The answer is yes, of course, any durable physical commodity is a pretty good hedge against inflation, and a very very very good hedge against rampant inflation, which SOME think is coming. Like buying precious metal boullion, you DO have the problem of storage, insurance, & security, which you wouldn't have with a paper-based investment in a commodity, such as gold or silver ETFs. Generally, quality handguns and EBRs only go UP in value, as do milsurp rifles - all significantly beyond the T-bill rate. There are some exceptions (such as the 08-09 Obama bubble), but that's the general trend. Other longguns generally also go up in value as well, but whether they beat the inflationary rate is iffy; depends on other factors.
Right now interest rates are so ridiculously low that guns are a better investment in the SHORT & MEDIUM run right now than ever before, when you compare the value increase versus a T-bill, CD, or similar. Not a GREAT investment, but better than other non-risky alternatives.
A $1,000 MSAR STG-556 I'm guessing will be worth over $2,000 in value then next time a homeland defense rifle ban is proposed, which could be in 4 years, or 10 years, or 15 years, but that's a 100% return. If an HDR ban and/or standard capacity mag ban is PASSED, well they may be worth $3,500 or more. Of course if there's NO grandfather clause in said passed legislation, then it will be worth $0.00 on the legal market, and yet at the same time, worth $5,000 or more on the illegal market, if you're willing to "become" a criminal.
Anyone who bought a registered machine gun prior to 1986 made the best investment in history, short of Goldman Sachs / Hillary Clinton insider trade deal.
By the way, some think gold will continue to go up well over $1,500 / oz. before it comes back down in a year or two, due to the Fed's apparent stubbon stance of refusing to reverse its current ultra-liberal monetary policy, no matter what, until the economy fully recovers.