I won the DU Dinner Gun. Now What?

[Royce]

After many years of trying, I finally won the fancy-shmansy Ducks Unlimited Dinner gun at our DU banquet last Saturday. For those of you unfamiliar with this gun, it is a Browning Maxus 12 ga. Semi-Auto. Limited edition #0177. Lots of fancy engraving, gold plating, etc.. etc. Seeking advice. What would you do with it?

1. Shoot the heck out of it? (it's only a gun, after all.)
2. Sell it a buy a more "practical" gun?
3. Tuck it away in the gun safe.

I'm actually leaning toward #1. It is after all, just a gun. I doubt it will actually increase in value over the years. It isn't really a "rare" gun. Every DU chapter gets one. I don't like the idea of tucking it away just to have my wife sell it 20 years from now. For the record, that model, without the fancy DU engraving, retails for about $1200.

What do you think?

[Uncle Jesse]

First I would check with a group with more gun expertise than a bunch of fishermen. But I would lean toward seeing if I could convert it into a more useful gun and a flyrod. Then again, I haven't had an opportunity to put a shell in a shotgun in several years. My home county has so darn many people in it you would have a hard time finding a place where you can murder a beer can with your .22. Check out the reasoning of this guy on the value of DU guns: http://www.herosarms.com/DU.htm

Good luck and congratulations.

[Royce]

. Check out the reasoning of this guy on the value of DU guns: http://www.herosarms.com/DU.htm

Good luck and congratulations.

Thanks for the link, Uncle Jesse. I checked out this guy's take on DU guns and I have to say I agree completely. I have no dillusions about having this valuable, rare, highly collectable gun on my hands. Perhaps, if I were able to find that one collector who has a lot of DU guns or something, maybe it would be worth selling. On the other hand, it's just a gun. I can have a lot of fun using it for what it was meant to do...SHOOT IT!

[Betty Hiner]

USE IT!!!! Go for it! Have fun with it!! For gawds sake, don't leave it for "later"!!!

[Royce]

USE IT!!!! Go for it! Have fun with it!! For gawds sake, don't leave it for "later"!!!

Well, I think we all know how Betty feels about it! (By the way, Betty, I'm leaning HEAVILY toward your way of thinking!)

[ducksterman]

I would think it depends on what other guns are in your "arsenal".....I like my go to Benelli....so I might just display/store it.

Having said that I might also check out the newer duck guns and maybe do a trade for a real workhorse.

[Royce]

I would think it depends on what other guns are in your "arsenal".....I like my go to Benelli....so I might just display/store it.

Having said that I might also check out the newer duck guns and maybe do a trade for a real workhorse.

Thanks for the thoughts, DucksterMan. According to my wife I have plenty of guns. She also thinks I own enough fly rods. (Silly, silly girl!)

My "go-to" duck gun is a Benelli Nova. I love it. Real workhorse that can take a lot of abuse. My favorite pheasant gun in a Franchi 20 ga. semi-auto (that I also won at the DU banquet a few years ago). Light weight, reliable and nice looking.

Since I'm telling you about my "arsenal". I have the 20 ga. pump (real "cheapie" that my dad bought me when I was 14), my Ruger .270 for deer hunting (still wish I wouldn't have traded my cheap Savage .270 for it), my Traditions muzzel loader and the Winchester .22 I inherited from my dad.

Yep, my wife may be right. I probably have ENOUGH guns but certainly not TOO MANY, right?

[Nighthawk]

Since when don't guns gain value? Put it to you this way in my cabinet is a Ruger M77R round top 30-06 bolt action rifle. I purchased it in 1979 with scope, sling, flip up scope covers and 2 boxes of shells, all brand new for $212.00 + tax. The rifle has been hunted hard, killed a pile of groundhogs and many deer. The trade in value of the rifle is now in the $400-$500 dollar range, insurance value of over $600+. This is just the average Ruger M77 not a special edition like the TU shotgun you just won.

Use it but keep it maintained. Clean it after every use. As long as you don't do any major damage to it the shotgun will definitely gain value because IT IS A SPECIAL PIECE not just an ordinary Browning semi-auto.

[Royal Wulff]

Sell it, add a little money and buy a high end fly rod. Winning a raffle is like found found money. Get something you'll use. You probably wouldn't be posting on this site unless you were a fly fisherman. Just a suggestion. Of course you're not me, but it's what I'd do.

rw

[Eric-WD]

I would sit back and say If I had a thousand dollars to spend on anything what would I spend it on. if it isnt that shotgun then I would convert it to somthing else. I would look at it as a nice big $1000 bill or perhaps more with the right buyer.

Eric