Investment firearms?

[WestKentucky]

When I read the question I took it a different way. Not necessarily what’s going to hold its relative value when compared to common market goods. I immediately thought of the single shot 22s I have aquired for 20 to 100 bucks. The cheapo Saturday night specials that were too cheap to say no to. I can guarantee that your not gonna get rich by investing in potmetal firearms, but if your buying them right your not going to be hurt on them either. I have a half dozen revolvers I have bought for less than $100 and I feel absolutely certain that should the need arise then they would be either functional firearms, good bartering pieces, or at least the money I have in them.

The only exception to this is the Davis d32 I bought. Needed a selector, and I have now bought 2 and still need a selector. The first one broke when I installed it due to poor design which is very common. The second one got sent to the wrong address and is vanished to the same place all of my 10mm brass goes. So now I’m $100 into a gun worth $75 and it still doesn’t work. I’m making the next part that goes in it out of steel and it should last well enough to function for a thorough test fire session and then ride in a homemade holster.

 

[AlexanderA]

Even the Remington Garand that I bought here.....

This has to be a joke, right?

 

[Ignition Override]

But ammo prices could turn many people off -- as they do now in many cases.

I would like to have a 30-30 (-never owned a Lever-) for simple fun, but not at current ammo prices.

tarosean: roger that. Many guns owners' "gun & ammo reality" is what they paid in 1995, 2005 etc. They can only relate to that. Nothing else seems digestible.
Many have the delusion that ammo prices soon will drop, despite the demand.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

This has to be a joke, right?

Mistake.
It was a Winchester ...

 

[Frulk]

What gun will significantly outpace the stock market or appreciate in value is anybody’s guess…and some good guesses have already been mentioned in previous comments.

Had I planned to buy firearms as an investment and had the foresight, I wish I would have bought 2-3 dozen Marlin Cowboys in .32 H&R when they were available new.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1098212946

 

[tark]

Even the Remington Garand that I bought here from a forum member has more than doubled in resale value -

uhhh... Remington never made Garands... They were made by Winchester and Springfield Armory, ( The real one in Massachusetts, not that bunch in Geneseo ill. ) during WW II. Later, International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson made them during the Korean War.

Firearms aren't great investments.

Then you are buying the wrong firearms! What did an SKS go for in 1989? $79.95? They go for $500 and more today. A Mosin Nagant that sold for the same money 30 years ago goes for $500+ today. . Milsurps have skyrocketed in value in the last thirty years.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Or bought a house before 2005.

Folks like to live in the now.

Stay safe.

locked in that 2005 tax rate too!

 

[Mark_Mark]

What gun will significantly outpace the stock market or appreciate in value is anybody’s guess…and some good guesses have already been mentioned in previous comments.

Had I planned to buy firearms as an investment and had the foresight, I wish I would have bought 2-3 dozen Marlin Cowboys in .32 H&R when they were available new.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1098212946

that thing has a safety on it too. Why they going for so much?

 

[Frulk]

^^^ Take your pick…Very few made. Niche caliber with hard core fans. Cachet of Marlin name. ‘Cowboy’ Cool factor of octagon barrel and lever guns. Used in SASS/Cowboy Action Shooting etc.

 

[PavelSJ]

that thing has a safety on it too. Why they going for so much?

The. 32 H&R is in vogue due to currently made S&W and Ruger Revolvers.
I looked at old Sterlingworth 20ga in very good original condition for $900, that would probably constitute a good bet. The only downside were 2.5" chambers.
Due to increased restrictions on lead shot in EU the US market has been flooded with old European 12ga and 16ga shotguns. One only needs to visit Simpson Ltd. site to see that. Even the values of revered English shotguns in 12ga from Birmingham and provinces have plummeted. Matter of fact a 20ga in good shape can be found for $2000 or less. These brought substantially more 20 years ago then they do today.

 

[theotherwaldo]

uhhh... Remington never made Garands... They were made by Winchester and Springfield Armory, ( The real one in Massachusetts, not that bunch in Geneseo ill. ) during WW II. Later, International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson made them during the Korean War.

Then you are buying the wrong firearms! What did an SKS go for in 1989? $79.95? They go for $500 and more today. A Mosin Nagant that sold for the same money 30 years ago goes for $500+ today. . Milsurps have skyrocketed in value in the last thirty years.

Yeah, you're right.
I think 'Winchester' and type 'Remington'.
It seems so wrong...

 

[Buzznrose]

Most guns will hold their value over time, as long as you take care of them.
I think old Colts like SAA, Snake guns, Mustangs....are worth more than money.
Winchester 42, 21, 70, 94, even 12s would be good.
M1, M1 carbine. ....anything Wartime military marked.

While I agree in principle, I think this used to be more true in the past than today.

Plastic guns, especially the cheaper ones, are the worst, and hit a level and pretty much remain there until they break…but can almost always be repaired.

I don’t know any guns save a few very special examples that would be worth more than a similar amount of money invested in a S&P 509 index fund.

 

[WisBorn]

The key of buying collectibles is what will be hot/desired in the future. We may have loved Dirty Harry and bought a Smith 29! The value hasn't keep up with inflation. The perk is being able to enjoy the firearm and it maintaining its value.
On way to make money from firearms is searching for deals and flipping them.

Investing for retirement? I'll stick with stocks. Which I'm currently sitting on cash! To much stupid stuff happening .

