People are nuts on used gun pricing

[GXPponcho]

20 buckaroos..? Dang...last time I bought sum wuz 5 American Dolla...

uhhhh...think maybe we got off point here...jus say'n...

 

[walleyepw]

Haven’t read all of the post but Aim surplus has LEO Glock 22’s for $309

BUY my police trade in Glock 22 for $450.00 comes with three scratched magazines and ample amount of holster wear. It is customized with grip tape and an American flag slide plate. Will come in your choice of a protective Walmart bag and or Kroger bag. Man this is a rare piece with the authentic wear on it!

 

[PGRChaplain]

It's not just Private Sales. Bluffton Pawn & Gun posts pages of firearms on Ft Wayne Armslist daily. Most are described as "Lightly Used" at nearly Manufacturers List Price. Their Hook, print out the add and bring it in for $15-$20 off. I dont know how they sell anything........

 

[Mrbill69]

A standard production gun does not rise in value. Once you use it it is.....a used gun. Period.

So I guess my Colt Python that I paid $125 for years ago was not a standard production gun?

 

[churchmouse]

So I guess my Colt Python that I paid $125 for years ago was not a standard production gun?

There are exceptions. This is one of them that no matter how I try I do not understand. Save the fact they stopped making them. I had a few snake guns. They were OK.
If someone will pay that much for a Colt more power to them and to the seller.

 

[WebSnyper]

There are exceptions. This is one of them that no matter how I try I do not understand. Save the fact they stopped making them. I had a few snake guns. They were OK.
If someone will pay that much for a Colt more power to them and to the seller.

My experience as well. Had a Colt King Cobra 6" stainless 357 many years ago. Traded it when I had the chance as that thing was either built on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon. Only wish I still had it to be able to draw the prices they are seeming to get now, other than that, no regrets is dumping it off. Maybe I had a bad example, but I've seen lots of similar reports.

 

[snapping turtle]

You can never tell what is going to be prized in the future and the next huge collectible firearm/furniture piece/fishing lure / sports car.
There are things you can do to make the guessing easier. But a pure guessing it normally is.

value declines with the below five.

1: If there are a ton of them in circulation. 10-22’s 870 remington marlin 336 30-30 ect Glock . Just far to many out in the wild. Sure good guns just not collected other than by the user of the item. Not going to be worth more than a new one cost. Great guns but what we used to call the working mans guns.

2: cheap anythings. Mass production numbers or not. If it is not well made then most will never be collectible. I see a few exceptions to this. The liberator pistol for WW 2 is a very cheap pistol worth big dollars. The ones I have seen for sale were most likely lunchbox guns smuggled out of guide lamp Anderson Indiana.

3: items of poor condition. “ If it ain’t mint it ain’t ****. “ Thus why some have safe queens. Others don’t.

4: Guns without all the goodies they sold with. Yes the 2 dollar lock and the wax paper that came with the gun.

5: commemorative firearms (for the most part) just because Henry made a slide plate that say’s “hillbilly festival 2018 “ does not make the firearm worth more than a normal Henry. Some commemorative issues are goldmines. Most are just another firearm. Ask a lot of those who bought the later Winchester commemorative rifles thinking they would be worth what some of the first commemorative runs were worth.

Five that could add to the price.

1: limited edition items (I like those under 501 made) even if it is just a weird change of barrel length or caliber over the normal piece. These almost always go for more money to begin with and you need to Special order them. Browning does this a lot and you have to get them from what browning calls a “gold “ dealer. This takes most mom and pop and local shops out of the loop of even ordering the item. “Hey jmarriott you just said above commemorative items lose money” these are not commemorative items as many commemorative’s have very high production numbers.

2: custom shop items. Sure custom shop items from major retailers are about the same grade as the normal stuff. Smith and Wesson’s proformance center items come to mind. But once again the custom shop numbers are smaller. Sights ect may be different or with a real custom shop gun real old time craftsmanship is used to make them.

3: the weirdness factor. This is the open catagory the why would anyone want one of these things. The 6 pound 500 nitro mag rifle. The gun the size of a dollar coin. The rem r51 that flopped and was recalled. The gun that sat on the dealer shelf forever and he makes it down to his cost to move it. They can skyrocket or they can crash and burn.

4: the version just over the price of a normal version. A grade 2 over a grade 1. A grade 3 over a grade 2. In today’s mass production you don’t see the grades as much anymore.

5: the classic movie gun. The John wick M4 shotgun. The Dirty Harry 44 mag. The James Bond PPK. Anything cross collectible. The ”choir em” 22 ammo with the gator hunter on it. And to a point types of guns used in horrific crimes. The bushmaster after the dc sniper the charter undercover like used on John Lennon. Ect. This may seem weird but people often buy things for weird reasons. If you tie into the cross collector/Hollywood/crime guns they seem to increase in value.


What is is going to be hot in thirty years made today. ???? Who knows.

 

[Hookeye]

Pre lock Smiths have gone up a bunch.
Used to buy used 629's for under 400 bucks.
Paid 500 for my last one......sold it a couple of yrs later for 650.
Can't find one that cheap now LOL.

 

[Hookeye]

Jmarriott,

On that 10/22 and 870 thing..........

Have you seen what a factory checkered 10/22 sporter (SPC not DSP) goes for nowadays? (made around 550 of them, '66-71)
or a 20 ga 870 Special Field from the mid 80's ?

