The Gun Market is Bearish!

[maskedman504]

I have been watching several types of firearms on Gunbroker.com and I am loving what I am currently seeing.The fireaerms are still being listed at high prices; however, there is a lack of bids. I belive this to be an indicator of a change in sentiment and that the prices should begin to decline. Please, offer your experience and opinions!

PTR-91s were going for $1300 on gunbroker and they still are, but no one is bidding!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.asp?SearchResults.asp?SearchType=0&Keywords=ptr-91

I saw Keltec PLR-16 going for $800; check these out, no bids!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.asp?SearchResults.asp?SearchType=0&Keywords=plr-16

How about the Saiga .308- I am interested in one and they also were in the $650-$800 range; time are changing!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Se...hResults.asp?SearchType=0&Keywords=saiga+.308

Anyone interested in some $700+ AK-47s? You can find them here, they have no bids.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.asp?SearchResults.asp?SearchType=0&Keywords=ak-47


I think the gun panic insanity is definitely ebbing; what do you all think?

 

[Suicide*Ride]

I think the ebb in gun sales has less to do w/panic buying insanity & more to do w/lack of ammunition / availability of primers. Who wants to buy a firearm that they can't afford to shoot?

SR

 

[bobotech]

I am seeing plenty of stock in regards to guns lately.

even the dealers are reluctantly saying that things are slowing down quite a bit.

 

[lamebums]

I saw $399 AK's at the Indy 1500 last weekend. The panic seems to be coming to an end, ammo is starting to be stocked at Wally World. I saw plenty of Blazer Brass 9mm, 45, and 40, and oh-god-I-forgot-what-it-looked-like WWB in stock for the first time since Election Day.

Now, it's just time for the vendors at gunshows and smaller stores to come back down. It's still impossible to find .380 or 7.62x39 at a decent price. Same with .308, 12 gauge buckshot and slugs. And the surplus market may well be drying up faster than predicted because of the sudden rush on guns and ammo. But the worst of the panic seems to be coming to an end.

Thing is, all it will take is one tiny hair-trigger to cause another panic. Sotomayor, FOCA, Iran/Iraq, Dianne Feinstein, or perhaps a direct move on the current administration's part could just as easily trigger another one. Although no panic in the future will be as bad as the one we've experienced, unless something truly stupid does happen... because I honestly think that people have blown all their extra money, and can no longer afford to reappropriate entire cases of WWB into their personal arsenals.

And about time, too. I've been forced to put an end to all shooting for nearly three months because of high prices and lack of availability. If I can get my stocks back up, then maybe I'll go out again.

 

[Kind of Blued]

I'm also seeing WASR-10s in the $400-something range, P-Mags in stock for ~$14, C-Products mags for $9, and the occasional 7.62x39 or .223 at affordable prices.

Unfortunately, I'm still seeing no .380, .45 ACP, or quality SD ammo, which is what I actually want as opposed to all of the stuff listed above, which I had taken care of long ago.

 

[Speedo66]

Maybe enough people have either lost their jobs or are in fear of it to keep the buying down.

Also people have a tendency to hold back on buying in a recession even if they are not directly affected.

Perception is everything, both in the market place and the stock market.

 

[Norinco982lover]

It is slowing down. No really, it is!

~Norinco


p.s. Kansas ain't doing too bad we are starting to get ammo in at the walmarts and the dealers have full shelves of AR-15's.

 

[AirForceShooter]

The observation seems to be correct.
Offers are not being bid on. Even on the State boards.

The gun shows are still sky high though.

AFS

 

[loneviking]

Yep, definitely slowing down on Gunbroker and ammo is starting to show up again on the shelves, right about when I thought it would.

 

[runrabbitrun]

This is good news, hopefully ammo prices will come back down a little more too.
Would love to go to the range and
burn off a few hundred rounds of 7.62 x 39.
I won't use the stock I have at the time
until I can replace what I plan to shoot BEFORE going to the range.

 

[xbox360]

what where pre elc PTR-91 prices? I know they range from 900-1300 right now but what where they say 1-3 years ago?

 

[TexasRifleman]

what where pre elc PTR-91 prices? I know they range from 900-1300 right now but what where they say 1-3 years ago?

About the same. The PTR has been as low as the 900 range occasionally from CDNN and others since it came out, but not below.

So really that 900-1300 range depending on model is about where it's always been.

Course, since it costs 60 cents a round or more to feed it.........

 

[DAdams]

Agreed, I see inventory, but the prices are still high. When the retailers are awash in guns and ammo the prices will come down. Right now there is still plenty of pent up demand at least for many calibers, reloading supplies, particularly primers. I am starting to see inventory of handguns at LGS and some of the "big box" stores but the prices are slightly below MSRP.

Give it a few more months supply will exceed demand and the shelves will be full again. Prices will then come down.

Unless......

 

[slzy]

market saturation must have some effect.

