Made it custom. No resale value.

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Electricmo

Electricmo

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I took my inexpensive Citadel and did a little customization. It’s one of my carry guns and It is totally reliable. However I believe all extra expenses on this are of no monetary value. In fact it is probably worth less than if I’d left it stock. I don’t care but something to think about when your tweaking your guns. 6007D444-8EAD-4985-9CE8-4CB52C06DB79.jpeg
 
As @blackgang notes, there is some resale value in any operable gun. That said, you may not get your investment back if or when you go to sell. I know that when a seller tells me that a gun is "custom," I start wondering if the work was done right, or if there are problems that I can't see on a cursory inspection of the gun. I just assume that I'll take a $ hit on any gun that I've had work done on, because I assume that a buyer does the same thing. However, if I've had the work done to make a pistol more fun, more accurate, more whatever for me to shoot, I just consider that part of the cost, and it's been worth every penny so far.
 
Spats McGee said:
As @blackgang notes, there is some resale value in any operable gun. That said, you may not get your investment back if or when you go to sell. I know that when a seller tells me that a gun is "custom," I start wondering if the work was done right, or if there are problems that I can't see on a cursory inspection of the gun. I just assume that I'll take a $ hit on any gun that I've had work done on, because I assume that a buyer does the same thing. However, if I've had the work done to make a pistol more fun, more accurate, more whatever for me to shoot, I just consider that part of the cost, and it's been worth every penny so far.
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Yeah - if I hear a pistol is "custom" unless it has a work list from Jim Garthwaite, Don Williams, etc, then it's going to knock some value off of it. Certainly not down to zero, but outside of well known gunsmiths modifications from stock are generally a hit on the value. Simple reason is not everyone's tastes are the same, so even outside of wondering if the modifications were done correctly, often times the buyer will be factoring in the cost associated with returning the gun (or parts of it) back to stock.

If it's just parts swaps, my advice would always be to keep your originals in a bag. If you decide to sell the gun swap all the original parts back into the gun and sell it as normal. Then sell the upgrade parts individually as used upgrade parts. You'll get a lot more money out of it that way.
 
Not at all unlike "classic" cars. The most valuable being totally stock with original paint and interior. Restomods and full customs have a market, but typically sell for far below what the seller has invested.

If your gun is a shooter and/or keeper, might as well make it what you want to suit you.
 
Spats McGee said:
As @blackgang notes, there is some resale value in any operable gun. That said, you may not get your investment back if or when you go to sell. I know that when a seller tells me that a gun is "custom," I start wondering if the work was done right, or if there are problems that I can't see on a cursory inspection of the gun. I just assume that I'll take a $ hit on any gun that I've had work done on, because I assume that a buyer does the same thing. However, if I've had the work done to make a pistol more fun, more accurate, more whatever for me to shoot, I just consider that part of the cost, and it's been worth every penny so far.
Click to expand...

A lot depends on provenance, and who did the work. Save the receipts. Work done by a reputable smith that you can prove will help you realize more of you investment upon resale.
 
I have a Citadel. It's just a range toy, but it's a good shooter and I enjoy it. It's not worth anything in particular, so making it look more festive would be fun.

I would like to have a colored slide and grips like that.

That thing looks super cool. :)
 
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Tallball said:
I have a Citadel. It's just a range toy, but it's a good shooter and I enjoy it. It's not worth anything in particular,

I would like to have a colored slide and grips like that.

That thing looks super cool. :)
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I like the look too. Blue and purple seem to clash most times, but his looks just fine.

Mama has laid claim to my recently acquired, cosmetically challenged MKIII Ruger. I've seriously contemplated having it Cerakoted her favorite purple. Or the pink color of our son's October birthstone. She said she wanted a mother's ring...trigger gaurd is kinda ring-shaped.
 
I hear you, i have added quite a bit to my Sistema Colt. Barrel, bushing, springs, Cerakote, grips, night sights, hammer, trigger job....I know there's more that I'm forgetting. Anyway, I've spent over $1000 on it over the years, maybe if I were to sell it now I could approach that amount, but probably not quite. No matter, wouldn't sell it. Finally got it the way I like it:D
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Gun people are like classic car people; some like to customize and create and others are horrified at the thought of anything not original.

