Firearms' long-term value

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Steelers252006

New member
I was wondering which firearms hold their value the best? And why? Seems that some actually go up in value as you hold on to them and are WORTH money, more than you paid for them anyway. Which ones are the "good investments" if you will. Curious.
 
The value of an item must outrun inflation to be a good investment. Very few will do that.

Even a house very seldom “increases” in value, but it’s a good investment because renting builds no equity and the mortgage is paid off with inflated dollars.

We all know what would have been a good investment if we had bought it twenty years ago but twenty years ago we didn’t know that.

Guns don’t make the cut because very few keep pace with inflation.
 
Unless it is a very RARE (added due to ten thumbs)model, its increase in value, as mentioned, will not outpace inflation; whereas, a good stock investment will
 
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Firearms make terrible investments. Even some of the most desirable appreciate at rates that barely outpace inflation, and guessing which ones will see this rate of appreciation is a tall order.

Buy firearms for self-defense and for fun. Invest in something else.
 
All investments have a certain degree of risk. With firearms you have the added advantage that you can go to the range and shoot it! Even if it isn't a great investment, it sure is fun to collect!

Actually, I find the best use of firearms (in terms of investing) is the quick sale. I will find guns in pawn shops or that I buy from individuals who need money and I flip them. Instant gratification is always better than waiting to see if you failed.
 
i view guns not as an investment but a store of wealth. i am a hard asset advocate and hold zero paper assets, for me guns are just like gold - money in the bank.
 
Colt DA's becuase they no longer make them. Paid $300 for mine....turned down $600 already.

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Gun values evolve over time ...investments ...not really ...but some of them do go up in value/especially if the base price on new guns of that model go up in price. If that model is obsoleted by a change ...you might lose money on it easily. In terms of what is selling - that is popular - its going to vary a lot by demographic ...and age ...what's popular to guys in their 20's vs guys in their 40's, or 50's or 60's is a very different thing.

Well made 1911's - in general -- are pretty good investments if you find a good clean used one ....from Wilson Combat, Ed Brown ..maybe Les Baer.

Well made revolvers - especially the older ones from S&W and Colt are increasing in value - in popular calibers - like .22 or .357 mag / a little less in .44 mag ...and maybe not at all in calibers like .41 mag ....where they're more of a niche gun - but in some models 2 1/2" are popular, some 4", some in 6" and some in 8 3/8" ...and some not so much in some barrel lengths.

But overall - expecting a portfolio or a collection of guns to go up more than 3% per year ...is a crapshoot.../ even if they are kept new and unfired in a box.
 
It depends on how you look at it.

Firearms make terrible investments.
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This is completely true, if you are looking to make money on guns. It is completely false if you are looking for something that retains value.

If you want an "investement" that will gain in monetary value, something you can buy now, and sell for more money later, generally, guns are not the best, or even a good choice.

If you want something to remain worth what you paid for it (adjusted for depreciation) and sometimes be worth more later (adjusting for inflation), guns are a pretty good choice.

Lets say that in the late 1980s, you spent $250 for a dot matrix printer, and you spent the same amount for a Remington 870. Which one today will be most likely to get you your money back, if you sold it? Which one might even bring more cash than you originally paid?

The real problem is that while an investment may bring more dollars when sold, what are the dollars really worth? With guns, even though they may bring more dollars today than you paid for them then, will those dollars buy more today? A $500 gun 30 years ago, might bring $1000 today, but is the actual value of the money more than it was then?

Some guns do gain in actual value, due to collector interest. Most just retain the majority of their worth, no matter how many dollars you need to define it.
 
as long as my firearms still work, are reliable, and I trust their carry, they will always be valuable in my opinion. The rest of it isn't my concern, but I could get lucky or a family member could someday after I am gone. the three criterias listed above are a constant with all of my firearms. It is the first thing I take care of upon owning them.
 
Lets say that in the late 1980s, you spent $250 for a dot matrix printer, and you spent the same amount for a Remington 870. Which one today will be most likely to get you your money back, if you sold it? Which one might even bring more cash than you originally paid
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And let's say you bought 1/4 of a share in Berkshire/hathaway at that time (the going price being about 1000 - that stock is worth currently about 111,000/share, so your 1/4 would be roughly 30,000

or maybe you bought Microsoft, Google, Ebay, or any of the others....even Apple in 2003 was 7/share, now well over 350.....guns suck for investments

now about buying 870s........................
 
If you're not looking for "investment" pieces (others have pretty well covered that), then there remains a "store of value." In other words, does it more or less stay worth something, or does the value dwindle severely?

For these, I'd say it comes down to the actual quality of the gun. The budget brands just aren't going to hold up, while those known for quality products will tend to maintain value. The smaller the volume of production, the more likely it will hold value; there's not much value preservation in a used Glock; it depreciates once you buy it and there's no reason to buy a 10 year old Glock 17 over a new one, so the price won't rise past the current value.

