, there's no reason to clear them out. However, the very fact that you'd post this query means you're thinking about them . . . ultimately, it's all a matter of what you decide matters the most.

I have the same thing going on - a bunch of stuff that I kinda can use in different ways and a bunch of stuff that's only for fun . . . together with a desire to free up space and to address inheritance concerns now. There's no "right" answer - it's whatever we decide.

Good luck, amigo.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
When I was in High School, I never thought I would see 25! Now, I could go tomorrow or in 30 years!

It's only stuff! But then again, I do like stuff!

Ivan
Click to expand...
I'll be 71 in September. Should I thin my herd

Nah, I like stuff also.
When they find me dead they can pry the gun out of my hand and toss me in the furnace. 😜
 
This is my view, though keep in mind im in my late 20s and have collected from 15 years old. We are the current caretakers of these guns so I would say make sure not to sell any that your kids or grandkids really want (write down who wants what so they get it as usually when someone dies in my family oldest member gets everything its why I never got any of my great gramps gun went to other side of family...) I have been selling some stuff hurts (like on consignment my kentucky state police s&w ar and CHP 870 ill only get $590 if they sell) other stuff felt great (mags for guns I don't own, guns I disliked like the sig m18 etc). If its guns you can't shoot though like certain high caliber revolvers/rifles sell them. If you can enjoy them do so. I plan to thin anything family wont want when im 60s to 70s and prioritize my favorite guns and ones I can use (ccw, favorites, etc) then sell most of the others. Just please make sure you know what your family wants. I plan to tell future kids/grandkids anything you want ill give you if you don't want it it will be sold and the money will go to family members when I die. That way they don't just want something to sell it they want it because they like it. Though do whatever you think is best for you. I have a bunch of stuff listed though its to get new guns.
 
If don't need the $$$ and/or they're not a problem of any kind, ie; safe and secure storage, etc, what's the rush? I'm now closer to my 72nd birthday than 71st, and I don't recall an accurate count of the number I'm currently in charge of. Consequently, I'm not looking to thinning anything, other than what's on top of my old head.
Seriously though, if they're secured and you are too, in both mind & body, and not looking to move to a residential facility, etc. I'd keep them and disperse them to the deserving and appreciative next generations, as they came along.
ETA:
And if I were to run across something I liked and afford, I'd probably pick it up also.
 
Hopefully, I can start selling off stuff when I retire and not leave such a large quantity of stuff for the wife and kids.

Besides lots of guns, guitars, and audio equipment, there is lots of misc stuff that's worth money if a person had the time to eBay it.

At 64, I should start thinking about selling guns, but I keep buying them....
 
Ameshawki said:
Sent 30 to auction last fall. Didn't do well at all, for a variety of reasons. Have since accumulated about that many back. My kids will hate me when I'm gone.
Click to expand...
Mind telling us more about what "didn't do well at all" means? I've been thinking about how to deal with the "herd" eventually although auction fees seem rather stiff, the big national ones anyway. Hearing about your experience would be helpful.
 
Last edited:
Not guns but close:
A year and a half ago I needed to close up my Father’s house after he passed. My mom passed 15 years ago. My mom loved collecting very nice stuff and having lived through the depression they never threw anything away even the junk.

My advice:
Never have anything in your house that your kids will need to pay to have it junked on account that the homeless shelter won’t take it.
 
I’ve told this story before, but lemme give it a go again.

My folks loved bird figurines. You know what I mean - the Franklin Mint Crested Titmouse limited edition, etc. They were everywhere, looking at everyone with their creepy dead ceramic bird eyes. There had to be a hundred, no two the same.

I became the bird guardian when they died. They had told me they were priceless.

I wasn’t falling for that, but I thought they could turn into a nice gun. I put a couple on eBay and learned a few things. 1 - they weren’t priceless, and almost no one wanted them. 2 - you can’t ship a Royal Tern without busting some wings.

I kept one, and the rest went to Goodwill. They are probably still there.

My guns and your guns are like creepy bird figurines. Sell them while you are alive.
 
Don't have all that many guns but I dislike having stuff around that I don't use or need. Plan to offer the kids their choice to gift them.

Have four S&W revolvers that I'll keep, plus a 10/22 and a shotgun. Don't need the money but I'll sell the rest. Guess this is a bad time to do that, though.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
Let the offspring deal with it, and for now, just enjoy. Both my kids have no interest in my hobby, so I don’t care what happens to them when I assume room temperature
 
Ivan: In this thread's title, you used the word "should." That implies some sort of external influence or pressure. Maybe you do want to make it easier on family members. Maybe you do want to free up funds or space. If you find "want" is a better verb than "should" then you're closer to your answer.

