Should I sell a couple safe queens?

Status
Not open for further replies.
The Walking Dead theory doesn't explain why all the Colt wheelguns, not just Pythons, have gone up dramatically

The highest I recall seeing a NIB Elite go for on GB was $6500. That was a couple of years ago. I should have sold mine then.
 
Wanted to get some thoughts on whether or not I should sell a couple safe queen pistols. I've got two guns that I've had fir at least 10 years and never shot. One of them is a mint Royal Blue 4" Python. I have been going back and forth on whether or not I should sell these guns. I've never fired them, they rarely even get taken out of the same to show off. I basically own them to say "hey I own auch and such". I bought both guns for great prices and they have both doubled their value since I've owned them. So they do make good investments and they don't require much and they don't cost anything to store or maintain, so they are zero maintenance.

But in the other hand, I get little to no enjoyment out of them. I have a good chunk of money just sitting in the dark year after year. Sometimes I think I should just sell them and buy something I could actually enjoy. But a part of me knows if I sell either gun, I'll probably never own another one again. So I hate to let go for that reason too. You can see why I go back and forth.
Age old question, and a legitimate one.

Depends on what you want from your guns. I view every one of my guns as tools for self defense. Even my most "prized" gun is first and foremost a defensive weapon with a role in my self/home defense arsenal. I have no guns in my house that aren't ready and able to be used to defend hearth and home.

There's no shame in keeping a gun just because it's historical, rare, beautiful etc... But if you want to make it liquid to acquire something else, take a nice professional picture of it, frame it and hang that beauty on the wall. Then take the funds and get something else.
 
I think the group here can narrow the answer down for you, but only down to two choices: Yes, or No. You'll have to make the final decision from there based upon whether you'd rather have the money now, or keep the guns for a while longer. :D ;)
 
it's not an investment unless you're going to be able or willing to liquidate it. if neither its just another possession. be it jewelry, guns, watches cars or land.
 
Not sure how it will affect the Python market, but Colt will be coming out with a new one this year. Looks almost identical on the outside, but it has modern innards that are cheaper to make and more reliable. It should be competitively priced with other revolvers out there. My guess is it will share some internal characteristics with the new Cobra they just came out with.

Got that from a friend who is an industry insider and who has handled a prototype at the Colt factory.
 
A firearm to me is a tool. I buy quality firearms for use. Why would I pay big bucks for a claw hammer and leave it in the tool box? :D
I completely agree, (unless it has a sentimental family attachment; I have a Browning Auto 5 my grandfather took when duck hunting with Ernest Hemingway, according to unprovable family lore).
 
I agree that is a different situation. I have my fathers "bird gun". It is an old 11-48 16 gauge. I never use it and would never sell it. The old Remington will go to my son. :thumbup:
 
Back in the early '80s, I had a decent 4" Colt Official Police. I eventually traded it to a gunstore for something else. After all, it's not like Colt was going to stop making revolvers...
 
Well the second "safe queen" actually sold on GunBroker yesterday, the High Standard Trophy. I didn't mind letting that one go since I already have a Victor. Sold for less than I thought it should have, but what can you do?
 
I know I'm in the minority here but I make no apologies for always having had an interest in and even a "love" for all kinds firearms from a very early age, for all kinds of reasons but never as investments or collectors, per se. I have some that are "tools", some that have sentimental value, some that are used for competition, some that have historical significance, some that are used in many different hunting venues, some that are intended for self-defense/concealed carry but all treasured and worth having around just to have and enjoy for their own sake.

I have too many shooting interests (from Bullseye shooting to trap shooting; from hunting groundhogs to hunting deer; from muzzle-loading rendezvous meets to cowboy action shoots, etc.) and too many firearms accommodating these interests and more to be able to shoot all of them on a regular basis or, for some, even on occasion. But I don't wring my hands worrying whether I should keep all of them or not. I just know that ever since I received a Winchester Model 67, single-shot .22 rifle for Christmas as a boy in 1957, I've always been fascinated with guns and always will be.
And, by the way, for those that might wonder what happens to the guns I finally do let go of, that old Winchester went to a happy grandson just last Christmas. :)
 
Last edited:
Sell them, or shoot them. The Python market may have peaked. I sold my '66 4" blue Python to fund an HK I wanted, and never once regretted the decision.
 
To sell or not to sell, can be a very tough question to answer. I recently went through something like the O/P. with my Smith and Wesson Model 27's. I liked being able to say I had them and show them off, from time to time. But, all they did was take up room in the gun locker. I finally made the decision to let someone else worry about them. I only regretted the decision for a few weeks. In the long run, I'm happy that someone else has the chance to enjoy some high classic revolvers, and that I don't have to worry about taking care of them.
 
Wanted to get some thoughts on whether or not I should sell a couple safe queen pistols. I've got two guns that I've had fir at least 10 years and never shot. One of them is a mint Royal Blue 4" Python.
No!!

That Python can be admired many times and shown off to company. It's a beautiful gun and is one I wouldn't shoot myself if it were mine, but I'd never get rid of it. If you do, I think you'd regret it. If you do get rid of your other guns, what would they be?
 
