[sailinghudson25]

How do yo guys justify thinning out the firearms stuff? Like eliminating calibers and what not. It's easy to buy, not so easy to sell.

MY recent thoughs have been to sell my rifled slug barrel on my 870 remington 20 gauge. I have plenty of cetnerfire options for hunting. In shotgun only areas, I will use a inline muzzleloader.

 

[CaptainFuzzy]

I can't really justify 'thinning out' my firearms stuff. No way! :


. . for two reasons primarily:

1) If the worse happens I'll need them.
2) In the event the worse happened, I have no idea what ammo I will come across to replenish my supply.


. . it would really stink to come across 10,000 rounds of .270 but only have a 30-30.

 

[Highlander]

Been considering the same lately. I have sold gear in yardsales and on craigslist with good results. In our last yardsale I sold a large yellow frame back pack, LBE, a Vietnam era steel pot, some power tools and a huge boiling pot (boiled an 8 pound lobster in that one!). My wife sold a bunch of clothes and some old shoes.

If you really want your surplus gone but do not want to just give it away, mark your price down or leave it unpriced and someone will make you an offer. We made $1600 at our last sale.

I tend to keep surplus fishing tackle though. I just stick it in a gallon size ziplock and put itnin a bucket.

 

[PaulAllen]

If you were really set on selling any of your firearms I would sell the less common caliber ones. That way you know that you'll always be able to find ammo for the ones you have. Now is the time of year to sell your 870 and get a good price on it. Turkey season is just around the corner.

 

[mrtoren]

I would definitely stick to the more popular calibers. My personal bias also leans toward the military calibers. 5.45x39, 7.62x39, 5.56x45 (.223), 7.62x51 (.308), 30-06, 9mm, 45ACP. In a rush on ammo, this could be a double-edged sword though. Those are generally the first calibers to go because they are so popular.

If you can't decide by caliber, decide by quality. If you have two bolt guns and one needs to go, toss the Stevens over the Remington. If you have an AR and an AK..toss the AR. Just kidding!

 

[trouble]

I've been doing just that for the last couplee of years, I had all kinds of stuff that were just safe queens. Old S&W's that I'd never shoot, some milsurp stuff that I only had a couple of hundred rds for, etc. I began selling to consolidate my calibers and I have been sucessful, I've since expanded my collection but stay within the confines of my caliber list.

 

[Nimmer]

No thinning the firearm herd for me.That is just not a option.

 

[GramercyRiff]

If you're selling for financial reasons, that's one thing. If you don't need to sell them, keep them. I regret no longer having each and every firearm that I sold over the years. I've replaced some of them at significantly higher prices than I paid for the original. More times than not, you will develop a new found need for something you no longer have. It's cheaper to keep her.

 

[mgk]

Consider this if you don't need the cash. They will make excellent barder items. Or when the crash comes they are good to pass out to family and friends!

 

[FarmerJohn]

I have not thinned my number of guns but have thinned down the calibers i have
and done a few 1 for 1 swaps so now im chilling a goodly number of guns and ammo
in only 7 calibers not including my muzle loaders
its a work in progress but this is my spread sheet my strategic reserve is still a work in progress
Ammunition type,,,,Target number,,,,,number have,,,,,, number to get

.22lr,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,40,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,27,200,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,2,800
7.62x54R,,,,,,,,,,,,11,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,11,440,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,0
30-06,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,3,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,2450,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,450 .223,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,5,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,4000
12 Ga 00buck,,,,,500,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,150,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,350
12Ga slug,,,,,,,,,,500,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,80,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,420
12Ga BB,,,,,,,,,,,,1,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,600,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,400
12Ga #6 shot,,,,,1,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,500,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,500
40 S&w,,,,,,,,,,,,,1,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,800,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,200
30-30,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,580,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,420
Total:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,64,000,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,44800,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,19640

 

[Jida]

Moving to a symetrical armory has been the goal of every soldier throughout history.

You need options and you need to be able to cover your survival as well as those under your care.

 

[Cryptophylaxis]

No thinning...

Caching.


Get your extra and oddball firearms and put them into PVC tubing. Seal em up and bury them. When you need them it'll be like Christmas morning

 

[labotomi]

No gun left behind!!!

 

[MikeK]

I wish I could thin the herd a bit, but I just can't part with any of my collection. Besides, having a bunch of guns that shoot oddball cartridges means you might come up with some ammo cheap during a crisis. I mean what's the bargaining power of something like 7mm-08 going to be, or 25-06, compared to the more popular cartridges? I can think of a bunch of excuses to convince myself not to sell anything! :

Ya never know, someone might offer me a bunch of 9mm Flobert rimfire for cheap! Right now it's expensive and being rimfire, I can't reload it.

 

[hawkbern]

I only add, not subtract.

 

[SgtBooker44]

I've thought about it too. If I left the house, I couldn't carry them all, and the support gear. Leaving them, without disabeling them might leave them to be used against me it I came back. Hmmmm

 

[Hick Industries]

I have justified it to my self twice. I was Wrong. Never, never, never sell a gun that works.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Personally, I think the "thinning" concept has some merit, for a couple reasons. After the last Presidential election and the resulting Assault Weapon Panic, I wasn't standing in line trying to BUY, I was selling extra toys. One example, I let my Yugo underfolder that cost me $429, go for $850:.
I'm in the minority here in believing that they will one day make us all felons for the toys we own legally now. That being the case, I used the Gun Panic to liquidate some of my toys that had the most collector value ( my old Colt SP1 carbine,etc.)
While I think everyone should have an AK (or three, I feel that at some point it may be a liability to own six.
While I'm still hardly under-armed, I felt it was prudent to let some toys go, (not just guns, but bikes, guitars,etc.) and put that money towards gold & silver, a Honda generator, Country Living Grain Mill,Big Berkey water filter,more bulk food in mylar, etc.
YMMV.

 

[hawkbern]

I've thought about it too. If I left the house, I couldn't carry them all, and the support gear. Leaving them, without disabeling them might leave them to be used against me it I came back. Hmmmm

I understand what you are saying, but if you think about it, anything you sell could be used against you in the future as well. Unless you go 'scorched earth' and melted every gun you no longer wanted, you may be looking down the barrel of any of them in the future.

An alternative would be to take anything you don't plan on using for a loooong time and sticking it in the ground, for your future use if needed.

 

[Vergeltung]

I built slowly, and stayed in 3 calibers (12 gauge, 7.62x39, and 8mm). I have nothing extra. I wish I did!