This is what I have amassed over the years and I'm pretty happy with them all. However - the FIE .22 revolver was given to me by a friend, four others (Ruger Speed Six, Raven, Tanfoglio, KelTec) were from dad after he passed. I've held on to all of dad's guns just because they were his, but really the Raven and Tanfoglio are not my style and I'm thinking of getting rid of them, plus the .22 revolver, to fund something else, maybe a S&W .357. What do you guys think? I kind of feel bad getting rid of any of dad's guns because they're like a remaining connection to him, although I never shoot them. Then again, they're probably not worth much and really wouldn't make a dent in the S&W budget. I'm torn - Sell? Keep?

By the way, I'm not getting rid of the Speed Six, even though it's a .38, because it's actually a very nice gun/tank in mint condition. Dad probably put 18 rounds through it in 30+ years. The KelTec is also staying because, unfortunately, I had to give mine to the x-wife in the divorce decree and I really liked mine.

I don't do well selling guns...Like I've sold exactly 1 in my life.

If they aren't going to bring enough money to put a dent in the next purchase I wouldn't sell them.

If they were big dollar items and selling them would fund the next purchase it would be different.

If I left my boys something that they didn't want but could be used towards something they did want I would want them to sell them.

Highly personal.

Me - I would probably look to streamline that collection at least somewhat - but I'm not you.

Will selling those pieces diminish your memory of the deceased? Do they trigger certain memories that would otherwise be lost by their absence?

I agree and have done the same. Keeping the Ruger is a great memento and firearm to have. If my kids don't like/can't use what I have, I would rather they get something they could use.

Some nice guns in that collection.

My dad always said, "Keep it if you want to, sell it if you don't" wrt things like this. Guns, watches, assorted memorabilia.

It's still tough to let those little connections go though, so I'd just say do what makes you happy. It's not like you'll forget them if you sell a couple guns, but if you'd rather keep em then stash em in the safe for a couple more years then reevaluate.

Crash1433 - I've sold a few guns in the past, but I also don't like to get rid of any. Long ago I traded in a Ruger New Model Single Six and a Winchester 94 for the 9mm Belgian HiPower you see in the pic. The Single Six was a cowboy type gun, but I got over that and moved on to automatics. The Winchester I should have kept, but dad had one too and it's now mine. I believe he shot it once. Selling the guns I mentioned in my original post probably wouldn't fetch much, you're right.

King_Mud - Yeah, I think that's what my dad would say too. It's what I would tell my kids.

lazyengineer - I've thought about trimming a bit, but I just enjoy them all too much.

R2point0 - No, it would not. I have other things like my dad's watch that I wear, and his gold cross.

patw - I'm starting to lean toward just keeping the Ruger end the KelTec. Still undecided

fxntime - thank you. You'd be surprised at some of the great deals I got some of those guns for. I bought that Colt King Cobra brand new in 1988 for $290! The trigger on it is like butter - 3lb in single action. The West German P-228 was from a divorce sale - $300 new, in box. The XD-looking gun is not an XD, it's an HS2000 Generation 1, $200. SA took the HS2000 and slapped their name on it.

TGE - True. Although you make a valid point...stashing them away isn't going to put me out in any way.

They take up so little space OP.

After the purchase, they don't eat much and you can always sell them later if you wish.

It could be a piece of wood shaped like a gun worth a million dollars and you would still regret it after you let it go.

Don’t do it.

Agreed, above is about as well as anyone can say it.

Every gun I’ve sold I’ve regretted.

I would keep the Speed Six as it's on the list of guns that got away when I wanted to stay with Smiths.
The rest are meh unless you have an attachment to them.

Agree here. My dad left my brother and I some pretty high quality stuff, and the only one I have remaining is a colt single action army 45. My dad was a great guy, very caring, but often the practical overrode the sentimental with him, and I share that. I sold a bunch of his guns typically to cover this he costs of other more practical stuff which I don’t think would offend him in the least.

I do agree however with humble stuff without much value, it may not be worth the trouble

I'm in the same situation but my dad's things are his watches. He has collected so many of them over the years. This is the biggest problem with collecting, in my opinion, in that unless you enjoy what you have, it's just mint stuff for the next person to get. With that said, I think you should shoot these things more so than your father did. While he collected them, ultimately, all he did was made them mint for you to sell or keep. They won't get anywhere near the price he got for them unless he bought them decades ago.

It started a chain reaction for me. I realized that I had nearly 30+ guns myself and decided to sell them all but one rifle and one handgun. I realize that one day I'm going to depart this world, and while I did have some valuable things, they were nothing but loot for the next person to collect. I'm going to use what I have until they blow up and break and then I'm going to fix them.

I personally think if you're planning to sell them for the purpose of buying something silly, then don't. However, if you can sell them to gain something bigger and better, then by all means do so. That doesn't mean buy a better gun but perhaps buy something that would definitely do your dad a service.

Also, I kind of understood the problem with your dad's legacy. It's something that I struggle with too. I never realize it, but for the billions of people who lived before us, not a trace of them, what they were, how they lived, or anything. At least you have your dad's pistols which could be said to be the only thing left that ever made it realize your dad existed on this planet. Aside from making you, and whoever siblings you have, there's very little trace that we were ever here. However, on the flip side, these are just things. I don't think I want to leave behind something that said I was here, but I rather leave behind something that was well used, and well maintained and well remembered by those who ever comes across it. For my dad, I think the watches were the least part of his collection, but in his life he made traces that he was here and his name will forever be written that he served his country and his family.

