What would your family do with your collection after you die?

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Passing firearms down to family does not always yield the desired result ---

A few years ago I strolled into a LGS and locked eyes on 4 Winchester pump action .22 rifles , 100 years old and in very nice condition. The shop owner smiled and said "Not for sale" , he was keeping them for his personal collection. Upon asking how he came by them I learned that a couple of grandsons of a prominent local businessman brought them in and traded for the latest plastic fantastic handguns.

So much for the family heirlooms ...
 
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I am in a state of total loss as what to do with my firearms ($$$$$$$$$$) and reloading equipment ($$$$$$$$$$) I have to grandsons to them I don't even exist, 2 daughters the oldest, a real Sweetheart, but not a gun lover,not antigun either. The youngest screwed me over ROYALY, changed my will, she gets $ 10.00!! So thinking about leaving everything to Hillsdale College, but would they have a clue about the true value of it all. Any suggestions ????
 
Would you remove the mag safeties from 3rd. Gen S&W: i.e. my 908 and 6904 :scrutiny:? They make no difference to me.

If we can't always predict where these guns will go (a guy who inherits/is "gifted"... might sell to a stranger Newbie), a future owner might Assume that the mag safeties are Still there- but not understand.
And that person, or another family member/friend might assume something about the gun which could turn tragic.

Jackalope1: That's really rotten.
There is a lady attorney in downtown Memphis who Sued her father in MS because she wanted "Her" money from him Before he died! Didn't want to wait a good while to benefit from his will!

That >> wench << attorney grew up on the north side of Jackson MS, and my Mom's late lifelong friend married that guy.
 
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Here is an odd idea. The greatest leaders in Roman and Chinese history were men who were adopted. I know of a person who was adopted by a mechanic and apprenticed under him. After the mechanic died, he willed his whole shop to the young man. Maybe find someone who respects guns and the sport. For him to just know you would have him love you. To inherit your guns, he'd cherish them as if they were from his real father.
 
N9NWO said:
Every man's fear is that the wife will sell the guns/fishing equipment/ham radios for what he TOLD her he paid for it!

Does your wife and children have an idea of what you have, what they are worth and who get what items? And how to dispose of those items that the family does not want?

I have noticed that firearm auctions bring far more money than selling to a dealer.

Any thoughts?
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I am in the process of divorce, so if I died RIGHT NOW, my wife would gleefully sell them for whatever she could get out of them, and she does know exactly what I paid for them. if I die AFTER it's done, then my son gets them, and he would just store them away, maybe shoot one once in a while - he's a packrat and a borderline hoarder.
 
I suppose my mom, brother and sister would go through them and pick what they wanted. My brother would probably lobby to sell them and get whatever cash he could. My family is pro-gun but urban and they don't shoot a lot. But they'd probably keep a few of the more interesting ones for their own use. I sure hope they would at least! Otherwise a couple of my buddies could take what they want.
 
After further consideration, it really just depends on how soon my demise occurs. At 44 and in fairly good health, it wouldn't seem to be something right around the corner...but there's always a chance.
My son is 10 now. If I live to see him into adulthood, I'll make sure he knows they're all his to benefit from. He can decide how.

If my end is met rather soon, then the guns that are at my house are to be sold and the money put toward his college fund. The sentimental ones that are at my dads house are to be kept for any future grandkids.
 
You know we all joke about this stuff, but it happens everyday. If you have stuff, be it guns, reloading equipment, tools, or whatever, now is the time to make sure it goes to whom you know will either appreciate it or knows who to contact to sell it.I think having good friends to help your widow is a good idea, especially if you don't have kids or have rotten kids. None of our "stuff" is going to last or matter one day, when Jesus comes back it will all be for naught!!
 
These are very difficult questions to answer. Every gun owner needs to address this. I have no children and my step son is an anti-gunner and he has forbidden me from teaching my step-grandson to shoot, so no help there. I celebrate my 75th birthday yesterday, which reminds me of this issue. I have sold 10 or so guns in the last few years, but have bought 8 new ones. Not making much progress. I don't have lots of guns, (25 or so), but with scopes I've upgraded, selling cheaper guns to buy better ones, etc, my collection has grown in value and desirability. I keep a detailed list with serial numbers of what I paid and what I think it is worth. I update it frequently. If I die first, they all belong to my wife and we've discussed who gets what (nephews and friends), value, etc.. But, I still have questions and this thread is helpful.
 
Sniper66 said:
These are very difficult questions to answer. Every gun owner needs to address this. I have no children and my step son is an anti-gunner and he has forbidden me from teaching my step-grandson to shoot, so no help there. I celebrate my 75th birthday yesterday, which reminds me of this issue. I have sold 10 or so guns in the last few years, but have bought 8 new ones. Not making much progress. I don't have lots of guns, (25 or so), but with scopes I've upgraded, selling cheaper guns to buy better ones, etc, my collection has grown in value and desirability. I keep a detailed list with serial numbers of what I paid and what I think it is worth. I update it frequently. If I die first, they all belong to my wife and we've discussed who gets what (nephews and friends), value, etc.. But, I still have questions and this thread is helpful.
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Maybe the apple will roll away from the tree, then the step-grandson will decide for himself that he'd like to learn.
 
