Hellbilly5000
New member
It might be worth the effort to look into the possibility of a gun show or gun store in Nevada so you don't have to deal with any of the absurdly annoying laws in Cali
How to safely and legally sell (legally) unregistered guns?
- Thread starter Ruffian
- Start date
Okay, I gave my mom a call about a half hour ago. Thankfully, she hasn't done anything with the guns yet. Some things I've learned:
OldGrump, Dad did belong to a gun club, but it closed years ago. Our next door neighbor (who is also a hunting buddy) does not know of any gun clubs nearby. These last 10 years or so, Dad's health deteriorated to where he was not able to hunt anymore or participate in the gun clubs.
My nephew took the gun he wanted--which was actually just a BB/pellet pistol (sure looked like the real thing to me! yikes). My husband, who grew close to my father in those later years, sounds like he was more or less adopted by my dad (who so wanted a son, poor guy!). Apparently there's an old 22 that wasn't really worth much, but it had been Dad's dad's, and it was my father's first gun. He wanted my hubby to have it, so we'll take it though we're not really gun people. It's currently disassembled, anyway; my hubby helped Dad take it apart, clean it, and oil it recently.
All of the guns are unloaded.
Mom is game for taking the guns to a dealer; she doesn't want to do anything where she handles the selling of the guns directly.
The Weatherby is a custom--I think it might be the one that was customized left-handed for my southpaw Dad--and it has a gorgeous leather case.
She said that next time hubby and I are out there, we can get in the safe, take pictures, and write down all the serial numbers and such to identify the gun types.
Freakshow, Simi Valley is a good potential link...it's pretty close to her. Once we have more info on what the guns are, we just might be taking the guns there. 20% isn't too bad; when I had some saddles on consignment, it was something like 30-40% (!!). That's when I decided Ebay was a better option for selling the saddles...but notsomuch an option for us here.
Can the ammo be taken to the gun dealer, too?
Thank you everyone, again. Your information has been invaluable. I'll keep you posted--it'll be about a week or so before we get out to my mom's again, but once we have more detail on the guns, I'll be back. Thank you, again!
OldGrump, Dad did belong to a gun club, but it closed years ago. Our next door neighbor (who is also a hunting buddy) does not know of any gun clubs nearby. These last 10 years or so, Dad's health deteriorated to where he was not able to hunt anymore or participate in the gun clubs.
My nephew took the gun he wanted--which was actually just a BB/pellet pistol (sure looked like the real thing to me! yikes). My husband, who grew close to my father in those later years, sounds like he was more or less adopted by my dad (who so wanted a son, poor guy!). Apparently there's an old 22 that wasn't really worth much, but it had been Dad's dad's, and it was my father's first gun. He wanted my hubby to have it, so we'll take it though we're not really gun people. It's currently disassembled, anyway; my hubby helped Dad take it apart, clean it, and oil it recently.
All of the guns are unloaded.
Mom is game for taking the guns to a dealer; she doesn't want to do anything where she handles the selling of the guns directly.
The Weatherby is a custom--I think it might be the one that was customized left-handed for my southpaw Dad--and it has a gorgeous leather case.
She said that next time hubby and I are out there, we can get in the safe, take pictures, and write down all the serial numbers and such to identify the gun types.
Freakshow, Simi Valley is a good potential link...it's pretty close to her. Once we have more info on what the guns are, we just might be taking the guns there. 20% isn't too bad; when I had some saddles on consignment, it was something like 30-40% (!!). That's when I decided Ebay was a better option for selling the saddles...but notsomuch an option for us here.
Can the ammo be taken to the gun dealer, too?
Thank you everyone, again. Your information has been invaluable. I'll keep you posted--it'll be about a week or so before we get out to my mom's again, but once we have more detail on the guns, I'll be back. Thank you, again!
Don't think too many shops would buy old ammo. Depending on how much of it there is, it can be an excellent "Thank you" gift if you draft a gun-wise friend into helping you out (maybe his old hunting buddy?).
Then again, ammo can be pretty darn expensive. If he has a large quantity of it (Hundreds or thousands of rounds) it can be worth some pretty serious cash. A lot of rifle rounds go for $1 a pop - couple boxes of 20 and you have something substantial.
I'm glad to hear you're keeping a few legacy pieces. Once they're gone, they're pretty much gone for good.
