Bill DeShivs
New member
Give them to a gunsmith, then.
Destroying/throwing away
- Thread starter publius
- Start date
silentargus
New member
Given the amount of absolutely useless junk I keep around, I doubt I'd throw a gun away... even an utterly useless one. If it were unsafe to fire I think I'd render it inoperable and mount it as desktop art- like those "Complaint Department" hand grenades. Do up one of those "break glass in case of zombie apocalypse" displays or something.
Generally I would agree, but in some cases I would say that it is best to destroy/dispose of a gun.
A perfect example is I went shooting with my cousin today and he brought his Lorcin. I have always turned down his offers to shoot it because I don't trust it. Well it would not work at all today. The little pin at the end of the slide would not go into place and he could not get it to chamber a round from the magazine. I dropped one into the barrel (no small feat due to the lack of a slide holdback) and it still would not fire. I asked him if he was going to fill the barrel with epoxy now and make it a paperweight. The crazy kid told me he was going to try to fix it himself. Note to self: stand VERY far away from him next time he pulls it out to shoot it.
Anyway, moral of my story is that some guns are not worth being fixed and nobody wants them for parts.
A perfect example is I went shooting with my cousin today and he brought his Lorcin. I have always turned down his offers to shoot it because I don't trust it. Well it would not work at all today. The little pin at the end of the slide would not go into place and he could not get it to chamber a round from the magazine. I dropped one into the barrel (no small feat due to the lack of a slide holdback) and it still would not fire. I asked him if he was going to fill the barrel with epoxy now and make it a paperweight. The crazy kid told me he was going to try to fix it himself. Note to self: stand VERY far away from him next time he pulls it out to shoot it.
Anyway, moral of my story is that some guns are not worth being fixed and nobody wants them for parts.
shootniron
New member
Why would you have ever bought a gun like this?
Nosparetime
New member
I have a box of guns I bought when I had a gun store. These were guns that I thought were unsafe for anyone to shoot. I bought them so my customers would not get hurt.
Several are old nickel plated tip open revolvers. I thought some day I would make a shadow box out of Black walnut and mount the guns. They are an interesting part of history.
Several are old nickel plated tip open revolvers. I thought some day I would make a shadow box out of Black walnut and mount the guns. They are an interesting part of history.
A couple of years ago I bought a sub-compact auto in .40 caliber. It cost me several hundreds.
The manufacturer said it needed 200 break-in rounds. I never got to even a hundred because it stove-piped, failed to feed, the slide would hang up, and was in general a POS.
I found the problem to be that a small spring could be bent during assembly and not noticed that it was. Okay, just make certain it was assembled without that spring bent—yeah, right.
The gun was suitable only for self defense and I was not going to depend on something like that for SD. I was not going to sell it because someone might use it for SD and not be aware the spring had been bent during assembly after cleaning.
I put it back into the box and it sat in the closet for months. But it gnawed on me about what to do with it. Not long ago I decided that a real man didn’t sell POSs which might put someone in danger.
I took my SawZall to the cut-able parts and a sledge hammer to the slide and barrel; hacksaws don’t do well on gunmetal.
Over half a thousand dollars turned into scrap but peace of mind that I haven’t endangered another person by selling it; I was made offers which I refused.
You have to determine if you are an ethical man or a POS yourself.
The manufacturer said it needed 200 break-in rounds. I never got to even a hundred because it stove-piped, failed to feed, the slide would hang up, and was in general a POS.
I found the problem to be that a small spring could be bent during assembly and not noticed that it was. Okay, just make certain it was assembled without that spring bent—yeah, right.
The gun was suitable only for self defense and I was not going to depend on something like that for SD. I was not going to sell it because someone might use it for SD and not be aware the spring had been bent during assembly after cleaning.
I put it back into the box and it sat in the closet for months. But it gnawed on me about what to do with it. Not long ago I decided that a real man didn’t sell POSs which might put someone in danger.
