Help me understand... a 10lb rifle 'worth' it's weight in gold?

Another_Kelley

Another_Kelley

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Might as well ask for 1.2Mil if you can keep a straight face and ask this much..........

https://gordyandsons.com/purdey-best-double-rifle-375h36601/

It does indeed have some nice engravings. Might even shoot well on top of that. I'm just in awe of the 'asking' price on some of these boom-sticks. Help me understand. Do folks really buy a 10lb item costing this much and then take it on a safari hunt? What's an average day like for this individual :)
 
To me, spending $15,000.00 on the used boat I bought a decade ago was right at the top of my comfort limit.

To others far more well heeled than I, $1,500,000.00 is buying them an entry level boat. These folks play in waters I will never swim in.

To own an old English best double like that Purdey .375 H&H Flanged, that takes some serious coin. Someone who could have his assistant wire a million-five to buy a boat, would be the same type of guy who would buy one of those rare guns. And then not bat an eye spending another $350k on a top notch safari, guides and taxidermist.

Lucky dogs!

Stay safe.
 
Here's a local piece of realestate with an asking price of $349,000....
https://www.realtor.com/realestatea...oise_ID_83705_M16447-97536?from=srp-list-card

Here, we have a black angus bull that auctioned for $350,000....
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/s...lack-angus-bull-breaks-record-sells/82748348/

This is a Ford Mustang that the manufacturer is pricing at $325,000....
https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/mustang-gtd

I could go on....but the point is, these items, along with their asking prices, are easy to understand the why and how for most people. A 10lb piece of wood and iron embelished with, "years worth" of engravings, with this price tag, is very difficult for me to understand. And I Love me some boom-sticks.
 
But you’ll buy a $80,000 truck, put $4,000 worth of tires and wheels on it, and take a 50+% loss a few years later. The gun you could easily own for a lifetime. You pass dozens of highly expensive vehicles on the road every day.

You’ll take a $10,000 European or Disney vacation that’s over in a week.

The same guys that are amazed someone would buy a nice gun probably have that much invested in dozens of what I would consider marginal guns they never use.

Priorities.

How someone spends his own money is not my concern
 
Last edited:
redneck2 said:
But you’ll buy a $80,000 truck, put $4,000 worth of tires and wheels on it, and take a 50+% loss a few years later. The gun you could easily own for a lifetime. You pass dozens of highly expensive vehicles on the road every day.

You’ll take a $10,000 European vacation that’s over in a week.

Priorities.

How someone spends his own money is not my concern
Click to expand...

"Highly expensive" vehicles & vacations still have a utility and value that make some sense. It's easier to understand their pricetags at least.

The vacation will come with memories and experiences, that "will last a lifetime"....

$325,000 would buy a heck of an arsenal full of guns and ammo that one "could own for a lifetime" as well.

The truck and vacation, are easy to make sense out of. The double rifle, not so much.
 
It's not a "boom stick". It's a best grade Purdey double rifle, that is what they cost. To say that they are hand built by expert craftsmen over a period of months is an understatement. They do benefit from modern machining but they are essentially all hand built by people who have dedicated their lives, sometimes multiple generations, to their craft. They work for years before they ever even touch a gun for a client.

It may not make sense to you but it makes more sense to me than blowing $100k on a new truck, or $1000 on a new phone every two years.
 
Another_Kelley said:
"Highly expensive" vehicles & vacations still have a utility and value that make some sense. It's easier to understand their pricetags at least.

The vacation will come with memories and experiences, that "will last a lifetime"....

$325,000 would buy a heck of an arsenal full of guns and ammo that one "could own for a lifetime" as well.

The truck and vacation, are easy to make sense out of. The double rifle, not so much.
Click to expand...
See different people have different thoughts
I've traveled over most of the US got plenty of memories 95% of them bad . Driving being around people, hotels , eating in restaurants. All things that shoot my anxiety through the roof or I just plain hate (restaurants ,motel/hotel) expensive truck ? Vehicles are necessary evil detest driving . A custom double shotgun would be something I could enjoy. So far a customer utility pump gun is as close as I have got
 
Its just an item for folks in different circles.

Golf the local legion..... or hop the pond to St Andrews?
 
I think many people think something can't possibly be worth a certain price because that number is so unattainable for them.
It is hard to wrap your head around a firearm costing more than double your yearly salary.

But to the guy making minimum wage, your $1,500 rifle is equally unobtainable and that person probably can't fathom it being worth that.

It's subjective.

If I were already a wealthy person and you gave me a choice of that rifle, or 10 pounds in gold, I'm taking that rifle. Every. Single. Time.
That's quite possibly the most beautiful gun I've ever seen.
 
CraigC said:
It's not a "boom stick". It's a best grade Purdey double rifle, that is what they cost. T
Click to expand...
I have seen, and held in my hands, a 4 bore Purdy double rifle. This was in California in the 1980s. Only a handful were ever made. The man that owned it turned down an offer of a million dollars from a rich client. A Purdy is like the Rolls Royce of firearms. Order one today and see how many years you will wait for it to be completed.

The Purdy is on the right. It weighed 21 pounds. It would have been carried by a gunbearer, who walked ahead of the hunter. The gun on the left is a 4 bore Thomas Bland. It weighed 17 pounds.
 

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My used Rem 870 and 760 proly can do all the hunting I have left.
But Id still like to try a Merkel Helix Alpinist and a Blaser F16.
Im just too much of a tightwad LOL
 
I can't explain why anyone would want anything. I'm not even sure I know why I want some things. And wanting vs. being able to afford is a whole 'nother question.

What I can give you is a clearer idea of why a Purdy double costs so much, by watching this video series showing the steps involved in making one of their bespoke guns.

www.youtube.com

Purdey Gunmaking Series - Stage 1: Barrel Making

Let us take you on the journey of bespoke gunmaking.Hosted by our craftsmen in our London workshop, we show you how a Purdey gun is made and take you through...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Spoiler: they cost a huge amount to make in terms of skilled labor.
 
From a purely objective standpoint, it isn't worth the price. But the same could be said of just about any piece of art. The Mona Lisa doesn't actually do anything...

So, take the cost of putting together a functional double rifle (which seems to be about ten grand), subtract it from the total, and then tell yourself that the balance is for art. For the fellow with a nine figure net worth, it's an easy rationalization.
 
Not worth anywhere near that to me, but I'm glad they make such things and that some can afford them. I'd hope they would use it. I remember years ago when Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot another hunter there was some chatter about him hunting with a shotgun that cost 6 figures. I'd rather see something like that actually used than sitting behind glass on display.

And it's not just guns. This 1973 Bronco has a $250,000 price tag. Not just restored. The body and frame are the only things original. It has a new, modern engine, transmission and everything else.

DSCF0460.JPG

There is a guy locally who drives this 1980's IH Scout. Same thing, only the body and frame are original, everything else is new and modern. He didn't say how much it cost, only that he could have bought a new Bronco for a lot less.

IMG_1644.JPG
 
For some folks it's about the pride of owning the finest that money can buy. They are not the "cheapest that will get the job done" like some of us. It is also an investment gun. I knew a guy that collected fine shotguns used by English Royals. Not only to have the finest, but as an investment and heirloom as well. I knew another guy that made good money by dealing in collectable guns. It was all over my head and pocketbook. But it was great just to handle a $65,000 shotgun. That's 40 years ago dollars.
I understand it. I also have a friend that owns some shotguns that cost a new car and he uses them. Colorado state champion in sporting clays. Great guy and deserves what he has earned.
 
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