Selling a Gun and People's Regrets: Why?

[Zaydok Allen]

I have heard over and over on this forum the mantra of "Never sell a gun." and "Never sell a good shooter." I've also heard over and over people expressing regret about selling this gun or that gun. I do not understand this at all.

I have owned perhaps 25-30 guns in my shooting years, and I am now down to 20. As I look back, I do not regret parting with any of the guns that I let go. Either I realized I didn't like them, I wanted something else more, or I just lost interest in that particular gun. In any case I saw no reason to continue owning them.

I realize we are all a little different but one factor that comes into it for me is that I have no heirs to pass things on to. So my material goods are for me to use and enjoy as I see fit. So I am not particularly sentimental about most of my guns nor do I worry about passing them along. It's not a goal of mine.

I also have a bunch of really good shooters, so to me, finding a gun that really shoots well is a non-issue. I have all I need.

I also do not really see myself having a "collection". At one point or another, the experiences start to feel pretty similar between guns, and unless it's some novel new design, I'm not particularly surprised any longer. So that leads me to the notion that my guns really need to serve some practical, or hypothetically practical, purpose for me to buy one. I don't really buy guns I won't shoot any more just to have them in my collection.

I also tend to put all of my guns into a temporary review category. I need to own and shoot it quite a bit before I decide if I'm really going to keep it. You have to give yourself time to get past the new toy excitement, and let the "I want!"s and the "Now I have!"s wear off so you can really asses a new gun.

When I consider selling a gun, I typically hold onto it for another year or longer, and shoot it several more times before finally making a decision. Giving myself time like that allows me to become comfortable with the idea of it being gone. Maybe some people are just reacting too quickly or trading guns away for ones they are convinced they really need. Snap judgements and impulsive instant gratification can often lead to bad outcomes.

So I'm just trying to understand this mentality that selling or getting rid of a gun is a bad idea. Please explain your thoughts if this is your mentality and why you feel the way you do. Also, before answering, please think carefully about each gun you've regretted parting with and then really look in the mirror. Ask yourself what lead you to do it and ultimately did you just react too quickly? Is there another factor that came into play? I mean people do fall on hard times and need to sell personally owned goods to make ends meet.

Please share. I want to understand. Let's avoid judgement and just let people share their reasons. Also, lets not criticize the folks who genuinely believe they need loads of guns in the event of a SHTF or intense prepper mentality. Some folks believe bad things are coming. This is not a venue for dissuading those notions, and up and back on that would be off topic and lead us to a lock.

 

[huntsman]

Good gun, bad gun, if it doesn’t work for me or I no longer need it I sell.

What has changed for me though is how I sell, used to do FTF with strangers but now I’m more inclined to sell at auction.

Yeah I’m losing money(usually) but my ultimate gun goal is to shoot and enjoy and if I never sell I can’t in good conscience add what could be my next Excalibur.

 

[Legionnaire]

Tagging in. Like the OP, I have no problem selling a gun. I consider them tools and toys, not collectibles or investments. Except for the 700 ADL in 7mm Mag I inherited from my FIL, none have any real sentimental value. And I wouldn't think it sacrilege to rebarrel or otherwise modify that one (although my MIL might not agree).

 

[daniel craig]

I have heard over and over on this forum the mantra of "Never sell a gun." and "Never sell a good shooter." I've also heard over and over people expressing regret about selling this gun or that gun. I do not understand this at all.

I have owned perhaps 25-30 guns in my shooting years, and I am now down to 20. As I look back, I do not regret parting with any of the guns that I let go. Either I realized I didn't like them, I wanted something else more, or I just lost interest in that particular gun. In any case I saw no reason to continue owning them.

I realize we are all a little different but one factor that comes into it for me is that I have no heirs to pass things on to. So my material goods are for me to use and enjoy as I see fit. So I am not particularly sentimental about most of my guns nor do I worry about passing them along. It's not a goal of mine.

I also have a bunch of really good shooters, so to me, finding a gun that really shoots well is a non-issue. I have all I need.

I also do not really see myself having a "collection". At one point or another, the experiences start to feel pretty similar between guns, and unless it's some novel new design, I'm not particularly surprised any longer. So that leads me to the notion that my guns really need to serve some practical, or hypothetically practical, purpose for me to buy one. I don't really buy guns I won't shoot any more just to have them in my collection.

