Catalog your collection!

General Discussion
1

I unfortunately lost my cousin, who was the other gunnut in the family, back in December. So being both the remaining gunnut and an FFL, I was asked to oversee his collection - mostly determining which ones go to his kids, surviving siblings, and what’s left are mine. WHAT AN UNDERTAKING!!

I cannot stress how much work this has been. Here are my takeaways from this process that will help everyone else. Trust me, nobody knows your collection the way you do, and when you leave here unexpected, maybe nobody will have the knowledge to do it right, so it’s up to you.

Catalog the whole collection ON PAPER. Manufacturer, Model, Serial #, & caliber at the least. This goes for suppressors too. Keep the paper catalog in the safe with the guns.

If you have ARs, somehow, somewhere, indicate the true caliber of the rifle ON the rifle. The caliber on the rifles where hidden by handguards, so some disassembly was required for me to find out they were 300blk and not 5.56.

If you have NFA items, keep your tax stamps and trust with the catalog. Keep your trust updated with trustees, beneficiaries, and assets as each change. Add someone who you trust and is KNOWLEDGEABLE in firearms as a beneficiary or trustee. You need someone who understands what they are looking at to help handle these after you aren’t here to explain it. Put instructions on who gets what in the trust too.

80% builds and converted caliber guns need to have the caliber indicated on the firearm somewhere. Is this a 9mm or .40? Nobody wants to do plunk tests to determine this.

If you have extra optics and accessories, keep them in their original boxes. Old triggers, backplates, springs, etc, keep in a spare parts bin/case and LABEL them. Is the trigger in the Geisselle box an actual G, or is it the OEM that you replaced it with? IDK why we keep our old parts like that.

Have holsters? Mark on the holster which gun it goes to. Takes away all the guesswork.

Get a gun bag for each pistol. Put its magazines, holster, and any extras in it. Takes away all the guesswork.

…TBC…

2

Great reminder @SuperPredator . Thank you for introducing him to us last year at The Gathering. This year we shall raise a beer to him. :cry:

3

Thank you.
I haven’t done any of that.

4

Sorry for your loss @SuperPredator.

5

Sorry for your loss @SuperPredator :pray:

6

i keep a digital database complete with photographs of my collection, using a database that is called mygundb. it used to be really really good, but out of the blue the gentleman who was programming it just ceased updateing it. while the copies of the database out there work without issue, it could use some updates. I truly wish he would get back into it and update it.

that said, I have a bad habbit of digital security. I encrypt everything, including my hard drives, and i even have a password encryption program that i keep all my passwords in, for everything, but its encrypted too, and if you dont know the passwords to get into my basic systems, you’ll never get into my more secure items like my external hard drives, or my gun database, or my password encrytpion program. (it comes from working in the industry that i am over paranoid bout encryption.) The issues i have is not even my wife knows all of my passwords, nor does she know how to get to or what is my password program.

basically i have a lot of work to do to bring it up to snuff for my wife to be able to get securely into my stuff… even my safes. the safes have all nfa stamps and items stored in them, as well as other documents that are sensitive such as titles and birth certificates and my trust, etc.

Your post superpredator has just reminded me/ shown me that i have a lot of work to do to ensure that my wife is not lost in a lurch if /when i pass away first.

7

I suck. Like really suck. I need to do something lol.

8

Very sorry for your loss.

I told my wife to keep what she wants and give anything else to my brother. I know that sounds lazy, but there’s only 6 between us, no kids, and the only other gun guy around me is my brother, who already has guns.

9

Another find:

If you reload and keep your reloading recipes within the boxes, put them all together in one centralized book as well. My cousin clearly had some decent loads from some extensive testing, but I have no idea which ones he finalized as his preferred recipes. Some have check marks, so I gotta assume that those were the best he tested? lol i’m gonna lose a hand

I proclaim before God Almighty I just do NOT feel like working up all new loads for these 7 new (to me) calibers. lol

10

This topic made me realize the stupidity of keeping my catalog/caliber/serial # list buried on my laptop that nobody else knows how to access, and even if they did chances are they wouldn’t find it. I’ll get a paper notebook and store it within one of the safes.

11

whtever you do, dont loose any body parts… and that includes a hand…

i’d be not so sure that the check marks mean its a good load or not a good load. just use an over amount of caution for sure bro. we dont want anything to happen to you at all.

well since mine is digital too, im going to try to print out the list from the database… unfortunately my collection changes somewhat frequently, so i’ll have a lot of work to do…

perhaps you could print out your list/catalog too, saving you hfrom having to write it all down.

12

@SuperPredator
Im verry sorry to read of your loss.

Your doing a great service to him working out all these details. The value of what your sharing on things to improve at this point is invaluable.

My only caveat is, I would need a duffle bag for some of my guns with accoutrements.
Example, I inherited a pistol, prior to transer out of the estate, PSA had a sale on magazines for said pistol. I got 4, then found some in like new to new condition at a gunshop and picked up 4-6 more. I’m over a dozen for a pistol I’ve shot twice (2 seperate range trips). Those are in some ziplock bags next to the holstered pistol in the safe.

Holsters are a whole other animal…
I have 2 × 5-gallon buckets of holsters I dont use. Gifts, inherited or brand name leather bought for $20-25. Those will get tagged with gun make/model shortly.

13

I can relate to this. For the AR mags, I will probably box them and label it as AR-15 Mags .223/5.56/.300BLK. Same with glock mags. Put 5 with each pistol, then box the rest.

I’m almost certain that I will need to have a yard sale come spring.

14

@SuperPredator
Your post reminded me…
My other issue is some gear & plinkers kept at our 2nd property.

15

Probably should designate a trusted friend to delete all our social media accounts after we pass. Just sayin…

16

Welcome to the PSA community @TJJuckson :us:

17

All my social media accounts are deleted and I’m very much alive as far as I can tell.

18

Don’t be a Kentucky Ballistics. Be yourself. :slight_smile:

19

My Dad, old school for sure - had well cataloged 3 ring binders with all the info -research and articles on the firearms he had. It was quite a bit + invaluable to us 3 siblings. From Colt black powder revolvers to his last bought AR.
I still sit down and just look at his handwriting sometimes. :purple_heart:
The binders had who gets what when he passed.

Grandads/Dads.

Colt C+B 4
Colt C+B 4764×573 53.3 KB

20

I’m sure that binder is priceless in itself :grin:
@axman