inherit it or sell it

[Singin' Sue 71615]

On 8/2/2026 at 8:39 PM, Highwall said:

My IHMSA. SASS shooting and my good hunting days are purdy much behind me now and I am wondering if I should have my only grandson inherit my coveted Highwall or sell it.

At age 9 he seems to have little interest in hunting or target shooting compared to me at the same age back in the day. At that age I was walking the creeks to hunt and harvest squrrels and rabbits for roasting our next meals.

He said his passion is Fortnight, what ever that is.

I had always hoped of passing the 1885 on down and keeping it in the family and maybe displayed over a future home fireplace, but after having two daughters and now son-in-laws, things just don't look the same for following the family tradition. 

 

 

 

If you need the money, sell.

If you don't , then pass it down.

 

My daddy saud he raised his children...but his legacy was in his grand children.

 

A 9 year old boy will change interests for decades.

He may or may not cherish what you leave behind...but you are leaving a part of YOU behind, as well as something of value.

[Sedalia Dave]

Kind of on topic but a friend of mine has a large estate. None of his family live local and haven't visited for years. A few years ago he flew across the country to visit his grandson and his family for the holidays. They got into such a fight that he came home after only a couple days.

 

He has been struggling with health issues for the last few years. Good friends and a neighbor have stood by him and went out of their way to stay with him as well as take care of his livestock. Despite letting them know, he never heard a peep out of his family. This past year he was diagnosed with cancer. Again friends and a neighbor have been there for him while family is conspicuously absent. 

 

He let slip that in the last couple months several of his family members have all the sudden started to make appearances. This has caused him to start agonizing over his will and who in the family will get the estate. IMNSHO none of them give 2 cents about him all they care about is the money. I see them as vultures circling a dying animal.

 

I wish I knew him well enough to tell him that a neighbor has been more family to him than any of his blood kin and that he should leave the estate to them rather than blood kin. 

 

Back on topic. Were it me, I would leave it to a faithful friend that would appreciate it over family that has no interest in it. 

Edited August 4 by Sedalia Dave

[Texas Jack Black]

20 hours ago, Billy Boots, # 20282 LTG-Regulator said:

did that for 22 years. Cowboy has already lasted longer.  

still exists

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

54 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Kind of on topic but a friend of mine has a large estate. None of his family live local and haven't visited for years. A few years ago he flew across the country to visit his grandson and his family for the holidays. They got into such a fight that he came home after only a couple days.

 

He has been struggling with health issues for the last few years. Good friends and a neighbor have stood by him and went out of their way to stay with him as well as take care of his livestock. Despite letting them know, he never heard a peep out of his family. This past year he was diagnosed with cancer. Again friends and a neighbor have been there for him while family is conspicuously absent. 

 

He let slip that in the last couple months several of his family members have all the sudden started to make appearances. This has caused him to start agonizing over his will and who in the family will get the estate. IMNSHO none of them give 2 cents about him all they care about is the money. I see them as vultures circling a dying animal.

 

I wish I knew him well enough to tell him that a neighbor has been more family to him than any of his blood kin and that he should leave the estate to them rather than blood kin. 

 

You should absolutely tell him.

[Highwall]

On 8/2/2026 at 9:39 PM, Highwall said:

My IHMSA. SASS shooting and my good hunting days are purdy much behind me now and I am wondering if I should have my only grandson inherit my coveted Highwall or sell it.

At age 9 he seems to have little interest in hunting or target shooting compared to me at the same age back in the day. At that age I was walking the creeks to hunt and harvest squrrels and rabbits for roasting our next meals.

He said his passion is Fortnight, what ever that is.

I had always hoped of passing the 1885 on down and keeping it in the family and maybe displayed over a future home fireplace, but after having two daughters and now son-in-laws, things just don't look the same for following the family tradition. 

I talked to my daughter about it and she wants me to pass it down. She was brought up as a rifle shooter and knows the value of processing classic firearms.

She said her hubby will buy my grandson a 22 rifle for his birthday and will see how it goes. I told her I have plenty of 22's and he could have one but she said my-son-in-law wants it to be from him. I can understand and appreciate that.

My dad gifted me with my first 22 rifle too!

[Matthew Duncan]

IMHO to the OP, sell it.   What is sentimental or collectible or precious to us doesn’t mean it is to others.

 

My wife has kept every school paper our children brought home.  She has Reader’s Digest magazines going back to Christopher Columbus that she intends to read some day.  Multiple sets of “good dishes” for company use.  A stack of front door mats that she rotates and another cute door Matt one that’s hauled around in the car trunk.  Both spare “bedrooms” and closets full of stuff that someday, someone might….I suggested to the wife she might want to start finding good homes for her stuff, because our children live out of state, have already taken the few things they are interested in and when we die they’d will (because of time restraints) will pitch our precious stuff in a dumpster.  In my will our son receives my firearms and related materials (he has an extreme interest in) and our daughter will receive a cash equivalent before the final estate is auctioned off and divided.

