I'm hesitant to even ask this question

The people who would buy a $2500 AR will pay you $2500 now or after the apocalypse. A person who would buy a $500 AR is more likely to give you $1200 during a panic. The suckers were rookies.

During the last panic, I tossed a $500-something Delton up on Gunbroker that fetched over $1,400. Did that several times in fact. Very profitable, that last gun panic.

2 M1A's purchased for $1100 each. Sold them for $2500 each during the last panic. $2800 profit on 2 rifles and it took maybe 2 days to sell them. Guns are a great tangible asset. Best part is, when everything else takes a huge hit (stocks, bonds and other intangible assets), guns almost always go UP in value during the same time frame.

A basic understanding of economics is in all of our guts; we know (but ignore or deny) that "currency" will eventually be of little to no value - "it can't continue like this" is a piece of our instincts but we go day to day not thinking or not wanting to think about that kind of chaos - we don't want to believe it - we are comforted by our believing that "they" will always find a solution. With that said, anything of useful or necessary value is a good investment - hard goods of this nature have to replace currency when it no longer functions - when that will happen is the zillion dollar question. Good shooting!

I guess I'm with the crowd on this one. The folks who want and can afford a high end AR will likely already have one. If you plan to go forward with this I'd personally pick up a lot of magazines and a couple of mid rang ARs. I think you'll have an easier time moving them.

There's no telling when the market will pick up with all the world wide shenanigans, but gold is at a five year low. Silver is cheap too. They take up a lot less room than guns and magazines.

Good luck.

During the last panic a carbon15 bushmaster was selling for just as much as colt 6920s infact high end stuff wasn't exactly difficult to find but lower end stuff was bought up quickly for 4x the price. The only really high end guns i saw actually bringing crazy money were scars some one paid like 10k for one on gunbroker.

Just buy $2000 worth of 22 LR instead

Seriously. The future is hard to predict. After the next election you may be turning in your AR's with no compensation. I'm not that pessimistic, but it could happen.

tcoz said:

Ok guys, now don't destroy me over this one. I'm asking a legit question and would like to hear some thoughtful (on-topic) responses..

I'm 65 y.o., have been semi (actually 3/4) retired for a couple of years and I have my retirement funds in extremely conservative investments which aren't earning squat but are extremely safe.
The thought occurred to me the other day to take $2-3k of my retirement funds and buy a "top of the line" AR, leave it boxed, don't shoot it, and stick it in the safe, only to bring it out close to or just after the election next November to sell it when/if there's another buying frenzy, prices skyrocket and supplies become scarce. This isn't a political discussion but Hillary has already said that gun control will be part of her platform so if she's elected or even if it looks like she will be, I think prices will again jump way up, hopefully temporarily. I've never bought or sold a firearm to flip it and make a profit and I've never been a real investor, but I feel that even if things go differently and we don't have another gun control scare, I'll have a very nice AR that won't go down in value, especially considering the prices they're selling for right now. I wouldn't consider this unethical or trying to profit off others misfortune. I would consider it the same way anyone considers an investment in which you attempt to "buy low, sell high". My choice would be something like DD, Noveske, POF, LWRC.

So, I'd like your honest thoughts about this. I'm not interested in a discussion of the merits of one particular brand over another but if you'd like to comment on the general thought of high end vs middle of the road, that's ok. I'm not, however interested in something that I would spent $500 on and turn around and sell for $1200. Also, a discussion of caliber choice might be interesting but I'm leaning toward 5.56 because of its general appeal and its lower cost compared to other calibers.

I posted this in "Rifle Country" because I'm considering doing this specifically with an AR and because this is where I spend most of my time, hence I'm more familiar with the regular posters. The comments I receive will go a long way towards helping me make my decision.
Thanks everyone.

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so you're interested in selling it for a profit, but you're not interested in making a profit the smart way, by buying cheaper ar15s and/or parts kits and selling them post-panic. i have no advice for you that was not given already, but buying the $500 ar15 and selling it for a lot more in a panic, is the way to make the $.

I'm praying we will have a president who believes in the 2nd amendment. If that happens, the strategy wouldn't work out well as gun prices should remain as they are.

Jackal said:

BS. I couldnt disagree with this statement more. I've made many tens of thousands of dollars over the years on guns. If thats not a good investment, then what is? So long as you dont overpay in the first place, its zero risk. Easy, sure, no risk profits. Not many other investments that can boast the same.

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Right?
Guns are the only investments you get to play with and then sell for more than you bought in for...

^^^ ... especially if you watch and purchase on the second-hand market.

I think what you are describing can make sense for truly high end guns, but those are a whole different world from high end ARs. Even if it does work it is the polar opposite of a diversified portfolio.

It is not the approach I would take, though I'll admit I spent some time a few weeks ago looking for 10-packs of lower receivers.

