doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How much are our fancy doubles worth as firearms?

That is a wonderful picture of two beautiful guns.. They would be worth a MINT to me..

If it were all about utility, we would be shooting 870s and SX-1s

As a firearm to hunt with, my doubles are worth every cent I paid for them. On the most part they are old world quality workmanship & materials that to equal in a new gun would cost me many times more $$'s. Good using value I see.
I bought them to use & for my pleasure, not to look good in my estate sale.
My Skimin & Wood live pigeon gun is very worthy to me as a hunting gun. Classic double 1926, 3" chambers 1 1/2 Oz proof.
I have old world feel & quality that shoots heavy & fast 2 3/4 modern loads. I consider that good value.
O.M

I am not inclined to pay the extra money for a "name" side by side (not that I could afford to anyway). I have found that very close to the same quality, can be found in many other guns at considerably less cost.

The pleasure for me is in taking a finely crafted, hand made gun afield and use it as intended. Fully engraved with fancy carved fences and beautiful wood, takes me back to when craftsmen toiled long hours with little pay, to create true works of art by hand.

There is nothing that compares to following my Setter afield with a fine British double in hand. Current prices indicate now is the time to put one in your safe.

I started hunting with an old pre WWI J Stevens A&T Co 12ga double.
Next gun was an 870. For purposes of "Utility" Ie being able to hit what I was shooting at I went back to the J stevens. I did try to shoot the 870 for two seasons, so it was not just a one hunt phenomenon. I know that others shoot then extremely well , But I didn't. Have never had a desire for another shotgun which didn't have two barrels. A Two Piper is my Utility Gun.

Price for anything is always going to be determined by supply and demand...... I would love to own a nice model 21, but don't because I personally don't think it's worth to me, the premium you pay over a nice NID, Fox, or LC Smith. So, I own a couple of NID's, a Fox and a Smith... :-) And, feel blessed to be able to own those. There is something extremely special in carrying afield a gun that is 50-100 years old, and was previously owned and hunted with by members of "The Greatest Generation".

But a gun will always be "worth" what someone else is willing to pay for it.

My son recently graduated from Navy A School, and I gave him a 1947 mint condition LeFever Nitro in 16ga for grad present, hoping to pass along to him my love for old guns.....

To me, the value is experiential.
Time spent with friends and family while using these doubles is worth more than money.
How do you put a price tag on days afield, competition or time simply shooting with buddies at the range.
Fancy or plain. Their worth? Priceless!

Affectation? Say what you will. For me, life is short and you only live once.

King:

Is a model 21 an "affectation" or maybe just an "affliction"?

I caught the double disease (or maybe gene) from my great granddad from whom I inherited a single Parker 20 ga. I love that gun, but while bagging probably a couple hundred wild birds with it I never shot it well.

Regardless, studying and recreating with this SXS I learned a lot about doubles and craftsmanship of a bygone era. That is why when I had a chance to buy a Winchester 21 in 20 ga. with two triggers and excellent fit a few years ago, visibly well-used by earlier owners to fill the bag and even to hold down more than a few strands of rusty fence wire (and so at a good price), I did so.

I'll be in the sage foothills tomorrow with it, cherishing not the collectability, but rather the durability, reliability and yes, nostalgic tradition of the form. Carrying a stout and respected gun to take fine wild fowl seems but fitting.

With a good hatch last June, good air for the dog, and good fortune, this M21 shall affect only some birds!

Legislation in Europe has made cross border shipping, for service or warranty work by the maker, near impossible. Owner serviceability is now a valued feature.

Two export an two import licences with all the hassle and expense that entails outweigh brand names that need "service by the maker".

Personal end result: my Citori is now way more valuable than my hand built high brand Italian boxlock.