The ‘never sell’ mindset is predicated on the usually correct presumption that you’ll come to regret the sale, and end up seeking to replace the gun, often at a loss.

This is particularly true when it comes to selling guns during a financial hardship, such as a job loss.

My recommendation: when in doubt, don’t sell.

Before selling, the OP might want to consider taking the guns to the range with an ample amount of ammo and see if that kindles an interest in them.
 
When I sell a gun I try to make sure the new owner appreciates it as much as I did. That way, I know it is cherished by its new owner and I feel fine about selling it. I won't sell a gun to someone I haven't met and talked to. I once refused to sell a mint Model 81 Remington in 300 Savage because the guy wanted to refinish the stock. The original varnish had small cracks that old varnish will almost always develop, but it was all there. The gun is a 98% gun. I just couldn't feel good about selling it. And I still have it.

I think you should treat that Python the same way. If you sell it to someone who desperately wants it and will take good care of it, you will not regret selling it after it is gone.
 
I'd sell the Python. Personally I think they are a investment bubble about to pop. They were made for decades and even used as duty weapons. The High Standard was and is a special target pistol that is just fun to shoot. I have one. I have owned three and sold off my Pythons.
 
So between the two guns, I'm looking at probably $3500 +/-. I'm open to using that money towards something else beside more guns too. Maybe a small camper to use for hunting and to take the family camping with occasionally, some kind of ATV or dirt bike, use it toward upgrading my tractor, etc. Let's just say that if I had $3500 in my pocket to spend on something fun, I would not choose to buy a Python or a High Standard Trophy.

If you want the money, I'd sell. If not, I'd keep both in their current condition.
 
Well...I'm going to buck the trend. My rule is never...EVER...sell a gun. I have guns i haven't fired in years. They don't cost me a dime.

In the past, I have sold a few firearms. With rare exceptions, I eventually regretted it.

Sold a Universal M1 Carbine. It was a post war commercial copy partly made from left over USGI parts. No historical value. Sold it. Missed out on the CMP Carbines, now can't afford a wartime carbine. So I'm pretty much screwed. Kick myself every day.

Sold a perfect Ruger Secuirty Six 4" stainless revolver. Loved that gun. But I was competing in the Air force with an M9, so I bought a Taurus PT99 as my practice gun and sold the Ruger. Took many years, but now I kick myself ever day.

Sold a Winchester 94AE 30-30. My dad bought it for me when I turned 18. Realized I was never ever going to be a hunter. Sold it. The followig year I moved to Alaska. Guess who goes hunting every year now? Kick myself every day.

Sold that Taurus PT99. When I left the Air Force. Decided I didn't want anymore to do with training for killing people. 10 years later, and now I'm looking for a Beretta 92. Kick myself every day.

Sold a beat to crap S&W Model 10. I had just got an awesome Ruger Security. Now I'm looking for a Model 10 to pair with my M1 Garand. Kick myself every day.

OH THE M1 GARAND! How could I forget. Sold my WWII production Springfield Armory M1 Garand. I had been shooting Service Rifle with it. (And doing very poorly.) Decided I liked High Power better with my bolt gun. 15 years later, I was kicking myself for selling it. Luckily, I sold it to a good friend (who owned it all 15 years and never once fired it.) She sold it back to me for what she paid me for it. What a blessing. (And yet, I ALMOST sold it a second time. When will I ever learn!?)

What else? Oh yeah! S&W 22LR pistol. Sold it thinking I was done shooting handguns. Oops.

Ruger MK II. Same as above.

You see a pattern here?

NEVER.....EVER....SELLL.....A GUN. You will eventually regret it. Not this year or the next. But one day, some day...a long time from now, you wil regret it.

PS: Sorry for the long post.


D.B. don't be despondent you are the model of a gun guy. If they have not done what you describe they have not experienced gun collecting. Very good.
 
The Walking Dead theory doesn't explain why all the Colt wheelguns, not just Pythons, have gone up dramatically

The highest I recall seeing a NIB Elite go for on GB was $6500. That was a couple of years ago. I should have sold mine then.
I don't think all the Colt revolvers are going up. I have a Police Positive that is worth less than my shirt. Always has been. Great gun, just has no collector value. Probably never will.
 
Keep it and buy well used Python to shoot or sell it and buy a well used Python to shoot.

If you need the money sell it and use the money elsewhere.

I felt bad shooting my really nice Trooper so I went out and bought another one that I can shoot the heck out of and not feel bad.

If you cannot afford to spare $1,500 for a well used Python then you probably could use the $2,500 from the sale of the Python.
 
I don't think all the Colt revolvers are going up. I have a Police Positive that is worth less than my shirt. Always has been. Great gun, just has no collector value. Probably never will.
You are correct. I don't have a Police Positive and don't want one, either...lol

If they could just get that Walking Dead guy to tote a Police Positive around, everybody would want one according to some...:)
 
I never get any kind of emotional attachment to a gun. They're just things. I'll buy, sell, trade or swap one in a heartbeat.

But these are your "things." If you want to keep them, keep them. If you want to sell them, sell them. Neither is wrong.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top