Scrap a gun

[Chris Bb]

My pal had a gun that was well past its sell by date. My daughter wanted a de-activated wall hanger.

 

He GAVE the gun to me (all paperwork correct), I took it to the local gunsmith for de-activation (all paperwork correct), the gun was deactivated. All parties happy & legal.

 

And one more "gun" not needlessly destroyed.

 

[overandunder2012]

how much was the deactivation?

[Chris Bb]

Somewhere around the £100 mark, can't remember exactly. That was all inclusive; the actual deactivation, all postage & the Proof House inspection/certification.

[overandunder2012]

cheers thanks

[JonathanL]

A gun thats off its face is not out of proof. every gun is off its face (its all a matter of degree) and its usually quite an easy job to restore it. It doesn't make the gun dangerous. All they do is put a bit of weld on the pivot point and re-file it. It was usually a job to give to the apprentice back in the days when there was an apprentice. Idiots and bodgers use a centrepunch which lasts no time at all.

 

Do not scrap the gun!!! and do not believe the dealer if he tells you it can't easily be fixed. Some dealers are just sharks who will "take it off your hands sir" then fix it and out it themselves for a few hundred quid. I hate dealers sometimes. when my friend Greg died suddenly a few years ago the police took his guns to a local dealer. Among them was a Browning O/U that was immaculate, I reckon it had 400 cartridges through it from new at the most. I would put it around £2000- £2,300 trade in. His wife knew nothing about guns. I heard much later she got £500 for four shotguns including the browning and an AYA no 4 plus two others I never saw so I have no idea what they were. But Greg was a hospital consultant and Greek. He didn't buy anything that wasn't top notch. guns were status and swagger to him. It could have been a cased pair of Hollands or Purdeys for all I know.

 

Also, in all my life I have never heard of anyone ever getting prosecuted for selling an out of proof gun. A law against it does exist on the statute books but it must be one of the most redundant laws imaginable.

 

Agree. Unless the gun was a total basket-case and obviously dangerous to anyone who saw it then I think it would be very difficult to reasonably get a conviction. The substance or strength of the barrel must be 'substationally' (or 'significantly', I forget which) reduced for it to become unproofed which is a very stringent test. Basically, unless it is so weak as to be at risk of actually coming to damage through firing it then it is still in proof.

 

J.

Edited December 18, 2012 by JonathanL

[JonathanL]

Just the way I had them stacked in the cabinet made it difficult for him to count them.

 

That still doesn't make any sense. You can take them out for him to count them. In any event, absoute numbers don't matter. As long as you can fit them in then that is fine.

 

It is not for the police to tell you how many guns you can have on the grounds of storage. YOU have the responsibility of storing them securely and YOU ALONE are answerable if you do not. The police cannot, and should not be expected to take the fall if a cert holder is not storing their guns securely.

 

J.

[39TDS]

Go back and look at the pic I posted in this thread. Then you might understand.

[station]

Go back and look at the pic I posted in this thread. Then you might understand.

 

I got it - bless !

[nabbers]

Don't take an angle grinder to a barrel you may be accused of having a sawn off when you hand it in!

 

Definitely pass them on for free here on PW, give a kid a start!

 

Don't get this thing FO have about cabinets holding only as many guns as they have divisions for? My 3 cun cab can hold many more packed in like sardines, but uder lock an key in an approved cabinet?

[Drayman]

To bring the thread to a close. Went to the gunsmith today and I was quoted £50 and, as he was doing the same work on two other guns today (everything set up for work), I could have it back tomorrow! So that's sorted.

The only problem is that I ended up buying another gun so the visit has cost me much more than I planned.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

[cooooper1]

It goes without saying that you should be very sure of what you are scrapping. There is a chance that you might be scrapping something which is worth something if even only for the parts. If it works and is safe then why not give it to someone who could use it and may be strapped for cash?

 

J.

fun that was going to scrap a old side by side i had ihanded down to me by my father-in-law(now dead),found out with a little bit of investigating on the web that the gun is worth a fair bit of money in the usa market,just knock in william grey moore 12 bore made 1925 and up it came,some of the guns went for £2500,my guns in fair to good condition but not in the same league as the one that went for £2500 but my`s still in nice condition,so will wait till after the holidays and see what i`m going to do with it.so i agree with you make sure your guns not of any value first,plus i`ve got a very little used 410 but that one i was going to scrap to till my daughter had my first grand child 3 years back now i`m hopeing he can get some use out of it.just second think it.