noticing a trend on used rifles.

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
BO said:
I'm noticing a trend on used rifles.

I hit allot of older style gun shops that get allot of used rifles in. I'm seeing allot of them sit on the shelf for a long time. If I had an abundance of money I'd have picked up a closet full already.

these aren't high end collector type rifles. But allot of old Winchester's, Remingtons, marlins and savages. Good, useable, hunting rifles. The "classics"

I think allot of the older guys that had these are dying, going into assisted living type situations, or just retiring and thinning down the herd.

Allot of the younger guys aren't too interested in blued steel and wood. So these rifles are sitting on shelves longer than they used to. Although the prices haven't dropped yet locally. I think eventually they may.

yes Ive noticed a similar trend, the local gun shops all want to give you very little on a trade in,
but want top dollar on the inventory they want too sell, now obviously,
thats more or less the way business has always worked to some extent,
but its damn hard to hand over a rifle in pristine condition ,and in many cases the older rifles were built with higher quality and better fit & finish work,
that may have had less than three or four boxes of ammo through it,
and accept less than half of what you paid for it , no mater what the time frame,
between the two transactions....especially when its on the shelf marked up to double later on,
marked ON SALE /BARGAIN
so theres a good many guys with a few safe queens they won,t bother trading in.
if you have something unique or in pristine condition or rare,
try to find a local buyer that appreciates what you have for sale.
you might be amazed at what some older rifles and hand guns sell for.
most of the local shops low-ball your guns, in my experience,
no mater the condition or value, hoping to maximize their profits.
ask around if your in the market, you may find a friend that has what you want
,and strike a bargain you both benefit from.
 
Back in the old days, that business model worked, but not so much anymore. I keep seeing more and more of the single proprietor gun shop going out of business. They just cannot fathom having all that money tied up in inventory, waiting for the "person" to walk through the door and buy, could be used much more constructively.

We are also seeing the same thing happening in the automobile, tractor, well you name just about any mechanical device, market. The world has exceeded in production capacity the actual needs of the population. Manufacturers keep pumping out products, with the newest bestest gizmo features, so that they can stay in business. Firearms are (for the most part) slightly different in their life cycle. They tend not to wear out so fast, whether from actual use or for planned obsolescence, such as the 7'ish years that cars are built for.

The old(er) guns were built to such a high standard (from pride in workmanship, as well as necessity) that they tend to still be around. They are not exposed to the elements, like cars, or constant use, like washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc.

The gun shops are then faced with the prospect, that even if they were willing to sell them off with a small profit, that there is a diminishing market of people that want the old(er) firearms, after all, a $300.00 rough as a cob 870 will take a rabbit just as good as that $1000.00 handcrafted shotgun on the shelf. That finely finished Remington, with the walnut stock and ebony fore end in 30-06 just isn't as cool as the black semi-auto with plastic furniture as was said above.

Go into the "Gun Libraries" at the various Cabelas and then think about how many people really are in the market for their inventory.

Some of the same thought patterns carry over into the Corvette world. People that I know that are older than me (I am 62) cannot come to terms that the market for C2 and 3 Corvettes is starting to tank. I watch Craigslist almost daily at a couple different areas of the country. I am starting to see more and more come up for sale. When there are so many available, the few people that are actually interested can pick and choose and be very selective about how much, and for what, they are willing to spend money on.
 
Why buy used rifles?
well theres a great many used rifles that are no longer available new,
a good many rifles that are no longer made were much better quality than the off the shelf, modern rifles.
while there are exceptions most entry level rifles are not well fitted, or exceptionally accurate,
nor do the feed and function as smoothly,
it takes time and experience to know, and fully appreciate, the differences, as too,
why a browning or a colt saur, or weatherby or sako
costs more than your average Stevens,marlin,savage,or Winchester
sure you can hunt and kill game with the entry level rifles, its a functional tool.
but you don,t get the same feel, or pride of ownership or in many cases consistent accuracy
 
My buddy runs a local pawn shop and he has an FFL he calls me with a lot of guns to see if I'm interested I end up with a lot of guns that I don't really need but if I feel like its a good deal I will buy it for an investment but I sure end up with a lot of them and I'm not complaining but I'm getting a lot of 2&3 rifles in the same calibers I don't care with pistols because they don't take up a lot of space
 
A friend of mine found an Ithaca 37S at a pawnshop for less than $200.00. He stole it. S's along with T's (37S & 37T) were built to a higher grade than the standard 37. They have the same rib that came on the single barrel trap gun and the actions were smoothed. The one I have feels like it is cycling on glass. A pristine S usually sells for $1200.00 plus.

Another friend found a Winchester lever gun in a little shop local to me. I think it was 25-20 (does that sound right ? or another chambering, definitely not 30-30 though). It was not priced too high. When he got it home, he discovered it was a takedown model and worth $600 or more than what he paid for it.

I have modern guns BUT the internal and external craftsmanship don't hold a candle to the older guns. (as said above numerous times, I was just reinforcing the statement). Walnut, that was inexpensive back then, it expensive now.

I have some wood on one of my single shots that the blank cost more than most people are will to pay for an entire firearm. Not bragging, it is just the way it is today. So many of the black walnut trees that are suitable for gunstocks have been cut down over the last 200 years, that today suppliers can ask pretty much what they want if you desire anything other than plain straight grained wood.
 
There are so many nice older guns out there that I would love to get a hold of ! on my bucket list is a Savage 99 in 300 savage I don't know why but I want one and I happen to like Savage rifles
 
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