I like to customize my guns and I can't stand anything to be stock. Boring! Oh, you want to show me your Glock 19? It's stock? Just like the other 22 million Glock 19s out there? No thanks.

I just sold 3 firearms the past month, which are the first guns I've sold in over a decade. I made nearly twice what I had into them on all three guns, despite two being customized.

My guns aren't boring, my cars aren't boring, and I'm not boring.
 
Electricmo said:
I took my inexpensive Citadel and did a little customization. It’s one of my carry guns and It is totally reliable. However I believe all extra expenses on this are of no monetary value. In fact it is probably worth less than if I’d left it stock. I don’t care but something to think about when your tweaking your guns.View attachment 998872
Click to expand...
Your Gun you do what you want to personalise it to you. No Different than a car, motorcycle, Ects, though we seldom get the money back from the tweeks we do there is the enjoyment of shooting a gun you are happy with and is set up for your shooting style.
 
I don't even want to think about how many of my guns have what would be called custom work. Includes trigger work, different barrels. stock and sight upgrades. Thinking about it is Very Rare for me to own any gun that I don't have extras for. I get a lot of enjoyment out of shooting something that has some Tweeks to make it personal to me. Do What you want. They are your Guns and you can do whatever you want to with them. Your gun Looks Sweet with the Mods. you did.
 
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There are many gun people who worry about resale value and then proudly state how they never sell guns.

I buy and sell guns all the time. Actively do things to devalue them such as fire collectible NIB guns and/or make a few modifications to suit my style and never worry about it. Sell it. Usually don’t even take a loss and move on.
 
I had a used Charter Undercover .. I had refinished.. Carolina blue frame , White cylinder and barrel , Carolina blue crane and ejector , .... I have zero pics .. were on a older phone ...I had the work done by CCR refinishing ... absolutely beautiful ...
A guy at the range .. a Tar heel fan .. made me a ridiculous offer... I couldn’t refuse...
I certainly doubled my investment
 
earlthegoat2 said:
Actively do things to devalue them such as fire collectible NIB guns and/or make a few modifications to suit my style and never worry about it.
Click to expand...

That's me. At the end of the day, the true 'value' of a firearm is how it works for you, not necessarily it's 'collector value.' This is not speaking of vintage or historic firearms, of course, that's a different story. I also don't buy firearms for their perceived value or resale value... that's way down the list.... I buy them because I want to shoot them. I do blasphemous things like throw away the box and instructions, too.

I have 2 kinds of firearms in my corral... ones that I'll never sell, and ones that are fair game, or 'maybe someday.' They all get shot. I've modded some of them, I've made irreversible changes to some of them, but at the end of the day they are just tools.
 
When I read threads like this I often think of this statement. All Poodles are dogs. Not all Dogs are Poodles. The word "Custom" as it pertains to guns and other things means different things to different people. To some people it means any changes to the gun vs its factory stock configuration. For others is mean a complete overall of the gun to include mechanical parts all the way up to grips and cosmetic changes. To me the word custom is often used to describe everything in between. People need to understand the wide variety that falls under this large tent definition.

In one sense all of my Glocks are custom because the first thing I do is swap the OEM factory sights. On the other end of the spectrum I have custom 1911s and BHPs which only the frame slide and sometimes the barrel are retained. Everything else is swapped out. If I took one of my Glocks out of the safe and sold it I would not lose any money. The mods which make it custom are easily undone and it is almost universally understood that Glock OEM sights suck balls and need to be replaced. The replacements on the gun add value they do not diminish the value.

The same can be said for my customs BHPs from Ted Yost, Don Williams, Jim Garthwaite, Jim West, APW Cogan etc... The mods might not appeal to everyone. It may narrow the pool of potential buyers but because I had a professional gunsmith who is nationally known do the work and have the provenance to prove it these modifications and any potential buyer can see what was done and it was done by a craftsman not Bubba under the shade tree. I am not saying that the OPs gun falls into that category but many "customs" do.

