doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Giving guns away, and other stuff..

We are, finally, full time expats,tho still in the USA till after some of the bird seasons...Ranch sold and closed, with lots of help from the EPA, those sumbitches....I am finding its almost as much fun giving good guns to my boys as it was buying them! I am passing on a couple of Pre 64 Model 70's, a Colt 1911 that I bought new new in 1956, a Smith and Wesson 38/44 that I got from the one and only Bill Jordan, and a few nice doubles. I sold quite a few, but the ones I really care about are going to the people I care about...Saving something really special for Amarillo Mike of course....Diane and I are visiting friends, going to Rodeos, and off to Saskatchewan in September to hunt upland birds with good friends as well. Then the fall Elk hunt with the boys, shoot some roosters here, leaving for our new home in December. Getting shed of years of possesions was easier than we thought it would be. Leaving the ranch for the last time was harder...Hope to see some of you in the fall...Stay well, all...

L.D:
I agree that giving away your guns can certainly be pleasurable. I am blessed with six grandchildres and have been making presentations to each and every one of them as they become old enough to appreciate fine firearms.
We also take them shooting at every opportunity and they just left here to go back home after a 3 week stay. It's going to take me awhile to get caught back up reloading 38SPLs and 9MMs as they went through quite a bit during their stay.
The oldest at 13 is somewhat slight of build but I'm hoping to get him going with a shotgun soon.

Something to mull over:
Several of my shotguns are over 100 years old. I wonder if our grandchildren and great grandchildren will still be shooting these around 2050 when they begin hitting the century and one half mark?
Metal fatigue? Lack of replacement parts? Lack of skilled repair personnel? Opinions?
Jim

LD,

I can't imagine how it felt selling the ranch and leaving it. If you are happy, I'm certainly happy for you. I have farmed this land since 1970. My wife and I live in the house that was on the farm when Grandaddy bought it in 1919. House was built in ca. 1875. Five generations of us have eaten and slept here. Roots are hard to deny, and I can imagine you have some very strong mixed emotions about it all.

It takes a strong "constitution" to break with tradition and do what your heart tells you is right. Sounds to me like that describes you. You have much to look forward to, fishing in fair weather and returning each year to hunt the choice spots.

You have my best wishes and highest regards. The USA is worse off because of your leaving.

All my best, Stan

I can't imagine leaving midwest bird country, but I can identify with giving away guns. When The Lovely Linda's Dad passed away, we invited everyone in the family with kids to meet at Granddad's house one Sunday. We opened up the gun room and also had Linda's late husband's guns at the house. One by one, we passed out a safe full of guns in addition to Linda's husband's stuff. She asked me if there was anything I wanted, and I picked out her late husband's 870 Express duck gun. He was a good friend and I had to have one of his guns. I asked Linda whether there was anything she "needed". She said there was a .22 revolver that her Dad had taught her handgun shooting with. I found it in the back of the safe, had never seen it before. It was a screaming five screw Combat Masterpiece with target hammer and trigger in a Heiser belt and holster rig. "Yes, Linda, you should have that gun." Bill Murphy

I have been giving guns to the local Boy Scout Camp for use in their skeet, trap and 5-stand shooting programs. Also trading or selling off guns not useful for this to fund buying other guns for them.

Sure is a good feeling

Mike

We are getting any younger, that is for certain. I too, am beginning to realize that I need to deal with "favorites" to be sure that they go to good homes and not end up at auction for $$$ that has no sentiment.

LD, best wishes for your newish adventure. I'm a long way from that kind of life change. I turn 54 today, have a seven year old boy and feel like I am in the early stages of building my gun collection. However, I find myself on occasion looking forward to passing some of my guns along to my son and his cousins while I'm still able to enjoy being afield with them.

Most of the fun in life come from the getting and the giving, not so much from the having.

