Firearm Estate

[gw425]

Closing out my friends estate and it's a bit taxing on me. Selling guns @60% value. If you have an appreciable amount of guns try to figure out an end strategy.

Greg

[45MAN]

I HAVE BEEN DOING A "LIVING ESTATE SALE" AND THIS YEAR I HAVE THINNED THE HERD BY AROUND 50, NOT ELIMINATING THE PROBLEM FOR MY EXECUTORS JUST MAKING IT SMALLER. GOING TO WORK AT IT A LITTLE MORE BUT NOT A WHOLE LOT MORE.

[kings6]

Bless you Greg for helping Dennis’ family with this. I went through the same thing for my brother in laws estate a couple years ago. 120 plus guns not counting supplies and ammo. It basically was a full time job for several months but it generated around $60,000 for long term care for their family.

It was after doing this that I decided you guys are going to help me get down to just a couple guns within the next couple of years. Only two more benchmarks to hit then I’ll start taking names. No way on earth I want to put my family through the hassle of dealing with my eclectic obsession.

Robb

[needsmostuff]

I too am struggling with trying to clean up my own mess. It just needs to be started early to have any hope of making a reasonable chore out of it for whoever gets tasked with it.
Guns, knives and tools are the only thing I care about the disposition of. All the rest can be donated or sold with the house.
Still going kind of slow at it but seizing opportunities to sell when I can. Maybe an equally hard thing is not buying new cool stuff when it presents itself. That in itself demands adopting a kind of endgame mentality that is just not a pleasant way to view things.
Hopefully it gets easier.

[gw425]

Dennis' firearm collection will generate about 140,000 for his wife. About 92,000 of that was sold with decent prices for both buyer and his wife. The remaining stuff has been either difficult to sell, or I'm just tired of it. The remainder will be sold in one lot to First Stop guns out of Rapid City. I sold another 70,000 worth of equipment, machinery, etc for her. Haven't even started on the reloading stuff yet---tons of that stuff. I've got some of the local gun club members (Dennis was the long time president) who are going to take charge of all of that stuff. We're going to load a bunch of that stuff up this weekend for the local gun show in November and I will be taking a step back after that.

Greg

[cas]

I've done this twice, neither particularly large collections, one friend, one family member. It is quite depressing on so many levels.

It's also made me willing to over pay on a few occasions for guns being sold by widows.

[mhblaw]

Well, in the last three months I sold a FA 83 41 Mag., a Bowen OMBH 32-20 conversion and just this week a Kimber 84 Ultra Varmint 6x45. …and so it goes…

[mhblaw]

…and more to go. But my objective is to get my “stuff” that is really good to those that will appreciate it, and save a few for my family. Like Robb, and others, I don’t want my family to have to deal with too much. But, I’m still shooting too!

[kevshell]

After an older gentleman who we knew passed recently (I asked about moving his mounts) my wife asked me what I want her to do with my stuff when I pass. I told her "I'll be dead....what would I care. Sell it and live large. It was our money." Hopefully it will be a long time from now and by then my brother will be in the same condition. He would love a few pieces. There's no one else. But I'll probably make it easier on her long before then. I'm hoping that's 30+ years away.

[bigbore5]

My guns and reloading stuff are going to be simple to handle. They're going to my son. He'll want the Harleys and cars,too.

The tools he doesn't want should be simple to sell. The biggest problem will be moving the machine shop equipment. Lathe, mill, cnc plasma table, mill/drill, surface grinder, etc.

If my boy wasn't a lot like me, it would be a nightmare for whomever had to figure out what to do with some of my stuff. The cars would be easy enough, but the accumulation of parts would be horrible for a non car collector. How many people know the difference between a regular intake and a DZ 302 factory intake? Or that that funny looking engine in the corner is a NASCAR 427 W engine. Big money difference.

[mcquade]

I recently went through this too. My FIL passed in March. His shop was full of crap. Some of it's still there but alot got moved in a 2 week period. His loved his Model A's and Doodlebug tractors. Still have a couple engines left and 2 Doodlebugs. The wife and I opened the shop up for a few days and invited friends and family over for a first chance and that moved quite a bit. There were several vehicles that my MIL wanted rid of, they went quick too, mostly to a friend of mine from another forum. He took an ols MF tractor, 3 trailers, and 2 Golf Carts as well.
Ol Joe had guns stashed everywhere. I found probably 30 around his shop, mostly flea market specials. Single barrel shotguns and such. I brought those home, cleaned them up, sold them, and gave the cash to my MIL. I kept an old Marlin 30-30 and gave my eifes nephew a nice top break H&R 22.
It was a job that's still not completed...but everyone is happy

[45MAN]

kevshell's POST REMINDED THAT BESIDES MOVING GUNS, I HAVE A S... LOAD OF MOUNTS TO MOVE. MOUNTS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO SELL AND A PIA TO SHIP. IF YOU WHOLESALE 'em IN A BIG LOT DON'T EXPECT TO GET RICH ON THE DEAL. ONE SON NOW HAS AN ELAND AND A CAPE BUFFALO SHOULDER MOUNT HUNG IN HIS HOME AND MY FULL MOUNT AFRICAN LION IN HIS OFFICE. I AM GOING TO BRING SOME OF MY MOST PRIZED MOUNTS HOME FROM MY OLD OFFICE AND/OR GET MY 2 LOCAL SONS TO TAKE A FEW, BUT THAT STILL LEAVES A BUNCH TO GET RID OF. AS FOR THE GOOD STUFF I WILL KEEP AT HOME, WELL SOMEONE ELSE CAN DEAL WITH IT WHEN I AM GONE.

[gnappi]

I've had to do this a few times and it's not a fun task. I have hoped my son would take up interest in the sport but he has no interest other than to have a 9mm I gave him.

[grandpa]

My son will inherit whatever guns that I still own when I die. I've advised him to keep the ones he wants and consign the rest to a local gun auction that I'm familiar with.

It's hard for me to sell even though I know it would make it easier for my family if I did. Inertia, I suppose.

[kings6]

I guess I could keep them all until I die but then Zeus would have to fly out with several cases to haul them all back to his house to sell them for my wife!