Some nostaglia about gun prices

O

oneounceload

Moderator
We see a lot of threads here about gun prices and folks whining about how much they cost.

While cleaning up my own act in one of my gun cabinets, I came across my old paperwork for some of my guns.

Those with modern pricing can help me out with how they are today.

1- Glock G-17 bought new @ gun show, no FFL, $400 December of 1993, 18 years ago - aren't they selling for about 450-500 now?

2 - Remington 700 BDL, LH, 7mm mag, bought OTC new, no FFL, $320 in 1981 - 30 years ago - what are they now?

3-Ruger MK II 22 5.5 bull barrel, bought new WHOLESALE in 1984 for $144
What is wholesale and retail now?

4 - NEF in 223 single shot - bought WHOLESALE in 1993 for 140 - what is wholesale and retail now?

5 - Mossberg 500 Cruiser (PGO) - bought WHOLESALE in 1988 for $150
23 years later, they go for what? About 200?

The point of all of this is to show that gun prices really haven't gone up too much in the last 25-30 years; that guns would really suck as a long-term investment; and that young folks today - thanks to the internet - have access FAR wider than us old folks did, even with the FFL and a Shotgun news on the coffee table

Appreciate what you have now, it might not be here tomorrow
 
I don't dissagree with you overall. Some firearms have appreciated significantly more. For example, a Colt Diamondback I purchased for $433 in 1998 (including sales tax) is now worth about $3000. But that was a diamond in the rough, so to speak.

I use the reference point that a good Colt or S&W handgun cost about a week's salary in the 20's (for an accountant type) and a typical S&W today costs about the same proportionally or perhaps a bit less.

The free flow of information and opinion is amazing now concerning firearms. I used to buy them to try out. If I didn't like it, I sold it. Now I would probably search the internet forums for comments from people that own that particular gun.
 
Buds is selling G17 for between $550 and $650, depending on the sights I guess. An inflation calculator tells me that $400 in 1993 would have been $595 in 2010.

Buds has the Rem 700 BDL in 7mm Mag for $767, the inflation calculator says your would be $757 in 2010.


I didn't check the rest but those two are right around inflation. So, not only are they not a good investment, the BRAND NEW guns are roughly the same price as they were "back in the day" and the guns from back then are worth a lot less than brand new dollars, in most cases.
 
they are not sound "investments" but are a great way to store wealth. some aquisitions will be home runs but they will all at least keep pace with inflation. guns depreciate very little compared to other hard goods. try storing wealth in big screen tv's, cars or computers. it aint gonna work, guns are one of the best tangible assets one can own.
 
Firearms are still decent investments, better than cars, homes, and electronics.

Your firearm purchased 10-15yrs ago will still sell for close to its original purchase price, same for a new firearm bought today (sometimes more). Everytime I buy a new or used firearm and sell it, I break even or usually make more money than I paid for it. I.e. my last Bushmaster AR15 I bought was $710 and sold it for $850. Definitely a sound investment!
 
But Justice - selling it for what you paid for it a few years ago (or in my case a few DECADES ago)- doesn't account for inflation or currency valuation changes. An investment -to be considered a sound investment - needs to outpace inflation and be worth MORE, not just the adjusted same value
 
"Some" firearms are decent investments. Most are pretty static in value and appreciate with inflation as new guns increase in price.

Still a good thing to have around.
 
theres few things i have my money tied up in and guns are one of them. for the hard asset advocate its real estate, gold/silver, guns/ammo and food/necesities. theres really nothing else that holds value better than these. i also have around 20K worth of knives, nice little bank account that i can withdrawl from whenever i need the funds. sure i cant run down to the bank and sell the knives but hey you arn't even making 1% letting the banks hold your money.

the key for me as a hard asset holder is to try and buy everything at a discount to what the market bears this way you have an automatic hedge. this will allow you to sell at market for a small profit or under market value to liquidate fast and break even or take a slight hit.

it works for me and have no plans of changing. ive been retired for the past 2 years and im 41, no pension, no 401K, no money in the bank.
 
