doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Market Status...

That seems to only leave "greater" or "better" known sidelocks...I am no economist, but that sounds like a completely depressed market with a few exceptions.

Stan, if you need an excuse, now is the time for that Linder! The dealer whom I quoted deals in "better" sidelocks almost exclusively, Purdey, Boss, and H&H. He recently put up 10 new guns on his site. 4 sold within 48 hours, 2 sold within one week, 3 sold within the first month, and only 1 is still listed. He is selling them around the world with one nearly new pair of H&H going to Russia, and another to Texas.

Stan it is always a good time to buy that kind of gun.

I think we're actually coming into a great time to acquire collectible guns, because Baby Boomers are starting to pass away, and clearly not all those guns will get passed down. There are less and less gun owners to pass down to!

It doesn't necessarily mean their graded guns are going to sell at cheaper prices...but at least it should mean more guns just AVAILABLE to be bid for.

In this sense I think the only market that's likely to finally be in trouble is the lower end of famous makers. Sterlingworths, VHE's, L.C. Smith Field grades...these guns have all benefited from the same consumer impulse that drives people to buy a Mercedes C class (or a Cadillac Cimerron!). People like to chase the great names, so they chase a dollar price, and the inventory availability, of that name they want. And it's been like this for a long time. But I wonder if Boomer guns coming to market will let the air out of the lower grade guns, because there will be a greater inventory of 'better' guns available to chase.

And I'm talking about 'collectible guns,' not 'shooters.' People tend not to overpay for the shooters. It's that 1st or 2nd time buyer collector, though, who I think drives the price of nicer condition low grade guns. ** BTW, I was one of these...my first purchase was an excellent original condition LC Smith field grade 12 ga 28" gun. She was a beauty, and I paid the high end of any I had watched sell before. And I was ok with that...until I bought Stubbendieck's book and realized they made 200,000 of them! So I sold it for what I paid, and started to be more patient, and more discerning.**

Oh btw, I literally cannot remember the last time I saw someone with a lever gun at my range, nor do I know a single hunter who uses one. So I wonder if the same logic applies to these as well. Sure, that Kornbrath engraved Winchester is always going to be bid for...but the base ones that have had more different guys leave their marks on them than Pam Anderson...? I wonder.

-- Nudge

Nudge,
While I have little interest(except in Marlin rimfire guns) I can assure the Lever gun market is very strong. Our Colorado Gun Collectors show coming up next month seems to be about 60% Winchester lever guns. They do sell.

The low end, anything with thin walls or defects are currently a very tough sell though I do sell quite a few entry level Birmingham BLNE's, just not at the prices they fetched in the past.

SKB,

My supposition about a potential weaker market was just for the low end stuff. But I didn't just mean poor condition. I see, and have seen many of the 3 doubles I mentioned selling with high 2 to high 3 handles. And I don't mean sub gauges. We're talking VHE 12 ga #2 frame kind of stuff.

Any gun they made 50,000...100,000...200,000 of -- isn't going to be rare even 100 years from now. Clearly, this is of no concern to the buyer who just wants a nice old gun to go to his club with and NOT be ANOTHER guy with a Silver Hawk. But from a 'collectible' standpoint...that's what my point is aimed at.

-- Nudge

Here is my observation. Entry level extractor 12ga guns follow the economy and consumer confidence. Consumer confidence has rebounded to the highest level in years. I sold more entry level guns in the 1st 1/4 of this year than I sold in the past 4 years.

As far as young shooters not shooting SxS goes this is nothing new. 45 years ago I was the only one I knew shooting SxSs.

The guys buying the entry level guns tend to be 55 to 70 years old and getting in to there disposable income years. Lots of boomers coming into this group.

As far as Restoration, I doubled the size of my current barrel run within the first two weeks after the election. 95% are from mid-grade guns or higher. I've already got almost enough sets for another run, which will go back-to-back.

Regards
Ken

Looking forward to getting my set back from Ken's post election run. Glad to hear my barrels are in good company. Ha.

It seems the market for the Super-Fox is smokin" hot right now!!