I'd like your honest opinion on something that has finally reached a point I can't ignore any longer.

I'm the last of a long line of very enthusiastic gun collectors.

I have various family collections of bolt guns and German drillings, along with a bunch of skeet guns. Throw in the stuff I've bought over the years and family working guns, (great grandma's .32 Winchester, etc) and the total is 70+ not counting pistols. Excepting a few M1's, I'm the only one who ever purchased military rifles.

Only about 15 of these guns have any sentimental value attached.  For example my grandfather picked up rifles the way some people buy socks (I never knew him to come back from a hunting trip with the same number of rifles he left with) but he never hunted with anything other than a custom Springfield.

The problems I have with all this is threefold:

Most of these guns are obscure calibers brought back from Africa and Europe. (No one went in for "minor" calibers) which makes shooting them an exercise in reloading first. Some rounds I have to cast the bullets.

Most of them are a lot more collector guns than hunting guns, with optics of the period, express sights, presentation wood and such. Great for a firearms museum, but not much in the way of practical use.

Due to some disc problems in my neck and back, I can no longer tolerate major recoil.  30-06 for about 15 rounds is about my limit, I can't even imagine how much a .416 Rigby would hurt. I'm looking at surgery within 3 years which will probably knock me down into the 6mm range for any extended shooting session.

My plan is:  To keep anything of sentimental value,  sell the utility grade stuff locally, and send the collector grade guns thru an Auction house.

The major fly in the ointment on this is family. The reason I have not done this in the past is the major fight that is going to ensue.  It's quite possible a family split could result from this.

Any thoughts?

Unless you need the money, keep it all and pass it on to the next generation.  If you're hard up for cash, do you have an O3A3, M1 garand or carbine? [:)]

Did you think the vultures wouldn't circle? [;)]

Sounds like there is no one to pass them on to:
"I'm the last of a long line of very enthusiastic gun collectors."

FWIW, I would hang onto them until after your surgery and then decide.

Have you offered family members the "right of first refusal", so to speak?

I would think that would put you on solid ground with the family.  If you want to sell some of the collection, and they get first shot (no pun intended) at buying, they can't really complain if they refuse the offer.

I agree being in pain clouds judgement even if you aren't on meds...

Get better and decide then.  That's what I did.

Why would a family fight ensue? Is it because of the value of the guns, or because your family would want to keep them in the family for sentimental reasons?

If the former, then you should do as you wish with them. You wouldn't need to let anyone know you had sold them.

If the latter, why not give some of them to the family members who would be concerned?

It's not money related, it's more of an upkeep and "Good grief where am I going to put the 7th safe?" Kind of thing.

The family issue is kind of complex,  I've tried to give them away to relatives before.  What it boils down to is that I'm supposed to keep them forever, sort of like a shrine to family past.  No one else wants them, except a couple of cousins that would promptly pawn them.

I do have guns, almost all my own, going to my daughter and nieces, but even they are not interested in the "old stuff" My daughter is frankly horrified she's next in line.

Balzac,The only military guns in the stack being considered are a couple of 1903A3's and M1's. (CMP guns) They have dibs from friends already. I do have A Danish M1 I'm thinking of trading towards a Post ban full size AR.

Who do the guns belong to? Are you the sole owner? When you took possesion was there an agreement or understanding that you would keep them in the family? If there was such an agreement or understanding, you are wrong for even considering selling them. If that is the case, you have merely been entrusted with them. It is your duty to pass them down.

Not to sound too much like "one of the circling vultures' but I'd be interested in the Danish M1 if you decide to sell it rather than trade - particularly since I was in the Danish army and had a Garand for a while.

If it's a matter of "keeping" them for reasons of sentimentality, maybe they could be "kept" in a museum that you could donate them all to - and then take a gigantic tax deduction.  I don't necessarily know what kind of museaum that might be - so it's probably just a stupid idea.  [:(]

If I were you, I would execute your plan as originally described. Taking the family into consideration I might slowly sell the guns instead of unloading them all at once.

IMO you should sell the guns. You current total of 70 guns makes you 280 times more likely to be killed by a gun in your home and reducing that number to 15 firearms would place you at 60 times more likely. The sooner you get those guns out of your family, the sooner we can break the chain of gun violence. That is what I leaned from the Rob Nelson show.

Damn...that is a shame.  Keep them until you have exhausted all possible treatment plans by your physician...then sell they to me!  [b](Just kidding!!!)[/b]

Seriously, I thought I was the only one with a high power recoil problem.  My left shoulder is messed up after two rotator cuff surgeries and my cervical spine is likewise on the short list for surgery.  It's hard for me to just hold a big rifle up to my right shoulder because of the weakness and soreness of my left side, and the recoil hurts my left shoulder when I shoot lefty.  My AR from the bench and bipod is not a problem though and I've trained my right eye to shoot the 8mm Mauser from the right side at the bench too.

Anyway...don't give up!  Keep 'em a while.

Sell them and get some fun toys.  NFA weapons.  Beltfeds, etc.  The tripods soak up all the recoil, you just sit on the ground or in a chair and blast away.