Then again, ammo can be pretty darn expensive. If he has a large quantity of it (Hundreds or thousands of rounds) it can be worth some pretty serious cash. A lot of rifle rounds go for $1 a pop - couple boxes of 20 and you have something substantial.
I'm glad to hear you're keeping a few legacy pieces. Once they're gone, they're pretty much gone for good.
The more "Homework" you can do on what you have, the better it is for you. One possibility is to find a good friend of your father's that you would trust and who shared this interest, who would be willing to assist you. Purchase a current issue of Blue-Book of gun values and know that this is only a guide. As mentioned, do your best to identify each and every firearm. Also, there are credible appraisers that will perform this process for a fee. Take your time as this is an investment your Father left you and wish he had left you some guidance. I am at the age that I have all my stuff documented to assist my wife in the future. She says she is going to keep it all and that's funny but not realistic. I want some jughead to enjoy the guns I have, in the future. "Jughead" Is that profiling?? 
However, I will be burried with one of my Winchesters. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Be Safe !!!
However, I will be burried with one of my Winchesters. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
Be Safe !!!
sell in CA
Hi Ruffian,
I am in SoCal.
If you are here I can steer you to a good gun shop or auctioneer to do the work for you.
Seperately I can possibly buy any 9mm pistols if you want to sell seperately.
Anyway I would be glad to help. Private Message or email me.
Good luck,
Max
Hi Ruffian,
I am in SoCal.
If you are here I can steer you to a good gun shop or auctioneer to do the work for you.
Seperately I can possibly buy any 9mm pistols if you want to sell seperately.
Anyway I would be glad to help. Private Message or email me.
Good luck,
Max
Ammo is indeed a different ballgame, but I do want to make one point known:
Weatherby rifles (for the most part!) are chambered in Weatherby calibers. That's ammo that hard to find and horribly expensive. No other guns (outside of customs) use them. So if there is Weatherby ammo in with all the ammo, you should at least separate that out and give the buyer of the rifle the option of buying that ammo.
Any guy with half a working head on his shoulders will want that particular Weatherby ammo, and very much so.
Now... was your Dad a reloader? If so, he's got a heap of tools and brass and components, all of which is also sought after. With that stuff, I could likely help quite a bit in pricing it and selling it would be no more difficult than an Ebay or Ebay-type auction. The powder and primers can't easily be shipped to buyers, but all the other goodies can be.
Weatherby rifles (for the most part!) are chambered in Weatherby calibers. That's ammo that hard to find and horribly expensive. No other guns (outside of customs) use them. So if there is Weatherby ammo in with all the ammo, you should at least separate that out and give the buyer of the rifle the option of buying that ammo.
Any guy with half a working head on his shoulders will want that particular Weatherby ammo, and very much so.
Now... was your Dad a reloader? If so, he's got a heap of tools and brass and components, all of which is also sought after. With that stuff, I could likely help quite a bit in pricing it and selling it would be no more difficult than an Ebay or Ebay-type auction. The powder and primers can't easily be shipped to buyers, but all the other goodies can be.
Sevens, good tip on the Weatherby ammo thing. Knowing Dad, there will be plenty of extras of everything.
As far as Dad being a reloader...I'm not sure what you mean, except it involved tools, which means, I can hear his laughter from here. Dad was a mechanical engineer (in fact, he was literally a rocket scientist at an aerospace corp--I love that his business card said "Chief Rocket Scientist"), and was constantly building, enhancing, crafting, tweaking anything and everything. That to say--if being a reloader means there are tools involved, I can virtually guarantee he had them. Now, he had a ton of all kinds of tools that we've since dispensed with; whether those tools were in with the others, or in the gun safe, shall remain to be seen.
max it, the impression I get from Mom is she's not really wanting to sell things separately. She'd like them all to be gone, and not have the hassle and worry about proper selling (I read that guns cannot be sold private party to private party in CA--is this true?). That said, I know Dad has at least one 9mm in his collection. Feel free to PM me the names of reputable gun shops and auctioneers. Thanks!
As far as Dad being a reloader...I'm not sure what you mean, except it involved tools, which means, I can hear his laughter from here.
