Starting all over again

[J Miller]

Have you ever been so frustrated with your situation in life and most or all of your guns or that you just said: The heck with 'em all, got rid of 'em, and then after a while started over again making sure you buy exactly what you want? No more projects, no more guns that just aren't exactly right so they have to be "fixed". Just guns you can use right out of the box?

Well, I haven't, and I'm not sure I could but I am considering it. There are some guns I just will not part with, but others I doubt I'd use even when I leave IL.
I've been considering selling as many guns and as much of my equipment and supplies as I can live without and putting that cash in an escape fund. Not sure if I'd get enough out of them to make it worth my trouble but I've been mulling it over.

The biggest obstacle is my wife. Every time I think of selling them she says: "NO". I may just have to do it without telling her.

Joe

[20cows]

Is she saying no about the plan (escape fund)?

[J Miller]

Is she saying no about the plan (escape fund)?

No, she's saying NO to selling the guns, equipment and supplies.
Escaping is a yes but we just can't seem to get enough funds ahead to do it.

Joe

[BigSky56]

http://www.jobshq.com/employers/page/pr ... oyer/2643/
Theres a 100 more companies like this, they have housing when you get ahead have the wife move out too. Its just a telephone call away or fill out the app online. danny

[AJMD429]

I think sometimes the 'essense' of a hobby or art or cuisine or whatever, is what remains after the 'gluttony' phase of collecting and trying for the more obvious 'best of' prizes has passed, and one becomes more contemplative, selective, and learns to appreciate the finer things, but reflected in his/her own taste and experiences, vs. the 'traditional' ones set by others.

I'm not there yet, though...

[shooter]

I like projects, though I have to admit that not all of them get finished in a timely fashion. It's part of the fun for me, although I do get frustrated from time to time.

[C. Cash]

My experience has always been that you get only a portion for what their worth, and you spend twice that amount to replace the gun. For us traditional old timers, you're most likely gonna want a gun just like it, again. So, I would get creative in another way myself. How about driving cars for car dealers, for extra cash? I've heard of guys driving them from neighboring states to dealers in the area where you live. Just an idea.

[Shrapnel]

doo doo; doo doo; wee da woo woo

What the hell is this, some kind of Rod Serling "Twilight Zone" thread???

[shooter]

My experience has always been that you get only a portion for what their worth, and you spend twice that amount to replace the gun. For us traditional old timers, you're most likely gonna want a gun just like it, again. So, I would get creative in another way myself. How about driving cars for car dealers, for extra cash? I've heard of guys driving them from neighboring states to dealers in the area where you live. Just an idea.

The first part of your statement rings very true. The couple of guns that I regret selling would easily cost me 2-3 times what I paid for them to replace them.

The second part of your statement seems like a good idea. I worked for a car dealership for a while this year, and the drivers for us got paid very well. The downside is that you have to be ready pretty much on a moment's notice. I would still check into it, though. If you get hooked up with a busy dealership it may be more like a full time job, and a decent paying one at that.

[El Chivo]

might as well keep them since you're never going to leave Illinois.

I hear you on the excess and I've intentionally been going through that as a prelude to slimming down over the next few years. With guns, the only problem is my favorites are the least useful. Do I keep the favorite and tolerate its foibles and lack of versatility or get rid of it and keep the practical ugly gun? Example is the .357 Winchester Legacy vs. the synthetic Handi-Rifle in .243. The Handi weighs less, is smaller, shoots accurately and deadly out to 300 yards, can't break or jam, and if you find rust you don't care. The Winchester is heavy, has wood and bluing that need to be babied, jams or coughs up small parts regularly, and is only good out to 100 yards or so. HOWEVER I'm pretty sure I would cling to the Winchester.

[Booger Bill]

I think I have a fair collection of classic guns. I bought most of them from the late 60s to mid 80s. I started out with a close old friend that was a big collector tutoring me. I was single and turned a lot of guns. Now I am retired with just enough income to spin my wheels, not getting ahead nor falling behind.
Yeah, I have thought of selling some as I am old with a super young wife that could be a long time widow. I like to travel but dont because of the cost. But I belive the reason I havent been selling is that years ago when I sold a gun a few days later I couldnt tell you what I did with the money and didnt have the gun either!

[Streetstar]

I have a bunch of guns but an old (well, not that old) Army buddy of mine were discussing guns as "tools".

