Let's hear it from the long-time gun owners!

[alan]

With our community growing every day, I’d love to collect some of the shared experiences we have.

For our seasoned owners and collectors, what advice would you offer your younger self when you first began this journey? Share your insights on storage methods, reliable sites, auctions, or anything else you wish you had known sooner.

 

[HooDoo Man]

If you are NOT a senior citizen. If you have second thoughts about selling any guns. Even to upgrade to a better/more expensive one. DON'T. You will regret it later. How do I know? I miss my 4" nickel plated 70's S&W mod. 19 the most. And a whole bunch of others.

 

[RNFURTON]

The only thing worse than "impulse buying" is "impulse selling" when it comes to firearms - especially in this state, as laws change.
Sold several in the past that are total regrets - never again. If I bought it now, I'll like it later too.

 

[Eastenerwesterner]

Having owned some for 40+ years, I learned what happens to the old paper 4473.

Gun shops have to keep them for 20yrs, then destroy
Shops that close have to send to ATF Repository in WV. That warehouse had a floor collapse and many records were lost. I am sure they are being digitized.

After entering the digital age, you know the digital records are saved. As well as the state records. Anything I buy now, I consider a throw away in case the US goes Australia. But I buy them to feed older guns.

 

[Havasu]

Yep, Never, and I mean NEVER, sell or trade away any gun which you own. You will live with this regret for the rest of your years on this planet.

 

[HooDoo Man]

Nothing gets destroyed in this state. Except your freedom, rights and $$$

 

[Javbike]

I don’t get into a habit of selling any of my guns I traded for guns cause I wanted another gun . But for anyone starting really research before buying . Right now I have every single gun I could ever want I am set . Next year January I set up classes to take to get better for now ammo ammo ammo

 

[alan]

If you are NOT a senior citizen. If you have second thoughts about selling any guns. Even to upgrade to a better/more expensive one. DON'T. You will regret it later. How do I know? I miss my 4" nickel plated 70's S&W mod. 19 the most. And a whole bunch of others.

I really think a hundred of times before selling anything I might regret later, even if it seems like a sensible trade in the moment. It’s often not just about the gun’s specifications or its worth, it’s the memories. Your advice really resonates, and I think any collector or shooter would do well to keep it in mind.

 

[Javbike]

Yep, Never, and I mean NEVER, sell or trade away any gun which you own. You will live with this regret for the rest of your years on this planet.

I totally agree I did once never regret because I got a ppks out of that trade lost a HK but to it well worth it thst ppks is German made and a thing of beauty

 

[alan]

The only thing worse than "impulse buying" is "impulse selling" when it comes to firearms - especially in this state, as laws change.
Sold several in the past that are total regrets - never again. If I bought it now, I'll like it later too.

Great point. We hear a lot about impulse buying, but impulse selling can actually be even more detrimental especially given how quickly laws and availability can shift. What seems easy to replace today might turn into a real headache or even be impossible down the line. I know many people who come to that realization a bit too late. I really appreciate that last line you brought up. If it was worth buying in the first place, it’s likely going to be worth holding onto in the future. That kind of thinking probably helps avoid a lot of regret, and it’s exactly the kind of hard-won wisdom that newcomers can really learn from.

 

[Saudade]

Well, in the end, if you don't see/feel there's value in retaining it, then, IMO, there's nothing wrong with selling it.

I have some firearms I would never willingly sell. I have others I would not regret selling/trading. In fact, I sold a 5" PPQ M2 and VP9 a few years ago and still have no regrets selling them. As far as the PPQ, I have another one so it's not missed. For the VP9, it didn't really fill a need not already covered by other handguns. I didn't buy it solely on impulse but was a bit constrained by availability near the end of SSE back in 2014. So the real value in it ending being the cash I could get for it.

In the end, that worked out even better as the PDP and VP9 are now on roster for far less than I sold. However, I'm not interested in getting either one at this time.

 

[NorCal Flyer]

In 50 years of buying, I have only sold two junk guns to what was called the "Buyback" program, as they were truly worthless. One was a junk Jennings .22 semi-automatic that never fed properly and I got more for it then what I paid. The second was given to me, it was a Brazilian CDC .22 (Nylon 66) rifle that was never cleaned and neither fed or ejected properly. Buyback $$ was better than trying to restore or sell it.

On the other end, I've had buddies sell me guns they no longer wanted, and later wanted to buy them back, thus, they were the one's with regrets.