doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Valuing and selling barrel sets.

Remington lost a great deal of money, little of which made it to purchasers of their products, with the AISI 1140 Modified barrel experiment. The index case was a USED (as in second hand sale) 1100 Trap admittedly shot with reloads.
Loitz vs. Remington Arms, 1990
http://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1990/68367-7.html
Garza Class Action
http://www.gunsmoke.com/guns/rem_lawsuit_intro.html

Of course personal injury lawyers go where the money is, but we should all consider:
1. Sell a barrel to Bubba
2. Who tries out some home chamber and barrel work
3. Tests his handiwork...barrel ruptures...junior get a piece of shrapnel in his forehead. Somebody's gotta pay now for lifetime care.
4. Personal injury lawyer 'splains to Bubba's relatives on the jury that the barrel was unsafe because of the modifications THE SELLER MADE.
5. Seller has no record of measuring bore or wall thickness.
6. Seller loses suit.

Seems like $120 for a wall thickness gauge would be a pretty good investment in today's world. Europe and the UK have CIP to set wall thickness standards. We let juries do that, based on expert testimony.

"As is" in real estate, cars, boats, etc. means there is no warranty. It doesn't mean the seller is free of responsibility for selling something he knew, or should have known, was intrinsically unsafe. Shotguns are hazardous (duh), but not intrinsically unsafe when used as intended.

Dealers of second hand guns do have an implied warranty of fitness of use of the product. I've never seen any gun dealer use the "as is" language; some clearly state "wall hanger not to be shot". And then there is ol' ed

Seller is not responsible if Bubba tries a 3 1/2" turkey load in a 2 1/2" chamber classic double because the product was not used as intended/designed. A hardware store isn't liable if someone purchases a piece of pipe and then makes a pipe bomb.

Sorry Mike, but too many dealers are, in my opinion, way too casual regarding wall thickness measurements, and in 2017 barrel value is highly dependent thereupon.

There is no question that a set of good barrels accompanied by accurate measurement of bore and wall thickness will be more marketable than a similar set sold "as is" with no information. But there is a lot of silly speculation going on concerning what might haappen if "Bubba" buys used barrels or a used gun and manages to blow himself up or injure "Bubba" junior in the process.

So what percentage of active stocking gun dealers have bore and wall thickness tools, and the formal training and knowledge to use them accurately? We all know the answer is well under 5%. And if someone here actually measured a barrel before selling, and kept a written record of those measurents in case of some future catastrophe, what court or personal injury lawyer wouldn't question their methods or their qualifications to take those measurements? Are those measurements witnessed by Nuns and notarized?And just how many points of measurement would satisfy a money grubbing lawyer? Suppose MWT was considered sufficient at every point of measurement every one inch along the full length of the tubes, but you missed a deep pit, flaw, or inclusion. Haven't we discussed barrels that failed shortly after passing British Proof? Does selling a gun that passed British Proof mean a hill of beans if "Bubba" blows it up here in the U.S.A.? What sane and rational person would ever take the risk of selling any gun with all of these pitfalls and Bogey-men?

Lots of wild speculation and hand-wringing anguish over a virtually non-existent risk of being sued into bankruptcy by selling a few used barrels. Let me know if you have a set for a 16 ga. Syracuse Lefever with doll's head rib extension. I'll even provide a signed waiver of liability.

Hello Utah Shotgunner,
I'm not sure what part of Pa you call home, I'm between Harrisburg and Philadelphia? I can't help you out on the value but I would definitely like to know more about any Ithaca barrels you might have.
Thanks,
Stan

Keith makes a great three paragraph argument, now six paragraphs, for not owning a wall thickness gauge. I think I will sell mine now that I know there is no reason to own one.

Minus the detail that he is not arguing that point.

Anyone want to suggest some places to find ballpark pricing? eBay and Gunbroker haven't turned up much.

FWIW - I clearly jumped the gun on asking this question.

I have to clean and evaluate all of these (and the rifle and single barrel shotgun), photograph and describe, then sell the viable items.

These are going to trickle out. Some just need a wipe and bore snake while others need a trip through the electrolysis tank.

Many of the SxS barrels will get a trip through the tank, as nothing hides from electrolysis. Bores that look good, because the pitting is filled with lead, dirt, grease, etc. don't look so great after they come out of the tank.

Was hoping there was someone, somewhere on the web who had made a business of selling barrel sets that I could use as a starting point. Hoping to avoid having to spend too much time researching before listing each set.

I wasn't arguing against owning barrel measuring tools in the slightest. I was only making the point that the vast majority of gun shops that sell millions of used or abused guns do not own those tools or measure shotgun barrels before they sell them to countless Bubba's. They obviously have a lot more exposure than most anyone here who sells or trades a few guns or barrel sets. There is no need to suggest that you risk losing the farm by selling some barrels, whether properly measured, or as-is. Better to worry about serious stuff like using the correct hinge pin grease! I own a Stan Baker Bore Gauge, a homemade wall thickness gauge, and a couple sets of plug gauges that I can also use for removing dents.

This brings up another point. If I set up at some gun shows and measure barrels for attendees and Bubba's as a courtesy, and they then blow up their gun after I tell them it has good MWT, do I then have some liability? And eightbore, if you sell your measuring tools, and someone uses them improperly and misses a thin spot and blows up their gun, are you somehow responsible for that too? Don't forget to send Dave his $10.00 if you sell them here... unless that somehow makes him responsible for accidents or negligence too.

DA,

Missed this earlier.
I do have an spreadsheet of the barrels I have cleaned, but like the shotgun barrels I haven't priced them yet.

Only picked these up a couple of days ago.

PM or email me and I can send the spreadsheet.

Just to take a stab at it, my friend got between $100 and $300 for his modern tubes. The more rare the barrel, either due to gun scarcity or barrel specialization, the more he got.

The horror, the horror.