Kudos to you for thinking of family, but also think of Ivan. Do you enjoy having your guns, even if you don't shoot them all? People die all the time and leave stuff to heirs. If the heirs understand the inherent value of guns, they're easier to disperse than a collection of trinkets. We shudder at the thought of our prized registered magnum going to Cabela's for 30 cents on a dollar, but prized trinkets often go into a dumpster. Stating the obvious: We really won't care after we've taken the dirt nap.
 
22hipower said:
Mind telling us more about what "didn't do well at all" means? I've been thinking about how to deal with the "herd" eventually although auction fees seem rather stiff, the big national ones anyway. Hearing about your experience would be helpful.
Click to expand...
Market is down and has been for a couple of years. Auction was originally scheduled for October, eventually happened in December. By then I was fighting Christmas shopping. Friend sold a lot more in that auction than I did. We both lost money. Broad assortment of stuff. Some pretty nice things, some ordinary things, some marginal stuff I was just getting rid of.

It's a buyer's market.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
Sell or give away plastic, polyester gun(s) er, Kel Crap and Block, er Glocks. Keep the steel quality ones.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
 
I'm 76 about to hit 77 and still shoot every week. We don't have any children only two nieces and neither one of them are into firearms. As much as I don't want to do it, I'm going to start thinning my herd when I'm 80 or 81. I don't. want my sweet wife to have to deal with it when I go. I keep the card of a reputable dealer taped to the inside of my safe and an inventory list with serial numbers and current values of all my firearms on my computer.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
I am 69 years old and have been collecting since I was 18. Here's what I have told my wife and children: "When I'm gone, lay them all out on the floor. Oldest gets first pick, then the middle child, then the youngest. Oldest child picks again, and so on. When they run out, they run out. Not going to buy 2 more to even them out." Youngest said that she doesn't want any of them. I told her that she can give them to her brothers, sell them to her brothers, or auction them off. At that point it won't matter to me. Just don't sell them for what I told my wife what I paid for them.
 
collections of any thing is nice and interesting at the time , firearms, orig lionel trains , coins, stamps , rodger groups
collectables all have high and lows of resale market value
swings from highs, to fair market, to nobody wants um lows
garage sales, local paper print ads. e/bay and many other on line sales sites seems to be more of a dead end than it was years back
firearms sales ..fellow local club members, rent a table at local gun show , list it on a web site like this ; easy and if lucky
item gets sold ...good deal for all
sales from listed large auction sellers , local gun store ... drama with the shipping and such
.........
list it on yer own on gunbroker or such ...crap shoot with a penny start to the bidding
and the listing sites are always changing the listing rules
.......
keep um and pass off the collection to the next generation ...easy way but not real fair if the kidsaare not into the enjoyment of the "collection"
.
firearms : I wish there was a fer real business ; who took the item photos from the seller ; and did the listing work
for a up front listing fee paid by seller at time of listing ...
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
First you could always buy another safe? Maybe get a bigger one this time? Second you could always adopt a early 50 year old son to assist you with any liquidation of firearms that you have 😎
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
I'm now 70.5 and my F-I-L is 92.5. He is actively thinning his herd of firearms. About 14 or 15 years ago I sold off around 43 guns to generate both funds and space The other day My F-I-L gave my wife a Model 14 and me a 657-2 6.5" (The story is that this is THE prototype for the Hunter Model). My person collection of S&W's is now at 18, and the wife's make 19. With the buying streak I've been on, I've about built the accumulation bake up to pre-selloff size! With 4 offspring and 9 grandkids I've already been giving a gun here and there to all of them, but there are so many interesting guns in the world, I just am slowly building back up.

I've been acquiring a better quality of gun than most of the "Sell-Off" guns. However a few have been "Just for giggles!" The KelTec sub2000 in 5.7x28 and their radically cheap handgun in the same cartridge, and a "soon after takeover" of the Henery AR-7. have been the low end and the high end include a 70's Hi-Power and a 396-2 and the 657-2!

As one of the other recent acquisition posts said, "It's only money!" Well and some of my limited space too!

As much as we would like to, "We can't take it with us!" So, do I thin the herd, or let the offspring deal with it when I'm gone?

Ivan
Click to expand...
A well-off businessman in my town was buried with a number of his rifles, according to his nephew, who was a good friend of mine (and a gun guy, too). I've occasionally wondered if the guns went in the grave with him or if they got rescued.
 
At 75, with some health issues, I too have been debating internally about thinning my accumulation. It has been very difficult but I have sold a few I no longer shoot. I completely understand that I am the temporary caretaker of these things and the reasons I acquired them are no longer valid, but I really do enjoy having them. I always appreciate these posts as they help me with my debate and realize the default setting I won’t have to worry when I’m no longer here.
 
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