He stated he only needed an AR platform rifle , an 870 shotgun, and a duty type pistol of some sort, preferably in .40 cal

As levergunners, i know we like a more balanced assortment than that ---- but still, -- a a carbine, either Win or MArlin in 44 Mag or 45 Colt, same 870 shotgun, and a revolver substituted for the "duty handgun" -- would be a good basic battery

[kimwcook]

I've sold, traded and bartered more guns than I care to think about. I won't get rid of anything anymore as in my mind I believe I've matured to where I only pursue those pieces I believe will add to my collection and are a benefit to me. I won't start over again.

[Mike D.]

No.

[Teek]

Figure out which guns you need in an "escape" situation, the ones you can't stand to get rid of...and sell the rest. Of course, you'd kick yourself for selling them later. Maybe you could formulate and detail your escape plan...how much it would cost, where would you go? How would you get there? How many guns would you really use? How much ammo would you need, in what caliber, and would it be available if it ran out? What do you need the guns for? Defense? Food gathering? Both, obviously. Which guns would be useful for you for that?

BTW, Good to see you're stll here! I haven't been here in a while!

Teek

[Malamute]

I've thinned out the gun pile a couple times. Once, it was about half of them. I regretted one or two, but not too badly, and liked just not having to worry about them any more.

If it would help you get moved, then I'd say do what needs to be done, save your best core group, and don't look back.

I've seen older guys that thinned out the pile quite severly, and seen many estate sales that had tons of stuff, most that had sat unused for ages. I understand the deisre to keep things more manageable, and think at some point I may thin down again.

[earlmck]

Joe, if you don't like where you are (and the way you describe your location I can see you really really don't) then do whatever it takes to get to a better place. There is a lot of life out there outside Illinois, and it can be really good. Just ask Mr. Obama.

[Canuck Bob]

This is a tough question. I almost sold everything when diagnosed with cancer. In the end I'm glad I didn't. It did teach me some hard lessons about living life one way and realizing other choices were more appropriate.

But I have a lot of stuff I've bought that seemed like a grand idea in guns and tools once. I'm getting rid of clutter and loading up the kids saving accounts a few bucks at a time. My safe is a 7 rifle size and that is my limit. A gun doesn't appear unless one leaves. Sure keeps the choices sharp. Changes in my health mean I'll never hunt moose again so why not move on the 444 and get a real nice 22 for my young girls. Or sell it and invest the money in a RCBS furnace, can't justify one as an outright purchase. I have dies, mount bases, and sights for guns I haven't owned for 25 years.

Your thoughts seem valid and based in reality. Your motivation might be based in frustration and a cooler approach may be in order. I suggest take a deep breath, count ten weeks, and start posting in the classifieds. One more quick question, where you getting these perfect out of box rifles I though they came from custom smiths.

I meant that in jest but why not drop a few mediocre rifles and fund a nice build. Is there any of us who doesn't have the perfect rifle built in our imagination a hundred times. You guys dream of a lefty 303 LE No5 Mk1 tribute build based on a Ruger action, Lee Enfield bottom metal, and a Douglas cut rifle barrel don't you?

[Teek]

If your post is from an "escape/bug-out perspective, only the ones you really need for defense/harvesting game/food count. IOW, what guns and ammo can you reasonably expect to take with you? Extreme minimally is a long arm, side arm and a good knife...choice be your own. your own choice of caliber. My personal selections would be .38/.357 revolver/lever-action rifle (loaded correctly, from rabbit to whitetail deer.). 30-30 or more appropriately, .308 cal.
Possibly everything else on the North American Continent.

Teek

[J Miller]

might as well keep them since you're never going to leave Illinois.

<snip>

You could have said anything but that. That is not what I need to hear.

J e

[C. Cash]

Just keep fighting Joe....never give up hope for a better day/situation. I am doing the same, everyday. Made the first cut on a job in Coeur D'Alene, ID, and waiting anxiously for an interview date. I'll keep you in prayer and please do the same for yours truly. Better days are coming, if we keep making positive steps.

[Pitchy]

As ya know we had to sell enough stuff to get away for a while, sold my grader, doozer and a bunch of other things.
Hauled 20,000 lbs of scrap metal to the recycle place too.
We bought a motor home so we could leave without having to let people know where we were.
But here we are still here and by the way the world is going it might be the best place to be if bad times.
We just have a couple good friends and keep the gate shut and few have our phone number.
A lot of this is a mind game that we play, things could be a lot worse and places that used to be nice might not be so great anymore.
God has a plan and we`re where we are for a reason, your probably needed where your at for a time bro.
Keep the faith things will change for the better soon .