My family will probably sit around and talk about what a complete idiot I was for buying all that "stuff" when they could have bought other stuff if I had not spent money on guns.

Maybe I will sell some of the better stuff and just leave the dregs. Maybe not. What is the point of selling a nice gun anyway?
 
Howland937 said:
Maybe the apple will roll away from the tree, then the step-grandson will decide for himself that he'd like to learn.
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My plan has been to take my grandson into my gun room, open the large gun cabinet and say, "I was going to let you shoot all of these guns, but your dad said no." Not really....but it is tempting. The kid is now 14 and on his way in another direction. No matter, a big collapse in the relationship between step-son and his mother has created an insurmountable split in the family that makes the gun issues of no importance.
 
I don't have a huge collection, a few Ar's, some handguns and deer hunting rifles, maybe 40.

My eldest kiddo has no interest in anything but a .44 mag Ruger Redhawk.
My other kiddo only wants my old S&W 66.
Daughter has a LCP and Shield and might take the G19.

She would be clearing my stuff out.
I told her to check prices on ammo and knock of 25 to 30% and It should go quickly.
Guns about the same. See what they are worth and drop the price by the same amount.
Since she is the only one who would deal with all this stuff, she gets to keep the $. Boys wouldn't be bothered and would likely give the stuff away.

I'll compile a list with approximates for her.
All shooters, no safe queens.

Maybe a couple to my friends.
 
I'm watching my FIL go through this now as his interest in firearms is waning and he's needed money from time to time so he starts telling his buddies that he's selling a couple guns.

There's been specific ones that I've told him in no uncertain terms that I'll "outbid" anyone who makes an offer on them because I want them to stay in the family and go to his grandchildren. He refuses money though and ends up just giving them to me. There's been a couple that have gotten away without me knowing like his M1A. I get he needs the money which is probably why he doesn't tell me, but I wish he'd just let me pay for them.

As to myself, I don't know. I'm 38 and my wife and I have never really talked about it but she'd likely just leave them in the safe until the kids (which are mostly 6 and under now) are older. Hopefully my brother or someone would at least tell her they'd need a little maintenance over the years to ensure they don't rust! I'd love to see her face if she ever opened that safe though and hopefully I'm long gone by the time it happens, it's at least twice as full as she suspects it is!

I do have a spreadsheet printed out and left in the safe that lists each gun, what I paid for it and when, and any important notes like if I inherited it from my grandfather, uncle, or FIL and if it was a firearm they actually used much. I wouldn't bother me if my kids sold off some of the guns that don't interest them, but others like the Stevens 311 my grandpa hunted with for decades or the High Standard Double Nine that was always strapped to my great uncle's hip on every camping and canoeing trip stay in the family.
 
N9NWO said:
Every man's fear is that the wife will sell the guns/fishing equipment/ham radios for what he TOLD her he paid for it!

Does your wife and children have an idea of what you have, what they are worth and who get what items? And how to dispose of those items that the family does not want?

I have noticed that firearm auctions bring far more money than selling to a dealer.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I hauled my sons to the gun range from a young age on. I invested in ammo and quality family time at the gun range, 110,000 rounds through one single .22 l.r. handgun, over 60,000 through one single Glock.
When my oldest son was in med school and needed money I gave him gun parts from my collection to sell. He established the name Anschutzking on Ebay at that time and learnt a lot about Anschutz match rifles.
My youngest son the other day asked me in disbelief, if it were true that his brother had never bought a single gun himself and how many guns he currently has in his sizeable collection. Guns make such good presents and I do not have to wait to give guns to them with a "cold" hand.

I have a nice Hammerli 212 for my oldest for Christmas, his little brother will have to wait to get mine, instead he will get the Broomhandle in the correct wooden holster/stock ... stockingstuffer. He is lusting after it.

Oh yeah, got a nice S&W 18 here for the little guy but he hasn't even shot the 422 I gave him over a month ago. He is so busy shooting his duty guns, that he forgets to have fun at the range.
 
Nothing, because they're not getting their hands on any of my guns.

They're going to friends' kids, and any left over will probably go to a shooting club to which I used to belong.
 
The other day the subject about what to do with all my guns came up while taking with my daughter. She said that she would not sell any of them. I told her that if her two brothers and she each decided to keep 100 guns each, there would be plenty to sell.
My youngest son is 17 and likes guns, but he’s not really into them like his older brother. My daughter likes guns and will keep anything I give her.
I have three gun safes, one will go to each of the kids. I’m going to get them together in the next month or so and have them tell me which guns they really want. I do plan to sell off most of my surplus collection, the kids don’t seem to have much interest in them.
I just sold a Chez 98/22 Mauser and a Polish Wifama Wz-78 22 trainer, to my buddy Matt. He has a pretty long want list of my surplus collection.
 
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