 

[Buck Snort]

At the height of the madness I bought a Wilson Combat CQB for $200 below MSRP at Alquist Arms in Turlock, CA. Its nice to know some folks didn't jump on the bandwagon and gouge everybody who came throught the door.

 

[Sabotteur]

We just got our FFL back in April and did our first show this past weekend in VA. Overall traffic at the show was down 50% from the last show held here back in Feb. The big traders all lost money on the show. We managed to sell two guns, not what I was hoping for, but better than most. We at least paid for our two tables if nothing else.

I think the general consensus right now amongst other firearm dealers is that you have several forces at work.

1. It's summer time, people are out at BBQs, Sports, Vacation, Yard Work, or the Beach.

2. First weekend with decent weather.

3. Poor advertising on the part of the event host compounded by the locality board of supervisor's anti-gun preferences.

4. Saturation of the market

5. Lack of recent anti-gun rhetoric on the news and from left leaning politicians

6. No hunting is in season.

7. Economy

8. Supply catching back up with demand.

9. The summer is always slow.

Finally, some of the dealers I talked with said they won't even go to the Jun,Jul, and Aug shows due to the slow down. Others are only there to be able to rebook for the heavier traffic season. Most everyone I talked with felt the market would pick back up as hunting season gets nearer and summer comes to an end.

Just my two cents...

Sabo

 

[mainmech48]

In my immediate area, there're a lot of folks who have good reason to worry about how long they're going to keep getting a paycheck and where their next one could come from.

They're trying to find ways to hold on to what they already have in the face of some serious challenges, and if they can't pay for something in cash, they'll do without. Adding any amount of new CC debt under those circumstances just isn't something they're willing to do.

The only stocking dealer in our town was telling me at our club's meeting a couple of weeks ago that he's seen his sales of both new and used firearms drop to almost nothing in the last three months. Ammo, primers and other components go out the door almost as fast as he can get them delivered, but 'bigger ticket' sales like ARs, M1As, FALs, Garands, new hunting/sporting CF rifles and sidearms has dropped to almost nothing.

People here just don't have the confidence or the means right now to be willing to put the equivalent of a mortgage payment or a month's rent anywhere else.

"Make it do, wear it out, fix it up or do without". The old mantra from the '30's is back in style here.

 

[jnyork]

I get a kick out of the gunshow dealers who price their guns out based on "that's what they are going for on Gunbroker". I have seen individuals do the same. If something has an outrageously inflated price on it, and there are no bidders as noted by the OP, then that is NOT "what they are going for", they arent going anywhere. "What they are going for" means what they have SOLD for..

 

[BBQLS1]

It's slowing down.

 

[AmEngRifles]

I think all these items noted are true of the market. My personal experience is mostly saturation. Let's see, after the last 10 years of killer hurricanes, 9-11, the millennium bug (remember that one!?), Bill Clinton and now Obaham, I am pretty well stocked with both things I wanted (collecting), things I think others will want (investing) and things that are working tools for me ( things I need). I have hunted, shot and collected for over 30 years now!! Same goes for ammo. I have bought, collected and reloaded for years, and through some questionable times. So, I don't really NEED anything at the moment. And the really unique pieces (to my eye) now outstrip my discretionary budget. Last item I wanted was an imported L1A1 with an actual British receiver. How often do you see those!? I think it went for over 5k! I dropped out at about 2k as it exceeding my abilities.

Like some observers have pointed out, many of us in the game are probably saturated. We are effected by the economy like any normal cross section of the market. We are also the ones to have planned ahead. That is why as some posters points out, if there is something to get the market moving like an "incident", then there will be panic buying, but most of us are probably beyond panic buying and have been for some time. Most of us just want reasonality to return to the market. Then again, some are just looking to make a fast buck.

 

[KBintheSLC]

Yes... guns are losing their momentum, but ammo still needs work. I am seeing ammo become available again, but the prices are still too high. I actually found bulk packs of 9mm, 40, and 22lr at Wally World this week. Haven't seen those in months.

 

[MichiganShootist]

Talk about slow sales........ The Michigan market has all but stopped.:banghead:

About the only thing still selling is ammo and reloading materials--- which seem to be more available than they were a month or two ago.

 

[Mike2]

Hopefully as things do slow down, people will learn from this. I have always bought a little along for the last 20 years, get into the habit of every time you go to the store buy a couple boxes of whatever ammo you are stocking and do it everytime you go, over the period of a couple years you can have a ton of ammo for multiple calibers and not have to worry as much about fluctuations in the market. This is not the first panic buy up I have been thru and it won't be the last, as long as there is a liberal gun grabber around to cause problems or someone wanting to jin up gun sales.......prepare diligently, constantly!!! Just my 2 cents

 

[rdhood]

AK's have definitely backed down into the $400-$450 range, SKSs into the $250 range. AR lowers are widespread and cheap. Hopefully, ammo and primers will be quick to follow.

 

[Mike OTDP]

From what I'm seeing locally, things are starting to ease up. But part of that is also the generally declining economy.