How do you go about cleaning out the safe when you get older?

[pt-73]

I don't get to go to the range much anymore since I moved. It's an hour away and the traffic is terrible. I think about selling off some of the toys but it's a real challenge.

 

[CFJunkie]

Welcome aboard.
It's too bad that you trip to the range has gotten longer.
I guess when you were comfortable with a shorter drive time, the longer trip time seems even longer.

I don't live close to our range either but never have lived close, so I guess I have never noticed.
It's about 45 minutes on a good morning, but when I have to close the range on a weekday, it takes me well over an hour to get home because of the rush hour traffic.
But I still shoot every Monday morning.
I like to shoot before the wind gets too strong and try to finish well before Noon.
At my age, it is a treat to visit with all the regulars and swap stories while waiting for my barrel to cool.

 

[ONE-TEN]

Same for me. Range was never really close, saving for the years I lived in my beloved Arizona. But here in SE Pennsylvania, I’m a bit away from one. Also, it’s been worse the last 12 years since I was disabled in an accident, being unable to drive. Still, I’ve made best of the situation, and still enjoy this hobby. Honestly though, building & working on firearms has become my source of enjoyment. I shoot when I can, which is a seldom now.

As for cleaning out the safe, I never had one. LOL! And although I’ve never been a collector, I did have more than a few in my younger years. But as got I matured, I naturally cut down my collection. I then gave everything away right after my accident. Until The Lord put another 1911 in my path. But I’ve kept my collection bare bones now. And everything I have is “pass it down”, as I built every rifle and pistol I have now. So I son will inherit everything. Or hopefully grandchildren if The Lord wills it & blesses me one day.

Honestly, your dilemma now is one reason I said I would never buy another manufacturers firearm & decided only to BUILD my own. That was even before my accident. Since I started building over two decades ago, I’ve always had a much deeper appreciation for those firearms made with my own hands, (and ultimately just ONE hand), over any firearms I’ve purchased.

That said, it would seem simple to me. Get rid of those firearms by their meaningfulness to you.

 

[K9TXS]

I have a long range drive as well since I moved about 10 months ago. Finally got my reloading area setup and hope to start going again once a week as I did before the move.

I'm not going to get rid of any safe items, but will pass them along to my son. My daughters wouldn't know what to do with any of them as well as their husbands.

 

[Fjold]

I'm lucky to live on 70+ Acres in the midde of nowhere but I also wonder what to do with the accumulation.

I'm left handed so I have a bunch of left handed specialty guns that will be difficult to sell. I do have one daughter who shoots left handed because of her dominant eye but she's not interested in the heavy varmint and 1,000 yard guns. Not to mention the left handed, 375 H&H and 458 Win Mag.

All the kids like their ARs, so who knows what will happen to the single shot rifles either.

 

[K80skeet]

I'm lucky to live on 70+ Acres in the midde of nowhere but I also wonder what to do with the accumulation.

I'm left handed so I have a bunch of left handed specialty guns that will be difficult to sell. I do have one daughter who shoots left handed because of her dominant eye but she's not interested in the heavy varmint and 1,000 yard guns. Not to mention the left handed, 375 H&H and 458 Win Mag.

All the kids like their ARs, so who knows what will happen to the single shot rifles either.

You would be surprised just how fast your left-handed guns would sell. There just isn't enough left-handed to go round. I have a friend that is left-handed and he just can't find any used left-handed guns around and a lot of the new ones are hard to get,

 

[chronoblip]

Selling stuff sucks because the stories don't go too, and those are probably why any particular shaping of wood, metal, plastic, or whatever, has had any relevance to you in the first place. The money and the "freedom" obtained from "offloading" just doesn't have the same value.

 

[Alan]

I don't get to go to the range much anymore since I moved. It's an hour away and the traffic is terrible. I think about selling off some of the toys but it's a real challenge.

It's hard to let go of things, especially when they have sentimental value. Maybe just a few and keep the ones that are really close to your heart.

 

[John Henry]

I’m extremely lucky that my golfing buddy has a 200 yard range behind his house close by.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

My range is only 15-20 minutes away. Busy on the weekends....but I will be retired on FRI 29MAY26. The week days are pretty calm when I went on vacation. Recently I was on a long medical LOA. When able I made it to the range I went few times a week after PT and usually had the rifle, carbine and handgun range all to myself.

As for cleaning out the safes, gun room, gun bench and hunting stuff.....my kids have already claimed a lot of stuff lol......in fact arguments have broke out who gets what.....all I can say is "hey! I'm still breathing!". I will have two executors. My oldest Daughter (37) will handle the financial.....my youngest Son (21) will handle all the guns, 4 wheelers, hunting stuff.......weird to even think about it.....I'm pretty sure I have at least 10-15 years left.

 

[CFJunkie]

USNORDIE,
After you retire, if you get really interested, you'll find your time at the range to be a great way to enhance your concentration and really improve your shooting skills.
I retired in 2011, and have become a bit of a range rat since then. I will be 83 in July, good Lord willing, but still look forward to my range time and am still working to improve. It just gets harder as I age.
My range is about 50 to 60 minutes away, depending on traffic, but I shoot there once a week during the week and have range safety officer duty one weekday afternoon a month. When the range is being lightly used, I find I can concentrate better and shoot more accurately.

I have only been shooting since 1993, and got really into it about 2004 with 7 different .22LR target rifles and probably shot close to 30,000 rounds in the subesquent 4 years.
In 2008, I started reloading and have since loaded over 80,000 rounds of centerfire rounds, mostly .223, 6.5mm CM, and .308, but also some .22-250, .270 Win, ,30-06, .30-30, 7.62-39, 9mm, .40 S&W, and 45 ACP.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

That's awesome! I hope to continue on as you are doing. I never really got into shooting a lot until joined the Navy in 1983. I was ordnance so dealt with a lot of small arms. I scored "Expert" first time I did a pistol ribbon shoot. I was hooked on it. Eventually got orders to Weapons Dept Range/Armory Division and became a SAMI (Small Arms Marksmanship Instructor). Was on the command Rifle/Pistol team as well. That duty assignment allowed me to shoot/qualify on just about every rifle and pistol in the Navy inventory at the time. Each command after that I was designated Range Master/RSO. I hunted a bit before the Navy and had rifles/shotguns for that....but when I really got into it I built a large collection and enjoyed competition like High Power Service Rifle and Pistol Bullseye. A couple years back I got addicted to ARA shooting chasing that tiny speck bull. I have a room dedicated to just gun safes and a bench with two single stage reloading presses and a turret press. I only reload for my bolt guns 17HORNET, 204RUGER, 223REM, 243WIN, 30-30WIN, 308WIN, 270WIN and revolvers 38SPL, 357MAG, 41SPL, 41MAG, 44SPL, 44MAG and 45COLT. The past year or so I have been stocking up on bulk cases of 22LR (mostly match SK stuff), 22MAG, 380ACP, 9MM, 10MM, 40SW, 45ACP, 223REM and 5.56.

Very much looking forward to having more time to enjoy it once retired!