How to decide

[encorehunter]

How do you decide which and when to sell a firearm? I have a primary safe I use, but guns get moved to the other safe that I rarely use. They sit there for decades, never being shot or moved. They are oiled and taken care of, just no use. I have sold a few, but those were mostly ones I hated, or had triplicates or more of.

[ray1970]

Well, the first obvious consideration is if I don?t enjoy it or shoot it well then it will likely find a new home.

Also, if I find I have too many of one firearm (perhaps I know a guy that might have had five Glock 19s) then I can rationalize that a backup or two is okay but beyond that I?m hoarding and something needs to go.

Guns with sentimental value stay. Guns with no sentimental value that I haven?t put a round through in about ten years probably won?t be missed.

Redundancy and overlap also factor into it for me. Example: if a guy had a Glock, and M&P, a Sig, and an XD that were all polymer framed, striker fired 9mm then perhaps a few of them could part ways and you?d still have a polymer 9mm.

Its like when you were a kid and mom went through your toys and got rid of the ones you never played with. Chances are she did it without you knowing and you probably never even noticed.

[hollohas]

I've regretted selling most of the guns I've sold (Other than a Beretta CX4, that was trash). Even the guns I've sold to upgrade I regret selling.

For example I sold a basic Para 1911 that was a SOLID gun. I loved it. But I lusted after a Sig Emperor Scorpion so I figured I'd free up some money to get it.

I did. And now I wish I had both guns.

:(

[OtterbatHellcat]

I don't want to get rid of anything I have, redundant or not. No need to rotate stock for something fresher.....all the shit works and it's owned. Perhaps it is another issue for example if one has 10 G-17's, you have a problem if you acquired 10 G-17's in the first place.

[OtterbatHellcat]

The topic could go both ways though....there is some stuff I want, but in reality I don't need it.

[Doc45]

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started selling off those my sons aren’t interested in as well as those I don’t shoot. For me it’s not a difficult decision.

[Bailey Guns]

A few of my guns have sentimental value. Most are just "things". I like all of them. But I could live without all of them. I go in cycles. I'll sell a bunch of stuff, then eventually, I'll get the itch again and start buying. Then I'll sell a bunch off...etc.

[JohnnyDrama]

Most of the guns I've sold were guns I didn't plan on keeping. Some of them I wish I still had. One I sold I bought with the intention of keeping was an SP1. I bought it before everyone had AR-15s so it was kind of exotic. After active duty I was pretty done with .223/5.56 and maybe an AR-15 type rifle. As I was married and the Clinton " crime bill" AWB was still in effect I was able to get twice out of it what I paid for it. I felt like I had a good reason to sell it. You will have to make your own considerations and decide for yourself.

[ray1970]

I don't want to get rid of anything I have, redundant or not.

So, what? You?re going to just accumulate stuff your entire life until you look like one of those people on those hoarder shows?

I?d be willing to bet you don?t currently own every vehicle you ever owned? Why would someone not bat an eye over selling their old pickup but treat a firearm like the family pet and not want to part ways with it?

[fj605]

I try to think of firearms the same as any other tool. For every job, there is a tool. I don't need a half dozen framing hammers but I do have a hammer for every size nail.

[bellavite1]

One for each caliber/purpose.

[eddiememphis]

How do you decide which and when to sell a firearm?

Cyclical ebbs and flows of wealth and poverty.

I fell into a deep pit of poverty and sold a Kimber and, most reluctantly, a Winchester 9410.

I have sold in good times as well, in order to buy something very sweet, like a Wilson Supergrade.

Otherwise, I buy. Much like silver or gold, a decent firearm will hold it's value.

[Jim B]

They sit there for decades, never being shot or moved.
Unless a gun has collector or sentimental value, if I hadn't shot it in decades I'd almost certainly sell it. Put the money toward something else you'll enjoy more. Some guns are easily replaceable. If you later decide you screwed up selling your Glock 22 (or M&P, SIG, Springfield, etc.) it's not too big a deal to go buy another.

