Guide
You inherited firearms. Now what?
A safe or a closet full of guns, and no straightforward way to find out what they are or what they are worth. That is what this page is for.
Do nothing to them first
Before anything else — do not clean them. Not with polish, not with oil, not with a wire brush. Removing original finish is permanent, and it is the single most expensive mistake people make. A collector rifle can lose most of its value in an afternoon.
Keep the boxes, the papers, the receipts and the odd bits in the drawer. They look like clutter and on the right gun they are worth real money.
There is no rush
Firearms sitting in a locked safe are not a problem getting worse. Take the time to find out what is there before deciding anything.
Find out what it is worth
The range is wider than most people expect. A safe full of common shotguns can be worth less than the safe. One unremarkable-looking rifle in the corner can be worth more than everything else combined.
We come to the house, identify each firearm, and give you a written list with a value against each one. Free, no obligation, and you keep the list whatever you decide to do with it.What actually determines value.
Nothing gets advertised
We do not list, publish or advertise what you have or where it is. For most families that is the part that matters most — an estate notice telling a neighborhood there are forty guns in an empty house is a real problem.
Common questions
I don't know what any of them are.
That is normal and it is not a problem. You are not expected to have a list — we identify everything as we go and tell you what each one is.
Do I have to sell all of them?
No. Keeping one or two and selling the rest is completely normal. Tell us what is staying and we will price around it.
Is there paperwork?
Some, and it depends on your situation. Your county sheriff's office can walk you through anything you need to do personally, and a probate attorney is the right person for questions about the estate itself. On our side, everything is handled properly through our license and you get a record of what changed hands.
What if some of the family wants to keep them?
Then keep them. Where a family needs a number to divide things fairly, we can provide an itemized written valuation whether or not anything is sold. There is no obligation to sell us any of it.
Do we have to bring them anywhere?
No. We come to you.
Who to ask about what
We can tell you what firearms are and what they are worth. For anything to do with the estate itself — who inherits what, disputes between beneficiaries, or an estate that crosses state lines — a probate attorney is the right person, and we will say so rather than guess. Your county sheriff's office handles anything you need to do personally.