culling the herd

**Coops** · January 17th, 2009, 07:42 PM

I was fortunate enough last week to be the recipient of my father-in-law's gun collection (he is 80 and no longer hunts). Thought I would ask here what I should keep and what to sell off. I have owned two handguns for 10 years or so but no long guns.

3 shotguns (I will ask about them in the appropriate section.)
1 30.06 Winchester 70 Springfield bolt action hunting rifle
1 30.06 Remington 760 pump action deer rifle with fold away scope
1 .22 Mossberg 340k bolt action with scope

All are 40-50 years old with worn stocks to prove he hunted every year since the mid 1960's. I cannot say he was fanatical about keeping them cleaned and oiled but they are in working condition.

I am not a hunter but I would like to do more target shooting and keep a shotgun for home defense. For those uses I am thinking I should get a newer rifle and sell off the ones I got (which should be worth about $500 or so total) while I select one of the shotguns to keep under the bed.

The Winchester seems like a classic (but post 1964 by the s/n) and maybe I should keep it, but what do you experts think?

**bgeddes** · January 17th, 2009, 07:49 PM

I think you'd kick your self later if you sold any of them. You may not have an interest in them but your kids, your nieces and nephews, or some other relative may one day enjoy hunting with these guns. Knowing they belonged to a grandfather, or great-grandfather that also enjoyed hunting and the firearms, would make their value priceless from a sentimental point.

Just my $0.02

**Guns4Fun** · January 17th, 2009, 07:51 PM

Everyone has differing opinions about firearms and keeping or selling. Here is mine. When the time comes that my father passes his guns on to me, i would be hard pressed to sell any of them. Those firearms have history. In my fathers small collection, there are some rifles from his father. To me the history is more valuable than any dollar value i could put on them. My fathers and his fathers rifles will be passed on to my son---then to his and so on. Again, this is just my opinion.

**Coops** · January 17th, 2009, 08:16 PM

I appreciate your answers and agree with you 100%. If it was my dad, I would never sell them. The only problem is that I don't have kids and the other siblings don't want them (I did ask). My wife's father just wanted to get rid of them and he claims they hold no sentimental value (I find that hard to fathom but you would have to know him to understand). Nobody else in the family hunts or shoots. Evidently, I am the only gun lover.

**Franchi20/28** · January 18th, 2009, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by Coops

If it was my dad, I would never sell them. My wife's father just wanted to get rid of them and he claims they hold no sentimental value (I find that hard to fathom but you would have to know him to understand). Nobody else in the family hunts or shoots. Evidently, I am the only gun lover.

You said they were HIS guns....so they hold no sentimental value to HIM.

I place no sentimental value on firearms that I have purchased myself, but the crappy old single shot 20ga that was given to me as my first gun holds great value, not for what it is, but for where it came from. I think it was purchased from a work colleague for $35, but that's not the point.

They were your father in laws possessions. Do they hold value to you or your wife as anything other than mere objects?

If not, horse trade em for what you want.

Just the same. If you do not own any long guns, I would not be in any hurry to sell any of them before you are absolutely sure you have no interest in keeping any of them.

**shermdo** · January 18th, 2009, 12:58 AM

I agree with what has been said about sentimental value and if it were me I wouldn't sell them. Regarding another type of value -- that Win model 70 could be a real find. If that rifle is as old as you mentioned it is a true American classic. You can always get the stock cleaned up or even replaced.

**schr8er2000** · January 18th, 2009, 08:30 AM

Well one solution is to adopt me... DAD...and will ( or give ) them to me.....

Just kidding.....

Like the others said, even if ya dont have someone to give them too, the memories are there every time ya look at them.... and those are things that noone can ever take away....

Keep them... Put them up for display... and ponder the experiences you had with them over the years.....

**Coops** · January 18th, 2009, 01:40 PM

OK you convinced me. I was going to have a hard time parting with the Winchester anyway. I am now looking into wall mounts to display some of the guns. Two will go on the wall at the foot of the bed in the spare bedroom my in-laws use when they stay over. Maybe the memories will be a source of pleasure to him when he visits.

Thanks for the heartfelt advice.

**veryweldone** · January 18th, 2009, 07:28 PM

I also inherited my fathers guns small but very meaningfull Not worth much in money but priceless to me They wil go to a son that may or may not appreciate what they mean One can only hope they meant something to some one in the past and continue to hand that down If we've done our job right Steve