Dad was a mechanical engineer (in fact, he was literally a rocket scientist at an aerospace corp--I love that his business card said "Chief Rocket Scientist"), and was constantly building, enhancing, crafting, tweaking anything and everything. That to say--if being a reloader means there are tools involved, I can virtually guarantee he had them. Now, he had a ton of all kinds of tools that we've since dispensed with; whether those tools were in with the others, or in the gun safe, shall remain to be seen.max it, the impression I get from Mom is she's not really wanting to sell things separately. She'd like them all to be gone, and not have the hassle and worry about proper selling (I read that guns cannot be sold private party to private party in CA--is this true?). That said, I know Dad has at least one 9mm in his collection. Feel free to PM me the names of reputable gun shops and auctioneers. Thanks!
Who is the executor of the estate? Are there any heirs that live outside of California?
There is a loophole (I hate that word) in the federal gun laws that allow guns -- even handguns -- that pass intestate to bypass the normal federal firearms license rules. That out-of-stater could just come take posession of the guns if the executor decided that he was the rightful heir, and drive them back home. I don't know if California complicated things, but I would think (IINAL) that once they were out of CA, you could thumb your nose at California. They could then be sold in his home state, and if he's an honest guy, some of the money given back to the other cousins, etc. That is, if he's not a scoundrel. (inheritances bring out the worst in people)
This would be better just for dealing with any guns you can't otherwise legally sell in California. Hopefully this will give you some ideas when talking the estate's attorney. Good luck to you.
There is a loophole (I hate that word) in the federal gun laws that allow guns -- even handguns -- that pass intestate to bypass the normal federal firearms license rules. That out-of-stater could just come take posession of the guns if the executor decided that he was the rightful heir, and drive them back home. I don't know if California complicated things, but I would think (IINAL) that once they were out of CA, you could thumb your nose at California. They could then be sold in his home state, and if he's an honest guy, some of the money given back to the other cousins, etc. That is, if he's not a scoundrel. (inheritances bring out the worst in people)
This would be better just for dealing with any guns you can't otherwise legally sell in California. Hopefully this will give you some ideas when talking the estate's attorney. Good luck to you.
zxcvbob, my mother is executor (although really, the will simply says everything goes to her; when she is gone, I am executor :::shudder::
. There is one heir (sister) out of state, but she is in Illinois, which from what I hear tell, is one of the three evil states around here.
. There is one heir (sister) out of state, but she is in Illinois, which from what I hear tell, is one of the three evil states around here. Reloading is a hobby that goes right along with shooting. At it's most basic, it's taking an empty brass cartridge case (a "shell"), putting a new primer in it (the little piece that explodes when hit), putting x amount of smokeless powder in it and topping it off with a jacketed or lead bullet.
Some folks start reloading because they believe that it will save them money over buying ammo at the gun store. For a select few, it does do that.
For the hobbyists and the tinkerers, it becomes a whole operation that boils down to making SUPREME ammo for our guns, better than what we can buy at the store, and it's a very relaxing and enjoyable hobby that's kind of like a way for us to be doing "gun stuff" without being on the range, making noise, destroying targets, etc.
You certainly don't need to be a rocket scientist to be a decent reloader, but I could see where it might help!
*oops, I wrote this and forgot to submit, then now read your last post.
Some folks start reloading because they believe that it will save them money over buying ammo at the gun store. For a select few, it does do that.
For the hobbyists and the tinkerers, it becomes a whole operation that boils down to making SUPREME ammo for our guns, better than what we can buy at the store, and it's a very relaxing and enjoyable hobby that's kind of like a way for us to be doing "gun stuff" without being on the range, making noise, destroying targets, etc.
You certainly don't need to be a rocket scientist to be a decent reloader, but I could see where it might help!
*oops, I wrote this and forgot to submit, then now read your last post.
With him being a reloader adds more uncertainty to any ammo you have possession of.
It is highly recomended that any reloads should not be fired by anyone other than the one who reloaded the ammo and then only in the firearm it was loaded for. Sure some do not follow those reccomendations and that is just the nature of people.
All said ammo should be dis-assembled for the components only. Even the Weatherby unless it is very evident that it wasn't reloaded.
There is no intention of any kind questioning his skills or judgments.
It is highly recomended that any reloads should not be fired by anyone other than the one who reloaded the ammo and then only in the firearm it was loaded for. Sure some do not follow those reccomendations and that is just the nature of people.