Ironic - I was just looking at an old issue of Popular Mechanics from Feb of 1965 @ google books.

BTW - that's the issue that introduced the Gyro-Jet & they have a short write up on it.

In the classified's you could buy a surplus carbine for like $15.95 and a surplus pistol for $12.95 - all perfectly legit via mail order.
 
In the classified's you could buy a surplus carbine for like $15.95
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In today's dollars, according to an inflation calendar, $15.95 in 1965 is about $114... today it's quite feasible to get a surplus rifle for that or less.

all perfectly legit via mail order.
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Now there's the part worth getting nostalgic about!
 
The biggest that stands out to me is the sks. 10 years ago i bought an entire crate of em for $425. The last gun show they were selling beat up yugos for $350 a piece.
 
I bought a blued Colt NRM 1991 at a gun show in 2004 for $545.00. Same gun now sells for about $799.00 at my local shop.

The first handgun I ever bought, a stainless Ruger P95 in 1998 for $289.00, now sells for between $350.00 to $375.00 in my area depending upon the shop.
 
talk about nostalgia,

how about $140.00 for a brand new Colt SAA in .45 Colt caliber, 4 3/4" barrel in 1972ad or 1873 Winchesters $35.00 each at a pawn shop (there were about 10 of them) in 1958ad, and Winchester M-92 for $30.00 to $50.00 in 1960ad ??

and how many do you think i have today ? not a damn one of them, back then i was "wheelin-n-dealin".
 
like i said they are not all going to be home runs, some guns that have done well for me are

chinese mak90 for 199
dan wesson .45 for $800
all my colt handguns
swiss k31's for $79
sks's for $89
finn M39's for $125
m1 carbines and garands for $350


i remember being able to buy cases of 223 and x39 for $79 , i was buying AK parts kits for the same price. not many better places for me to park cash.
 
I bought a German PPK in 1968 at a Kmart for $98.

I got an Interarms PPK/S around 1982 or so for $219.

I bought a Smith and Wesson 29-2 in 1981 for $400.

Geetarman:D
 
This subject arises periodically. First, when you're comparing firearms prices from long ago to the present, you have to compare wages from the same time frame. Sure, in the 50s gas was 25 cents a gallon, but a man only made a buck an hour. Or thereabouts.

Guns are a very poor investment when compared to traditional investment vehicles. Especially now when it seems everybody knows how to research gun values via the internet. I guess the exception would be to find the hapless widow who is clueless re her late husband's gun collection. But then that wouldn't be ethical, would it?

I don't buy guns for investment value. I buy them because they give me some joy.
 
I bought a Smith and Wesson 29-2 in 1981 for $400.
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Me too!
(can't remember the exact year though - it might have been earlier than '81, but, I do remember the $400 part)

Mine is a 4" barrel that came with the wood case.
The gun store owner ordered a 6" for his stock and due to demand, couldn't get one.
He settled for the 4" instead - then couldn't get anyone to buy it because of the barrel length.
I was in his store one day & he told me for $400 it's yours - just get it out of here.

This subject arises periodically. First, when you're comparing firearms prices from long ago to the present, you have to compare wages from the same time frame. Sure, in the 50s gas was 25 cents a gallon, but a man only made a buck an hour. Or thereabouts.
Click to expand...
How true...
In 1970 when I started working full time. I was making $2.50 an hour.
When I retired earlier this year. I was making $25.00 an hour.
Everything had gone up @ least 10 times of what it cost back then though, so, I spent all those years just running in place! ;)
 
"in the 50s gas was 25 cents a gallon, but a man only made a buck an hour"

I only made $1.15 an hour at McDonalds in D.C. in 1966. Figure a buck an hour takehome.


www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/chart.htm

There wasn't a single minimum wage for all groups until January of '78 when it went to $2.65.
 
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