A rambling question about collecting

[Mexican Kerry]

I don't have the largest gun collection, and I don't have anything really exotic or rare for the most part. Recently I've been wondering if I really want to keep all my firearms just to have them, or if I should choose a few that I like and use, and maybe see if I can sell off the rest. Maybe put the money toward something else.

Most of them don't get used. I have a few that I shoot regularly but I have more that I've never fired. I have some that I bought because I just had to have them, and now they sit in the safe.

One example: I had to find myself a 5" 27 to replace one I had years ago. Finally found one I was happy with last winter and now its in the safe, but I've never even taken it to the range.

1911's (new and old) that I've never used. When I take a pistol to the range its either my Springfield Mil Spec or an old beater USGI mixmaster.

I have several vintage Colt AR's in various configurations, never really use them.

I've sold a few over the years and usually end up looking for another to replace it later, but this seems silly now.

My interests are sort of cyclic, what I focus on changes from time to time but always comes back around.......then repeats.

Its not that I need to liquidate to buy bread and milk, although there was a time where if I wanted or needed something new I had to open the safe and decide what was going on the chopping block. I'm just not sure if I should keep these things or if I should maybe sell them off to someone else and put the proceeds towards some of my other interests.

Maybe this is just a case of needing some change in my life, not sure. Its not that I don't like guns any more. My shooting interest has shifted for sure, I've been enjoying playing with my phony M40 build and working on my "precision" rimfire shooting with my boys.

We rarely take pistols or semi rifles with us shooting these days.

Maybe I'm just in a funk, and need to hold fast until it passes.

I haven't even taken my old car out of the garage this summer! Wife was pushing me to fire it up last night, maybe I'll do that tonight and see. Maybe I'll come back later and edit this post.

 

[Sevens]

I'm not sure that ANYONE's opinions will really fit in here or help. I can say that I'm a bit more than 30 years in to this game and I love 'em and I have no desire to ever trade or sell at least 90% of the handguns that I own.

I know that I will one day... but I feel like right now, I'm in my prime!

 

[mikerjf]

Your post resonates with me - I'm a "natural collector", always used to wind up with a bunch of stuff just taking up room, so I'm more careful now.

But Sevens is right - only you can judge, we're all different in what we want and how big our safe is.

 

[THEmodelof1989]

+3 for "only you can judge".

If surrounding yourself with firearms makes you happy, do it. If surrounding yourself with firearms doesn't make you happy, sell them and use the money to buy things that will encourage your personal happiness. Life is too short to not be happy.

 

[68Dave]

I think hobbies and intrest change. I sold my old car when I quit wanting to spend my gun money on car parts. Someone else is enjoying the car, and I bought some guns and reloading stuff I wanted. I also think shooting preferences change. I'll shoot ARs for a while, then I'll be on a lever gun kick. Sometimes it's revolvers sometimes not.
I have sold guns to get others but not much.
I guess we all have to decide for ourselves what we want to spend our time and money on.
Sound like you and the wife need to take a drive.
David

 

[Valmet]

I try to stick by one rule. If I'm selling a firearm, the funds need to go into a different one- be it one I want to use to hunt, shoot, etc or a safe queen. That said, most of us have parted with a firearm to raise funds for something else (bills, expenses, etc), but I try and keep guns in guns. YMMV.

 

[M29since14]

"A change is as good as a rest."

I'd leave the guns in your safe. When it's time to sell them, you'll know, and you won't need anyone's advice.

Go do something else for a while. The guns won't go stale.

 

[moralem]

If I had your introspection and courage I would do exactly as you have described. But I am not that reflective and I am a coward.....I am afraid what it will be like without my guns and rifles. It is so bad I have duplicates of duplicates and hardly shoot during the dog days of summer, promising myself that come fall I will get out more.....it just hasn't happened.....sigh. I feel your dilemma.

 

[Mexican Kerry]

Well, we went for a drive tonight. Its the annual cruise weekend here luckily, so we got to do a couple laps of the local strip with all the other interesting cars in town. Got some thumbs-up, and got a couple of challenges to race light to light. Didn't race, bad idea on this weekend (or at the best of times I guess).

Good advice from everyone who responded, thanks. They don't take up that much room, and they aren't costing anything to keep. My hobbies are all over the map, and it is nice to be able to step away from one and focus on something else for a while.