Guns, gold, platinum, oil, soybeans and silver. They are a commodity. If you guess right you will make some money. If you guess wrong, you will lose. If you are going to bet with guns, I would bet on those that are unique and have a history of making money, like a German Drilling, old Colts and Smith's or something British. AR's are a huge gamble. If I was choosing between AR's and silver, I would do silver. If I was choosing between AR's and a Python or Combat Masterpiece as an investment, I would take the Colt or Smith.
kwg

Talking about a bit more money than that for even an entry level one , but were i to " invest " in a firearm today just for the gain in value it would be a NFA item specifically a machinegun . Since they closed the registry in 86 iirc the prices have skyrocketed .

Buying guns to sell at a profit is not illegal.
But does require an FFL.

The BATF says if one engages in buying and selling as a business, you need a license.

Flipping guns can be argued as a business.
Buying volume of common versions, for sale later, would probably be seen as a business.

Buying stuff, shooting it for a bit,or letting it collect dust in a safe, then changing your mind and making a profit........makes you a smart hobbyist.

Do whatever one wants, just be aware that intent and method may be questioned later. And that type of discussion can burn some of your profits

Have seen some butthurt dealers try to stir trouble with non dealers (who were doing everything legal). BATF takes a dim view of being drawn into such stupidity.

I think guns and accessories in general, no matter what flavor you prefer...make for a very smart hedge against inflation.

To put it gently; ya never know when you may need to liquidate your tangible assets to um...buttress your stocks against uh....marauding daytraders with an eye on hostile "business" takeover and attempting er...to seize your assets for their own gain.

Post 38 from kyg020 has it right.

What the original op has suggested is just like any other commodity. I would not recommend investing in commodities. AR's take up a lot of space to store, you better carry insurance rider on them, and legally could be difficult to liquidate.

At the op's age, he should have 40-50% of his retirement funds invested in boring no load mutual funds. The other 60%-50% invested in non-volatile investments. Yup, I know boring. This boring strategy has worked for me. Take 110-age, and that is how much to put into growth no load mutual funds.

Do you want to make a small fortune in commodities, start with a large fortune and open a commodity trading account and work it until you only have a small fortune left.

All that being said, if you want one or two AR's, buy now while they are on sale.

I personally think certain class III items will potentially be more profitable than current production ARs, and that out-of-production items with a demand that far exceeds supply is a safer long term bet. Specifically, I'm talking about sub guns. (With that said, guns like the original H&K Mk23 (with the original style SN) with the KAC can and LAM could be potential gems as well.)

Polls indicate that Hillary could potentially win. With that said, unless Democrats have a house, senate, and Presidential majority, I think it is going to be difficult to advance new gun control laws. Also the last poll I saw indicates that the majority of Americans do NOT want more laws. If people come to their senses and elect a moderate President, it could have the complete opposite effect of Hillary being elected.

If I were to buy an AR I wanted to hold on to for the purpose of having a valuable item (and not shoot), I would personally look for an AR that has a collectable value, in addition to its inherent value, so that its price will remain the same or go up even if laws regarding ARs were relaxed. Ideally this would be a limited production model and/or a model with a brand people really desire (even better if it was out of production.) For example, I think certain Colt products could fit this bill, such as a LE6920. A lot of people like the Colt name and a lot of people find the marking on the LE version of the 6920 as cool...they often like it enough to pay a premium for it. Certain earlier ArmaLite models might also be of interest. I would also consider purchasing 20-40 good lowers stamped for multi-cal usage and ideally of billet construction. That would potentially allow me to sell the lowers as-is, or even complete them and sell a completed firearm.

As nice as some of the ARs from high end makers like POF, LT, Noveske, KAC, etc. are, these items are still in production. As more are made, availability can become better, and price could potentially drop as they become easier to find. On the other hand, something like an automatic M16, MAC, or an Uzi will never be produced again for the civilian market. We know the production is over forever, the supply is low, the demand is high, and because these items are hard to find buyers will often pay a very high premium for a good specimen. A friend of mine sold his MP5 a few years ago. He came out with something insane like 7k profit over what he originally paid.

Hillary gets elected along with a democratic super majority. Your gun is now illegal and must be turned in for destruction.

Where the real money could have been made in the last 6 yrs was 22 shells. A couple pallets of them could have at least tripled your money.

As others have said, it would be more wise to invest that money in ammo or more collectible type guns (S&W Revolvers). Something that was hand-fitted and no longer made will be worth more than any modern production AR in the long run.

All I can add is that for a speculative investment, you have to sell and sell at the right time to profit. I know of one guy who bought ARs when the panic doubled the price. He COULD have sold up when they tripled, but that level did not last long. I don't think he caught that peak and was probably lucky to get his money back on the down side. Or lose out when prices declined to previous levels and below.