The other big part to me about resale value is are you customizing something that a lot of other people customize in the way you are modifying the gun. Like my Glock example. BHPs are similar. It is pretty universally understood byh hardcore BHP shooters that FN/Browning OEM sights are not the best of the breed. A buyer who wants a functional working BHP will welcome a properly dovetailed set of sights and will pay for it in my experience. Where "value" gets hurt are mods on guns which are not often modified or when the modifications become too personal and narrow the appeal of the finished product.

Extreme levels of customization can hurt value but if they add to the owners enjoyment I am not sure you are "losing" money on the modifications. Guns are poor investments. The "value" I get from them is owning them and shooting them. If I was investing for profit and resale there are better options IMHO. If I "make" money on enhancing my collection that is a bonus not the objective.

In the end I always make a pistol mine if I intend to keep it. That means grips, sights, finish changes etc.... If it is more than simple changes I have them done by known smiths and keep the records. In the end I don't worry too much about resale value. I horse trade guns all the time but the core ones pretty much stay. Their long term value is something that my heirs will have to deal with but I have given them enough provenance that they will be ok. The other part which needs to be accounted for is that proper custom modifications allow an individual shooter to shooter a particular gun better than the stock guns. The value of this modification is huge to the individual who did it but might not translate to the next owner. Modifying a sporting clay shotgun to "fit" the owner comes to mind as an example.

Here is another perfect example. It is Ted Yost Browning Hi Power. I was a simple MKIII with a forged frame. I sent it to him and we went over the build I wanted. We went back and forth on some of the details and in the end this is what I chose. It is a better shooter than when I sent it to him. When we talked about what a BHP "needs" Ted said, and I am paraphrasing a bit "It really needs only 3 things to take it from an very good gun to a great gun. A great trigger, great sights and a great safety. Everything else we do to them is to make them beautiful because we want to." It has been shot. It has been carried a bit. It goes into a holster and it has had mag changes done with it at speed. Even with those considerations I would not lose money on this gun if I sold it today.

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Just to be clear I never expected changing the gun the way I did would lead to making it more valuable. I added Novak nights sight ,VZ grips, custom screws and cerakoted the slide. I can put all original parts back on it other than slide. I have approximately as much in the changes as I do in the original gun. I did it for fun and have never entertained getting my investment back if I sell it.
 
Electricmo said:
Just to be clear I never expected changing the gun the way I did would lead to making it more valuable. I added Novak nights sight ,VZ grips, custom screws and cerakoted the slide. I can put all original parts back on it other than slide. I have approximately as much in the changes as I do in the original gun. I did it for fun and have never entertained getting my investment back if I sell it.
Click to expand...

That is awesome enjoy it the money in pales in comparison IMHO.
 
armedwalleye said:
A lot depends on provenance, and who did the work. Save the receipts. Work done by a reputable smith that you can prove will help you realize more of you investment upon resale.
Click to expand...
Yes I had both of my S&W 5 inch 9mm and 40 S&W pistol triggers were done by a very reputable smith. He was wrote up in frontsite magazine. Also did a Powder River drop in trigger job on my Springfield 45 XDM. The S&W 9 was a pro model and actually had a decent trigger. The 40 trigger not so much. Very Gritty and extremely heavy poundage. Both were done and have silky 3.5 lb triggers now. The Powder River Drop in on the Springfield took it from being my least favorite pistol to my most Favorite Pistol. Have done trigger work on my glocks as well. Nothing to extreme just polished and connectors mostly. Though I do have a Lone Wolf Ultimate Trigger in my 40 MOS. Have several barrels and attachements for it also including a Meck Teck Rifle with all the goodies too. I still have all the things to put them back to stock if need be. Glock has finally caught on and now offers Grip sizing inserts for most of the newer guns. I also have a 9mm barrel and maggs for my Glock 27. To me a Firearm is lot like a Motor cycle. I have not seen to many stock bikes that don't have some add ons to make them fit the needs of the rider. And yea Some are Done Just for the Cool factor.
 