I took my SawZall to the cut-able parts and a sledge hammer to the slide and barrel; hacksaws don’t do well on gunmetal.
Over half a thousand dollars turned into scrap but peace of mind that I haven’t endangered another person by selling it; I was made offers which I refused.
You have to determine if you are an ethical man or a POS yourself.
I applaud you for your ethics but question the need to completely destroy the gun. Seems like there might be some parts that could be salvaged and sold. Not a big deal with an in-production guns, but there are entire businesses built on salvaging gun parts and selling them to keep other guns running.
Why not destroy your gun? If you own the gun and want to destroy it, I really have no problem with that. People destroy washing machines they don't want. Same thing with cars and just about any other type of appliance.
Maybe I have a collection of the only two 1st Gen Colt special-order type guns ever made. If I destroy one, then I'd be able to say that I have the only one in the world - maybe having the only one of something means something to me. Maybe I'll destroy both just for kicks and giggles.
Guns are private property. If you own it you can do whatever you want to it (other than make it fire more than 2 rounds with 1 trigger pull.....or cut the barrel down to 5" if its a rifle......or put a muffler on it.....).
Maybe I have a collection of the only two 1st Gen Colt special-order type guns ever made. If I destroy one, then I'd be able to say that I have the only one in the world - maybe having the only one of something means something to me. Maybe I'll destroy both just for kicks and giggles.
Guns are private property. If you own it you can do whatever you want to it (other than make it fire more than 2 rounds with 1 trigger pull.....or cut the barrel down to 5" if its a rifle......or put a muffler on it.....).
Aguila Blanca
Staff
There's a guy who hangs out at the local gun shop down the road whose nickname is "Saturday Night Bob." He collects Saturday night specials. I don't think he shoots them, but if you come in to ask about almost any junk gun, the shop owner will tell you to come in Saturday afternoon and talk to Bob. He probably has one (if not three) of them.
Hey, some people collect Edsels ...
larryf1952
New member
A valid question. I bought my J-22 Jennings in 1985 because I wanted something that was small, and it only cost $56 at the time. In 1985, it never occurred to me that it might not WORK.
When I bought it, I had my then 6 year old daughter with me, and we stopped along a creek bank on the way home to shoot it. It was the first gun that she ever shot. I still have the memory of teaching her how to hold the gun and use the sights...how to make sure that she always pointed it in a safe direction. She put one magazine through it...6 shots...at a tin can lying in the mud, and then we headed for home. My daughter is 31 years old now, and she also still remembers that day.
I only shot the thing a few times after that, and there were some problems with extraction, but I removed the extractor on my $56 gun and, after a little judicious filing, I actually got the thing to work again. Still, I haven't fired it in probably 18 years or so.
Yeah, it's a POS by all accounts, and there may be other guns like it that I'd be thrilled to pulverize. But, with the memories that I've attached to it, I'll sell my high dollar Colts before I pound that Jennings into scrap.
I bought my Jennings J-22 only a few years after you bought yours. Mine is the chrome one with the wood grips. I've put many rounds through this gun, without having to do a thing to it. I've found it to be quite reliable as long as you keep the gun, especially the chamber, clean. I can't say that I've put thousands of rounds through it, but at least several hundred. I think i paid $79 for it.
Onward Allusion
New member
Throw away/destroy a gun???? NEVER do that. I would rather throw it onto Gunbroker for a .01 auction and the buyer pays for shipping.
I had 2 guns, one brand new , never shot, still in the box and another brand new with 750+ rounds thru it which I had shot.
The one still in the box, I had destroyed as issues concerning jams, barrels exploding, etc., noted by the manufacture and the specific gun forum, did not excite me to shoot it. Also I did not want the responsibility of selling, giving it away, to some one else and they might be injured.
