Do we overvalue sentimental value of our guns?

langss · Feb 23, 2019

FIGJAM said:
I have always pictured some of the guns I own being passed down to my kids and my grandkids and their kids etc. family heirlooms you know? Recently I had two experiences that shook me to my core - two elderly gentleman that I knew from church and had great gun collections passed away. One about 6 months ago and one just last week. Wife and kids put all of their guns up for sell at liquidation prices. It was my understanding that both men had life insurance and had their homes paid off etc - I don't think they needed the cash, they would just rather have cash than dad and grandpas guns. Made me sick to my stomach and really got me thinking if we over value the sentimental value of our guns? What do you all think?

I hate to say it but I would be in the same place as your two friends. I have no remaining family on my side of things, and my Wife's children and grand children are not the type of people who I would want to leave anything to (end up in jail,or sell on the street). So I have decided to at some point offer to my two closest friends their choice of what I have and sell whatever is left. I would have liked to leave it all to the kids, but they have proven themselves completely unworthy of anything from me.

shinbone · Feb 23, 2019

Sentimental value, is, by definition, an over-valuation.

CDE · Feb 23, 2019

I just turned 59. All of my collection took time and hard earned money so their special to me.
My dad just passed away this last summer. He had a handful of guns and I only hunted with him and my brother couple of times. I will always have those memories. My passion came from growing up watching my older cousins go hunting and fishing with my grandfather. I was able to hunt a couple of times with him before his days afield were done. Pheasants were his passion. He took me on my first pheasant hunt that took all day before I finally connected on one. I became the hunter-out doorsman in our family. I have one of his 22 rifles. It was toast when I got it. I completely refurbished it and it rarely makes it out of the safe.
Our son pasted away six years ago as a teenager. We were just starting those first hunting trips. None of my siblings have kids, and my wife's side has one nephew. He just came back from over a decade of service because he wanted to spend time with family. Not sure yet but he may win the lottery.
After 40 years of reloading, hunting and fishing I have a lot of stuff. I'm in the middle of thinking of thinning the herd and upgrading to ones that I'll use in the coming years.
For those of you that have kids and family to create memories with, go for it. It's all worth it. The Guns are just part of the experience. My favorite hunting memory is of the elk hunt that I took my wife and young son on. We bumped some grouse while we were walking in, and the rest of the party went on. My son ran back and grabbed his 20 ga while I stayed there. He connected on his first bird a few minutes later. Now that's great stuff! The smile and stories from him later were the best!!
Make it a great
CDE,

CDE · Feb 23, 2019

CDE said:
I just turned 59. All of my collection took time and hard earned money so their special to me.
My dad just passed away this last summer. He had a handful of guns and I only hunted with him and my brother couple of times. I will always have those memories. My passion came from growing up watching my older cousins go hunting and fishing with my grandfather. I was able to hunt a couple of times with him before his days afield were done. Pheasants were his passion. He took me on my first pheasant hunt that took all day before I finally connected on one. I became the hunter-out doorsman in our family. I have one of his 22 rifles. It was toast when I got it. I completely refurbished it and it rarely makes it out of the safe.
Our son pasted away six years ago as a teenager. We were just starting those first hunting trips. None of my siblings have kids, and my wife's side has one nephew. He just came back from over a decade of service because he wanted to spend time with family. Not sure yet but he may win the lottery.
After 40 years of reloading, hunting and fishing I have a lot of stuff. I'm in the middle of thinking of thinning the herd and upgrading to ones that I'll use in the coming years.
For those of you that have kids and family to create memories with, go for it. It's all worth it. The Guns are just part of the experience. My favorite hunting memory is of the elk hunt that I took my wife and young son on. We bumped some grouse while we were walking in, and the rest of the party went on. My son ran back and grabbed his 20 ga while I stayed there. He connected on his first bird a few minutes later. Now that's great stuff! The smile and stories from him later were the best!!
Make it a great Day!!
CDE,

Irish Neil · Feb 23, 2019

A friend who paid to dollar for all his "stuff" said the only thing that gave him nightmares was that when he died his wife would sell everything for what he told her he paid for it.

wildhawk · Feb 23, 2019

Here in West Virginia guns are as valuable as cash. Most of our local ads state what's for sale and then somewhere in the ad say will trade for guns. So here in this state guns are as good as money

JungleBoogey · Feb 23, 2019

My history is that my Father and 2 of my 3 brothers were gung ho active duty military. We love guns and I love to hunt. When my father passed away and I inherited his Remington 700 BDL (270 win) and a 30 cal M1 carbine paratrooper (what a joy on the range), I was like a kid in a candy factory. In 10 years (optimistically), I will no longer be hunting. My 2 girls and my boy respect what I do but it's not their thing, so of course my thoughts are often on my gun collection and what to do with it while the choice is still mine. I have a few decent rifles to include the names of Tikka, Weatherby, Blaser and a couple of Zeiss and Bushnell scopes. I'm too sentimental to start selling them off now so the truth be known I'll probably die owning them. I can only hope that my family can get the money that they're worth when they sell them and that they smile about "Dear Ole Dad" when they spend it...

"While others worked for peace, I trained for war"

FlyingAlaska · Feb 23, 2019

FIGJAM said:
I have always pictured some of the guns I own being passed down to my kids and my grandkids and their kids etc. family heirlooms you know? Recently I had two experiences that shook me to my core - two elderly gentleman that I knew from church and had great gun collections passed away. One about 6 months ago and one just last week. Wife and kids put all of their guns up for sell at liquidation prices. It was my understanding that both men had life insurance and had their homes paid off etc - I don't think they needed the cash, they would just rather have cash than dad and grandpas guns. Made me sick to my stomach and really got me thinking if we over value the sentimental value of our guns? What do you all think?

