When the Shooting Stops

[markiver54]

I know I'm not the oldest member here yet I'm not the youngest either. Let's just say that MOST of us are doing our best to enjoy our latter years.

As I approach my 70th birthday It's got me thinking about the future a bit more than it has in previous years. I know I'm not alone wondering how this milestone came so quickly.

My reason for this thread is to tap into the advice and wisdom of forum members/friends that I respect. Carol and I have been talking about what to do if the un-expected happens to either one of us. Carol unfortunately has plenty of experience with the loss of loved ones and what to expect however nothing about what to do with my firearms.

My focus here is on my relatively small but valuable gun collection. I'm not sure what to ask Carol to do should something happen to me; I want to enjoy them as long as I can, so to start selling them is NOT something I want to do. She has no interest in guns and very little knowledge about them or their value. I have only one Child, (my adult son) and he has zero interest in guns so leaving them to him is not in the cards. He's not interested. Carol has no children either. My two granddaughters are not a consideration either due to the family culture.

What both of us are wondering is what plans some of you might have and what she could/should do when the shooting stops?

In advance, I understand if any of you do not care to respond.

Mark

[DsGrouse]

I've set my kids up with guns, starter sets as it were. 22lr pistols, an AR, self defense stuff. I have things in my collection they can take, and pick through. Mostly the NFA stuff.

The rest. I plan on finding a mentee, a person I can mentor about the shooting sports. Heck it might be more than one, I'll pass them on to them. I've recieved five or six guns like this (turning 50 this year).

[cooperhawk]

Mark, I have the same delima. I have no one to leave them to that wants them either.
What I plan to do is have a gun shop, like Cabela's, come out and appraise them and if i like
the numbers sell them to the store. They generally want to make 30% and I will still get
a lot more than I paid for them.
BTW, in two months I'll be 84.

[Mags]

Sorry, no help from here. I'm not in your situation.

[BrokenolMarine]

I was in a great position in Virginia with three or four people I could trust to step in and advise Miss Tina on the Sale of the guns and ammunition she wasn't going to keep. I did however, spend about a week taking clear, sharp pictures of each and every firearm with a 35 card in the corner of the picture containing the make, model, and serial number. This was tied to a matrix for the insurance company with actual (Replacement) value. A few can't be replaced in kind. (Three Custom built competition guns, built by a Master Gunsmith, a Pistolsmith Guild Member who passed a couple years ago way too early from cancer.)

This list will act as a guide for Tina if I go first. She can have a trusted local shop sell them, or try an auction house with minimum bids.

[markiver54]

I I did however, spend about a week taking clear, sharp pictures of each and every firearm with a 35 card in the corner of the picture containing the make, model, and serial number. This was tied to a matrix for the insurance company with actual (Replacement) value.
This list will act as a guide for Tina if I go first. She can have a trusted local shop sell them, or try an auction house with minimum bids.

Great idea! I like the idea of pictures instead of having to show the actual firearm, until someone is seriously interested.

[BrokenolMarine]

I I did however, spend about a week taking clear, sharp pictures of each and every firearm with a 35 card in the corner of the picture containing the make, model, and serial number. This was tied to a matrix for the insurance company with actual (Replacement) value.
This list will act as a guide for Tina if I go first. She can have a trusted local shop sell them, or try an auction house with minimum bids.

Great idea! I like the idea of pictures instead of having to show the actual firearm, until someone is seriously interested.

It is also VERY helpful in the case of fire/theft, etc when you have to file a police report or insurance claim.
Officer:
"Ah, you don't happen to have the serial number or other information do you?"
Me:
"Ah, as a matter of fact, young fella, I can do you one better..."

[daytime dave]

I'm hoping my step-son gets his pistol permit here. He already will get all the long guns. When I think the time is right, I'll show him what is in store for him.

If he doesn't get a pistol permit, they will be sold to a gun shop I'm sure. I'm not sure what a Smith and Wesson Military and Police and four .38 special cartridges will bring, but I won't be around to care.

[Ernie]

No one in my family is really interested either. I am picking a few to keep and my estate can sell or whatever. The rest I am going to start taking to my LGS to sell on consignment. I can use the money to buy something else nobody wants.

[North Country Gal]

Mark, we're in the same position, meaning no one to interested in inheriting out guns and given our age, we're even closer to the day when we might have to sell everything. That's a sizable collection, too, with a fair amount of collectibles.

Our best solution at this point is to sell our collection to our favorite gun shop where we have a great relationship, years in the making. When we come in, they even give us our "Joanie and Bill" discount because we've been such faithful customers. They know guns, everyone there is an expert, so no problem with their expertise, plus we know them and trust them.

