[sidestepping the "current political climate" rabbit hole ...]

30 or 40 years from now, what guns are today's 20 and 30 somethings going to look back on and think they should have bought back in the 20's (2020's) when they were plentiful and cheap?

Myself, I cast my minds eye towards that closet full of milsurp rifles and handguns I don't seem to have.

So, what should we be laying up now for our heirs to fight over later?

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

Old and the recent 2020 Python, They should by SAA as many as they can and good factory AR style rifles. They should also learnt to reload.

DSA FAL Para Congo 7.62x51mm that I bought at auction last week, currently in shipment. Wasn't cheap, but it's a species on the "endangered list."

Back in 2016 I had an opportunity to buy a Like New FEG PA-63 (a clone of the Walther PP chambered in 9mm Mararov) for $150, but I passed on it, and have regretted it ever since.
These days, you're lucky to find one for $300 in Good Condition.

Later on in 2016 I passed on an opportunity to buy a Like New SIG P232 for $250. The gun was no longer being imported by that point, but they were going for about $700 BNiB, so that was an excellent deal.

Back in 2017 I missed an opportunity to get a brand new Smith & Wesson M&P45 Shield for $150 after mail-in rebate.

Later in 2017 I missed an opportunity to purchase a Smith & Wesson Model 629 (no dash) in Very Good condition for $250, but I had no money at the time, and probably would have hesitated anyway because the price just seemed too good to be true. Still, if I could go back in time, I would have just put it on layaway or something.

__________________
Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

With todays prices its almost hard to imagine that anyone could look back now to ogle the affordable prices. But I will say any blued steel with real wood revolver being offered today for under $1000. followed by stainless.

Any bolt-action shotgun, any gauge. They are strong, serviceable, hold 5 or so rounds, and for years cheaper than dirt.

Well this is a S&W forum .........
Smith Performance Center handguns from the 1990s.

CZ rifles...... classic Mauser action in three sizes and good to great wood!
CZ 75 and 85 autos.

what's a gun grandpa?
well back in my day...
ok.. probably any blued & wood rifle, shotgun or pistol..

As the founding member of the Dunning-Krueger Effect Society, I submit the following. I purchased all of my firearms new. My prognostication indicates we will have some future legal hurdles to jump through. Probably additional licensing and training. The net effect will be a gradual decline in firearms sales. Hunting has already been on the decline for decades, without governmental interference. People tend to take the path of least resistance. Companies will go out of business and thus naturally restrict production of new firearms. Upshot: KEEP ALL YOUR FIREARMS. At the minimum, they'll be valuable collector's items. At best, one will save your life!

Apples and oranges example: I just sold my Atari Jaguar video collection, without boxes or manuals. I basically rented the equipment for 35+ years for what I paid for it. I just sold my collection for about $4,000.00.

Can you imagine what some of the GOODIES you guys have will be worth?!

I submit that any gen 1,2, or 3 S&W will fall in that "I wish I had bought". I believe that in 20 years they will be very collectible. I know millions were made. Even now I go to gun shows and fail to find any of these for sale. I started collecting WWII Axis pistols in the early 70's. Now nice German WWII pistols are hard to find and have in some instances bringing 2 to 3 times more $ than they did in the 70's. All guns will go up in price but I predict these S&W will go up and become rarer in the future. The time to buy gen 1,2,3 pistols is NOW.

Victory Models. It still surprises me that actual US issued WWII handguns (and their British brethren) of a proven design in a readily available caliber can still be found for 500 bucks. I buy every decent one I see.

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

Any steel gun. Particularly mil surplus or police with property stamping. I do not see much future for AR15s because there are jut too many of them. In S&W I think the 2nd and 3rd generation Autos are already seeing demand exceed the supply. Going out on a limb I think the Top Breaks in all calibers will climb steeply in value

__________________
Kind regards, Heinz

Today's 20 or 30 somethings (with a few exceptions) are being raised on black plastic pistols, which will still be plentiful in the future.

It is impossible to predict what media driven black swan will arrive to kick up demand for a particular type. Witness 1950's western TV shows (lever actions and SAA's), Dirty Harry (M-29's), video games (Pythons), etc. The only constant in looking back is that all these arms were labor intensive (expensive) to product, causing abandonment by manufacturers for more modern (cheaper) alternatives. Scarcity of resources (walnut stocks) will drive cost. Government regulation is impossible to predict, but if anything transpires it is bound to create instant cost escalation for forbidden types. All this is the nature of collectibles such as firearms and cars.

All-metal SIG Classic P-Series (P-226, P-229, etc.), in .40 S&W, .45 acp, .357 SIG, and 10mm, made before SIG became a 9mm-only pistol manufacturer.

__________________
What, me worry?

Among others, the Old Guard of 20 years from now will be bragging about their used S&W CSX and DRE 45ACP and 10MM M&P 2.0 - not to mention their unfired Colts and Winchester commemoratives

Extra magazines for the guns mentioned above.

Three or four extra mags will make a gun easier to sell........ and for more money than either alone!!!!

Colt handguns - any of them. As a class, no better investments for the future exist.

I agree completely. "Good deals" are getting harder and harder to come by.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

A top break or two has been on my wish list. I guess I better not dawdle.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

Not too many years back, someone on here opined that revolver prices would decline as the older guys passed on and their kids didn't want their guns. The opposite seenms to have happened.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

I will just tell them to buy all the S&W revolver they can find.

