Where Do They All Go?

[mark brewer]

One person's "a lot of guns" might be a couple of dozen. Another's might be a couple of hundred. I think many older owners are in a position where they are not worried about money and keep guns they don't use simply because they are the kind of guns they enjoy owning.

i must admit, it can be very plearsurable just to line them up and look at them. though my lineup is not too big right at the moment.

 

[mikerjf]

It's also important to own guns. Guns = freedom.

 

[Fishinfool]

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

I think I remember that picture. Wasn't that a Winchester lever action that the tree had actually grown around, with the gun sticking out of the tree?

Larry

 

[Golddollar]

Many are in the gun safes and closets of old geezers like me who don't put any wear and tear on them but hate to part with them.

I resemble that remark!

 

[alwslate]

I can remember back when I only owned about a dozen guns. But that was about fifty years ago. I've acquired a few more since then . A friend, now deceased, who owned a gun shop had a great fondness for 1911 .45 autos. Owning a shop put him in a position of having a lot of opportunities to acquire 1911s over a period of years. He told me he had over a hundred of them in his own private collection of guns. I doubt he ever did much of anything with them except wipe them down occasionally. I don't know what his family did with them after he died unexpectedly of a heart attack but I'm sure he simply enjoyed owning them until the day he died.

 

[Golddollar]

He told me he had over a hundred of them in his own private collection of guns. I doubt he ever did much of anything with them except wipe them down occasionally. I don't know what his family did with them after he died unexpectedly of a heart attack but I'm sure he simply enjoyed owning them until the day he died.

And isn't that what it's all about?

 

[s&wchad]

… i have noticed that lot's of individual gun guys have a lot of guns. apparently dozens. that is striking to me.

Meh… "Dozens" is a good start. They tend to multiple after 40+ years!

A friend of mine passed away a number of years ago. He was a serious collector. His wife told me that he had about 300 guns when they got married.

Another friend passed away just a few years ago and his collection was finally catalogued and sold. He had 428.

… there's a part of me that asks, "What in the world are we going to do with all these guns?"

That sounds like something my ex-wife would say!

 

[biku324]

There has to be a percentage lost in fires and natural disasters. I think of recent events with the hurricanes, floods, tornados and and other natural disasters.

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

A Border Patrol agent found a 19th century Winchester in a nook above a wash north of the border in the Grandma Mountains of SW NM in the mid-90s. Similarly, a rancher near Cloverdale in the Bootheel was going through an old, collapsed barn and found something covered in canvas. It was a functional Maxim machine gun - it now resides in the Deming museum.

 

[waffles]

A Border Patrol agent found a 19th century Winchester in a nook above a wash north of the border in the Grandma Mountains of SW NM in the mid-90s. Similarly, a rancher near Cloverdale in the Bootheel was going through an old, collapsed barn and found something covered in canvas. It was a functional Maxim machine gun - it now resides in the Deming museum.

There's also a cool museum in Cody, WY that has a ton of dug/found guns, near the much larger Buffalo Bill Center of the West. I must say though, a functional Maxim would be a bit tough to bring myself to turn in.

 

[Golddollar]

Meh… "Dozens" is a good start. They tend to multiple after 40+ years!

What do you expect when you leave them alone in the dark?

 

[LVSteve]

Meh… "Dozens" is a good start. They tend to multiple after 40+ years!

A friend of mine passed away a number of years ago. He was a serious collector. His wife told me that he had about 300 guns when they got married.

Another friend passed away just a few years ago and his collection was finally catalogued and sold. He had 428.


That sounds like something my ex-wife would say!

Mr Darnell over in Pahrump had something like 4,500 when he passed. A few of those are now mine.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My Dad always said. "Beware of the one gun man. Cuz he probably knows how to use it." Dad shot a 2 barrel Win. mdl 12 set in 12 ga. One .22 rifle a Win. 61. 2 deer rifles. A 30'/30 Win. and a Rem 788 in 308 with scope that we gave him as he had aged to where he couldn't see the sights anymore. One 22 pistol(Beretta) and a Ruger security six in .357........He was good with all. When Dad shot......Something fell.
Sadly I didn't follow in his foot steps.....I usually carry a different gun every time I got out/hunting or fishing.

 

[jjmIII_Ruger]

My Dad....
Sadly I didn't follow in his foot steps.....I usually carry a different gun every time I got out/hunting or fishing.

I think he would be ok with that.

 

[BB57]

There has to be a percentage lost in fires and natural disasters. I think of recent events with the hurricanes, floods, tornados and and other natural disasters.

I vaguely recall a photo of a rifle leaning against a tree in the wilderness somewhere. It had been placed there and not seen by a human for many years.

This one was found in a national park and was sent to the Cody Museum for analysis. No information on the owner but it was a Model 1873 in .44WCF made in 1882. It was unloaded except for a single round of ammo in a compartment in the buttstock that was made by Union Metallic Cartridge Company sometime between 1887 and 1911.

You do have to wonder about the circumstances that resulted in it being left there.

 

[Jessie]

There's collectors of everything. The only reason needed is that you like too.
Will Jay Leno drive all his cars? Then there's people who collect tractors.
I won't be selling any of my things just because I have a few more than most, or to make it easy when I die. When that happens my wife has instructions and it's all gravy then.
What would I spend my time and money on next anyways?

 

[AJ]

Where have the guns gone? Have seen pictures of tons & tons of guns dumped in the oceans by police & sheriff's department. How many have been crushed or cut up? The military has destroyed untold thousands of firearms. So how many guns are we talking about? Anybody's guess!

 

[H Richard]

I would wager that every one of you know or know of someone in your local area that has a collection of several hundred to over 1,000 firearms. Most not being shot, but stored properly and maintained. You may not know that this person has that many, but believe me, they are out there. Just watch the "Estate" auctions from time to time.

 

[mauser9]

Good question and answers. Many folks probably hanging onto old quality stuff from years back. Years back many folks would "trade up" Now trade up to what?

 

[Johnnu2]

I know of at least one (maybe two) old guys in Mn. that probably have MOST OF THEM..........

J.

 

[ggibson511960]

The most prolific "hoarder" or "collector" that I know of is J.M. Davis of Claremore, Ok. I've wandered through the state run museum a few times and always come away amazed that one man amassed this trove of weapons. I recall that he just collected and exhibited guns in his hotel and things snowballed from there. Police departments dumped their property rooms on him. The curators say they have thousands in warehouses with no room to exhibit them. I have to believe there are a few J.M. Davis types out there without as much notoriety that have vacuumed up a large fraction of these now hard to find firearms.