Now I need to get back to work on my Baja truck project!

 

[Muley Gil]

"I haven't even taken my old car out of the garage this summer! Wife was pushing me to fire it up last night, maybe I'll do that tonight and see."

Well, what kind of old car and where are the pictures?

 

[Mexican Kerry]

I think I've posted pictures of my car before but what the heck.

Its a horribly beat up '55 210, it has a mild small block with a Muncie M22 and a Currie 9" rear end in it.

Its kinda fun to drive, but its more scary than fun. Original drums, bias ply skinny tires out front with drag radials in the back. Homemade side dump exhaust and homemade throttle linkage for the dual carbs. Every drive is an adventure, and you have to pull off and park if it starts raining. I deleted the vacuum wipers when I put the tunnel ram on, haven't gotten to replacing them with electric yet.

And I think Lucas dipped his finger into the wiring, we had to deploy hand signals tonight.

 

[Muley Gil]

Thanks.

I wish I still had my first car; a 1952 Buick Super that had belonged to my granddaddy. Straight eight and a DynaFlow.

 

[jmace57]

I have sort of been struggling with a existential (gun) crisis as well. I had them auction off 8 or 10 of my Smiths at the Symposium in June, and I survived that!

My interests have sort of "veered" over the past 10 or 12 years - from collecting 1903 Colts, I went into S&W K Frames (00's to 40's) - then into N Frames of the same era. I have lots of duplicates after always promising myself when I bought this nicer one...I'd get rid of the older one. Which I haven't.

I find myself shooting less and less. But, I am withholding a decision on that as I am retiring at the end of the year, and with more time available, I might find my shooting increasing a lot.

But, LATELY, I've been picking up finish-challenged and unloved Smith revolvers and pistols, and have 8 or 10 cued up ready to be fixed/restored (nothing historically significant). I have felt a great deal of satisfaction in these "rescues".

So, MY plan is to get rid of my duplicates and keep the best of the rest for now. Maybe take the funds and buy myself a vintage motorcycle.

Good luck making a decision. Like I'm sure many others, I have gotten rid of guns in the past that I have really regretted.

 

[mikerjf]

Ok, street racing and motorcycles mentioned... <Perry mason: "You opened the door...!">

A couple of my bike collector buddies each have a BSA M20, the old military 500 flathead. One day they found themselves sitting next to each other at a stoplight and had themselves a full-bore pin-the-throttle race to the next light.

Funny thing, in the other lane right next to them was a cop, and he never gave them a second look. In fact, he beat them to the next light.

 

[Faulkner]

Sounds like a funk issue more than anything else. I supposed we all go through it once in a while.

 

[Dieseltech56]

I'm in a constant funk with my collection anymore. It never seems to be enough, I will trade away stuff here and there to fund new purchases but now I don't really want to trade anything. I also feel like I don't need any additional guns so I'm stuck when I see something I like.

 

[max503]

To the OP - I know exactly what you're saying but I don't have an answer. There's guns I want but don't buy because I have ones I don't use.

I've never had a 9mm because I have a couple 1911's. I'd like to have a Kel-tech 45 carbine but I don't shoot my 1911's enough as it is.

 

[Drm50]

I been it so long I'm past sellers remorse. Having bough, sold and traded well into the thousands, hind sight is 20/20. Yea, it drives me nuts the price guns are bring that wouldn't have been considered on trades 50yrs ago. That's life. I don't hesitate selling off run of the mill guns. I wouldn't let stuff like that accumulate. I know guys with a lot more guns than I have and don't have one collector's item. Just a pile of guns.

 

[gregintenn]

I rarely get out and shoot anymore, but I'm satisfied with the knowledge I can walk down into the basement any time I like and have my own private gun show. I enjoy the guns much more than the mutual funds I buy, so I'm keeping them for now.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My take. I've been into Smiths/Rugers and others for many years. I have my own pistol/rifle range on my property. I shot/shoot all of them A LOT. Couple of years ago I built a Skeet field with electronic traps. So I've been "into" shotguns quite a lot now. Handguns have been resting. Their time will come again. Every gun I've bought has been for a reason. So none will ever be sold as long as I can afford sardines and viennas.
Plus I have all the support equipment/structure to feed the above critters.