Just dont know what to do

[siloet56]

I am 56 now, my wife and I adopted 2 boys and 2 girls. We also have a biolgical son.I have been silhouette shooting since 1980. Needless to say, I have amassed quite a collection of shooting stuff. High power and smallbore stuff ALOT. I have been considering selling out. My boys dont seem interested in shooting. Just dont know what to do. Just wondered if anyone out there has gone through this too.

[Bob259]

I am 56 now, my wife and I adopted 2 boys and 2 girls. We also have a biolgical son.I have been silhouette shooting since 1980. Needless to say, I have amassed quite a collection of shooting stuff. High power and smallbore stuff ALOT. I have been considering selling out. My boys dont seem interested in shooting. Just dont know what to do. Just wondered if anyone out there has gone through this too.

Come out and shoot by yourself or you and the wife. As you know great company and friends for life in the SIlhouette community and after a match or two you'll make new friends and look forward to the next match. Sometimes just getting away for a few hours and having some fun with friends makes a world of difference.

If you got the equipment don't give up.. get out and use it

[Bob Mc Alice]

I have two grown girls with husbands that dont have a lick of interest in any kind of shooting or hunting. This has never really bothered me, I shoot for my own pleasure. Ask yourself this: Do I really like shooting silhouette or any kind of shooting? If the answer is yes, keep your shooting collection and continue to enjoy the sport. I love my family dearly but also love being at the range or around my shooting family at silhouette matches. You can have both. I would encourage you to stick with shooting silhouette.

[jnyork]

I have two grown girls with husbands that dont have a lick of interest in any kind of shooting or hunting. This has never really bothered me, I shoot for my own pleasure. Ask yourself this: Do I really like shooting silhouette of any kind of shooting? If the answer is yes, keep your shooting collection and continue to enjoy the sport. I love my family dearly but also love being at the range or around my shooting family at silhouette matches. You can have both. I would encourage you to stick with shooting silhouette.

+1. I have quite a few guns and quite a bit of the foofoorah that goes with them, and I dont intend to sell any of it. Every time I have sold a gun in the past, I wind up with a severe case of seller's remorse within 6 months, wishing I had that one back. At 72, I have started to wonder "do I own my stuff or does my stuff own me?" I may shed quite a bit of "stuff" but not my guns. I am not leaving them to my son either, he and his wife make more in a month that we do in six, and we get a phone call maybe every three or four months if that. I am going to continue to enjoy my guns as long as I am capable of doing so, will then hand them off to DESERVING people and organizations to do with whatever they want.

[chuck d]

siloet56
I am your age and gone thru the same thing a couple times. 10 years ago while shooting NRA HP my son showed interest. Bought him everything, shot 2-3 matches that season, and done. Now my grandkids are getting to the age- oldest is 10. I bought 4 guns for them/him. He expressed interest in hunting, so we hit the woods just looking for tracks and animals. His interest was short lived. Both cases I sold thier stuff, but kept mine, and I have switched from NRA HP to Silhouette, I am still shooting. Its my thing, and will be as long as I can hold the rifle up. If you enjoy it, shoot!

Have fun

chuck

[Boyd L.]

....I have been considering selling out. My boys dont seem interested in shooting. Just dont know what to do.....

What?!?!?! What to do? Get out and shoot, if you enjoy it still.

There is a anthropological need to share familial/heritage things of value with our offspring. In my humble opinion (and speaking for myself with three grown children with lives/interests of their own) It really won't matter what possessions are "left" or shared with children. They will be most interested in those items that give them the most linkage to memories or values. And will value these things most. If your shooting stuff provides that for them, then share with them.
Personally I will share my gear with someone who I feel fully appreciates it for what it can do for them. Some of my kids will probaby be more interested in their mama's herloom hutch or some other such stuff.
One son may have his eyes on my 1712 though...

