Downturn in the Used Gun Market
I am an economist by trade, if that matters to anyone, and while I do not work for the gun industry, I do follow the market since I am a shooting enthusiast. The weakness in the used gun market overall is a function of a series of recent events.
The Obama years which included at least 4 major panic buys (his initial election, Newtown, his re-election, and the prospect of a Clinton win) got a lot of people who wanted a semi-auto firearm off the sideline and down to the gun store to purchase their firearm. Many of these same folks are people who may in the future have purchased a bolt-action rifle instead, but because of the prospect of losing the ability to buy an "evil" AR, they spent the money, often on credit, and got the gun they wanted. Then, you had companies ramping up production to meet this high demand, especially in 2016 with most people believing Clinton would win, knowing that she is a major gun control advocate. Well, she didn't win, and the market is now absolutely flooded AR's in the $450-$650 price range, which makes it attractive to anyone who might have wanted one, but couldn't afford it before...so now rather than getting that new bolt action rifle they want, they go ahead and purchase that "cheap and new" AR.
Then you simply have the trend that has permeated bolt action rifles over the last couple decades where extremely accurate bolt action rifles can be purchased for relatively very little money. Many years ago, cost was often reflective of performance. The most accurate 1-1.5 MOA bolt action rifles were also rifles with the superior fit and finish. This factor brought utilitarians and the buyers looking for aesthetically pleasing finishes together into the same market where the Winchester Model 70 Super Grades, The browings, the higher end remmington 700's etc shopped.
Today however, no one needs to pay premium rifle prices for premium rifle accuracy. Especially with companies like ruger now producing inexpensive yet accurate hammer forged barrels. Most Ruger American Rifles can be bought for $400 or less and the one I own, and others I have encountered can be made to shoot 1/2 MOA without much work on load development. So now the utilitarian need not pay premium prices for what is perceived to be premium performance.
Sure, the bar has moved somewhat on what "premium" performance is..1 MOA ain't what it used to be. But in the eyes of every single hunter I know, 1/2 MOA is more than adequate.
So, in short, since a new and accurate bolt action rifle can be had for just a few hundred dollars, and since a lot of money has been spent in the last half decade on AR type and semi-automatic pistols, the market for used bolt action rifles has cratered.
Moreover, people like me who do appreciate the quality of a gun like a browing x-bolt or model 70 supergrade, and have the money to buy it, might rather just build a rifle of our choosing.
At the moment, you are kind of in "no mans land" where you either have to price it competitively with a new Savage Axis or Ruger American (maybe lower since it is used), or just hang onto it....but you might get lucky