I had a Makarov that was a great gun. (Accurate and a surprisingly nice trigger.) I didn't feel like getting myself set up to reload 9x18 (I rarely buy factory ammo anymore) so I wound up putting only fifty rounds through it in ten years. I eventually sold it and used the money to buy a S&W M2.0 in 9mm Luger. I've shot the S&W much more than I ever shot the Makarov.

[Jim B]

I've regretted selling most of the guns I've sold...
Funny, I don't think I regret selling any of the guns I've sold. There are definitely some I regret not buying when I had the chance. I sure wish I bought quite a few K31s when Big 5 was selling them for peanuts. Buying a few more $199 Russians SKSs or $179 MAK-90s wouldn't have been a bad idea either...[facepalm][Mad]

[3beansalad]

Firearms are for buying not selling. Don't shoot it, right now. Times may change, guns and ammo would never lose (all) their value.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[rondog]

So, what? You?re going to just accumulate stuff your entire life until you look like one of those people on those hoarder shows?

90050

[WETWRKS]

I try to never sell any guns. The only time I have ever sold any was out of necessity and there are several I now horribly regret. The odds of replacing them is basically zero. They were not anything of sentimental value but have become exceptionally rare and quite expensive.

[Great-Kazoo]

Myself. I could care less. It's tool, nothing more, or less. Most if not all i'm in to for such a good price, selling or trading them is a win. However they have always been great barter material when it comes to hiring someone to do a job we're unable to do. I have a moderate stash, which i've considered selling in order to buy a few high end hand guns and call it good.

If they're collecting dust, see about trading them off, for something else.

[00tec]

I've only sold 1 gun in my life. If buying it back were to become an option, I would. I miss it for some reason.

But, I'm not like most folks. I just horde them like fat folks horde oreos. They're not exactly a depreciating asset like most of the disposable crap in the rest of the house.

[Frac]

I?ve sold enough firearms by now that it just doesn?t really matter to me. I once was a ?collector? but now, I realize I was more of an accumulator. Guns go up in value, but rarely do they beat an investment in the market or real estate (unless you started collecting MGs decades ago). Even when they do, it takes too long to sell them unless you?re giving someone else a steal. You guys that say guns are an investment are just fooling yourselves, especially if your talking AR-15s and striker fired pistols. When you kick the bucket, most of them will get sold for half the value or less.

Today, I just want a high quality firearm that does what I need it to do. I carry, I hunt, and I plink. I have quality guns for all of that.

I would like to retire in 10 or 15 years and I would like to own a vacation property. I remember that every time I am tempted to buy new gun. It turns out that I would rather invest that $1,800 instead of buying another Benelli, for example.

Oreos, on the other hand?

[rondog]

I've sold far too many in my days, there's maybe two that I don't regret, the rest I still miss 'em.

[OtterbatHellcat]

So, what? You?re going to just accumulate stuff your entire life until you look like one of those people on those hoarder shows?

I?d be willing to bet you don?t currently own every vehicle you ever owned? Why would someone not bat an eye over selling their old pickup but treat a firearm like the family pet and not want to part ways with it?

I guess I was trying to suggest that I didn't over collect anything in the first place. Yes I've sold cars in my life, three to be exact....and there is no reason to part with any of my firearms. It's also highly unlikely that I would add anything to what I do have.

[leightoncash]

If I'm selling its because there is something else gun related I want to buy. I've sold lots, and the ones I wish I still had were the saiga AK I converted, my first Mosin, and oddly enough, this dumb little Taurus TCP 380. It was a tack driver with a nice trigger, and could hide anywhere. I've got nicer toys now, but those first guns of mine would be nice to play with again.

[Sawin]

I’ve sold more than a handful over the years and think the only one I regret is one I sold for too little. It was a mossberg silver reserve 12ga that I bought for a steal and never shot. I sold it for that reason, but have had a few times since when it would have been nice to have. Other 12ga’s had to do in such occasions so ultimately not a big deal. All the others I’ve sold are in better homes now.

That said, I get it and have a difficult time convincing myself to sell any of them too. I have a couple duplicates at this point that I really should sell...

[Aloha_Shooter]

I am planning on eventually moving back to Hawaii, almost certainly within the decade, likely in less than half that.

