Sentimental Attachments to a less-than great gun

[7.62NATO]

OK, need some help from y’all to help me determine if I’m being a bit silly here. Bottom line is that it does not look like I will be getting permission to hunt the private farm I was able to hunt last season, so it looks like I will primarily be hunting public land. Being on public land in Central VA means other hunters, especially on Saturdays (and especially opening days). I have always hunted from the ground, but I think that I would be much more unlikely to get hit with a stray bullet if I were up in a treestand. I was thinking about selling my slug gun (Marlin 512 Slugmaster) and using the money to buy a used climbing treestand. But, I will have a hard time selling that gun. If I make a list of pros and cons, I think I have to admit that my attachment to it is sentimental.

Pros
• I already own it and it is a legal means to take deer in shotgun-only counties (so is a muzzleloader, but holding multiple rounds allows the taking of multiple deer at once [or a quick follow-up shot available if ever needed])
• Similar to the first reason, I already own it and it can be used by another person that wants to learn to hunt (I don’t have very many deer-killing guns)
• I carried this gun around Pocahontas State Park my very first season hunting (many, many outings) and killed my first big buck with it (sentimental)

Cons
• The gun is fairly heavy (there are lighter slug guns)
• The trigger is insanely heavy and needs a trigger job ($$ to pay a gunsmith to do it, or $$ to buy the tools I need to do it myself)
• Recoil is ridiculous (a 20-ga slug gun has much lighter recoil than a 12-ga)
• The scope mount sits so far forward that the 4x Weaver I have for it won’t sit far back enough that you can see through it. So, in order to scope the gun, a gunsmith needs to tap the receiver and move the mount back an inch or so, or I have to find a scope with the dimensions and eye relief to work properly (a real PITA since the Weaver I have is pretty standard, dimensionally).

So, what do you say? Have you sold a gun that you had a fond memory of, and regretted it? I mean, on paper (and regardless of the need for funds to purchase a treestand), I should sell this gun and buy a Savage 220F. But, me being me, I would like to keep this gun and also buy a Savage 220F.

[mountaineer magic]

I think I would keep it for sentimental reasons and find a different way to get the money. It's probably worth a lot more to you than it ever will be to anyone else

[Semisane]

Heavy - bad trigger - nasty recoil - sight system not user friendly????

Sell that sucker. You'll get over it in about two days.

[aarontriton]

i say sell it . then you can make new memories with a new gun!

[oldsmellhound]

I'd have to disagree here, I don't think I will ever sell a gun again- I've sold a couple and regretted it every single time. If it were up to me, I would keep it and live with its flaws....

[lemoyne]

It sounds like you would be wise to sell it as it has to many problems to be worth fixing up.
As for buying a used climber, I would be very careful there also.
I found all the climbing stands I tried to be expensive and just a bit wobbly. I ended up with a set of strap on steps that I can use anywhere and a light aluminium strap on stand and have found it works well for me.

[trader74]

I won't ever sell any of my guns. I sold one and regret it. I have been thinking of getting a new muzzleloader, but the one I have is the first one i have ever owned. I also killed my biggest deer with it. So there are always pros and cons but never sell your guns. Just buy more lol

[falcon]

Sell the slug gun.

[hubby11]

Whether I would sell it would depend on how much I can get for it to cover the cost of the stand and whether I use it regularly. If you can get enough $$ for it, likely go for it. Should you need a shotgun for one of those occasional shotgun only hunts, a single shot H&R or Rossi comes pretty cheap. I don't collect guns so I will only buy/keep what I know I will use (one exception is a gun my dad restored).

[johnnyo]

If its for sentimental value, keep it! I have a Tikka M65 in 30-06, that my father bought for me 25 years ago. I was going to sell it and buy an Encore, before I bought my Triumph. My thought swapping barrels... right. Even though I haven't hunted with it for sometime and rarely shoot it, there's plenty of memories tied to it.