 

[Jim Watson]

Remington never made Garands.

Remington did get in on the selective fire Garand programme with prototypes designated T22 and T23. I can't find what happened to them. Tested to destruction, scrapped or in a museum, but which?
The Springfield T20E2 was probably better, though.
I'm just glad we didn't need it and the T26 "Tanker" for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.

 

[230RN]

Just as touchpoints... flat annual increases in prices independent of the price of iron ore and a gallon of milk. Prices as estimated / reported by poster.

Assumes January 1974 and December 2025.= 51 years.
Assumes January 1974 and January 2025 = 50 years

"I have two Al Biesen rifles and one was built for $464 in
1974. Today, it is worth around $10k."
51 years
6.21 % per annum flat appreciation rate.
50 years
6.33% per annum flat appreciation rate.


"His Jack O'Connor Browning Superposed shotgun cost him around $500 in 1974, but today is worth around $30k."
51 years
8.36% per annum flat appreciation rate
50 years
8.53% per annum flat appreciation rate


"Same with a Winchester Model 21 shotgun Skeet model in 16ga. No idea what he paid for it, but I am selling it for $16k."

Indeterminate, but just guessing at a middle of the road 7%, going backwards 50 years, that's about $543.
...16 gauge? Oh, that's the one that fills the gap between 15 gauge and 17 gauge.

Note general monetary inflation is not considered in these calculations, just number-to-number over time.

I would say best buys would be scoped accurate deer calibers, Garands, and I would love to get my hands on another M1 Carbine if the PTB allow importation of the ones held in --what was it? Korea or Viet Nam? I think Obama blocked that, no?

Terry, 230RN

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Just one example; "Fidelity Magellan Fund", one of the largest mutual funds, has returned an average of over 15% since its inception in 1963.
Under a Roth IRA, you will not pay taxes on the money taken out after you are 59 1/2 years old.
Firearms are poor investments.

 

[Steve S.]

A firearm’s monetary value is subordinated to insignificant when you really need one.

 

[AlexanderA]

uhhh... Remington never made Garands... They were made by Winchester and Springfield Armory

But just think -- if there was a Remington prototype Garand, it would be more of a unicorn than a Singer M1911. Worth a fortune. Is this enough of an incentive for some enterprising individual to fake one?

Which brings me to another point. Other than machine guns grandfathered under the Hughes Amendment, the most valuable guns are rare variations within common series. People collect the common series, and then when they get advanced enough, they want the rare "keys" within that series. An example is an original unaltered M1894 rifle within the Krag series. (The type with the full-length cleaning rod.) Practically all of these were recalled to Springfield and upgraded to the M1896 pattern. I was lucky enough to find an unaltered one before their rarity became widely known.

Another example is a Springfield M1903 Mark I complete with the Pedersen Device. I was offered such an outfit for $5,000, in the early 1970's. I couldn't afford it then, but in retrospect I should have borrowed the money and bought it.

A third example is a WW2 General Officer's pistol within the M1903/M1908 Colt pocket pistol series. Beware of common ones with fake markings, though.

So, if you want to buy guns for investment purposes, one strategy is to identify the rare "keys" before other people do, and buy them. (And for investment purposes, you can just ignore the common guns in the given series.)

 

[doubleh]

I have only known one person that actually made a better return on his money than the stock market and he spent as lot of time doing it.

The rate of inflation negates what is seen as profit for most everything collectable. An example is it takes $657.07 today to purchase what $50 did in 1950. That is a huge decline in buying power in only 75 years.

 

[Jim Watson]

"His Jack O'Connor Browning Superposed shotgun cost him around $500 in 1974, but today is worth around $30k."

Hey, I paid $500 for a Browning Broadway Superposed back then. I'll let it go for half price.

Unfortunately that prototype Remington T22 would mostly get you time in the federal pen, being an unregistered full auto.

 

[MarshallDodge]

....

Then you are buying the wrong firearms! What did an SKS go for in 1989? $79.95? They go for $500 and more today. A Mosin Nagant that sold for the same money 30 years ago goes for $500+ today. . Milsurps have skyrocketed in value in the last thirty years.

Notice that I said "great" investments.

For example, gold and the stock market are better investments than firearms, and have both outperformed milsurps and the sks.

That said, I do own firearms that are gaining value, and find them to be a nice addition to my portfolio.

Diversification is key to an investment strategy.

 

[Iggy]

The upcoming generations don’t have the appreciation of older firearms that we do.
They are more into capacity and accessories with their guns.
Most of them look upon metal and wood guns as passé relics.
As has been said here, shoot and enjoy the old timers.
You “may” make some money when it it comes time to sell them, but there are better investments.

 

[tarosean]

Then you are buying the wrong firearms! What did an SKS go for in 1989? $79.95? They go for $500 and more today.

Again take out inflation. And you’re sitting on 200 bucks for storage/maintenance for 30+ years. That’s not a windfall that’s dinner out for a family nowadays.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Well, I have an original Winchester 1897 WWI Trench Shotgun that has done nothing but skyrocket in value. Can you do better in the Stock Market? Sure. But what fun is in that. With guns you can actually enjoy them as they gain in value.

 

[AbbysDad]

My 2 HK P7s have gone way up recently; one is now up 5 fold from when I bought it about 6 years ago