All said ammo should be dis-assembled for the components only. Even the Weatherby unless it is very evident that it wasn't reloaded.
There is no intention of any kind questioning his skills or judgments.
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Just a lil' update:
Tomorrow my husband, a friend of his who is a hunter by hobby, and I are heading over to my mom's to catalogue Dad's gun collection and get a feel of what exactly is there. I will bring my digital camera and will likely update here as I learn what he has.
Hubby's friend has expressed interest in many of the guns (even though he doesn't know what they are) and the gun safe, so via a dealer he just might be taking some of them later on. FTR, this friend is someone of great integrity who I trust--I do not think for an instant he's going to be trying to mislead us or rip us off. He's going to give us his insight (as well as triple-check they're unloaded) and guidance. I'm actually glad he may be taking some of them; Dad would love that a friend of the family would be using them, and looooooooove that it's a fellow hunter.
I'm learning some fascinating things about Dad...apparently, he was a helluva shot. He had a scope custom-made by Some Big Name Guy who he once competed with in some sort of shooting competition. He managed to beat the guy in one (or maybe 2-3) of the individual events, though not even close in the overall. Dad also tended to bring home plenty of elk frm his Colorado hunting trips--at least one each season, and one year it was three--while his comrades would get one between them. Dad would share the meat. Pretty cool.
I'll post what I learn here tomorrow. We'll be there pretty much all day.
Tomorrow my husband, a friend of his who is a hunter by hobby, and I are heading over to my mom's to catalogue Dad's gun collection and get a feel of what exactly is there. I will bring my digital camera and will likely update here as I learn what he has.
Hubby's friend has expressed interest in many of the guns (even though he doesn't know what they are) and the gun safe, so via a dealer he just might be taking some of them later on. FTR, this friend is someone of great integrity who I trust--I do not think for an instant he's going to be trying to mislead us or rip us off. He's going to give us his insight (as well as triple-check they're unloaded) and guidance. I'm actually glad he may be taking some of them; Dad would love that a friend of the family would be using them, and looooooooove that it's a fellow hunter.
I'm learning some fascinating things about Dad...apparently, he was a helluva shot. He had a scope custom-made by Some Big Name Guy who he once competed with in some sort of shooting competition. He managed to beat the guy in one (or maybe 2-3) of the individual events, though not even close in the overall. Dad also tended to bring home plenty of elk frm his Colorado hunting trips--at least one each season, and one year it was three--while his comrades would get one between them. Dad would share the meat. Pretty cool.
I'll post what I learn here tomorrow. We'll be there pretty much all day.
I recently ran into a shooting buddy and he told me about a recent purchase. I told him he ought to be ashamed of stealing from that widow. He said she gave him a good deal on one, cause he helped her sell several at prices that were fair to buyer & seller. Nothing wrong with that.
Okay, this is what you need to be carefull of. A guy could come in and offer you what wll sound like alot of money for the whole package. Then turn around and sell them one by one and make a killing.
A gun store may do the same even if you try to get them to sell on consignment. They could themself "fake" purchases and buy them off you only to resell at a large profit. You need to do some research on your own. You can run the serial numbers for the age and get model numbers off the firearms. Then order this online for $30
https://store.bluebookinc.com/ECom/...iptions/Manufacturer.aspx?product=5&product=5
You can look at each one and get an idea of the condition etc. 90% 95% 100%
Then find a gunstore and ask them to sell on Gunbroker.com start each auction at 25% less than the value you come up with. Have them relist the ones that don't sell at a slightly lower reserve or auction start. Be carefull, ALOT of guys take advantage of the uneducated gun sellers.
A gun store may do the same even if you try to get them to sell on consignment. They could themself "fake" purchases and buy them off you only to resell at a large profit. You need to do some research on your own. You can run the serial numbers for the age and get model numbers off the firearms. Then order this online for $30
https://store.bluebookinc.com/ECom/...iptions/Manufacturer.aspx?product=5&product=5
You can look at each one and get an idea of the condition etc. 90% 95% 100%
Then find a gunstore and ask them to sell on Gunbroker.com start each auction at 25% less than the value you come up with. Have them relist the ones that don't sell at a slightly lower reserve or auction start. Be carefull, ALOT of guys take advantage of the uneducated gun sellers.
