Father said it was nothing special.

[kbm6893]

I understand you wanting something "more modern" that you are more comfortable with, and will use, but I (and probably most other members here) would ask you to reconsider before selling.

I can tell you this for certain- if you become a full on gun guy, you will sorely regret ever selling your fathers gun one day. Nothing coming from the factory (any factory for that matter) today will ever come close to the works of art that came out back then. Those old guns only go up in value. They are a connection to our past, to the greatest generation, are an important part of American history, and those like your dad's are part of the reason for our very freedom.

Good luck to you and your wife, and whatever you do.

As gun people we hope our children will value our guns as we do. I hope one day my small collection is cherished by my son. But the truth is he may sell them to make his mortgage payment. I hope not.
For me, I would not sell my dad's gun to buy a new one under normal circumstances but finding ammo for this gun will be hard so I might do it in your case. But I wouldn't buy a mass produced striker fired gun. Maybe a pinned and recessed 66 or something

 

[Hondo44]

As gun people we hope our children will value our guns as we do. I hope one day my small collection is cherished by my son. But the truth is he may sell them to make his mortgage payment. I hope not.
For me, I would not sell my dad's gun to buy a new one under normal circumstances but finding ammo for this gun will be hard so I might do it in your case. But I wouldn't buy a mass produced striker fired gun. Maybe a pinned and recessed 66 or something

What's hard about finding 45 Colt ammunition? If anything can be found, it's 45 Colt and he already bought some. Josh said he wasn't a gun guy; telling him not to buy a "striker fired gun" does not sound too helpful for him.

 

[kbm6893]

What's hard about finding 45 Colt ammunition? If anything can be found, it's 45 Colt and he already bought some. Josh said he wasn't a gun guy; telling him not to buy a "striker fired gun" does not sound too helpful for him.

True. But if he's not a gun guy why is he going to buy 2 shields? Better to become a gun guy before buying two new guns don't you think?
I don't shoot .45 LC and I rarely see it on the shelves. Certainly not a popular caliber

For me since you say the ammo is out there I would keep it to honor my dad

 

[Hondo44]

I can't speak for him. You'll have to ask him that.

Since we're talking revolvers, .22, .38 special and .357 magnum are the most popular. Slightly less are the .44s & .45 Colt. Then come all the rest.
Availability is the same notwithstanding the current, temporary shortage.

 

[kbm6893]

I just think selling a nearly 100 year old revolver owned by your father to buy 2 new mass produced plastic guns is a bad move.

 

[kimbergal]

I see .45 Long Colt all the time at Cabela's. If you are thinking about learning how to shoot your revolver, it should be a good learning gun. My .44 Special is fun to shoot and is very accurate. It is a good home defense gun while you wait and decide which handguns to buy for you and your wife. Take a basic pistol class together and make it fun to learn.

 

[HeyJoe]

walmarts in my area always have 45 colt on the shelf. even during the height of the shortage they often had 45 colt.

 

[Elroy]

I just think selling a nearly 100 year old revolver owned by your father to buy 2 new mass produced plastic guns is a bad move.

These are wise words and Elroy hopes Mr. Landrakor has his ears on. No way in gods green earth are you going to find a current example nearly as cool let alone with family roots

Please don't take these words wrong but you're a fool to even consider parting with that bad boy piece of iron history

Keep it, hold it, treasure it. These words will ring true in years to come; your sons and daughters will thank you as there is NO replacing family history!!

Take these words to heart: Put that bad boy back in that oily rag and think of Dad !!!

 

[gdogs]

Keep the 45, it is only going up in value and it cannot be replaced in terms of sentiment. Take care of it, cherish it and it will outlast you. The stocks alone are a work of art. That said, go to Academy and buy a pair of SDVE 9mm's for a little more than the price of one Shield and if you decide to take up shooting as a hobby or decide to become more of a gun guy, you can trade one in or just buy something new when you are ready. You'll find that most of us gun guys can always find a reason to buy a new gun.

 

[Hondo44]

I suggest the very next gun you buy be a used .22 S&W revolver for you and your wife to share and shoot. Quality guns don't wear out and depreciate in value like autos. Most of us guys always fall back to our .22s for a very fun and relaxing afternoon. Easier to learn to shoot with, hone one's skills, much cheaper to shoot with low noise and virtually no recoil to contend with.

 

[JSR III]

I must agree with those that are advising you to keep this fine old workhorse. It is possible that your father told you it was nothing special in hopes that you wouldn't think of it as a windfall but rather keep it for yourself or his grandchildren. Remember, once its sold, you can never get it back. (OK, rarely)

Hondo offers some excellent advice. As an NRA instructor, I have seen many a child or novice adults face light up the first time they fired a .22 and knocked down a small steel silouette target. (I use them instead of paper for folks just starting out, as the reward of knocking something over seems to out weigh punching holes in paper). Once the bug has bitten, paper is fine.

The wives also seem to take to a .22 as there is less noise and less recoil. Again, there is plenty of time for them to work up to a .460 XVR magnum.

 

[parsonbw]

landrakor, don't know about the gun, but my Dad died five years ago. We hunted together, coon,rabbit, squirrel, deer, and about anything that was legal. He was ninety years old, and taught me more about the common sense of life than you can imagine.
Don't ever get rid of the gun, you'll never forgive yourself.

 

[first-model]

Ditto on what most people have said here.