This is the exact scenario that I've been through(ford engineer had 2 daughters, one took the guns she wanted and the other was a screaming liberal who wouldn't even touch them), I got a 1938 Win model 70 Super Grade for 350$ along with many others and over 3500 rounds of factory ammo. I couldn't believe it when we arrived the first words were if you want to look at them, you have to pick them up, we don't want these "things" in our house anymore. I made an offer (2500$)on the only rifle I was there for and she says how about 350$, I nearly fell over trying to pull the money out of my pocket.

jeffwhitcomb · Feb 23, 2019

What a great thread for my first post. I am 33 years old and the two guns that you would have to pry from my cold dead fingers are both gifted to me from my grandfather. The 1873 Winchester in .38-40 that grandpa bought at twenty years old for twenty dollars as he fondly tells is priceless to me. The 1894 in .32 Win Spcl is a gun that I shoot often and enjoy. Whether or not I'm just cleaning the '73 or shooting the .32, they both bring me fond thoughts and memories of my grandpa. To those that are further along in years, please know that there are guys like me busting their *** through the week that think of their elders, still say sir and ma'am, and believe wholeheartedly in the constitution. And thank you to all I have learned from in this wonderful forum.

glbhunter · Feb 23, 2019

Barrelnut said:
My wife knows that all of my rifles and gear get divvied up to friends I hunt with. The rest she can do with as she sees fit.

I have seen word of mouth deals go to pot after dads and grandfathers passed on. Not saying this would happen in your case. I would Make sure it is in a will written down and witnessed and notarized. If in trust then written down exactly as it is meant to be. That's my opinion and from past experience for what it is worth.

James L Holzhauer · Feb 23, 2019

Some are special and I will give them to my children, I hope before I die. The others are up to my family

theosmithjr · Feb 23, 2019

The world is an oddly different place today than it was while I was growing up. I just turned 61 three days ago. My Father is alive and well at 80. I have cherished my Fathers weapons since I was 5 or 6; as far back as I can remember. My Father is by no means a Rich Man, and he has many expensive hobbies. Over the years the rifles, shotguns, pistols, cameras, telescopes, boats, motorcycles, computers ect., ect. Out of his 4 sons and 2 daughters, only I (the oldest) and my youngest brother hunt & shoot avidly. Me, I do it all; especially rifles. My brother is a Surgeon with a shotgun in his hands. When the subject of inheritance comes up, I've always told my Father that all I've ever wanted from him is to be here, and remain the example of a man to me as he always has. I've told him that should the Lord call him home first, that I would be eternally grateful to become the owner of his rifles and half of his handguns. The shotguns and other half of his handguns should go to my youngest brother, as these are what he treasures of my Fathers. My Father has this in his will, and has told his wife of 40 years (my Mother & Father are divorced) many a time in my presence, that his firearms are to be divided between my brother and I as I previously stated. Possession is 9/10ths of the LAW they say; so I've ALWAYS made direct EYE CONTACT with her as he spoke his mind. I truly believe she'll honor his wishes, but I pray its NEVER put to the test with me. That's how much I VALUE MY FATHERS FIREARMS! He raised me, taught me that it was my God given right to own and bare arms, that it was my heritage! I will NOT see his wishes gone against by NO ONE! Theosmithjr

glbhunter · Feb 23, 2019

Racemike said:
View attachment 123794 I know in my life there were certain rifles I had that were special to me, mainly because of the the memories or the hunts you went on, or because you always hit what you were aiming at. One such rifle I had was an old browning 300wm bought it in 1980. First big mag I ever bought. Weighted a ton had an old bushnell 4 3 to 12 on it. Can't tell you how many different loads I made for it and tried. It was a tack driver. I took a lot of elk, deer, prong horn, and a bear, and a huge hog. I bought a 300wms about 11 yrs ago which was 63/4 pounds. I had seated taking my son with me deer hunting at least twice a year he had a cheap 270 which I made some hot loads for. I took the 300wm and order a great composite stock, sent it off had it ported, had it refinished in a Matt black finish, already had a great trigger, put on a new vortex scope. Packaged it up in original box wrapped it up and last package at Christmas brought I brought it out. He opened it an thought it was a new rifle, when I told him it was my old 300 he couldn't believe it, he said dad that's your favorite gun you've shot everything you ever aimed at with that rifle. I said it's your turn. He took his first mule deer with it on a hunt in Idaho, first elk, and first really nice white tail in Georgia. Gun still had the magic. I have given him my browning 308, shot gun, 22-250, 22 and other rifles and my safe since he got married and bought his own place. I kept my sako 308, and the 300wms that's all this old man needs. Every time we go hunting he takes 2 guns which I taught him in case something happens to one. He keeps saying I got to take the 308 today then comes out with the 300wn, which brings a smile to my face now it's his lucky gun. I like my 300wms but it ain't that old browning just weights less. My point is I've been giving him most of my guns now while I'm alive. Don't need all those calibers now and some of pistols. He knows he View attachment 123794gets my others when I go to big hunt n ground in the sky. But it's very fulfilling doing it while your alive

That's a fun picture. That's what it's all about

DT338LM · Feb 23, 2019

I only regret selling one of them. I sold my whole collection multiple of times to keep up grading.
Part of the fun is getting them put together and finding good loads and then i get bored with them.

Do we overvalue sentimental value of our guns?

langss

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shinbone

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CDE

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Irish Neil

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wildhawk

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FlyingAlaska

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glbhunter

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glbhunter

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