My wife thinks I’m nuts! See if you agree? I will only clean my guns watching John Wayne’s movie “The Green Berets”. Now that’s not weird is it? Some of you younger readers will know who John Wayne is vaguely but not have ever actually seen the movie. I understand, your parents are neglectful. But you can change all that. The Green Berets is on the internet and you can see one of the only positive movies I’ve ever witnessed on the Viet Nam war. I think he did a good job. I don’t think he glorifies war but is about some positive things that got our country through a devastating time in history. The reason I bring this up is I want to talk about inventorying your guns. Now some of you may say “Burn, how many guns do you actually have?” You can then join my wife’s club. She asks that of me when I want to buy another gun. I have enough for my needs. And some for my wants…
What I’m talking about is if you only have 3 guns this will be a short exercise for you. I have a few more than 3 that I didn’t lose in that boating accident.
One of the things I want to do is keep track of my guns. Which safe are they in, what gun case, etc. First I record the make, model, and serial number of my guns. I include caliber and whether the rifle has optics (scope or sights) and sometimes other information I want to keep handy. But the serial number is important because if they are ever stolen or lost in a fire, you’ll have a way to identify them. Some guns are quite valuable and a big investment. Others not as much. I also would suggest a picture of the gun. Especially for insurance reasons.
If you keep this information separate from your guns then you will have record to use if needed. I also have several rifles that I don’t shoot very often. I don’t hunt anymore so there’s no need to sight them in every year. Of course I like to anyway but that’s my sickness! I like to keep receipts of guns I’ve bought in gun stores but I also have a receipt that I have downloaded from the internet that I fill out in personal transactions. One reason would be security for you. If you sold a shotgun to someone you do not know how do you know it will never end up being used in a crime? If you have a receipt from the buyer or seller then there is a chain of custody paper trail. If I sold that shotgun and I have record of the date on the receipt then I can prove who I sold the gun to and when. On the receipt I found and used there is a spot for a social security number or drivers license number. When I sold a handgun once the guy, whom I did not know, scoffed at my receipt. I said I would not sell the gun without it. He really wanted the gun so he gave in. The same goes for when I buy from a private party. I keep the paper copy but also make a digital copy. I do this with training certificates too. Digital copies are easier to store.
All of this is a bit of work if you have more than 2 guns after the boating accident. Initially it is but once it’s done all that is needed is an update every 6 months. Usually the changes I have is the location of the gun, I don’t buy or sell a lot of guns. But knowing where they are and other details can save you a lot of time and aggravation in the future. If you have many divers calibers it can save you money knowing whether that ammo sale is a good move for you. Who am I kidding? Every ammo sale is good!
This idea is a good idea for ammo too but that’s another article.
Get organized and do the work. You’ll be glad you did!
If you want more info see the Dec 10, 2018 post “Gun Inventory: A Man Has To Know His Limitations”
Semper Paratus
Check 6
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