[FatJackDurham]

I am dreaming of escaping. My wife and I are amicably looking at a divorce. When that happens, I'm selling the house, quitting the job, buying the cheapest travel camper I can afford and heading out.

Is it still a mid life crisis if you are planning it out?

[Pitchy]

I am dreaming of escaping. My wife and I are amicably looking at a divorce. When that happens, I'm selling the house, quitting the job, buying the cheapest travel camper I can afford and heading out.

Is it still a mid life crisis if you are planning it out?

Our prayers are with you and your wife, hope ya can stay together.
As far as traveling full time be sure that`s what ya want and plan it out, we spent seven months on the road with a Class A motorhome and could of used more room.
Every day you have to find a place to park the camper and it costs money, plus gas and food.
I used to think traveling would be the cats meow but now i`m not thinking that would be so great.
No more walking out the door on your own property , very few places to shoot or carry your guns.
Just some thoughts bro, i don`t know your situation.

[86er]

If my family's health and sanity were at risk by remaining in an unfavorable location, and a few guns might add enough cash to make a move a reality the guns would be gone. I think I'd hold on to one that could be used for defense and game getting. If I never got another gun but my family was finally safe, happy and healthy I wouldn't care. The longer a bad situation lingers the greater the effect and the greater the risk of not being able to overcome it (as it was put here, "escape").

Reading between the lines, your reluctance to do whatever/anything legal to make that move happen indicates you either are not prepared to actually do it, are not serious (yet) or know in the back of your mind that no measure of overt acts will come to fruition, it is just not a reality. I'm not being critical, I'm applying analyzation learned in study from a Masters with a minor in criminology and personnel risk assessment skills from the Coast Guard. While these factors are only indicators and are not 100%, nor do they stand alone without the whole picture, your expression and thought process regarding this matter over the years you have posted them here reveals many indicators that point towards a conclusion. Maybe you need to re-assess yourself and your situation wholly and create a plan that includes liquidation of anything that is replacable (whether it will ever actually be replaced or not) with few exceptions. From the little information you provide, it does not appear you are significantly closer to achieving this goal after all these years of talking about it with the best of intentions. Don't take this the wrong way please, it is not meant to be mean but may be helpful if not motivational.

[Nath]

Best wishes for Joe, a stella man, a constant on this board, the unofficial moderator even.

Joe, me and my wife would love to flee to Scotland but funds kinda stop us etc.

I too sometimes find my modest gun collection a burden, especially with big brother poking his nose into everything assosiated. Rifle shooting for me has changed over the past few years. The other day I had a 200yd+ shot show up and I just went through the motions and never did try. I am finding I want to be closer and closer which is almost making a rifle pointless. It's a parradox of conflicts that sometimes to be honest makes the whole experience miserable. Thats why I use a ML smoothrifle sometimes, air pistol and bow, their limitations somehow make it reassuring! Does that make sense?

Maybe part of me just wishes to go off the radar so to speak. Britain is to constricted with "lores" that thwart lateral thinking and condemes one as irresponsible if you think for yourself.

God bless ya' Joe.

Spring is coming.

Nath.

[Nath]

Ooops, double post.

N.

[FatJackDurham]

Thanks. Good food for though.

I am dreaming of escaping. My wife and I are amicably looking at a divorce. When that happens, I'm selling the house, quitting the job, buying the cheapest travel camper I can afford and heading out.

Is it still a mid life crisis if you are planning it out?

Our prayers are with you and your wife, hope ya can stay together.
As far as traveling full time be sure that`s what ya want and plan it out, we spent seven months on the road with a Class A motorhome and could of used more room.
Every day you have to find a place to park the camper and it costs money, plus gas and food.
I used to think traveling would be the cats meow but now i`m not thinking that would be so great.
No more walking out the door on your own property , very few places to shoot or carry your guns.
Just some thoughts bro, i don`t know your situation.