Ahhhhhh, secret knowledge we have here.....particularly with respect to Turkish guns - inexpensive in today's market, very well made, nobody talks about them. They are excellent "buys" today and will be very much appreciated down the road.

Personally, I totally agree with the Gen 3 S&W pistols. The 1s and 2s are okay but the 3rd Gens are sublime.

WW2 guns, like all old milsurps, are already collectors' items and are not the guns our Millennial offspring should be interested in unless they are purely collectors - but guns for future price increases and USE, emphasis on USE - 3rd Gen S&W pistols.

The various items listed such as bolt action shotguns, top breaks, etc., are also just for collectors - our Gen X/GenZ/Millennial purchasers need to have an eye for what will be collectible and, as noted, USABLE.

Again, I am not in the camp of collectors' guns. But since the crowd we're discussing, presuming they have an interest in firearms at all, should happily buy their plastic guns for their current daily use but should be, if they have the funds, buying any steel handguns and rifles, especially rifles with wood furniture. And steel and wood shotguns.

ARs are, I agree, a dime a dozen. The only way the ARs of today will have significant value tomorrow is if tomorrow there are no ARs for sale. The Modern Sporting Rifle is ubiquitous, relatively inexpensive, and new versions appear monthly. Just watch your gun magazines to see that happening. Absent something really special I'd put ARs in the same sentence as cars - they lose a lot of value the moment you drive away with one.

My real list:

*Modern Turkish pistols - especially steel ones
*3rd Gen S&W pistols
*Almost every Hi-Power, Turkish, Belgian, or American.
*Steel revolvers (high quality)**

**I am not enamored of anything Colt but for those who are then those that fall into the steel revolver category should be on the next generations' gun list today.

Someone is going to want to add 1911-style handguns. Okay, but since I'm not a fan I let those go.

Why Hi-Powers then? Because.
__________________

__________________
Come and take it!!

Back in 1983 I walked out of a Gun Store because when I wanted to buy a Colt Python they asked the absurd price of $400 + dollars for one. HA- Should have bought 100 of them!! Should have also bought 100 Colt SAA Revolvers back in those days. I did buy 4 of them and still have them till this day, but could have made lots of $$ selling some of them now.

I have one Victory Model, bought years ago from a Forum member. It was made in 1942, and is apparently unfired...I will never sell it.

Attached Images

	DSC04277.jpg (160.5 KB, 15 views)
	DSC04261.jpg (124.5 KB, 15 views)
	DSC04281.jpg (70.0 KB, 10 views)
	DSC04298.jpg (140.5 KB, 13 views)
	DSC04286.jpg (73.4 KB, 11 views)

Pre-lock S&W revolvers will only increase in value, IMO...

Any milsurp US firearms, especially after the centennial of our entry into World War II passes in another 19 years...

With Australian Gun Laws, it's a lot easier to get a Rifle / Shotgun licence than a Handgun licence. Gun shops generally sell 10 rifles/shotguns to every 1 handgun. If I had any brains, I should be buying Rifles / Shotguns as "Future Collectibles" if I want to make any money. However, I'm not really interested in these Long-guns and enjoy buying Handguns a lot more.

Milsurp Rifles appear to have doubled in the last three years. Lever-actions are also very popular. I bought a base model Marlin 336 30-30 in 2014 for $680 AUD. At present, second hand ones regularly go for $1200 AUD.

Years back when we could purchase direct from the seller and gun would be delivered to our house, I'd drool over Lugers on "Shotgun News". 20/20 hindsight.

__________________
John

I’ll take some blame for that opinion too

I have a feeling the fat lady is still singin’ and church ain’t out yet on that subject. We’ll see. When I go to the indoor range I’m usually the only one there with a revolver, but maybe a lot of the younger purchasers are buying and stashing them away - and shooting their Glocks. The only new production S&Ws I ever see are .460s, .500s, and J-frames. Prices on nice older S&Ws are still crazy-high in my area, but they don’t seem to be hot sellers.

But to get back to the subject here, my biggest regret is that when you could buy a NEW Browning Superposed for about $400, I couldn’t scrape the money together and didn’t have the sense to go get a 180-day note and buy a couple of them. Run of the mill used Supers are not extremely high priced right now, but when you find a really nice one… they usually are. I need at least six or eight of them, but only have two.

The crazy prices (to me, anyway) pre-lock S&Ws fetch these days makes me wonder if they're concentrating in the hands of some well heeled collectors.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

617s are my bane. I've wanted one for years but always thought they were just too much money... silly me.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

Tisas sells a 1911A1 for about $400 that for some reason I just love. Never a 1911 guy or even a 45 guy. Now, it's all 1911 and/or 45 all the time for me. A closet full of those things wouldn't be bad. I don't see them escalating like K98 Mausers, but still a great value.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

New Colt Pythons, especially if they are discontinued by then.

Prior to 2018, I frequently went to local gun shows in Ohio. Prices were pretty reasonable then. Bought and traded lot of guns there. The same guy had a 4" 28-2 for sale for $625 for months. Looking back, was stupid not to buy it, because I want 1 now and they are much higher! Do have a 6" 28 no dash from 1960.

You may also recall that back in the late 90's and early 2000's the Model 28 Highway Patrolman
were selling cheap, chesp being 275 to 450. I know I bought several. It appeared to me that
those selling them never considered that they were not being produced any longer as
manufacturing ceased back in the 80's

As I recall they were considered in the same class as a 4" tapered barreled .38 special,
just another gun that was hindering the seller from buying a super duper 9mm auto.

terry