Regards,

James

Chuck any of the Lefevers will be fine. Tell Diane I said hi and I want to know what meds she is taking to put up with you as I might want to use them recreationly sometime cause they must really be something. Give Flash a scratch behind the ears for me.

One thing I know of being done in a fellow's latter years was quite interesting. He owned some nice guns and, maybe ten years or so before he actually died, he began loaning some of them out for a year to friends he knew he could trust.

He would say, "This gun is yours to use for the next year, use it and enjoy it, but if I'm not around next year this time it's yours". Next year at that time he would take it back and give them another one. This continued until he passed on.

It was his way of sharing what he had with trusted friends and leaving one with all of them when he died.

SRH

Burton Spiller "loaned" his 20ga Parker to Bill Tapply in a similar fashion, as his own hunting days came to an end.

LD, I ought to do my family a favor and start shedding "stuff". I'm not quite ready to do so, but the thought has entered my mind as I sit looking how many years have passed and a realistic appraisal of what's left. There are no Brink's trucks in a funeral procession.
Good luck on the next stage of your life. And remember, if it hits the fan south of the border, come on back, we still have a pretty good military as another ex-pat buddy used to say. Gil

Last Dollar....if you need anyone to clean your boat, carry fishing tackle, gaff fish, etc. etc., 4 more years of the Kenyan and I will be leaving also.
PS- give Mike a lesser Lefever....don't spoil him.
GaryW

Last Dollar, I envy you for being able to live your dream but also for being able to cut the cord and start anew. I have always liked Mexico and the Mexican people and thought about living there ,but only if I was fluent in Spanish. I'm not able to leave my "stuff" either and moving it is out of the question.Mexico seems to be a land that is still full of the chance for adventure and unique experiences and it is right next door to us.

Last Dollar:
I have a question and I'm NOT intending to start something political here. What of your firearms collection can you legally bring into Mexico? I know it is possible to import shotguns, rifles and the sort for hunting purposes and this is done on a regular basis. However it's understood these are being brought in on a temporary basis just for the hunt.
What are the requirements to import firearms legally on a permanent basis if you're going to live there?
Jim

Simple answer, You cant. You are NOT allowed to possess a gun in Baja California Sur, period. It may vary from State to state, dunno..No Guns...I do believe that applys everyewhere...

Not worry LD; the Policia and the Federales are only minutes away! You ought to report'em to the NRA...Geo

George, doesnt bother me a bit...crime is pretty much non existent, and my next door neghbor is a VERY BIG Mexican..

Just curious, LD. I don't know anything about how this is normally handled but, will you apply for Mexican citizenship? If not, what will your status be, immigrant, legal alien, or how long can you stay "in limbo", indefinitely?

SRH

Chuck, just how dry is it in your corner of Kansas? The drought monitor shows it to be extreme just south of you. How did the corn look the last time you saw it? Bird prospects?

Stan, I am a legal immigrant. i had to produce 6 months worth of bank statenents, to show i was not going to be indigent,show proof of housing (notarized lease) and pass a background check. Then after fingerprints were taken, i was issued a photo id. FYI, I also get a health care plan...needs to be renewd every 4 years....Joe We have been getting rain evry nite for a while. Dryland corn is a total loss..seem to be lots of birds..getting some weed growth now...

The requirements for Mexicans to emmigrate to the U.S. are much tougher. You must be able to run, jump, climb. or swim. This, of course, is why the Mexican Olympic team is so bad... every Mexican who can run, jump, climb, or swim has left the country and is in the the U.S.

I believe in Mexico you cannot own any real estate?

I've always thought it would be fun, before I die, to go around giving not my guns, but ammunition to a bunch of the people I've come across in my travels. The projectile portion in particular, and I would want to make sure it was done very quickly so as to make sure they accepted the gift without any chance of rejection.

Owning real eatate in Mexico is not much different than it is here. The big problem is defining who owns it. Land law is very confusing...A deed in trust is issued,or a long term lease...I dont own property....