Down Sizing the shotgun collection as we age

[struff55]

I have been struggling with this for the last few years I’m now 67
My passion for shotgunning and shoguns started at a very young age likely10 ish growing up on a farm in central Saskatchewan upland hunting and waterfowl hunting was literally out my front door I would shoot ducks as they flew over our farm yard . Then at the age of 16-17 I discovered trap and skeet and enjoyed that sport on a semi serious basis for 25 plus years and the on a recreational basis . My love for bird game hunting never stopped I spent every free moment hunting upland birds and waterfowl through all those years and still have the passion for bird hunting. As though years past I owned many shotguns to many model 12’s to count all gauges and configurations they were msinly my go to field gun with a few o/u’s in the mix also some semi autos there was always something to try .
Now a my age I still have the passion the body is slower the eye sight not as sharp but I still manage to get a few birds .
I have sold off many shotguns in the last 3-4 years which brings me to the point of this long winded note .
These are the pieces I choose to keep for the last days of hunting
Benelli Ethos 12 ga 26” bbl
Browning Superposed 12 ga pigeon grade 28” bbl F&M
Parker VHS 12ga 30” Extra full Extra full kills geese ot to 50 plus yards loaded with role your bismuth
Winchester model 12 16ga 26” bbl mod choke solid rib
Browning Superposed lightning 20ga 28” bbl F&M
For my final years of hunting and maybe around or two of sporting clay I figured these would fit the bill plus they are all my faves . Hopefully I will granted reasonably good health to burn up a few pounds of powder and get to enjoy nature for awhile longer . Just saying

 

[canvasback]

Not so thrilled with the Parker but the M12 and the Superposed 20 are stellar choices.

 

[lpel]

Well not so much a struggle with shotguns but in firearms in general. Being of the same age struff my lovely bride has reminded me she does not want to be left dealing with a mess. I do have files/notes on all of the “stuff” I’ve managed to accumulate over the years. However I’m not ready to downsize yet! Figure I’ve got one or two more years left in me. But I do see her point. I have no kids that are interested in my “stuff” to complicate matters or not!

 

[struff55]

Not so thrilled with the Parker but the M12 and the Superposed 20 are stellar choices.

The deal with the Parker is I shoot it very well that’s why it it is the mix

 

[struff55]

Well not so much a struggle with shotguns but in firearms in general. Being of the same age struff my lovely bride has reminded me she does not want to be left dealing with a mess. I do have files/notes on all of the “stuff” I’ve managed to accumulate over the years. However I’m not ready to downsize yet! Figure I’ve got one or two more years left in me. But I do see her point. I have no kids that are interested in my “stuff” to complicate matters or not!

I hear you in the last 5-6 years I have helped a couple of friends wives deal with the dispersal of firearms and related stuff even from the outside looking in it was not fun

 

[gunsaholic]

I am at the same age and wonder the same thing, should I start downsizing. So far the answer has been no. Oh, I have sold a few but nothing that makes a dent in my collection because I keep replacing them, lol. But the day is approaching faster than I want to admit that it is time to reduce the collection. And if something happens unexpectedly, I have told my wife to contact the local auction house!

 

[canvasback]

Brian, I’m just a couple years behind you and Struff but I am in no way ready to start downsizing. Lol. Still hard on the acquisition trail. In fact I’ve got two in my sights right now.

I think it helps that I’m not married. If I was to drop dead to tomorrow, I don’t really care much what happens to my stuff. My son will get as much as he wants and just for fun I may will the rest of my gun stuff to my ex. A headache would be good for her. Hahaha.

 

[reddog]

Are we all drinking the same cool aid, lol I have sold 11 in the last 9 months but bought a few as well. Probably doing in a roundabout way the same thing. Downsizing but upgrading a bit in quality and usefullness.I am lucky that my 2 sons are big gamers and my daughter a duck killer so they will probably look after the remnants of what's left. The target specific will probably be sold off but I'm sure that whomever get's them will be happy. So we carry on until the yardstick has no more lines on it

 

[Ashcroft]

I’m with Reddog, sort of refining the choices, less guns total but more focussed on quality and specific features. At 82 I still shoot trap fairly regularly, sporting clays occasionally and skeet once or twice a year. I always have a quality Beretta over/under or two for the range although most of my Westley Richards family get exercised a time or two per year and they are my choice for hunting, although I’m more selective about hunting now. Yes, ability wanes and expectations as well as you age but I still love to challenge myself, I’m not THAT old!

 

[warzaw]

Struff at your age I was still hard at it moose deer birds you name it. You have got another 15 years left in you. I prefer to give my guns to young relatives that love to hunt and shoot just hate selling guns .

 

[brybenn]

I keep trying to reduce numbers and buy higher quality but it's hard when so many have such good memories. I have several friends I trust that will take care of my gear should I die as my wife knows nothing of what I have or it's worth. Some guns will be set aside and held for my kid the rest will be sold and the profits given set aside for her to buy what she wants

 

[sillymike]

I hear you in the last 5-6 years I have helped a couple of friends wives deal with the dispersal of firearms and related stuff even from the outside looking in it was not fun

+1
Been there, done that, don't want to be that guy...