Okay, here we go
Here is the list of everything we found:
Rifles
Remington Model 40XBR w/Leopold scope #
2 Huntsman 45 caliber Harrington/Richardson Inc.
CF Mossberg & Sons Inc. New Haven Connecticut Model 185 K-A 20 gage 2 3/4in (unable to locate serial #)
Winchester Model 90 22L Rifle
Remington Model 788 # (Weaver scope mounts, but no scope)
WW2 British infantry gun (no brand or model name visible) V(upside-down) O, then ; England engraved on it
Gamo made in Spain w/scope
Winchester 22 model 190 serial #
Remington 22 short-long rifle 550-1 serial #n/a
Renegade 50 caliber “Thompson Center Arms” black powder only
Handguns
KBI 380 unable to locate serial #
2 Derrringer Philadelphia (black powder) “Jukar” serial #
Russian handgun 1j70-17A BHC 4812 “Made in Russia by Imez” serial #
45 caliber revolver Sturm-Ruger … Ruger Vaquero Serial #
22 Smith & Wesson Model 22A 22 Long Rifle serial #
Colt official police long rifle
Ruger 22 New Model Single-Six serial #
38 Smith & Wesson Rifle Special CTG serial#
Derringer Miami FL 38cal #
Mondial model 1960 22 caliber 22 made in Italy
CMC #
Armsport inc model 5019 black powder #34 serial #
Unknown make serial # Italy
Our friend is interested in the Winchester model 90 22L. What is a better-than-fair-but-not-giving-it-away price? Any clue? I Googled, and was stunned to find a few for $1000.
I have pics of all of them, but that would take forEVER to post...I'm hoping this is, in and of itself, enough to help with pricing. My sister unexpectedly brought friends and now I'm confused as crap because everyone is nosing around, and I'm trying to put a foot down (gently) to get values before anyone buys anything.
Here is the list of everything we found:
Rifles
Remington Model 40XBR w/Leopold scope #
2 Huntsman 45 caliber Harrington/Richardson Inc.
CF Mossberg & Sons Inc. New Haven Connecticut Model 185 K-A 20 gage 2 3/4in (unable to locate serial #)
Winchester Model 90 22L Rifle
Remington Model 788 # (Weaver scope mounts, but no scope)
WW2 British infantry gun (no brand or model name visible) V(upside-down) O, then ; England engraved on it
Gamo made in Spain w/scope
Winchester 22 model 190 serial #
Remington 22 short-long rifle 550-1 serial #n/a
Renegade 50 caliber “Thompson Center Arms” black powder only
Handguns
KBI 380 unable to locate serial #
2 Derrringer Philadelphia (black powder) “Jukar” serial #
Russian handgun 1j70-17A BHC 4812 “Made in Russia by Imez” serial #
45 caliber revolver Sturm-Ruger … Ruger Vaquero Serial #
22 Smith & Wesson Model 22A 22 Long Rifle serial #
Colt official police long rifle
Ruger 22 New Model Single-Six serial #
38 Smith & Wesson Rifle Special CTG serial#
Derringer Miami FL 38cal #
Mondial model 1960 22 caliber 22 made in Italy
CMC #
Armsport inc model 5019 black powder #34 serial #
Unknown make serial # Italy
Our friend is interested in the Winchester model 90 22L. What is a better-than-fair-but-not-giving-it-away price? Any clue? I Googled, and was stunned to find a few for $1000.
I have pics of all of them, but that would take forEVER to post...I'm hoping this is, in and of itself, enough to help with pricing. My sister unexpectedly brought friends and now I'm confused as crap because everyone is nosing around, and I'm trying to put a foot down (gently) to get values before anyone buys anything.
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That is a nice list of guns. I don't know much about values, but I can guarantee you our friends on here will be able to help. I DO know about relatives though. You should take charge and /or posession if the law in Califronia allows. Once "friends" or even shady "relatives" start nosing around things start walking off. You should insist to sis and mom that 1 person needs to handle everything, no matter who it is. I am sorry for your loss. My dad passed in April, and based on past experience his guns and ammo had made the move to my place. I know you want to be polite, but sometimes firmness is better. Good luck to you.
freakshow10mm
Moderator
That Remington 40XB is a serious target rifle and is worth good money, $800-1200 depending on exact configuration plus the scope is at least a $500-600 scope when new.