doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Is the gun market dead?

Ha - my criterium is very strict: all original, straight stock, damascus bbls, and way under priced. I pass the other stuff on (most of it, anyway).

Thanks

OWD

BTW: I would love a crack at the McComas. I make exceptions in exceptional cases.

Pawnbroker, you are exactly right in the profit is all in the buy, not the sale. Too few understand that and can not make money in a down economy. Worse is when you refuse to admit that your mistakes and hang on to a gun, house or car for too long.

Gunbroker is flooded with guns that are listed for years on end with almost no chance of ever selling because the seller refuses to accept fact that his price is not the market price. If you want to or need to sell a gun then you have to see the market for what it is and price your wares according to real current market conditions not those that existed two years ago or those which might exist two years from now.

Just look for house sales and you see exactly what I mean. The only houses here that are selling are those priced at today's depressed prices not those of the peak two years ago. To me Gunbroker is like a real estate listing of a house at 2008 prices and keeping it listed forever hoping that some one will pay their inflated prices. Just not going to happen.

I'm as bad as anyone else I guess about selling stuff. A friend in the business says there has been a real change in what sells. He says "If it old it has to be really good, Winchester,Colt, etc in collectible grade not shooters". I've seen more Winchester model 12s in the past year than in the past 25 years. I bought a very nice 16ga for $300 that I couldn't have touched 3 years ago for $600. The young people aren't shooting like we did and those that do want black rifles and autoloading shotguns. I know what has been stated about Gunbroker. I bid on a mauser that will be there until kingdom come at the owner's price. I see nice mauser sporters for under $300 and Springfields too. I recently got a dandy Bernadelli for $200 at a gun show. The guy said "I've been looking at it too long and it's not going home with me again".
Glocks,Springfield XDs and other plastic pistols are selling well but not many average SxS.
I have a small house that was appraised for taxes in 2008 for $257K. This year it's $118K and over priced at that.

Concur wholeheartedly with drduc.

A local dealer has a Springfield sporter that started off that way - not as an 03A3 - with a Shilen rebarrel to 25-06, asking $325, nice overall shape. Been sitting there for months. You couldn't buy the barrel for that. In the shops I see any number of sporterized Springfields and Mausers for $300 and under, often with wood that couldn't be bought (today) for the asking price. Lots of model 12s, too, but the ones that are moving are either properly priced (lower than a couple years ago) or collector quality.

It seems the stuff that's moving at "decent" (for the seller) prices are ex-military 1911A1s, M1 carbines (CMP seems to be out of them), and the like. Their prices seem solid. I don't really follow the black gun market, so I can't speak to that, other than to note that it seems that's what the younger shooters want.

As to the stuff on gunbroker, GA and GI, there are guns there that have been there at least 2 1/2 years and will continue to be there until the sellers come off their idea that people have enough money to pay their prices.

Prices from yesterday's Gleneagles sale weren't that strong. Plenty of unsold lots, too:

Sidelocks:
http://www.gavingardiner.com/BidCat/Cata...+now=Submit+now

Boxlocks:
http://www.gavingardiner.com/BidCat/Cata...+now=Submit+now

This Purdey was a solid sale:
http://www.gavingardiner.com/BidCat/detail.asp?SaleRef=0013&LotRef=114

That's plenty for a restock. Shows the power of the name.

OWD

The club I belong to sells tactical type weapons and these continue to do well and I believe it's primarily due to the current unease in this Country.
The Club isn't interested in older stuff as a rule, although there are some exceptions, and usually won't even take it in as trade.
I noted the same thing on Gunbroker as stated above. If they would change their format to "everything starts at one dollar with no reserve" it would clean that place out in a hurry.
Jim

market has been flat for anything other than tactical since the awb sunset.get yours while you can now... while theres still time.
now the economy too,the spares are being let go to consolidate,upgrade ,or pay it down.

I'm trying to remember when sporterized '03s were anything but a dime a dozen?

jack

I wish, in the last two years I have sold many fine doubles to pay for sporterized 1903's. Now days the exchange rate is about two-three doubles for one 03.

I would like to buy this one, what doubles are you looking for?

Perhaps, if you're talking custom makers of repute and I assume that you are given your books and expertise. Then there're the ones every third customer of the "greatest generation" had rebarreled, reblued, bolt bent and stocked with a Fajen Monte Carlo checkered four lines to the inch (have one and like it a lot despite the lb. of copper I got out of it when I bought it. Whatever those cost their "creators", they are 175$ rifles when cash is of the essence however nicely they may group--and some do. And all those others chopped back to a barrel band? They are sold as "sporters".

jack