Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors What would you do?

I"m in my mid 70's, have a modest collection of Savage rifles. I have what I feel are some very nice models and calibers. My problem is my kids ages 40-50 have no interest in them and would sell them for 50 cents on the dollar. I have many I haven't shot in years and probably won't. None of my friends are into Savages so I won't give any to them. I have a range in the back yard and shoot one or two occasionally, always the same ones. I get no satisfaction shooting alone and do it for the skill to shoot a deer, this year I shot a doe at a lazored 420 yards with a 308 DL- one shot. My question is should I sell them- I don't need the money- or let my kids get rid of them when I go to the big shooting range in the sky. I would like them to go to someone who would appreciate them for what they are and not to turn them over for a quick buck. The other option and I like it is to fire up the JD with the post hole digger, buy some schedule 80 plastic pipe, and vacuum seal bags and plant them 6 feet down and give someone a surprise when they develop my property. Thoughts?

Mike

If your kids have no interest in them then they are going to appreciate a bag of money in lieu of a safe full of rifles that they have no idea of their value or how or where to dispose of them.

Sell them. You can't take them with you and your heirs will thank you.

Been dealing with my wife's family trying to work through probate and dispose of her mother's small estate. Your will controls what happens.. you can specify that they be split among the kids and let them worry about it, specify an auction house that everything goes to for sale, could even require your executor to notify the savage 99 facebook group or the campfire about the auction. That's actually a good idea.. about to redo my will, think I'll put that in.

Depending on your state, the probate court may require your collection be appraised. Mine would. Another thing an auction house might be able to help with.

If you want to maximize the $$ from the guns to pass on to the kids or wife and to reduce the headache of getting rid of them.. best to sell them yourself ahead of time.

Tough choices. Just figure in what you want as the primary part of the equation.

Sell them yourself and enjoy the money as you wish. Don't worry about the kids. Mine are in their 40's, I spent a zillion dollars on their education, they are doing very well. Not my problem anymore. I am not worried about leaving any money for them. It will happen just as a matter of course but they have assured me that they are not expecting me to do that. Just enjoy life. You reach a point in life where raising the children is finished. Happened pretty early in my life and I turned out fine. They will too.

Post them here!
....talk about appreciate them for what they are.

I deal with this a lot as a gun seller. I feel its better for you to deal with them. Too often I work with family that don't know what they are doing , what they are worth and they are frustrated by dealing with this. You can bring joy to other collectors, make some contacts and maybe some friends and when your kids take over the estate they will appreciate not having to deal with the guns, ammo, reloading and accouterments. Unfortunately, the family gets pennies from gun sellers that take advantage. I treat everyone like I would want someone to treat my wife when I'm gone, thats kinda rare. Just my two cents. Last year I bought 3/4 of a million dollars in estate guns for the shop I work with. A lot of families.

I am in exactly the same boat. EXACTLY................ All of my guns are catalogued with pictures, location in which safe exactly what I paid and all other information that goes with that particular firearm. I have no intention of selling at this point. If I die first my wife will either dispose of them or have someone else handle the process. Each purchase price will have an increase of 25% and that will be that. The way things are going today, that would be a bargain. I am still in buying mode.

Sell em .....if the family doesnt appreciate them and are willing to sell for 50 cents to the dollar ,,,,Then they wont or dont need the money from them either ......Sell to someone that appreciates them ,for what they are and donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice

50 cents on the dollar if one is lucky.

There is satisfaction in puting them where you think they belong.
Another thought is a museum does cody need any savages?

If you don’t need the money and your kids don’t care then I say keep them until your dying day. You can’t take it with you also applies to money so if they are bringing some pleasure into your life then why deprive yourself of that?! If your kids are inclined to sell them for pennies on the dollar then obviously they don’t need the money too. Keep the guns and take value in the pleasure they bring you. And one day, when we are all gone, neither guns, money nor worry will mean a thing.

I'm keeping most of mine because they bring me pleasure in owning them. Therefor only a few are for sale. This is a choice that an individual has make depending on the way they feel about the object whatever it is. The curator at Cody told me they would give me a very high appraisal for donating my rifles. The value they put on them would be a tax write off. I would rather have the guns.

That wasn't my answer, but your point is well stated and has merit.

It boils down to a personal choice.

My collection of 99's is meager and what would be leftovers to most here. But still worthy enough that i have a guy that wants the whole kit and kaboodle when i die. He has already agreed in writing to the price of each by serial number. If i sell earlier thats just one he dosent pay the wife for. I will already have spent the money on something else😁 so far i have sold one 99 ever😃

The problem of giving stuff to museums and universities is that most of them don't really care for firearms. The general tone that I've heard is something like "You have more than you need, so give some of it to us and when we have control of it, we'll sell some, maybe most, of it to fund things that we really want.".

Sell them all and buy the next Monarch that comes up for sale and take it hunting.

I like it

Best answer yet!

I see you're in SW Pa. Why don't you bring them to the Pa. Rendezvous this summer. Spend a three day weekend shooting, eating , drinking (after the guns are put away) and BSing with like minded enthusiasts, and sell them to members of The 99 Club who would be more than happy and appreciative of the opportunity to rehome some of your treasures as their own.

I heard there's a fine target range in heaven that goes out to 1000 yards, so I plan on taking them all with me. Wouldn't want to show up there and have to borrow a rifle from St. Peter you know. I hear there's an even better range in hell that goes out to 2000 yards but the trouble is you can't bring your own guns and must shoot the .50 BMG Barrett's they issue, with no recoil absorption devices, and no ear protection, all day every day for eternity.

What, me worry?

Seriously though, I hope to heck I will see my end coming and have time to sell or give away my treasures. If not and I go under a bus, I'll take care to will all my Savage stuff to you guys and y'all can fight over them (or walk away in disgust)! With no kids and a family full of "I don't care much about guns" people it's a quandary I've often thought of. Easiest route would be to sell out lock-stock-and-barrel now and take the money and blow it on cognac and hookers in Paris.