I also tend to put all of my guns into a temporary review category. I need to own and shoot it quite a bit before I decide if I'm really going to keep it. You have to give yourself time to get past the new toy excitement, and let the "I want!"s and the "Now I have!"s wear off so you can really asses a new gun.

When I consider selling a gun, I typically hold onto it for another year or longer, and shoot it several more times before finally making a decision. Giving myself time like that allows me to become comfortable with the idea of it being gone. Maybe some people are just reacting too quickly or trading guns away for ones they are convinced they really need. Snap judgements and impulsive instant gratification can often lead to bad outcomes.

So I'm just trying to understand this mentality that selling or getting rid of a gun is a bad idea. Please explain your thoughts if this is your mentality and why you feel the way you do. Also, before answering, please think carefully about each gun you've regretted parting with and then really look in the mirror. Ask yourself what lead you to do it and ultimately did you just react too quickly? Is there another factor that came into play? I mean people do fall on hard times and need to sell personally owned goods to make ends meet.

Please share. I want to understand. Let's avoid judgement and just let people share their reasons. Also, lets not criticize the folks who genuinely believe they need loads of guns in the event of a SHTF or intense prepper mentality. Some folks believe bad things are coming. This is not a venue for dissuading those notions, and up and back on that would be off topic and lead us to a lock.

I think some people, perhaps myself included, get too hasty sometimes. They/We may have sold a gun, for some reason or other that they did like and had a use for. That could cause regret I’d imagine.

 

[bassjam]

Sometimes people sell guns because they need to money for more important things. I've also heard people offering them cash on a gun or a good trade, and they let it go on impulse without really thinking it over.

I've been fortunate to not have been desperate for cash so far in my life. I also have a long, internal debate with myself before deciding to sell a gun. There's certainly firearms in my collection that I would regret selling, but they are off-limits unless I hit really bad times. Other guns, if I don't "love" them I let them go in hopes of finding something I like better.

 

[drband]

I sold a RIA commander size pistol I wish I still had—mostly because it was such a good shooter. I have other guns that fill the need, but somehow I still miss that RIA...

 

[Pat Riot]

When I consider selling a gun, I typically hold onto it for another year or longer, and shoot it several more times before finally making a decision.

I have sold, traded and given away (to family) many guns. The ones that I have regretted selling were guns that I wish I would have followed your line of thinking on. I actually do that now. If a gun is falling out of favor it stays in the safe a while before I actually determine what I am going to do with it.

Of the few guns that I regret selling or trading the “regret” really isn’t all that big of a deal. Two of the guns that I regretted selling have been replaced with the same models.

One gun I sold years ago, a Colt Combat Government .45 is the biggest regret I have had in selling a gun. I sold it because I couldn’t look my little girl in the eye and explain why we don’t have anything to eat. I sold the gun to put food on the table. I regret no longer having the gun but I do not regret selling it for the reason I sold it.

I used to be one of those people that would hold onto a gun even though there were guns that I wanted but couldn’t afford and the gun I was holding on to could be sold to fund the new gun or guns.
Over the past ten years or so, I no longer think that way and I sell or trade guns I do not want. Over the past couple of years I have been holding onto unwanted guns for a few months to determine if I really wish to get rid of them.

One thing I try to do is not judge people for their reasons for buying, selling or owning the guns that they do. It’s their money, their gun, not mine. I will make recommendations to folks in firearms purchases, if they ask, but I don’t take it personally if they do not use my input. Like I said, it’s their money or gun to do with as they please.

Now, I do have lots of regrets about guns I wish I would have bought. But that is a subject for another thread or time.

 

[scaatylobo]

At the ripe age of 72,I can state that I have owned a great deal of guns that are long gone.

Rifles,shotguns & pistols,and I miss a few really badly.

I sold them at a time when it was either sell one,to buy one,or not get a "new" gun.

Colt SAA's,S&W 9MM's that were duty gun, Colt AR 15's that was a SP1,too many to mention [ and its hurts to recall ].

So at my age I can say YES,wish I had kept them,or could find them again for WHAT I PAID FOR THEM !!.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I think some people, perhaps myself included, get too hasty sometimes.

Sometimes people sell guns because they need to money for more important things. I've also heard people offering them cash on a gun or a good trade, and they let it go on impulse without really thinking it over.

One gun I sold years ago, a Colt Combat Government .45 is the biggest regret I have had in selling a gun. I sold it because I couldn’t look my little girl in the eye and explain why we don’t have anything to eat. I sold the gun to put food on the table. I regret no longer having the gun but I do not regret selling it for the reason I sold it.

