doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com South Africa = cheap English doubles?

Are used English doubles normally cheap in South Africa? Just saw these recently auctioned examples. Seems like they would have commanded significantly more here even in deplorable condition assuming all the worst.

This shortened Webley went for 2250 Rand, approximately $167 USD.

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/f183-12ga-webley-s-s-shotgun-30E4CF3892

SLE William Evans, complete, possibly needing restoration for 7500 Rand, $558 USD.

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/f181-12ga-w.-evans-side-lock-ejector-s-s-shotgun-D6C48509AC

It is the cost of getting them here that would kill you. You need to buy a bunch of them or some high grade guns cheap to cover the overhead.

Oh, not interested in dealing with the rigmarole of exporting/importing just wondering are there places in the world where old well crafted doubles are still just viewed as utilitarian implements and go for pennies on the dollar compared to what they would sell for in the first world countries. Just curious.

There is more to it than developing country vs. industrialized one. In many places they need firearm certificate to own a gun. In some places shotgun is easier to own than a rifle. If gun owner passes the gun is not simply left in family unless one of the family members is licensed to own a firearm. In most places there are no households having hundreds of firearms therefore the market is small and favors modern firearms instead of old tired ones.

It appears English doubles are less expensive in Australia as well. A while back I surveyed the prices, a BLNE trade gun was priced less than a Stevens 311 was. Now, if I could only get a bunch of 311s down there so I could do trades...

Several Ozzie's have posted what they paid for their guns. It almost makes you want to move.

Regards

Ken

To the points above, I recall a gentleman posting recently, I believe it was from Australia or New Zealand, that he had acquired a gun (a nice cased, BLNE or BLE) from an elderly man as it was in the process of being turned in for destruction to the authorities. I guess when there is such illiquidity, it drives the value down to nil. Hard to believe.

I think Australian guns may be a very good deal, indeed. I bought a I. Hollis SLNE from a gunshop in Australia for $550, as I recall. It was a pre-1898 2 1/2" chambered gun, and he just mailed it to me via USPS. No kind of import papers, no nothing. Gorgeous English walnut, nice engraving, though not full coverage, and 30" Damascus barrels.

I ordered a flat of appropriate shells from Polywad and promptly killed a mess of doves with it.

SRH

Several years ago I was hunting in South Africa and was talking with a land owner and the subject of what I do came up. He said he had something to show me. We went out to an out building that had a small gun safe in it. In the safe was an Oak and leather case containing the finest boxlock Damascus W.W. Greener I have ever seen with all of the named accessories. It was his Grandfathers gun but had no real value because the laws made it practically imposable to sell.

My PH was 2 1/2 years into the process of buying a Bolt action rifle. He said it was common for the paper work to get lost and have to start over.

I am forever wishing I appreciated double rifles as a young man in Kenya 40 years ago. They were already nearly obsolete because ammo for classic dangerous game calibers was no longer available (Kynamco only resurrected them years later), and people had turned to the newly popular .458. Then Kenya banned hunting in 1977, completing the obsolescence of doubles, and they were worth nearly nothing. I could have bought fine old English rifles by the crate and would be a rich man today.