Just remember, it's stuff. Try to use it, and if you can't, let someone else use it and use the money to fund something that will build a memory. Your dad would be much happier if you sold his pistols for something meaningful and useful, than if you held on to them and just let them be loot for your family. Who knows what they might do with them as it is your father's and they probably wouldn't really know the significant or history of them unless you used them on a regular basis. It's far better if they picked up that pistol and talked about all those times you shot it or how you managed to do this or that with it, rather than them picking it up and thinking how much money they can get out of it.

Never Sell.

Get rid of what you don't use, and keep a couple of nice ones as a memory. Guns are meant to be used.

Same issue with cash. Do you feel like you have someone who needs to inherit a big pile of it, or would you rather do worthy things with it during your lifetime?

Many guns are hardly worth the effort to sell unless you need the cash. But in.general, it's best not to have mountains of mundane stuff for someone to deal with after you're gone.

I'd keep a few and move the rest.

If he had a few favorite , keep those as they had some attachment. The older I get the more I want to streamline and simplify my stuff. Sure I still buy on occasion , but I try and sell a few that just sit and don't get used much.

If your broke and need the cash sell and keep a few

Or

Thin the herd.and keep what you really like
and use the cash to buy something you really want.

My father left a handgun for my son, right before my dad passed away.

It was a Kahr CM9.  

My son is 10, it will be many years before he could shoot it. I talked him into selling it and investing the money in the market so he will be able to purchase a more appropriate and current handgun when he is ready. And he can always consider that handgun that he buys, what his grandpa would’ve wanted him to have.  He was 100% onboard.  

Zero regrets.

It’s just stuff.

I would say that while it may bother you a bit to sell them, they are still inanimate objects and it’s the memories of their prior owners that will remain in your mind. If you sell the items and you get something else the new items will still remain associated with the original owners in your mind.

That is a VERY nice group of handguns.  I would keep the vast majority of them, and out of the 33 or so pistols in the collection, I might sell 6.  As I said, the vast majority of those are quality firearms that I would want to keep.

That's one thing my grandfather did. Before he passed away, he pretty much lived very minimally and made sure all the things he wanted to hand out got handed out. My father passed unexpectedly but I suppose the problem is a lot of people hold on to their world possession even to the end and that's fine but it leaves the family having to deal (and possibly getting very underpaid for it).

In your statement about excessive cash, what I can say is that you're kind of losing cash now but the people who inherited it will gain 100% cash, if you think about it, even though they'll sell it at a loss. Like let's say you bought the item that's a hard to find collectable, you get it, mount it on the wall, very proudly, then you pass away. Next thing you know your thing is being sold off at an estate sale and the next person gets it thinking it's so cool because he got it for way cheap than what he would have paid for. He puts it up on gunbroker for 2x the amount he paid, and puts a huge downpayment on a car. Would you want your things going out like that?

It's better for you to enjoy things, and create memories of them. The only rifle my grandfather had that was inherited was this old .22 he had since he was a kid. Everything else got sold. He has a lot of memory with that old .22 and as such, it makes it more of a valuable item than the generic items that he might have acquired.

Guns are tools.  If the tool isn't doing it's job to your satisfaction, sell it and get something else.  Sold a lot of guns over the years for a lot of reasons: didn't like it, needed the money, wore it out, interests changed, you name it.

When I am gone my daughters will sell my entire collection.  They have zero interest in guns, and that's fine.  They're not religious icons.

Responding to your dad's guns do you have any other family who would want them?  Give to your kids?

Words from the son who shoots
But isn’t into guns

He wants ONE pistol

The rest he said, they are yours
Sell them and then you and mom
go enjoy the money

Kid gets his brains from his dad lol

(Also you have the best idea of what they
are worth)

I have two daughters, neither of which are into guns, nor are their husbands. I also have three step-sons, none of whom are into guns either. It seems that hobby will pass whenever I go.

I used to tell my dad the same thing...don't save anything for my sister and me, you and mom enjoy what you worked for, we'll be fine.

Get a safe deposit box and put the most valuable five in that, save three for practical or emotional value, and let the rest go.  The post above that said, “it’s stuff” is absolutely correct.  

Pick what you like and sell the rest.  The Walter could be cool to sell but a lot of those probably won’t get shot. They’ll take up a lot of space and be in the way. Unless you’re going to start teaching groups of folks how to shoot I’d thin the herd.

My dad’s and my grandpa’s guns have lived in my safe since my dad died. Of the 5, 2 I could shoot, 2 would probably blow up if I tried to shoot them, and 1 I can’t find ammo for.  They will stay there until I die then they go to my grandnephew.  After that it’s up to him what happens to them.

Ultimately it’s up to you.  There’s no wrong answer.  I keep mine because they have sentimental value.

Same here.
Actually I know they would all get sold so not leaving any.

If you still feel attached, keep 1 and take it out yearly on anniversary of his passing.

Before selling, let me know if one of those Sigs is a 227.