This been said, while I've been slowly getting rid of stuff that isn't been used or was bought for no particular reason. I find myself spending the $ for nicer guns that have been on my wish list for a while... because, well, I've only got so many years of hunting left ...

 

[Falconflyer]

I’ve helped out 3 or 4 widows get rid of their husbands gun collections in the last 5 or 6 years and it never ceases to amaze me how often they get approached by a friend of the diseased husband offering to purchase one or more of his guns for pennies on the dollar. It makes one wonder how often these women get taken by a so-called friend when they don’t have some one knowledgeable to look after they’re best interest.
I’ve been on a bit of a selling spree lately but I’m replacing almost as fast with higher quality ( priced) firearms. Not ready to downsize yet although with the price of things these days it makes me wonder if I’m doing the right thing.

 

[Licensed to kill]

I guess I am the "spring chicken" in this thread (just turned 61) but I am ramping UP my gun numbers. Started my own business in 2005 so for several years, set all of my hobbies/passions aside to focus on the business. Am now to the point of scaling back the business a bit and getting back into the things that I used to do, shooting, vintage cars/hotrods/snowmobiling etc. The one thing that was a great passion before we started the business was black powder rendezvous but I don't see even getting back into that as the timing interferes with the business and I do not intend to ever retire unless forced by health or government over regulation. I have only sold a couple guns back in the '80's (4 I think) and do not intent to sell any others. I. fact, I am just getting back into shotgunning ("back" might not be the right word as I always liked it but never did a lot of it) My guns are like my old cars (I call them my CAR-rsp's), when I get old and need money to live on I will then slowly start to sell off some stuff.......maybe.

 

[struff55]

I guess I am the "spring chicken" in this thread (just turned 61) but I am ramping UP my gun numbers. Started my own business in 2005 so for several years, set all of my hobbies/passions aside to focus on the business. Am now to the point of scaling back the business a bit and getting back into the things that I used to do, shooting, vintage cars/hotrods/snowmobiling etc. The one thing that was a great passion before we started the business was black powder rendezvous but I don't see even getting back into that as the timing interferes with the business and I do not intend to ever retire unless forced by health or government over regulation. I have only sold a couple guns back in the '80's (4 I think) and do not intent to sell any others. I. fact, I am just getting back into shotgunning ("back" might not be the right word as I always liked it but never did a lot of it) My guns are like my old cars (I call them my CAR-rsp's), when I get old and need money to live on I will then slowly start to sell off some stuff.......maybe.

Yes I hear you I have enough toys 1966 Impala ss that needs to be driven a Lund 1660 ProV that needs to chase walleye camera’s that need to be used and even some very nice vintage guitars that need to be played . As I stated before no shortage of nice toys it’s the time factor that we are getting short on

 

[brybenn]

The time factor is huge. I find as I get older the more I enjoy sitting on my back deck in the company of my dog sipping a top shelf whisky and smoking a fine cigar while meat rotates on my rotisserie while thinking about guns. Time well wasted

 

[warzaw]

You can't change yesterday and tomorrow may never come. Live today to the fullest and make the most of the present what ever that may be . Live in the past and worrying about the future means life is sure to pass you by.

 

[the spank]

My wife asked me to just make a list of what was to be left to whom and she'd make sure it went to them. She doesn't consider it a headache. She said to me "a persons wishes are very important and should be carried out to the letter". She continued saying "I've never understood those people who ignore a loved ones final wishes for their belongings and just do as they please with it".
With the exception of a couple guns I'll just leave them all to her to do with as she sees fit. She loves to hunt and shoot and has three sons that do as well. I have no kids of my own and my sisters kids don't hunt or own firearms.
I downsized already and did a bit of swapping primary guns in use. Mostly pumps and o/u's for semi's as after losing a large amount of weight recoil has become a nasty thing I'd rather not deal with. I lost interest in cars years ago so I sold the ones I had that were summer runners and stored in winter and have just driven a pick up truck instead all these years later. Cars, motorcycles etc, just do not peak my interest any longer but I have a boat, a Tracker Targa V18WT as I love fishing but after moving to the prairies I sold my mod v duck boats as I no longer hunt water. I'm a field hunter and my decoys half fill a 10x14 barn style shed and thats after selling hundreds of them to downsize my spread.
I'll continue to hunt and fish as long as I can, at 59 I'm hoping I'll get another 20 years in, a bit ambitious maybe but one can try!

 

[struff55]

The time factor is huge. I find as I get older the more I enjoy sitting on my back deck in the company of my dog sipping a top shelf whisky and smoking a fine cigar while meat rotates on my rotisserie while thinking about guns. Time well wasted

Yes indeed that is a huge part of it !!!

 

[reddog]

You can't change yesterday and tomorrow may never come. Live today to the fullest and make the most of the present what ever that may be . Live in the past and worrying about the future means life is sure to pass you by.

Touche"...