For a number of years I kept track of Grade 7 Knicks that appeared on the market. I kept at this until it got to a point where the same guns kept turning up; at that point I had logged 34 guns. I was rather surprised at the turnover. My surmise is that maybe half again that number are tucked away as lifetime purchases, guns that will only be released when the owner can no longer hold them.
Nearly all the guns showed at least some evidence of having been used as working trap guns, i.e., worn finishes on wood and metal, re-blues and re-cases, aftermarket recoil pads, buggered screws, stock mods, replaced stocks, etc. Even the gorgeously finished 7E that was in the NRA collection (and later auctioned by Julia) had been restocked.
