doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Browning Diana O/U Values

I agree that all salt era Superposed do have a lower value but the short tang,flat knob over LTRK also is a factor even if its tests fine for salt.I have owned one salt 20 superposed which was shunned at a auction and picked up for 1300,used it a couple years and sold it off for 1800.As, I think you have said eightbore, and I agree,its how you buy them determines how much/or if you amke money when sold.

Let's see, a salt free 20 gauge as you describe, probably 26 1/2", square knob, short tang, should sell for about, as you say $1800 to $2000. A similar, minty, long tang, round knob gun in 20 gauge, 26 1/2", is a $3000 plus gun today if all original including butt. The square knob and short tang means something, but the stigma of possible salt is the major impediment.

Of course there ARE short tangs and non-"U" upper tangs accompanied by round knobs on some of the guns produced during the infamous experiment. What is a tang 'n knob fetishist to do? When I find a "savory" (but undamaged) Diana grade 20 for 1800$, I'll have that one too.

As has been suggested, the rationalization of upper tang shape and the on-again, off again mixing of lower tang lengths and various terminations of grips occuring circa 1966-7 are roughly concurrent with the onset of the salt problem and are utilized as readily-recognizable characteristics which, altho not of tremendous importance themselves, signal hidden dangers much as does the hourglass marking on a Black Widow.

jack

Nope,that one was a STRK grade one,28" and it was a couple years ago.It did have some salt (like kinda pregnant!)with some lite peppering around the frame but was still a good deal fro a hunter.The rising tide lifts all the boats including those with salt.
A clean,no salt STRK will bring much closer to what those RKLT's bring then you think.The ST has its discount but not much at all for the clean ones especially when you want one to hunt with in the smaller guages.

In the past year I have sold three 12 gauge Superposed and all had RKLT, but I kept my 20 gauge with the RKLT. I noticed last fall in Louisville that the RKLT 20s were going in the $3000.00 range. $1800.00 sounds a little low for a 20 gauge Diana Grade. But then again, I, like many, am really leary of the newer Supers. I passed about 4 years ago on a nice .410 for $1600.00 /Standard Grade. It was a salt gun and had several pits inside the receiver. I remember that after I looked at it, I asked about the date to the salesman, then set it back in the rack. A guy picked it up right then and went over and bought it. I didn't know whether to say anything to him or not. So I just let well enough alone and watched him put it in his car as I was leaving. Would you guys have said anything?

I continue to not take much of this very seriously except in its ability to create lack of demand. Geez, there are guys out there who are so screwed up they think it's L[ong K[nob] R[ound]
T[ang]. Post 64 m70s will shoot, won't they? How bout cross-bolt safety 94s? It's your money and if you've got enuf you don't need silver nitrate. It's also mine and I don't and I maybe did but got lucky without it. As for the poor schmuck in Louisville, Jimmy, why would you rain on his parade when he didn't ask for a weather report?

jack

I passed on a salt ear 28 several years ago that was being sold out of an estate. Same gun popped up two years later for sale at a semi distress sale price. Most of us have been in the place where you needed money and the wife wanted some of the guns to go to get the money the family needed.

Called the first owners son and asked if he could tell me if the gun had any problems. Told me that it had been back to Browning and had the wood replaced. He did not know why but his father was a bit of a pain in the a-- to all the gun makers he dealt with. I suspected that he had heard of the salt wood and complained until they replaced the wood. So I bought it for $300.00 less than it sold out of the estate. Pulled the wood and not any hint of metal pitting. That has to have been before I started surfing the net so it is about eight years ago. Even then $1,250.00 for a Browning 28 Super was a deal.

Even salt guns can be OK if they have had the wood replaced before the metal is damaged. I would pull the stock and look at the gun if you want to buy it. Might save you several hundred dollars in a major mistake. Not every stock in these years was a salt blank. I have seen several that fall in the years and no hint of any salt damage. I suspect that a high percentage of 70-80% were salt wood and the rest older blanks with no salt problems.

My comment about the "$1800 to $2000 20 gauge" as all but one or two of you already know, was a reference to a Grade 1, not a Diana.