I would look at quality sporting type shotguns and rifles and maybe even high end handguns (S&W Performance Center, custom 1911s from known builders, etc.). Even then you'll take an initial hit from depreciation and it will take a good long time for it to come back.

IMO, if you are into guns as a value proposition, you're probably in the wrong place.
 
Lets say that in the late 1980s, you spent $250 for a dot matrix printer, and you spent the same amount for a Remington 870. Which one today will be most likely to get you your money back, if you sold it? Which one might even bring more cash than you originally paid?
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If you bought your Remington in 1980 for $250, you'd have to sell it for $650 today to break even. Inflation simply kills guns ability to hold monetary value or turn a profit.

Depending on how you want to define "investment" you could say that guns are a good investment compared to other items. After all a decent quality gun that's well cared for should easily outlast the person who buys it, if it sees average usage. There aren't many other things which that can be said for.
 
Depending on how you want to define "investment" you could say that guns are a good investment compared to other items. After all a decent quality gun that's well cared for should easily outlast the person who buys it, if it sees average usage
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I'm agreeing with this. After I shoot the weapon a bunch and decide on the ammo, I know it is reliable and trustworthy. **Get the monkey off your back if you bought a SD and/or HD firearm and have that naggin feeling about how it hasn't been shot.** I would never have done this, but I can understand some people's situations are different...where I live I can go out in the backyard for some shots.

As said in quote, a good weapon will out live you unless you put great wear and tear thru it to feed your obsession(which is fine).
 
Quality guns will hold value. Most of those however won't be considered good investment guns. Unless you have the money to buy some rare or historical guns, you are better off buying what your like and shooting them. That's the only way you are sure to get your money out of them. :)
 
I'd say that if you buy a quality gun today and keep it in 95%+ condition then maybe your grand children or great grandchildren could reap the benefits of your purchases when they reach your present age. They may not keep pace with inflation but they will be assets worth good money at the present value of the dollar in their economy. If you think of what is truly valuable today look closely at when it was made and the history it may have that gave it value today.

Shoot your guns and enjoy them for what they are. Let your heirs worry about their future value.
 
All I'll add to 44 AMP's thoughts is at a private sale they will hold there own. If you plan on horse trading you will lose your shirt. Just my opinion now.
 
like Kreyzhorse said, the key word is "historical". If you have the money to buy a firearm with major historical value(or you just happen to find one or already have one), then said firearms can definately be considered an investment.

One person found an old, original 19th century peacemaker serial # 3 I believe in his barn by total coincidence; he made out like a bandit. I believe serial # 2 is accounted for, but nobody knows where serial # 1 is(my numbers might be off a little). this is just one of many, many examples of firearms that can bring in some major cash: firearms owned by famous people, firearms that killed famous people, presidents, etc, Nazi and/or authentic WWII weapons, and so-on are other examples

...just buying a gun? doubtful unless the gun has some major history someday.

There are definately some million dollar guns out there waiting to be found from the Indian Wars, Civil War, etc.
 
I'm going to break away from the "buying guns isn't investing" group. I do think that someone deeply educated about certain firearms can and will make money over time by investing in them. Will that investment beat the S&P 500 over a 20 year period of time? I doubt it. But, that doesn't make firearms unworthy of buying for investment purposes.

People buy metal, grain, land, and all sorts of other things as investments - guns are really no different. With guns, like someone said, good ones will hold their value relative to inflation. However, exceptional ones will beat inflation. So, if you have the money, have expertise in the guns you intend to purchase, and buy enough of them, you should be able to do better over time than simply beating inflation.

Rule #1: Get as educated and savoy as you can possibly get about the guns you intend on investing in. This will probably mean investing substantial time, money, attending gun related events, possibly classes, buying books, etc.

Rule #2: Try to invest in firearms that are no longer being produced and cannot be produced in the future. Ex: Colt SAA 1st Gens; Civil War revolvers & carbines; transferable machine guns.

Rule #3: Don't be afraid to buy certain modern guns, when they come out, that your "expert" gut tells you will become valuable: Ex - Mateba auto-revolver.

Rule #4 - Stay away from "special editions", commemoratives, junk, hype, custom and modified guns.

Rule #5 - Stay abreast of the changing firearms laws - people have been known to take advantage of "bans", etc.

Rule #6 - If you are truly investing, be prepared to sell non-performers.....or guns that have had a run-up in value beyond what you think it should be - put that money back into your investment, when a solid opportunity presents.

Well, those are just my thoughts.
 
$600 now for a $300-then Colt may or may not be a good return. Depends on when "then" was.

I remember my senior year economics class in high school. The teacher, discussing inflation, pointed out that in 1986, $1.00 had the same purchasing power as $0.39 in 1968. Assuming a constant inflation rate, a $300 Colt from 1968 would have had to be worth over $750 in 1986 to have even held value, let alone gained value.

In general, I think the "firearms as investments" argument is usually made only to make people feel less guilty or ambivalent about spending the money. In some other cases, it's used to convince a spouse who may not really understand inflation (but who is probably just playing along to be nice).
 
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