WVsig said:
When I read threads like this I often think of this statement. All Poodles are dogs. Not all Dogs are Poodles. The word "Custom" as it pertains to guns and other things means different things to different people. To some people it means any changes to the gun vs its factory stock configuration. For others is mean a complete overall of the gun to include mechanical parts all the way up to grips and cosmetic changes. To me the word custom is often used to describe everything in between. People need to understand the wide variety that falls under this large tent definition.

In one sense all of my Glocks are custom because the first thing I do is swap the OEM factory sights. On the other end of the spectrum I have custom 1911s and BHPs which only the frame slide and sometimes the barrel are retained. Everything else is swapped out. If I took one of my Glocks out of the safe and sold it I would not lose any money. The mods which make it custom are easily undone and it is almost universally understood that Glock OEM sights suck balls and need to be replaced. The replacements on the gun add value they do not diminish the value.

The same can be said for my customs BHPs from Ted Yost, Don Williams, Jim Garthwaite, Jim West, APW Cogan etc... The mods might not appeal to everyone. It may narrow the pool of potential buyers but because I had a professional gunsmith who is nationally known do the work and have the providence to prove it these modifications and any potential buyer can see what was done and it was done by a craftsman not Bubba under the shade tree. I am not saying that the OPs gun falls into that category but many "customs" do.

The other big part to me about resale value is are you customizing something that a lot of other people customize in the way you are modifying the gun. Like my Glock example. BHPs are similar. It is pretty universally understood byh hardcore BHP shooters that FN/Browning OEM sights are not the best of the breed. A buyer who wants a functional working BHP will welcome a properly dovetailed set of sights and will pay for it in my experience. Where "value" gets hurt are mods on guns which are not often modified or when the modifications become too personal and narrow the appeal of the finished product.

Extreme levels of customization can hurt value but if they add to the owners enjoyment I am not sure you are "losing" money on the modifications. Guns are poor investments. The "value" I get from them is owning them and shooting them. If I was investing for profit and resale there are better options IMHO. If I "make" money on enhancing my collection that is a bonus not the objective.

In the end I always make a pistol mine if I intend to keep it. That means grips, sights, finish changes etc.... If it is more than simple changes I have them done by known smiths and keep the records. In the end I don't worry too much about resale value. I horse trade guns all the time but the core ones pretty much stay. Their long term value is something that my heirs will have to deal with but I have given them enough providence that they will be ok. The other part which needs to be accounted for is that proper custom modifications allow an individual shooter to shooter a particular gun better than the stock guns. The value of this modification is huge to the individual who did it but might not translate to the next owner. Modifying a sporting clay shotgun to "fit" the owner comes to mind as an example.

Here is another perfect example. It is Ted Yost Browning Hi Power. I was a simple MKIII with a forged frame. I sent it to him and we went over the build I wanted. We went back and forth on some of the details and in the end this is what I chose. It is a better shooter than when I sent it to him. When we talked about what a BHP "needs" Ted said, and I am paraphrasing a bit "It really needs only 3 things to take it from an very good gun to a great gun. A great trigger, great sights and a great safety. Everything else we do to them is to make them beautiful because we want to." It has been shot. It has been carried a bit. It goes into a holster and it has had mag changes done with it at speed. Even with those considerations I would not lose money on this gun if I sold it today.

View attachment 999293

View attachment 999294

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View attachment 999296

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Click to expand...
nicely explained. The word is “provenance,” by the way.
 
I bought a new Combat Elite in 1987 and proceeded to shoot it...a lot. It was looking pretty worn so I sent it off to Wilson Combat for a rebuild back in 2015 or so. I really like it now, and though maybe not "custom" it sure is "unique." I won't sell this one.
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I've never understood this mentally, car guys are the same.

I do/did metal work in a high end shop, some of these cars are 7 figures. A lot of guys sacrifice their vision, build around resale. Screw that!! Build it you want it and enjoy it.
 
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