Storage and rust prevention in Hawaii will be issues as will be the sheer weight of moving back so I'll likely get rid of a lot of anything replaceable: furniture, electronics, and of course firearms if I have any.

I would therefore have to approach the problem from the reverse direction: instead of deciding what to sell, I'll have to look at it from the standpoint of what do I take? That narrows down to stuff of sentimental value or that I absolutely need or that would cost me more to replace than to transport. WRT firearms, I'd also have to add the filters of guns I could shoot at Koko Head without having some Karen freak out over the fact I even had it and that I could easily procure ammunition for.

[Squeeze]

Everything I own serves a mission (with the exception of 2 firearms which are sentimental). The minute that firearm no longer serves a mission, I send it off to another home. I don't consider myself a "collector". I keep what I can use, period.

[Martinjmpr]

I would therefore have to approach the problem from the reverse direction: instead of deciding what to sell, I'll have to look at it from the standpoint of what do I take?

As I inch closer to retirement, I'm the same way. 2 years and counting.

My dilemma with selling is that I have guns that in my mind are "worth" $X, but in the current market they are only worth .60X or .75X. So as much as I'd like to sell it and free up the space, I can't bring myself to do it because I would feel like I was selling the gun for less than I "Think" it's worth (and yes, economics professors, I know 'a thing is only worth what someone will pay for it.' :rolleyes: )

I also have at least one gun that I got for a crazy low price (a DCM M1 Garand in gorgeous condition with a like new Birch stock and spotless parkerizing.) It really is a beautiful gun (even my wife thinks so) but I literally have put maybe 30 rounds through it and the last time I fired it was I think around 2007. Part of me wants to sell it and part of me wants to keep it but for what? I don't have any kids and there's nobody else in my wife's family who, I think, would appreciate it for what it is.

In the case of both of the above, "common sense" says "sell it for what you can get and don't worry about what you THINK it's worth" but that's tough for me to do.

However, I am going to have to get to the point of "thinning" out the collection. For example, I have 3 shotguns, and the last time I fired one of my shotguns was in probably 2003 (and it wasn't one of the shotguns I own now, which means that I LITERALLY own three shotguns I've never fired.)

(And if your next question is "why did you buy them, then?" the answer is: I didn't. The first one was inherited from a family friend who passed away, the second was inherited from my dad when he passed away and the 3rd one I won at a fundraising event.)

I try not to get sentimental about guns - they're just things, after all, but sometimes it's difficult. I'll probably never go hunting again. I was never really "into" hunting, but it was a way to spend time with my dad. After he died, I don't really feel an urge to go hunting, it just seems like a chore. But it's hard for me to get rid of that pre-WWII Winchester Model 70 in the gun safe.

[MED]

I don't sell anything I purchased 20-32 years ago nor do I sell anything I purchased private sale before '13. I have some things that are sentimental. Everything else especially after '13, it depends on if I need it or not. I got rid of a colt officers 25 years ago with intricate checkering on the front of the grip; I definitely regret that one. I think before I act now. If it's a polymer handgun or a dime a dozen AR I don't care. I downsized my AR lower inventory and focused on uppers.. This stupid new rule coming out will make things more difficult so I'll probably just hold what I have now.

[Rucker61]

I've only sold 1 gun in my life. If buying it back were to become an option, I would. I miss it for some reason.

But, I'm not like most folks. I just horde them like fat folks horde oreos. They're not exactly a depreciating asset like most of the disposable crap in the rest of the house.

Do you really think that fat folks horde oreos?

[00tec]

Do you really think that fat folks horde oreos?

Not for long. Thin mints disappear fast around me

[Erni]

In 30 years I only sold a lower. But there are guns that no longer get used or bring joy when shooting. A few of them are of interest to my kid. A few I actually use and like.
There is a few that will need to go and honestly may end up financing an entirely different hobby.

[.455_Hunter]

I have been working for over 20 years on getting a representative example of the primary US military long guns from the immediate post-Civil War era to today. It starts with a 1869 production .50-70 Trapdoor and ends with an M4gery of the type we had in the arms room for weapons draw on 9/11. There is no way I purge that collection.