Increased value of an un-fired gun?

[Poper]

New and unfired. It would have to be at least 75-100 years old to really enhance the price.

Unless it is a 1972 2-inch nickel plated Colt Python in the box with hang tag, manuals and all the paperwork.....

 

[roval]

sometimes barely used even has its drawbacks over used. not enough use to discover problems.

i bought a barely used smith 29-4 that had a very light turn line. i suspect i put more rds through it the first time i took it to the range about 125 rds. second range outing the cylinder would bind. i sent it back to the factory and paid for the repairs and since then it has been functioning well.

that being said i would pay more for an older gun that is in nice condition over one that has a scratches. new in box with a premium likely not as i will shoot it anyway.

 

[tark]

"N.I.B. unfired" and Never fired after leaving the factory, mean pretty much the same thing As jrmiddleton425 has stated, if it has proof marks, it has been fired. But N.I.B., unfired means a whole lot more with a Colt Python, or a T-series Hi-power or a C-96 Mauser... than it does for a common .22 pistol or rifle that was made in the millions and is still in production. "Unfired" examples of the latter two reside in my collection. The Hi-power would be worth more than it is if I had the original bill of sale and the original box. (Actually, I'm told it came in a pouch.") The Mauser has a matching stock, but a missing lanyard loop. That distracts a bit from its value.

Collectors are rather odd ducks. We lust after guns that are both original and high conditioned. By "conditioned" I mean percentage of original finish remaining. The other determining factor is originality. Does it have 100% of the parts it left the factory with? Rareness is not necessarily a factor in desirability. M-1 carbines are not rare. They made over six million of them. But to find one that is both all original and high conditioned is a near impossibility. Same with M-1 rifles. And then there is the "condition" thing. On some high end collectables, say Lugers or Colt model SAAs each percentage point over 97% can dramatically increase the value of the gun. Another significant factor with SAAs is the drag line on the cylinder. A high conditioned piece with no drag lines on the cylinder will bring a fat premium over the same gun that has had the hammer cocked, even once. This is more true for the first and second generation guns than it is for the newer ones.

I have been criticized many times because I refuse to shoot either one of my "unfired" guns. "If I had it I'd shoot the snot out of it." Heard that many times. Well, that's fine with me, except you don't have it and I do. I get just as much enjoyment out of admiring a pristine, brand new example of a classic gun, as I do in firing it. Besides , I've fired Hi-powers before and if I want to shoot a Broomie I have a second example, which I shoot all the time.

As a collector, I try not to look down my nose at those who own and shoot guns that I wouldn't. Your gun, do whatever you want with it. But please don't criticize me for not shooting mine.

 

[DoubleMag]

As a collector, I try not to look down my nose at those who own and shoot guns that I wouldn't. Your gun, do whatever you want with it. But please don't criticize me for not shooting mine.

Lest we all forget, collecting is a taught rationale for firearms ownership. Right along with personal protection, hunting. That is, some people do not shoot, but collect. Generally across time and all brands, firearms ownership a.k.a collecting maintains values.

Just as everything we shoot at is a target therefore we are all target shooters, everyone that owns more then one firearm is actually a collector. What is the target and what is the depth of / purpose of the collection is an individual definition.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I don't believe it when someone states that the gun is unfired. Most companies will test fire a gun before they sell it so it has been fired. Plus you could fire a few rounds, clean the gun and nobody would be the wiser it was ever fired. Because of that I consider all gun fired at some point or other. I may not have fired a gun myself, but doubt any comment that the gun has never been fired.

 

[tark]

I don't believe it when someone states that the gun is unfired.

As stated, you're right. If it has proof marks, it's been fired. And many companies, like the one I worked for for 21 years, fire the gun quite a bit, testing for function. The assemblers at Baer Custom ran three magazines through each gun. It may have been more, I'm not sure, I was not an assembler.

When a collector says, "unfired, N.I.B." he or she means "Not fired after leaving the factory." In the case of my T-Series Hi-power , it was bought new, by a long time friend. He intended to use it as a carry gun, but he didn't like the sights and that stiff safety, so he never fired it. It sat in his safe for many years before he gave it to me, as a gift for a favor rendered. Of course, it was fired, it has proof marks, but it was never fired after leaving the factory.

 

[lysanderxiii]

In the past year I've bought some new guns that for one reason or another (mostly lack of ammo) have never yet been fired. I'm wondering what people would say is the likely effect of "new in box, unfired" status on a handgun's value. .

It really depends on the gun in question.

I can't see the price of an .22 LR Jimenez changing a whole lot between fired and unfired, as long as it wasn't corroded and rusty.

 

[dogtown tom]

It really depends on the gun in question.

I can't see the price of an .22 LR Jimenez changing a whole lot between fired and unfired, as long as it wasn't corroded and rusty.

 

[DeepSouth]

I think an unfired gun isn’t worth any more than a lightly fired gun. And actually less really. If it’s unfired you can’t say it works. If it’s lightly fired, a few boxes, you can say it works without malfunction.

Interestingly I have the exact opposite reaction. When I see newish gun that’s barely been fired I assume their is a good possibility someone bought it, figured out it’s unreliable and they’re now looking to recoupe money on a turd.
If they tell me it 100% reliable, unless it’s someone I know well enough to believe, I assume it’s a fair chance they’re full of it. Unless it’s something rare or hard to find I would pass all together.

 

[tark]

Interestingly I have the exact opposite reaction. When I see newish gun that’s barely been fired I assume their is a good possibility someone bought it, figured out it’s unreliable and they’re now looking to recoupe money on a turd.
If they tell me it 100% reliable, unless it’s someone I know well enough to believe, I assume it’s a fair chance they’re full of it. Unless it’s something rare or hard to find I would pass all together.

A good point. Ran into this a few times myself, over the years. In all but one instance I was able to fix the gun.

 

[8Ball_99]

Interestingly I have the exact opposite reaction. When I see newish gun that’s barely been fired I assume their is a good possibility someone bought it, figured out it’s unreliable and they’re now looking to recoupe money on a turd.
If they tell me it 100% reliable, unless it’s someone I know well enough to believe, I assume it’s a fair chance they’re full of it. Unless it’s something rare or hard to find I would pass all together.

This is pretty much how I look at it also. If I come across something used that has next to no wear on it at all. It makes me a little nervous. I personally have several friends that if they have a problem with a firearm they trade or sell it off instantly. Even newer ones that they could send in to the factory under warranty.