The one that I had shot, I had to many FTF, FTE, mags jamming, etc. Some of it I finally decided it was some bad ammo. However, there was no way in that may rounds, that I could depend on it for self defense. I was never able to get a full mag ( 10 rd ) to work without some issues. I even had a ' fluff and buff ' done as was recommended by some fellow shooters. I even called the manufacture and their CS, at least with me, was something else to be desired. And that was after spending time going thru the phone prompts, being on hold, talking to 4 different CSR's before they even had a clue what I was trying to explain to them.
Again, if I don't feel the gun is safe, I sure as heck will not give or sale it to someone and then worry about the possibility of them getting injured.
But that is only my opinion and reasoning of which I did and learned of at least 2 brands not to buy. However, I also know that others experience might be or could be different.
(note: in rereading the above, it sounds like a rant, if so, I apologize, that was not my intention )
The one still in the box, I had destroyed as issues concerning jams, barrels exploding, etc., noted by the manufacture and the specific gun forum, did not excite me to shoot it. Also I did not want the responsibility of selling, giving it away, to some one else and they might be injured.
The one that I had shot, I had to many FTF, FTE, mags jamming, etc. Some of it I finally decided it was some bad ammo. However, there was no way in that may rounds, that I could depend on it for self defense. I was never able to get a full mag ( 10 rd ) to work without some issues. I even had a ' fluff and buff ' done as was recommended by some fellow shooters. I even called the manufacture and their CS, at least with me, was something else to be desired. And that was after spending time going thru the phone prompts, being on hold, talking to 4 different CSR's before they even had a clue what I was trying to explain to them.
Again, if I don't feel the gun is safe, I sure as heck will not give or sale it to someone and then worry about the possibility of them getting injured.
But that is only my opinion and reasoning of which I did and learned of at least 2 brands not to buy. However, I also know that others experience might be or could be different.
(note: in rereading the above, it sounds like a rant, if so, I apologize, that was not my intention )
Liability?
I'd say the idea has merit but I would be concerned over giving an unsafe or unreliable gun to anyone. What happens when it fails them? They might just decide to spread the liability around and you'd find yourself on the hot seat. I had one I didn't trust once...I took the barrel out and buried the pieces in different parts of the back forty. It was a "no-name" .380 that had a propensity to fire when a round was chambered. (without manipulating the trigger or safety)
I'd say the idea has merit but I would be concerned over giving an unsafe or unreliable gun to anyone. What happens when it fails them? They might just decide to spread the liability around and you'd find yourself on the hot seat. I had one I didn't trust once...I took the barrel out and buried the pieces in different parts of the back forty. It was a "no-name" .380 that had a propensity to fire when a round was chambered. (without manipulating the trigger or safety)
orionengnr
New member
Eh...you are about thirty years too late.
My first revolver (about 1982) was a Rossi M68(?) in .38 Spl. I paid $60 for it in an estate sale.
Each time a live round discharged, the cylinder came un-latched and would come open about 1/16". A quick slap on the left side of the cyinder would allow the revolver to operate for one more round.
I tried to file the ejector pin square, without success. I took it to a smith, who told me that it would cost more to fix than it was worth.
It has been rusting at the bottom of a certain lake in CA ever since.
But I took a fair portion of my frustrations out on it with a six-pound sledge hammer first.
That was my first (unfortunately, not my last) lesson in buying junk guns.
It was the only one I ever destroyed...although several Kel-Tecs tempted me sorely...
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bbqncigars
New member
I had an old Stevens 12 ga that was so loose it was unsafe to shoot. The barrel forge welded into a decent knife. The receiver was cut and scrapped. Wood was burned (cracks were not worth repairing). There is no way I would turn a gun like that loose on some innocent party.
I think that those who throw or destroy a firearm for whatever reason, do so becuase they don't know of a better way to dispose of them and not have to worry about them, after the fact. ....
I work with two parts dealers and they part them out. I trade, sell but mostly give this kind junk to them. One actually buys old guns, that still work, just to take apart and claims he can make more money selling the individual parts than the entire gun. .....
Be Safe !!!