Food for thought: What qualifies a firearm as a heirloom?

[Art Doc]

A gun with monetary value or sentimental value that is bequeathed to an offspring or grand offspring resulting in the recipient immediately selling the gun for cash.

 

[Drm50]

I have heirloom guns that belonged to family. They aren't for sale. I have a lot of guns and don't consider them all heirlooms. Family knows which ones are heirlooms and which ones are just guns and it has nothing to do with money value. Lucky for my heirs I've good taste in Firearms and won't be leaving any second class stuff behind.

 

[jmcisc]

For what it's worth here is the Cambridge English Dictionary definition of heirloom: a valuable object that has been given by older members of a family to younger members of the same family over many years.
That being said, maybe we're using the term heirloom in place of legacy.

The best way for me to describe this without boring the **** out of everyone is that I bought my son his first rifle when he was 10 years old (he's 42 now). It was a .22 Chipmunk. Since then he has become a firearms enthusiast with a substantial collection. While he is always looking to upgrade his collection, and is willing to buy, sell and trade almost everything he owns; except for his Chipmunk.
I'm not sure that this is an example of Legacy or Heirloom. The value is nominal to most everyone, except him.

 

[TTSH]

A gun with monetary value or sentimental value that is bequeathed to an offspring or grand offspring resulting in the recipient immediately selling the gun for cash.

Sad but true (probably) in a lot of cases... ... but that's also how we get to collect many of the pristine vintage S&W revolvers we desire.

I have heirloom guns that belonged to family. They aren't for sale. I have a lot of guns and don't consider them all heirlooms. Family knows which ones are heirlooms and which ones are just guns and it has nothing to do with money value.

Same in my case. It's crystal clear to us which guns belong in the family and will stay in the family and never get sold... and there are the "just guns" guns. Nothing wrong with them (some are actually very valuable), but the deep meaning to the extended family just isn't there. Some will be handed down for sure, but the majority of them will most likely just be sold off before or after I kick the bucket.

For what it's worth here is the Cambridge English Dictionary definition of heirloom: a valuable object that has been given by older members of a family to younger members of the same family over many years.

Add me to the (short?) list of members who believe that a true family heirloom must have some reasonably significant value to it (not just emotional value). Things like screwdrivers, plastic guns, paper plates, chewed-on pencils, Dad's old beat-up shoes & socks and the like just don't make the list IMHO. That's just **** leftover after a person dies. You may very well want to keep them, but calling them true family heirlooms is a bridge way too far.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

A Ruger 22 auto .22 that once belonged to my grandfather passed on to my father is my heirloom. Granddad carried that gun with him through WWI and with it helped liberate Germany from the Kaiser.Family lore has it that granddad was given that gun from a VERY grateful Kaiser's mistress. (He told me to never tell Grandma that part of the story)

 

[huntsman22]

I can't beat a bs ruger 22 from WW1 mistress tale, but I did inherit my great grandpaps service 1877 Colt 41 and his gold retirement badge from 1907.....

 

[Valmet]

I think heirloom guns, in my opinion, would need to be steel or alloy framed. Polymers, even today, would degrade over time (50 years? 100?).

I think the WWII bring backs, like Lugers and 1911's, wouldn't be in usable shape had they been made of even the polymer formula's today.

Seriously?? Do you mean from general use or do you think the formula actually breaks down? Plenty of plastic-stocked FALs and G3’s that are 50+ years old still being dragged around and used out there.