[Innocent]

While I have been lucky that my son does enjoy the silhouette family, and shooting, I am around those that have no family interested in shooting sports.
1) Get out and enjoy your stuff, the best thing you can give your children is the the lesson of how to earn a living, and pursue their dreams.
The stuff left over has caused many a fight after you are gone, so use, spend and enjoy it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mary

[topclass]

My daughters don't have interest in shooting. One son-in-law does but his shoulders are shot from hanging ceiling tiles. My grandsons are another story. Two so far have learned to shoot with the rifle my Dad's uncle gave him when he was 10 and he gave to me when I was 10. One is now in the Army where his proficiency with firearms has helped move him along; the other, in High School, is always after me to take him out shooting and has experienced his first silhouette competition. He's hooked and is asking for his own rifle rather than borrow my back-up.

Don't give up shooting, wait for grandkids, great grandkids, nieces, nephews... You never know.

[atomicbrh]

You have gotten good advice here. I do not have the rapport with non-shooting friends that I have with any of the competitive shooters I have met. After 30 years of marriage my wife has "seen the light" and will be shooting Smallbore Silhouette in 2012. Keep shooting and find someone you get along with well to train, spot and shoot with. You and your shooting partner will push each other to achieve ever increasing levels of success. Tell the kids that they can't go with you shooting. Talk indirectly about what a great time you had when you get back from a match but so that they overhear you. Do this for a few years and then they will beg to go. My grandpa used this theory on me about fishing.

There will be no fight about who gets my equipment when I am gone. It will be divided among those in my family who match shoot and care enough to know about what the equipment is. You do not match shoot, you do not get any equipment, maybe nothing else(furniture, money, property,vehicles,etc.) either.

[siloet56]

I really apprieciate the time everyone has taken to address my problem... It simply breaks my heart to think that 35 yrs of my shooting life will disappear. Very few things make me smile like my collection of 10/22s, my 54MSs , 700 rem and 40xs do when I open my safes... It sounds crazy but these guns have been my babies for years..My situation is very different than most. I lost my wife in 2001. We had no kids.. I remarried in 2004 and had Seth in 2006. WOW he is truly the love of my life... we started fostering and then adopted 4 more.. hehehe no I am not out of my mind, but some days it feels like it....I devote most of my time to the kids. Have not shot much in a few years.. There is no intrerest guns or shooting from anyone in my family.. . But all of the shooters I have talked to have said the same thing. Dont sell anything, give it some time shoot when you can. I hope and pray that it will change. I guess if it doesnt I might do what one other shooter told me he would do. If family is not interested then give it to a young up and coming shooter who will use it and take care of it like I have..I do have a 27 yr old step son, but he is a bit of a hillbilly.. I am afraid he would use my 4000 dollar 40x silhouette rifle as a fence post. I gave him a new 870 rem for Christmas 6 yrs ago and he has yet to clean it. He will not get any of my stuff.. oppppsssss sorry I am rambling sorry... anyway thx to all who have taken the time... Mike in Michigan

[Innocent]

Seth is still a little young to tell if he is interested or not....and you never know. I had a sister that refused to have anything to do with firearms despite my fathers encouragement. Until her own children wanted to shoot, then she realized she needed to know about them.

Mary

[Dee]

I've got no one to leave anything too myself at all. As for the guns I think several will go to friends but my competition rifles will probably be left to some young invested shooter that had shown a love for it and competes. Of course I will be pushing daisies at that time so it will be left for the other old codgers that outlive me to pick one for me knowing what I wanted.

But I would hang on to your equipment at this time as others mentioned you will find the need to get out there again. I inherited a lot of fly fishing equipment from my father. I haven't been fishing in over 6 years and really don't have the interest since he died. But I still have all the hardware I could ever need for the rest of my life for when that itch hits again. Just as soon as I make master in all 7 classes I shoot well I have 2 down at least! A few more to fall this year!

Dee

[BCloninger]

We all have favorite pieces that we would really regret parting with, so make sure to identify those before liquidating - you will feel better about shooting and want to jump back in.