Yep, hasty action and simple need are definitely the most logical answers like I noted. I mean in a time of need you have to be pragmatic, right? That's very logical, and if things went sideways for me, a number of my guns would get sold off pretty quickly.

I guess I'm more interested in the folks who seem to think selling a gun for any other reason is a total heresy.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
The only firearms I have ever sold were because of a divorce over 30 years ago.

I miss those guns...not the ex wife.

 

[Dibbs]

There's certain ones I won't part with, OTOH, once I'm at the point of selling a particular gun, it's pretty much in the same status as any other trade goods,
like a case of canned beans, set a price, get the $$, arriva derci!

 

[MCFLYFYTER]

I rarely sell, unless it is junk, or have a good reason to. I've been thinking about selling my FN SLP for several years now, but haven't been able to take the loss knowing there is a slight possibility I may need a shotgun in the future. Maybe I am too scared of regret?

 

[Axis II]

I sold two because I upgraded. I have two more I am debating on selling to pay for something I MAY enjoy more or paying off some debt. They havent been touched in a few years and I already have the better version of them.

 

[mdrisc85]

I got into collecting vintage Lugers before I honestly could afford it- ended up selling off a collection because I needed the money more than the guns. Taught a young guy some valuable lessons about financial responsibility and planning.

The only things I view as totally off limits are my GI 1911-A1 given to me by my dad on my 18th birthday, and my Winchester Model 70- the first "nice gun" I ever purchased for myself. I do sell off or trade typically handguns from time to time that i'm not longer interested in as a low cost way to fund another purchase.

Short answer- I regret having to sell guns because i was short of cash- but that one is on me. Don't regret selling anything to fund a new interest.

 

[Browning]

I own or have owned at least a couple hundred guns. Most of those are in the past tense. I still own a sizable chunk though.

The ones I moan and groan about can be counted on one hand, however I moan and groan about these very loudly.

 

[mdauben]

I have heard over and over on this forum the mantra of "Never sell a gun." and "Never sell a good shooter." I've also heard over and over people expressing regret about selling this gun or that gun. I do not understand this at all.

I have a hard time understanding some people I talk to online, who seem to have a revolving door on their gun cabinet. They seem to be constantly selling old guns and buying new ones. It seems to give them pleasure, though, so who am I to judge?

Perhaps I've been lucky, but I've never had a gun that had problems. When I guy a gun, I buy it for a specific reason (CCW, target practice, plinking, etc.) and do a lot of research before I "pull the trigger" on a new purchase so I've never been disappointed in a new gun. I don't tend to buy "duplicates" or multiple guns that fill the same niche. I've got two 9mm, a full size and a compact. I suppose if I had several full size 9mm, I might be tempted to sell one, but I'm happy with my full size 9mm and never seriously considered buying another one. I'm also lucky enough to not need to sell and old gun to afford to buy a new one.

In my life, I've only sold one gun, to pay for college books one semester when I was short of cash. Decades later, I still wish I had not had to sell that gun and that I still owned it.

 

[Poper]

I have to say there are far more guns I have regretted buying than I have regretted selling.

On the "regretted selling" side I have to say it was a Savage Model 12BVSS in .243 Winchester. That rifle would put light bullets through the same hole. It was so consistent and so easy to shoot it was boring. Dime size 5-round groups at 200 yards were large for a good shooter. Great shooting production rifles like that one are, in my experience, very rare indeed.
I still kick myself for selling that one.

 

[TomJ]

There are two I regret selling, a Sig P220 45 and a Colt Gold Cup. Both were sold shortly after I got married. My ex convinced me to sell them and we used the money to go on a vacation. I replaced the Sig after our divorce but have never replaced the Gold Cup. I guess giving into pressure to sell them wasn't a good idea.

I've sold quite a few that I don't regret, as I used that money to buy another gun I wanted more. I'm happy with what I have now and don't see myself selling anything else.

 

[jmr40]

I have owned perhaps 25-30 guns in my shooting years,

Rookie

I've owned a bunch too, never kept detailed records, but if I were to guess I'd add a zero to those numbers and be close. The most I ever had at one time is around 50, I'm at about 30 right now. About 10-12 are guns with family history that I wouldn't think of selling. There are probably about 5 or 6 others that I have too much history with to sell. I have 6 or 8 rifles, shotguns, and handguns that I actually use.

