Gun Prices If The Economy Tanks?

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nerfsrule2

nerfsrule2

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If our economy goes way south; what do you think this will do to gun prices?? I feel that there could be a sharp decline in prices...(reason being) There are quite a few people out there that picked up guns on impulse or bought them with the rent money. So when (not if) the economy plunges these people will be strapped for cash and have to sell the guns for payment of debt. This should flood the market and drive prices down. I would think pawn shops and "Big Box" Gun stores would be the early recipient of this type of "need for cash." As these types of outlets will not be able to handle the flood of guns; this should trickle down to small "mom and pop" shops and even to Online gun Auctions!!!! Your thoughts are appreciated...Thanks
 
Personally....I think you may be looking a little too deep in this. Sure, there may be a "surplus" of used guns making their way back to the market for folks to raise some cash, but that happens already. There are plenty of people that buy a gun this week with "the rent money" and sell another next week to offset it. Its sort of a cycle for those types of people.

With that in mind...I HIGHLY doubt any such influx would influence the national market price for new guns. So there might be a few more guns for sale on the auctions etc...but rest assured, there are enough people with surplus cash to pick them up, so its not like its a true burden on the market.
 
It depends on how serious the fall of the economy becomes. I have lived through a bad recession and guns were cheaper but people had no money to buy em.

If the times get rough then guns and ammo will be at a premium with people needing them for protection. It all depends on how deep of a depression the government puts us through.

jj
 
An adage that was said to me a few years ago:

"The gun business is kind of funny. When the economy is good, people buy guns and shoot. You really know the economy stinks when you see a hell of a lot of people showing up to buy guns and to shoot!"
 
That is kind of like looking at the sky and seeing clouds and calling for rain next month. There really is no way of telling for certain or even with any degree of certainty.
 
I agree, I've been thinking the same things.
Lots of people have many extra guns, some of which could really always go if things get tighter.
most people hold on too long and when the market gets more product and fewer buyers, what happens to price? down.

Looking used in forum sales is going to be the way to play this.
That and have extra cash and keep your job.
 
I've been watching the auctions and it looks like to me that prices have already fallen. There are still some outrageous prices on the rare guns that collectors need to fill out their collections but I've noticed that your average gun price has fallen. Seems to me anyway.
 
Prices drop when people prepare for the worst, then go right back up when people start snapping up deals.
 
Remember the early Clinton years? Before the Brady Bill became the Brady Law, firearm and ammo sales went through the roof, and the industry suffered some for a while, but it rebounded. Should Hillary or Obama (maybe even McCain) take office and start flapping their yaps proposing new bans, you can expect the same thing to happen again.
 
AR-type rifles have become a fairly good bellwether of where prices and supplies stand on the average. Further tied to the same is the cost of an ounce of gold. Right now, they are largly on a 1:1 basis (maybe a spurious correlation, but an interesting one to contemplate). I don't have the economic knowledge or voccabulary to futher flush out what I'm trying to convey, maybe someone else who does has thought along similar lines.

That said, people do tend to sell firearms in times of economic need; but people are also increasingly understanding that guns are a pretty solid store of value that might be unlawful or difficult to sell (most folks really don't know).

People who wish to capitalize might do well to advertise in local papers that they are buying collections and unwanted firearms and are legally able to do so (people are often more comfortable selling to an FFL).
 
I wouldn't get my hopes up that there will be bargin shopping in the near future. I was at the Dulles, VA gun show last weekend and the place was packed. There was a line of over 100 people just to get in the door. There were probably 5,000 people there and you could barely walk the aisles. There doesn't seem to be any slow down in demand for popular items like handguns, semi-auto rifles, and ammo.
 
If the Dems get in you won't see a glut on the used gun market.

People will hang onto them like they did when Willie was in office. He drove up prices of new and used guns, and dried up the used gun market, as far as nice ones went anyway.
 
9mm carbines are going up.
223 and 308 are going down; in the case of 308, way down.
308 bolt action is doing okay, but still down.
c&r is stable for the most part, but the market is strained. very soon you will start seeing a lot of m39s showing up in the $200-250 range whereas now and a few months ago they were fetching $350. The sks will remain at 150. mausers will start going back down, with the yugos hitting the $125 mark.
 
Keep in mind, inflation will mean that foreign-made guns will become more expensive. How this impacts foreign used guns depends on a lot of factors. I don't believe we sell a lot of US-made guns overseas, although I could be wrong. In those that do cater to international markets may also see business picking up as exchange rates make them look less expensive than their competition, but in this case it isn't such a huge point, I don't think.

Inflation and depression means prices will go up in regards to the number of dollars actually spent, and down in regards to their relative value compared to things like food.
 
Agree with nezumi. If the economy tanks it will be due to inflation and the loss ofvalue in th dollar. Your wages are not likely to increase as fast as the manufacturers' material and transportation costs, or as fast as inflation itself.

If you wait for a "bargain" then you may discover your $800 won't even buy an upper let alone a complete rifle. Or that 30 cents a round suddenly looks cheap compared to $1 per round.

Why inflation instead of a deflationary recession? Because our politicians have learned that recessions and depressions are a good way to loose their jobs, even though that is the best long term disciplanry action to get healthy again. Who wants to run on the Hoover platform? Now individual politician ever got fired for fueling inflation (except for Jimmy Carter, but none of his cohorts in congress did).
 
Oh, I thought "economy tanks" meant surplus M1A Abrams, or a new Hybrid version like a Bio-diesel or Hydrogen fuel cell Abrams. Or maybe one without the radio and leather seats.

I would love to have an Abrams with one of those city bus stickers "492 cars are not on the road because of this vehicle."
 
Keep in mind, inflation will mean that foreign-made guns will become more expensive.
Click to expand...
Worth quoting. I haven't looked at HK's but it looks like there may already be a price increase on walther's in the US, presumably due to the falling dollar.
 
As we say in the academic dodge, "The relationship between the criterion and predictor variables is confounded." ;)

Economy is one factor. The outcome of the election is another. The outcome of Heller is a third. There are many others.
 
Two things will effect gun prices - the value of the dollar and demand. Imported guns will fair the worst with a declining dollar, but domestic guns will go up as well. I bought my first Colt AR-15 NIB for around $300.

It's not the economy that I'd be worrying about, but the potential for new legislation under the next president. Me may see another, more comprehensive assault rifle ban, and we all remember what happened to gun and magazine prices last time.
 
During the 90's in the oil bust, west Texas pawn shops were loaded wiith guns at very reasonable prices. We used to make trips from Fort Worth to Midland-Odessa, pick up a load of guns and bring them back for the gun shows here. Made some pretty good profits; found some nice guns.
 
Smith and Wesson is claiming that the gun market is down. I think prices on the used market will start to drop when gun makers begin offering incentives.

Here locally prices have seemed to hold steady but I think they will take a small jump when income tax checks start rolling in.
 
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