A gun with a family connection is a once-in-a-lifetime find. I've got a lot of fine guns in my safe, and I'd give most of them for one crummy gun that I could positively attribute to one of my ancestors. Even if the gun wasn't significant to your father, it was his gun. That connection will be irretrievably lost if you sell it.

And, ditto on the recommendations to start with a basic .22. I've owned guns in almost every common caliber, and I regularly come back to my trusty little .22 revolver when I go to the range.

This fine revolver from your father, and a good solid .22 revolver would be a fine start to a gun collection.

Mike

 

[Cuda]

I may be new here...but at the risk of being rather unpopular, I'm going to have to go against the tide and say that if he wants to sell it--he's doing it for the right reasons.

It sounds like his father was a shooter, but the OP isn't--but wants to become one--which is, perhaps, something his father would have liked. He's going to trade the .45 for something he will shoot more...this isn't a bad thing, as I see it.

Also, while the .45 was his father's, it seems that his dad didn't consider it anything special, nor does the OP have memories of shooting it with his father...so there's not a huge emotional connection with it.

Now, as far as having something that will appreciate, value-wise...sure. It's going to be worth more and more as time goes by...but if it just sits wrapped in an oily towel, in a ammo can in a utility room...that's kinda sad. Better to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it.

Now, I don't know if I'd get a brace of Shields in trade for it, but...I'm not the OP.

 

[Hondo44]

Cuda,

That's OK, all opinions welcome here. It's the OP's gun to do with as he pleases. It's just that after awhile on this forum the stories of regret are so numerous. Being just human, we have all experienced a change of heart at some point in our lives. And most of us empathize with other members that have expressed the regret of selling off a family heirloom, that we just want to sound the alarm bells to help others realize that it's an irreversible decision and that they might feel different later on once it's gone.

I've often heard the comment that "it's nothing special" which most often means "it's not worth a lot but it's special to me".

 

[Jaymo]

I'm sorry for your loss.
That is a nice revolver.
If it were mine, I'd keep it and think of dad, every time I shot it.
Those stocks are nice, too.

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

I may be new here...but at the risk of being rather unpopular, I'm going to have to go against the tide and say that if he wants to sell it--he's doing it for the right reasons.

It sounds like his father was a shooter, but the OP isn't--but wants to become one--which is, perhaps, something his father would have liked. He's going to trade the .45 for something he will shoot more...this isn't a bad thing, as I see it.

Also, while the .45 was his father's, it seems that his dad didn't consider it anything special, nor does the OP have memories of shooting it with his father...so there's not a huge emotional connection with it.

Now, as far as having something that will appreciate, value-wise...sure. It's going to be worth more and more as time goes by...but if it just sits wrapped in an oily towel, in a ammo can in a utility room...that's kinda sad. Better to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it.

Now, I don't know if I'd get a brace of Shields in trade for it, but...I'm not the OP.

You make some good points,and they are welcome here as mentioned above, but....


most of us here know at least one person that either came here asking questions like the OP did, or in person who asked a simple question only to become a hardcore gun enthusiast after finding that all the nonsense they heard their entire life from the MSM was just that- BS and that guns are fun, enjoyable tools with a real conection to American history, and out family in one way or another, and not just some full auto weapon of mass destruction that is only used by a meth head that is hiding behind every bush waiting to mow down some innocent person as they are almost nightly portrayed anymore.

Once a person becomes a "gun person", they will quickly realize the huge mistake they made in getting rid of the gun they thought had no special value.

I suggest that the OP follow Hondo44's advice, then move up through the ranks so to speak. Then, and only then, if they find they still have no need for, or attachment to, their fathers weapon, sell or trade it, but not until then. JMO

 

[Watchdog]

I'll find a good home for the old workhorse.

That revolver is in the home it needs to be in right now.

Do not sell your father's gun. I don't know you or how old you are, but if you sell it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, however long you have left to live.

I have my father's S&W Model 28-2 and Bianchi holster I bought for him in 1973. He got good with it, especially at 25 yards.

Both gun and holster show some wear. And the right grip panel is darker than the left from sun exposure. And there's thousands of Model 28s out there in lots better shape. I see 'em every day on Gun Broker and other sites. I see them at gun shows and the occasional local gun shop. I've even bought a couple.

After dad passed away, mom stuck the gun in a drawer in the holster, or under the bed in the holster. And there it stayed until I rescued it.

But I tell you what...there isn't one soul on this forum with enough money to buy that gun from me. Not one.

 

[Jaymo]

My grandfather gave me an old Mossberg 151M(b) .22 semiauto rifle on Thanksgiving 1988. He liked the old rifle and took rabbits and squirrels with it. My dad and uncles loved that rifle.
To my grandfather, it was nothing special.

From my cold, dead fingers.
To me, it is very special.

I've sold a couple of revolvers that were nothing special to me, at the time. They were ones I'd bought.
I've been kicking myself for 20 years over them.

 

[NeoBuckeye]

I would not sell a "family" gun.
I have my father's "nothing special" Remington 597.
Well, it is special, to me.
We went together to purchase it. Every time that rifle has been fire by my father, I was there, it was "our" time together, being at the range.

If I had too, i would sell every other firearm, and keep my father's.
A brand new Remington 597 sells for about $150. There is not enough money on the planet for me to have this rifle out of my possession.