[barbarossa]

A couple of years ago I started to give thought about what my retirement would mean to me and started to reorganize my gun collection towards that goal.I bought 45 acres of land and a new yamaha grizzly and plan on spending a lot of time up there when I retire so I started selling off guns I liked owning but either were n t practical for one reason or another and simply didn t use much, and started buying good (quality) practical hunting guns(well practical as I see it).Now that said I ll always have just pure fun guns like plinkers and such but I wanted a nice collection guns meant for a purpose and decided to do it now since once I retired there would n t be a lot of money for buying the guns I wanted.Now when retirement comes I ll have my collection where I want it and won t have to use any retirement money to get it there.

[J Miller]

86er,

There are a lot of details I've not mentioned over the years, but even without complete info, your assessment of the situation is spot on for the most part.

Joe

[3leggedturtle]

Hey Joe what you got to sell?? I have a few greens burning thru my pockets and coukld be there Wedsnday evening. Sitting Atlanta and wont get loaded till tomorrow. Todd PS I still remember how to find your place. Dont know if I could my tractor/trailer in you driveway tho

[hfcable]

I think sometimes the 'essense' of a hobby or art or cuisine or whatever, is what remains after the 'gluttony' phase of collecting and trying for the more obvious 'best of' prizes has passed, and one becomes more contemplative, selective, and learns to appreciate the finer things, but reflected in his/her own taste and experiences, vs. the 'traditional' ones set by others.

I'm not there yet, though...

VERY well put......hope i get there before i croak.,,,and i do mean it.

[Dave]

Joe, everyone goes through times when they sell off guns they never use, guns that didn't turn out to be as great as the dream of them was, guns that you just don't like anymore. That doesn't seem to be what you are talking about. There is no sense in being owned by your guns. That Marlin bolt gun that you have never been satisfied with should be the first to go. You will never find joy in that gun after all the trouble with it.

Too many times I have gotten a call from a guy getting a divorce who is upset about having to sell his guns. When I ask them what they have they usually rattle off a list of average, current production guns. Seldom is there anything really impossible to replace. I tell them to just sell them and buy new guns after the divorce. It has been my experience they like the guns they buy afterwards better than the ones they sold.

You often talk about leaving Illinois and it is no secret that state is not a good place for a firearm enthusiast. I am not sure what holds you there but there must be something. If you sell your guns to raise funds to make a move that is fine. But if you sell your guns without an executable plan to move you may find selling them isn't helpful.

I hate to see you unhappy in Illinois and always dreaming about moving but not doing it. The dream of another location may be better than the reality of being somewhere else. Also, life is to short to be unhappy. Enjoying each day despite being in Illinois would be nice. You may look back at some point and think you could have been happier but just wouldn't let yourself. No place is magic and it would be bad to find moving doesn't make everything great.

I can not remember all the guns I have had over the years. It seems that even if you agonize over a gun before you sell it, soon you forget it. But selling guns isn't a magic recipe for happiness any more than a change of location is.

So sell off guns that aggravate you, don't shoot well enough to suit you, guns you don't like as much as you thought you would, guns you never use. When you move you can get whatever guns you need for the new area. But go ahead and be happy now.

[2ndovc]

If my family's health and sanity were at risk by remaining in an unfavorable location, and a few guns might add enough cash to make a move a reality the guns would be gone. I think I'd hold on to one that could be used for defense and game getting. If I never got another gun but my family was finally safe, happy and healthy I wouldn't care. The longer a bad situation lingers the greater the effect and the greater the risk of not being able to overcome it (as it was put here, "escape").

Reading between the lines, your reluctance to do whatever/anything legal to make that move happen indicates you either are not prepared to actually do it, are not serious (yet) or know in the back of your mind that no measure of overt acts will come to fruition, it is just not a reality. I'm not being critical, I'm applying analyzation learned in study from a Masters with a minor in criminology and personnel risk assessment skills from the Coast Guard. While these factors are only indicators and are not 100%, nor do they stand alone without the whole picture, your expression and thought process regarding this matter over the years you have posted them here reveals many indicators that point towards a conclusion. Maybe you need to re-assess yourself and your situation wholly and create a plan that includes liquidation of anything that is replacable (whether it will ever actually be replaced or not) with few exceptions. From the little information you provide, it does not appear you are significantly closer to achieving this goal after all these years of talking about it with the best of intentions. Don't take this the wrong way please, it is not meant to be mean but may be helpful if not motivational.

I'll add my degree in psychology....