We also have a local auctioneer who we also know very well, but these are not really gun people, just auctioneers. The risks with auctions, of course, is there is no guaranteed turn out. If we got a great turnout, though, given some great advertising, we could potentially make a lot of money. Right now, we're leaning more to the gun shop option. More of a sure thing.

Hope this helps.

[fortyshooter]

70 here also and if I pass on first it would all go to my son for him to decide what to keep or sell. With the way the law is here much easier to sell them to a local gun shop.

[BigAl52]

Same boat here. As far as the Cabelas Bass Pro idea its an idea but for me I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of being able to steal my guns I would rather give them to a shooting companion. Not a criticism of anyone else who decides to go that route I just don't like their policies. Chances are I will be outa here before the wife and she knows a little about what's left. I've given her some ideas and I'm sure she will get by. I have friends nearby I know that would help her....... I've heard that if your lucky what you leave behind might end up in the bottom of someone's closet

[markiver54]

Joanie, You and Bill are very lucky to have such contacts and people you can trust. I guess I need to work on that. There is a local GS owner that I've come to like and respect. I've used his address for a couple FFL transfers...maybe an option if the association continues.

I guess one could consider me selfish by not handling the issue myself prior to my departure instead of burdening Carol with the task. Selfish, in that I want to be proud of and enjoy the guns right up until I can't anymore. I'm guessing I'm not alone in that thinking though...not easy to let go of things we love when you don't know how much longer they might be enjoyed.

[North Country Gal]

So true, Mark. No one likes to see that come, but we all have to face it, one way or another. Best of luck to you and Carol.

[rickhem]

I had a shooting buddy back in NJ that co-owned a small gun shop. I remember once him explaining to someone how the used gun business works for him, and him explaining that most shops work the same way. He said that when someone comes in with a gun to sell, it's most often this same situation, and it's often more than one gun in question. He said they'd look up the make/model and get a value from the Blue Book. They'd do that with the seller present and all would agree on a value. Then he'd offer 50% of what the listed value was, explaining that he was going to resell the gun, and needed to make something himself on it, paperwork and all being part of the transaction. If they agreed, he'd pay them, then put the gun up for sale at about 70-75% of the book value. His objective was to have it sold quickly, as he didn't want to build inventory. He said that he had a long list of people that wanted specific things, and when something that may interest them came in, he'd let them know, which was usually a quick turnaround sale. He said that sometimes it was hard when people thought they were going to get thousands for something, and it wasn't worth what they thought. He also said that often people will think about it for a week or two, then come back and make the deal. The issue was that they were non-shooters and didn't have those contacts for selling these things themselves. Keep that in mind when you imagine what your guns are worth to whoever is left when you're gone.

I'm sure most of us have been asked to help someone that was trying to get rid of someone's "gun collection". I know I have a few times. I've done some write-ups that were posted on the bulletin board at ranges and clubs I frequented. I even included listings in an email newsletter that I used to send out. Sometimes it helps, often it doesn't. My dad's neighbor passed and he had an eclectic mix of stuff. It sucks telling his widow that his special edition 30-30, with engraving for whatever it was on the side, isn't really that special considering that they shot it on their range trips for about a decade, and it was pretty scratched up.

Like BrokenolMarine, I have a few things that I had built for me, and my Service Rifle uppers are not the current flat-top optics uppers, so not at all in demand. My Bullseye .45 is only worth something to someone that does that, and that is a dying sport lately.

I think that DsGrouse gas a great idea in mentoring someone in the sport, and then one day passing things on to that person. I know that having my possessions find their way into the hands of someone that appreciates them, and will use them, is a best scenario, all things considered.

[BrokenolMarine]

Yup, I said replacement value, some of the guns aren't worth all that. I've been lucky to have bought well and taken care of what I own, so a few ARE valuable. I'll insure Miss T offers the best of the bunch to my shooting proteges if I'm the first to go.

[Hatchdog]

A few thoughts:

I have my guns insured with a current value listed so my wife has that to help her understand the retail value of each. We are a second marriage and each of us has a son from our first marriages. Mine is an active gun owner and hers is a recent gun owner as of the Floyd riots. Mine lives here locally and hers is in California. Most of my guns have been acquired since we were married so I feel the value of them should be shared between the two sons. Therefore it’s not right for me to just give them to just my son.

My wife’s uncle passed away many years ago and he had a couple of dozen guns that went to her mother. She had no idea what to do with them and this was before we had the local guntrader site. So my wife and I took them all to a LGS and put them on consignment. Between walk in buyers and Gunbroker the dealer sold all the guns within about a year. So my wife had good experience on that route.

Thankfully my son who is gun knowledgeable lives locally and can help my wife should I not be around. Also, I’m starting to sell off some of my stuff, guns and accessories which will help.