doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Looking for info & opinions on investment guns.

I am looking to pick up a couple of Investment guns. I prefer single shot Rifles, & SxS Shotguns, preferabley in a 20Ga or 16Ga . I am not looking to spend over $5,000.00 per gun so purdys & such are out, probabley won't find a Holland & Holland for less than that either.
Not planning on anything right this minute but in the next 2-6 months. Thanks for any help. Jeff.

This may not be the answer that you are looking to see. But----there ain't such an animal.
This horse has been whipped until he has given up the ghost.
Material things that are relatively low in price at one point are usually relatively cheap twenty years from now.
Guns, like other collectibles are to be bought out of passion and not as investment objects.
I would, sincerely, recommend that you look to land as an investment vehicle. Buy corners out in the country off a major highway and wait for MacDonalds, Super Six or other lease agents to approach you. You then can have a Dun and Bradstreet phone number printed on your business card.
The guns are for fun and pride of ownership. Not for investment.
Best,
John

Guns are a bad investment...they are costly to shoot and to get fixed.

People should not look to invest in guns, but instead to spend money made in investments on guns. They do not have a great upside in future value and can be beat by almost all other forms of investment. Buy stocks, buy land, buy whatever but use that money to invest and enjoy in guns. Guns may hold their value over time but they do not go up by rate most land or stocks can over time.

If you happen across a high condition, 20 gauge Parker, for $500.00 Buy it. I guess you could consider it an investment. But more than likely, just damn lucky. :-) Just like anything, you have to buy it right (cheap) in order to make any money on it.

I concur with the above; I had an article published on this subject not so long ago.
Guns make poor investments. They do not earn rent, dividends, interest etc, they require maintenance, storage, insurance etc.
They rust, break, go mouldy, wear out...
The only way to make money in guns is with arbitrage - knowing a bargain when you see it which could conceivably be turned over quickly at a significant profit. You really need to know your field, hunt hard, and be lucky to spot those bargains.
Buy 'em 'cos you love 'em, not 'cos you'll make your fortune, 'cos you won't!
RG

I'm the lone guy in left field.....my advice would be buy condition...High condition guns seem to be growing very nicely on the market. Investment guns are not to take to the field unless you have perfect conditions. I would not buy a high dollar gun as my hunting gun, but I own a few nice ones. In the price range you mentioned, I'd look at small bore American sxs's, other than Parkers, you should be able to find some. Really nice American single shots can also be had in that price range. Be patient, buy originality and condition. Its often worth having an expert examine a gun before you purchase.
Steve

As someone mentioned, immediate "profit" is made on a good buy on a good gun. There is no worse purchase than a mediocre gun at a bargain price. All you can do is sell it at an even lower price to a buying public that has no interest in your product. This is obvious at any local gun show. Hundred dollar guns can be bought by the dozens at fifty dollars but can't be resold for forty five. Buy exceptional, high original condition guns from motivated sellers for somewhat less than their real value, not a difficult thing to do if you really have some money and will really offer that money on a purchase.

I've built up a collection by bargain hunting - keep looking and you'll come up with guns that are worth substantially more than you'll pay. Or buy quantities and sell off the culls. And I tend to keep guns I enjoy shooting and hunting with. Most all are field guns that wont depreciate much from use, but I've bought high grade when they met the bargain criteria, then usually sold them at a quick profit to fund other additions.

But buying high grade guns as an investment without really working at it is a loser. You'll pay a premium on guns that just ordinary environmental conditions will cause to depreciate, and if you actually use them they'll depreciate faster.

It's similar to coin collecting in a lot of aspects. Devote yourself to it as a hobby and you can do well. Treat it like buying mutual fund shares and the front end costs and chances of loss make it a bad investment.

Looking at return only, and comparing firearms to all other investment options, guns are a bad choice, as several have advised. But then, maybe what you're really asking is, "If I was going to buy a gun or two or three anyway, what kinds would be best to sink $10 grand into ... guns that shouldn't lose value and might even be expected to gain over the next 30 years?" That's a perfectly sensible question.

I love guns and have at times been a bit obsessed with them, buying and selling more than I can remember without looking at my records. My collection is now small by this group's standards, as most have become college tuition, etc. Early-on, I bought rather wildly and overpaid for many. But I narrowed my interests and started learning all I could, especially about guns that I felt were "overdue" for a surge in interest and price. Now I know enough about the guns I like that I almost always buy "right," and then at least break even if I choose to sell. Knowing more about a gun than a dealer does is a very rare situation, but has, on a few lucky occasions, allowed me to do a lot better than break even.

For me, it's certainly not a business, or even an investment, but only a hobby that partially "pays its way." You need to make your own decisions as to what to buy, but remember that, even though guns aren't a great investment, some fairly universal investment principles can be applied to help you make better decisions. Happy hunting. TT