Let go of the "stuff". Anything can be replaced. All it takes is patience.
I sold some real trophys building my new house including an 1895 Russian Musket. I had two and sold the nicer one because the
second had better provenance. I will Forever regret selling that rifle sice it is doubtfull that I'll be able to replace it( at least in that condition. It was near NIB as any Russian Musket I've ever seen).
However, my home got finished and my family is happy and content. If I happen upon another that I can afford that would be great but my family's happiness is much more important to me.

This could easily turn into one of those threads, "if you can only have one/ two, what would you keep?".
Granpa's 03 Sporter and Dad's 1911A1. The rest can, lamentably, go.




I'll add some more thoughts here.

Just imagine how liberating it would feel if you didn't have to worry about all that "stuff" you've accumlated but you haven't seen in years.
Remaining somewhere that's making you miserable just for mere possesions is just not logical to me.


jason

[J Miller]

Hey Joe what you got to sell?? I have a few greens burning thru my pockets and coukld be there Wedsnday evening. Sitting Atlanta and wont get loaded till tomorrow. Todd PS I still remember how to find your place. Dont know if I could my tractor/trailer in you driveway tho

Well, you could sneek it in the lot next to us for a while. Ha ha, the neighbors would think we were moving......

Email me and I'll try to put together a list of some of the things I have I can part with.

Joe

[deafrn]

There is no sense in being owned by your guns.

Or anything else.

I've been wrapped up in different hobbies that often ended up being negatives for me in one way or another, even though I was still growing in them at the time (or at least was doing so by external standards). A different perspective on hobbies and interests started the day I watched my only kid walk down the airport concourse and off to his first Iraq deployment. People who are middling acquaintances still think I have a lot of guns, but the truth is that I've traded away or sold most of them. Out of scores of firearms cut loose over the last 30 years, the only things I no longer have and still pine for are my first new .22 rifle (a Nylon 77 whose stock separated down the bottom center seam and which I foolishly threw away thinking it could not be fixed), a late-Connecticut production High Standard Sharpshooter, a late-80s Beeman R7 air rifle, and a CZ P.27 that I eventually returned to the uncle who had brought it back from Germany in 1945. That is a pretty mundane and relatively low-buck list, but those four items meant more to me than than their inherent utility value. As much as I'd like them back, they are gone and I seem to have managed without them.

The rest of them - rolling blocks, Sharps rifles, muzzleloaders, various nice but unlamented .22s and all but one of the shotguns - were just THINGS, as are houses (which trap a lot of people ) and cars and basically everything but the wife and the cat. (I suspect the cat thinks the wife and I are also just THINGS too, albeit quite useful things.) When the time comes when the missus can be gotten off of TDC and is finally willing to relocate, I'm hoping the winnowing of the THINGS process is already complete.

BTW, whenever we'd drive from Iowa to visit the lad at Ft. Campbell, we would comment on how nice most of Illinois would be if it weren't for that large and malignant excrescence on Lake Michigan; it ain't fair, but it is what it is.

[Lastmohecken]

Well, Things change, as we go through life, and often the guns we used to use often or need to use can also change. I have bought and sold a lot of guns over the years, but I always kept back the ones that I really liked.

I don't mind selling cheap or very common guns that are easy to find again if I should ever want one, but most of the ones I own now, are not made anymore and many would be hard to just go and replace.

My advice would be to hang on to the ones that really matter, and then take an inventory and see if you really have anything left that you want to sell, and is it enough money to matter.

Sometime, I buy a gun that just doesn't fit me, or my style of hunting or shooting, and after a while I sell it, because it does not enrich my life that much to keep it. That is the litmus test.

I just sold a Browning 625 Field over and under, that I purchased new last year. Nothing at all wrong with it, but it was expensive and I felt like I would enjoy putting my money in something else that I would enjoy more. Since it was an expensive gun, my potential reward was much greater then if it was only a Hundred dollar gun, so in this case I was not getting my money's worth just letting it sit around, when the money could be invested in another gun I would enjoy more, like a fine side by side.

I do figure that I will sell most of my guns in time, when I reach an age or health condition that keeps me from using them, because unless you do want to pass them on to others, why leave a bunch of stuff for other people to fight over, or have to dispose of, usually people that have little appreciation for the material things you loved.

[rjohns94]

Heck I've bought and sold more firearms than many shops. They are just things. When funds were needed for anything, I quickly sold firearms I hope u can make the swap. I really liked what 86er and hcable said.

[cowboykell]

Same old song, different verse.