No box or papers, not mint, but VVG condition..........they fetch about 800 bucks (either one)

Some places did non cataloged runs of stuff, not really custom shop.
Remington did that, plus dealer specials.............like Grice .35 rem 7600's. They fetch a K used when they show up on GB.
My blued fluted 700VS..........worth twice what I paid (shoulda kept it).

Decent stuff that's slightly out of the oridinary, seems to be a good value. Use it and sell it for more than you paid after a while.

BTWm looks like Contender Super 16 barrel prices have gone crazy, in all except the .45-70.

 

[KellyinAvon]

So I guess my Colt Python that I paid $125 for years ago was not a standard production gun?

When you say years ago, do you mean 45-50?

 

[snapping turtle]

Jmarriott,

On that 10/22 and 870 thing..........

Have you seen what a factory checkered 10/22 sporter (SPC not DSP) goes for nowadays? (made around 550 of them, '66-71)
or a 20 ga 870 Special Field from the mid 80's ?
.

This was more along the lines of current production guns. Finger groove 10-22 and the like are still have tremendous value but there will always be exceptions to all rules. A card player with a pair of dueces can always beat hole card aces over the draw of cards.

If if you were buying the SPC over a regular 10-22 (89 dollars in 79) you were following rule four of value up and beating against rule 1 of value down. The wingmaster 870 and to a point the 1100 rem of the 1980’s were exceptional guns. The walnut had grain and was dark. The blue was very good and the machines were making good cuts. It is all a gamble.

All one can do if buying now for future value is put as many of those odd’s in your favor as possible.

 

[churchmouse]

My experience as well. Had a Colt King Cobra 6" stainless 357 many years ago. Traded it when I had the chance as that thing was either built on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon. Only wish I still had it to be able to draw the prices they are seeming to get now, other than that, no regrets is dumping it off. Maybe I had a bad example, but I've seen lots of similar reports.

That was my experience with all of the snake guns I owned. Timing issues among other things. Clunky compared to S&W of the same period.

 

[Hookeye]

This was more along the lines of current production guns. Finger groove 10-22 and the like are still have tremendous value but there will always be exceptions to all rules. A card player with a pair of dueces can always beat hole card aces over the draw of cards.

If if you were buying the SPC over a regular 10-22 (89 dollars in 79) you were following rule four of value up and beating against rule 1 of value down. The wingmaster 870 and to a point the 1100 rem of the 1980Â’s were exceptional guns. The walnut had grain and was dark. The blue was very good and the machines were making good cuts. It is all a gamble.

All one can do if buying now for future value is put as many of those oddÂ’s in your favor as possible.

FWIW the 10/22 Sporter (fingergroove) was produced from '66 to '71.
SPC is a first model sporter factory checkered.
The checkering was a $20 option.

Not to be confused with the deluxe sporter that is always checkered.........DSP. I dunno when those came out.
First one has plastic buttplates, now they have rubber pads (still in production).

BTW, some 870s had mahogany stocks/forends.

IIRC back around '80 or so..........the 1100 was $100 more than the 870, and weighed a pound more.
Do remember the jump in price on used 870 Wingmasters when the Express line came out, and folks hustled to buy up the non Remchoke stuff.

 

[T-DOGG]

Harley, is that you? How ya been.

There's some Eugene from The Walking Dead in there also.

 

[Itchytriggerfinger]

The used guns at the Strawtown Flea Market, sure beat Gander Mt in the high price department. Stopped in there today, on my way to an appointment in Indy. The guns there were easily $75 to $200 more that the same type firearms at Bullseye or McDonald's Gun Shop.

I was in the area and went yesterday. WOW! I got to the point where I showed a "gentleman" on my phone that I could buy what he was selling, pay tax, have it shipped, and after the ffl fee, It would still be $150 cheaper. His response, "Yeah but then they know you have it. I don't even need to see your driver's license."

I walked out with a piston rod, old Ford grill insert. I did find a FEG in the back of some Russian's van for $75 though.

 

[bgcatty]

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: Some of these people selling used firearms are seriously smoking some illegal substances and are hallucinating and delusional with their stated prices. Amen!

 

[Leadeye]

Stuff just keeps going up on GB, and it's selling.

 

[drillsgt]

There are exceptions. This is one of them that no matter how I try I do not understand. Save the fact they stopped making them. I had a few snake guns. They were OK.
If someone will pay that much for a Colt more power to them and to the seller.

I had a 4 inch blued python for awhile but I agree, it definitely didn't live up to the hype. And 2K for King Cobra's? Those were dogs when I sold them new, easily surpassed by a 686.

 

[brucecrain]

Indy Gun show is nuts on there used gun pricing as well. Never go to a major citys gun show they suck.

 

[halfmileharry]

Like your optimism, but the market is FLOODED with AR's and I don't see them as a investment. Now maybe a early in the box Colt SP1 or Armalite, then yes. Just as early original Norinco's AK's are increasing. But all the new black rifle makes and models out there I'd say not. Even if in the future there's a democratic majority ( God help us ) and they pass another "assault weapon bill" those that are out there now will be grandfathered in. It's just gonna be like last time, people panic and start paying 2,000 grand for a basic AR, then 8 years later they are back to selling for $800

"Grandfathered in"
I'm not so sure about that one. IF the Libs get any kind of power then any Constitutional Law is in jeopardy. Look at what they're doing around the country. Loopholes and local interpretations give me cause for concern.