[Lawdog]

19 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Kind of on topic but a friend of mine has a large estate. None of his family live local and haven't visited for years. A few years ago he flew across the country to visit his grandson and his family for the holidays. They got into such a fight that he came home after only a couple days.

 

He has been struggling with health issues for the last few years. Good friends and a neighbor have stood by him and went out of their way to stay with him as well as take care of his livestock. Despite letting them know, he never heard a peep out of his family. This past year he was diagnosed with cancer. Again friends and a neighbor have been there for him while family is conspicuously absent. 

 

He let slip that in the last couple months several of his family members have all the sudden started to make appearances. This has caused him to start agonizing over his will and who in the family will get the estate. IMNSHO none of them give 2 cents about him all they care about is the money. I see them as vultures circling a dying animal.

 

I wish I knew him well enough to tell him that a neighbor has been more family to him than any of his blood kin and that he should leave the estate to them rather than blood kin. 

 

Back on topic. Were it me, I would leave it to a faithful friend that would appreciate it over family that has no interest in it. 

My vote is to tell him. I think you would feel worse later if you didn't tell him.

A very sad, and familiar story.

When our dads were failing our brothers and sisters were "too busy" to take care of old people.

So, it was just me and Shortcake until they passed.

Funny how they all found time later to go through the house/belongings.

[Spiritmaker]

I only have one daughter. We talked about her inheritance of my gun collection when I retired. She said, daddy, there are only 5 guns that I want and you know which ones. Sell the rest and have a damn good time! It's been a great 5 years since then and I'm still goin strong.  Life is short and suddenly gone!

[July Smith]

I was a young teenager when my grandfather passed away leaving behind an extensive gun collection that mainly focused around Winchester lever action and bolt action rifles.  I was very much into guns (or rather the idea of guns) but my parents were not.  None of my aunts or uncles were into guns either.  My grandmother convinced my parents to allow me to keep a Model 70 in 22-250 that my grandfather had intended to give me for Christmas.  I am still grateful she did that for me, I still own that rifle and think about them both every time I pull it out of the safe.  The rest of the collection sold at an estate sale for pennies on the dollar. 

 

Over the years I have acquired two more guns that have significant sentimental value to me because of who had previously owned them.  My kids are still young, most do shoot with me on occasion, and my two oldest sons have even started shooting SASS with me.  Hopefully that interest in firearms will continue and I will have somebody to leave them behind for.  

Edited Wednesday at 06:12 PM by July Smith

[El Sobrante Kid]

3 hours ago, Spiritmaker said:

I only have one daughter. We talked about her inheritance of my gun collection when I retired. She said, daddy, there are only 5 guns that I want and you know which ones. Sell the rest and have a damn good time! It's been a great 5 years since then and I'm still goin strong.  Life is short and suddenly gone!

 

The same thing happened between my father and I. He had a collection of over 200 firearms. He kept telling me that some day they would all be mine. As I got older I had a "sit down" talk with my dad and told him that I only wanted a fraction of his collection for sentimental reasons, and that he should sell anything he didn't care about and enjoy the money NOW. We agreed, talked to everyone in the family and made a list of what they all wanted out of his collection. The guns on the list will never be sold and will go to the family members that WANT those guns. He did sell off much of the collection that was not all that important to him, and used the money to go on cruises which he really enjoyed.

 

ETA- we did think about the future. I am the trustee for their trust, and in the trust my dad used wording that allows me to "Make the best choices and decisions as to the disposition of his gun collection." That gives me some leeway in the future in case someone in the family wants something additional, decides that they do not want what they initially requested, or the great-grandnephews (who are very young right now), decide that they would like something of great-grandpa's.

Edited Wednesday at 09:16 PM by El Sobrante Kid
Future-proofing

[Sixgun Symphony #62632]

Dont pass it down to a kid that will take the rifle to a pawnshop and trade for a videogame console.  

[Sixgun Symphony #62632]

I would invite the child and his parents to go hunting and target shooting. If they participate then I would consider passing down that rifle. If they don't then no.

[Mezcal Charlie]

Just curious, have you taken him with you hunting or shooting? With kids today, they have no idea what they’re missing. My son didn't show much interest until he we moved and his school had a clays team. At 15, he found a passion that’s still going at 35. Nine is young to make the call IMHO. BTW he inherited my father’s guns and cherishes them. Both as guns and a link to his grandpa.