Most of the others are earmarked to be given to my kids and grandkids. In fact I've already given my son, and daughter 6-7 guns each. I have some that belonged to my dad, grandfather, and great grandfather that I haven't decided where they will go yet. I'm waiting until my grandkids get old enough to appreciate them. But unless I die unexpectedly they will get them before I die. I want to see them enjoy them. By the time I die it is my hope to only have 2-3 that I actually use.

Of the guns I've sold or traded away there isn't a single one I'd want back. Sure, there were a few times where I had 2nd thoughts after selling one, but then reality came back and I realized I did the right thing.

The vast majority I've owned were bought used. By being willing to sell/trade it has allowed me to experience a lot of different guns at minimal costs. I've always been able to sell a gun bought used for pretty close to what I had in it and in several cases at a small profit. As well as get into some decent guns that I'd never have been able to afford otherwise.

 

[Rockrivr1]

After a little back and forth I've come to the realization that I'm a collector more then a shooter. While I shoot, a lot, I'm always on the hunt for that next best gun to own. I stay away from common items and look for things that will enhance my collection. From time to time I get something I don't particularly like once I've hit the range with it. Most times I'll try to trade for something else, but will sell if that fails. If I sell it's because I've developed a dislike for the gun or just an overall lack of caring if I own it or not. Because of that I've never regretted selling a gun. At least to this point.

 

[Waveski]

I have a hard time understanding some people I talk to online, who seem to have a revolving door on their gun cabinet. They seem to be constantly selling old guns and buying new ones.

Some people just get a real enjoyment from dealing and completing the transaction. I can relate to that to a degree , there is an element of "the thrill of the hunt".

As to the "never sell a gun" frame of mind , I was like that for time. I finally initiated a course change and it was quite liberating. The sense of loss was minimal , and the enjoyment of having proceeds in hand for the purpose of a more desirable acquisition , or upgrades to a favorite keeper , was / is more enjoyable and stimulating than looking at a gun in my safe that has no great intrinsic personal connection and has not been shot in memory.

Example : I recently sold a gun specifically to finance the upgrade of a surplus BHP. The High Power just came back from Novak with improved trigger , new hammer , mag safety gone (never should have been there to begin with IMO...) , and new sights. My sense of loss over the gun sold is practically non-existent because my sense of gain is so significant.

It's all psychological.

 

[redneck2]

The guns I’ve sold were gotten rid of because I wasn’t shooting them, and I got tired of re-arranging, insuring, and storing dozens of unused guns. I showed my collection to one of my wife’s friends. Found out later that she had gone to work the next day and told her coworkers about them. Oooops.

So, if I don’t shoot them, can’t show them, what good are they? Nothing to me.

I see tons of guys on American Pickers that have barns full of “treasures”. Stuff they’ll never use but won’t part with. That’s not me.

Only one that I kinda regret selling is a Les Baer competition quality 1911. It was beyond beautiful. I probably would never have used it, so probably good that it went away.

 

[4570Tom]

Over the years I have sold and traded a few firearms, always to fund a purchase of a new firearm. The ones I let go were ones that I had already decided were on the chopping block, and I was just holding onto them until I found something that I wanted. Once I have made the decision it can go I have no regrets that is gone. The ones I hold onto have some sentimentality, fill a general or specific purpose, are just plain fun to shoot, or are still being figured out.

 

[George P]

I have bought and sold many over the decades; usually at a time when the safe was full, and the kids were young, so to buy that next one that caught my eye, something went. I also moved a lot during those construction mgt days, and what might have been perfect for where I did live, was not as good as where I moved to. That said, I should have kept my Ruger No.1 RSI in .243 and probably should have kept my XP-100 in 7BR; otherwise, most of the guns went to good homes and I moved on to other things. getting older, I am now starting to go through and sell off a bunch of guns and related stuff so my kids don't have that headache. Unless it has some family sentimental/heirloom value, if it is being used, then why keep it? I just realized I have some hunting rifles I haven't used in almost 20 years, yet they're taking up space in the safe - why keep them?

 

[earlthegoat2]

I don’t regret them being gone.

I miss some of them though. None of them enough to replace however.

You can’t take them with you. Kind of like how I will buy a NIB condition gun and immediately go out and shoot the heck out of it. That is how I know if it is a keeper or not. What is a NIB gun to mortal human like me. I shoot. I dont collect. I like to experience the gun for what it is and what it was made for.

Sorry collectors.