My .o2 is that I wouldn't want anything that I either couldn't buy ammo for at a reasonable cost or even find it. I don't reload to casting is out of the question for me.

Like others say, I would offer the right of first refusal. After that I would tell them to bugger off.

On the upside, one who would buy these sort of rare rifles would probably treasure them well. That would at least make me feel better.

Actually [i]43x more likely[/i] times 70 guns = [b]3010 times more likely![/b]

Since your odds of dying in an injury at home is about 1:45,022, I will give you about 1 chance in 15 that you will be killed by a member of your arsenal.  God help the poor souls who drop by for a visit, because statistics tells us that 1 in 15 of them will meet their maker while in your home.  The average person has 742 visitors in their home in a given year meaning that you will be directly responsible for 49 and a half bloody killings per year simply by keeping these instruments of death in your dwelling.  If you live to the expected age of 75, 3,710 people must die for you to keep your collection which is merely a compensation for your personnal shortcomings!  6 million Jews died to satisfy Hitlers Blood-lust.  It only takes 1,617 people like you to equal the horrific events of the 40's. Do it for the children!

I love playing "Statistics, Outta My Ass!"  It is a fun little game.

it sounds like 'the family' doesn't really know what/how many guns there are,and their issue is about "heritage". Sell what you don't want to keep, don't tell anybody else, if anyone asks' just show the one you kept for "sentimental" reasons. Deny anything's missing, how would they know?

A few years ago I came to the conclusion that I had way too many firearms.  I just started out by selling a few----with the thought that I would sell those that I wasn't all that crazy about----and keep those that I really liked.  

Initially, I had various thoughs about selling a third or a half or two-thirds of my collection, etc.----but what I ended up doing was taking my time (and slowly) selling off some of my firearms until I reached the point where I was and am happy with what I have left.  What is now nice about it is that I feel as though I now own the collection, vs. the collection "owning" me;  I really like what I do own----what I kept----and suspect that the value of what I kept will probably increase at at a far greater and faster rate than the value of the many "average" items which I disposed of.

Good Luck!

not meaning to be insensitive and all, but what kind of skeet guns?

Johninaustin, If it weren’t for the grief you would get from your family I would say sell.

Talk to your family first and see if you can work something out with them to thin out the collection by three or four safes full. Perhaps there are a few rifles some of them want and the rest they would let you sell.

THISISME

Yep!
Get rid of 'em.....

Dib's on the 416 Rigby if it's a double. The big bird's continue to circle.

After the surgery you'll be fine and wanting to go shoot the 50.

hey John... I got a full size post ban AR that I don't shoot much...   and I want another couple M1s...  

Keep what you can use.
Sell what you cannot use.
Get more that you can use.
Give a few bucks to the cheezeball cousins.
Give your Daughter a really nice AR15!

Good luck on your surgical procedure and enjoy those lesser recoiling guns!

If you physically can't fire it, have no reason to fire it, don't want to reload for it, and don't have any relatives that do either, what's the harm in selling?  I say let go of what you'll absolutely never fire again.  After all, someone else (like me with the .416 Rigby!) could be enjoying them.


Then share the proceeds to show you didn't do it for the money.  That might help.z

get rid of what you have no use/don't care for.  but don't look at it as gettting rid of them, look at it as passing them on to someone who will enjoy/appreciate them.  They don't do anyone just sitting in the back of some musty safe...

Whaever you do don't give any to your pawn crazy cousins...

Sell them here on EE or something.

Or sell a couple and buy that 7th safe!

Since the family for the most part is unaware of the total number, I would suggest you sell those big bores quietly an pare the collection down towards what you want. I wouldn't flaunt the extra money, but wouldn't mention it, either. Do what you want, and maintaining 7 safes full of guns is probably not it. How long does it take to clean that many each month??

Obviously, you're the only one capable of taking care of this situation. Keep anything with sentimental value, dump the rest. If it's not about the money, buy some long term bonds and sit on em. Sell the collectible ones to collectors who will take good care of them and shoot them. Lastly, if your daughter is horrified about being next in line, may I suggest willing them to a museum? Your family would always know where to find them, and you won't have to worry about them rusting away or ending up in a pawn shop.

Hey, adopt me and give me the guns!

That sounds like the best option to me...

I would say adopt me and pass them on down[:d] but that wouldn't be right being that my parents are still alive and all...

Second that.

You got a list?  Gimme some time (it sounds like yer not hard up) and I should have an FFL and some cash lying about...  I'm due for a pleasure trip anyhow, and I can MAKE Texas be on the way to Indiana if I want...  Where in TX are you?

FFZ

Johninaustin   You know that you don't have all the guns you would personally want,why not make a wish list then put them on the EE here and trade for the guns you want!


Just say for instance you wanted that Remington Rand .45 acp (800-900 bucks) and it would be offered quickly for that(   rifle  )   !

 That's the way I would go trade up or down,get what I wanted(my safes)!

 Good luck with your unusual delima!

 Bob  [:D]

sell  them once you feel better.
sell them slowly so family doesnt really notice.

i dont blame you for wanting to sell some of those odd calibers,some of them might be worth a lot of money.