Which guns are the best investments?

[jaykellogg]

Going strictly on value appreciation. I guess the AR-15 is at the top of the list right now. It seems like Lugers have gone up a lot and Colt 1911's and 1911A1's especially the military ones. One that surprises me a bit is the Winchester 94. For pre 64 models even worn ones are asking over $500. A Winchester pre 64 Model 70 is now a high dollar gun. OTOH, it seems like Model 12's are relatively going begging. I think the M1 Garand has gone up about 3X since the late '70s. I have a Colt Trooper Mark III in .22LR that is worth about 4X what I paid for it. in the '90s.

 

[Moonman]

Pre 64 Winchester's are more desirable because of internal hand fitted parts.

 

[mc5aw]

Too many variables to give a concise answer. Short term? ARs and AKs (as well as anything else deemed bannable) are definitely good for immediate capital appreciation. I just sold an ordinary A3 M4 for $2500. Was it worth more than the $1K I paid two years ago? To someone it was. The saturation point for ARs and AKs will hit at some point however, and the bubble will burst, so anything other than a genuine pre-ban black gun is an iffy proposition. In the current mania, I've also noticed a dramatic increase in the prices of SKSs and certain lever guns, which used to be bottom feeders in terms of price jumps.

Quality S&Ws will always maintain their value, as will Colt snake guns, so I'd say those are strong long term holds. The traditional collector pieces (Lugers, etc.) will always be valuable.

The real keepers right now are ammo and high caps.

 

[Moonman]

Quality S&W Revolvers

Colt Pythons

German Lugars

 

[feralmerril]

Overall my main intrest has been pre 64 winchesters, s&ws up to the lock and most colts up untill the 80s. No "assualt" that aint, or plastic saddels, I want to feel that leather when I ride.
I never was or will be into the idea of buying a gun just because its popular and might go up. The gun has to turn me on for what it is, otherwise I would gambel the money in the stock market. I have no talent or special insight or marketable profession. The one and only gift I ever had was if I really, really liked any airplane, truck, car, motorcycle or firearm they ALWAYS seemed to lead the pack later in price. Not that I bought it and made out. I always had the right taste in what was going to go but seldom the money to profit from it.

 

[Xfuzz]

Guns ? who knows.
I'm considering ammo when/if it
comes back at reasonable prices.

 

[pownal55]

I like pre 64 winchester m70, pre 72 Sako, and p&r Smiths. I could add many more to that list but my wallet won't let me.

 

[feralmerril]

Far as the ammo thing, I consider paying high prices a stupid farce. Learn to reload and you are in business and can stay in business.

 

[Xfuzz]

Gotta have the components to "stay in business".
Which drys up quicker than ammo at times.

Too many guns in the USA for the pinkertons to deal with any any level.
It is the ammo and reloading supplies that they are gonna tax to the max.

 

[dewey]

This IS a S&W Forum

5 screw .357 and larger N Frames 98/99% in the box. The earlier the better. I doubt they will do way up due to the present inflated values of other guns. Before all this histerics, they had already continuesd at their normal 10-20% a year. ( Colt revolvers as well... )

Watch at for 99% or better. In my book, that would be a gun that you bought from the original owner. Just me.

 

[A10]

Rule of thumb for me is buy stuff that ain't bein' made no more.....then it's just a matter of what you can afford. If I could, I'd be investing in high end double rifles and drillings, then large caliber pre-64 Winchesters.

 

[msinc]

As far as an "investment" because you want your wife to think so...whichever gun you like, just as long as she buys into it. But for true honest to god money making guns aren't really that good of an investment. Consider a Parker A-1 Special, if your great grandad had have bought one new circa 1906-1910 it would have cost around $1000.00. Which was one big chunk of change back then. If it stayed in your family and somehow managed to end up in your hands today it might fetch somewhere around $200,000.00 in todays economy. That all dont sound too bad until you consider that if GGD had have bought $1000 worth of stock in Coca-Cola about the same time or shortly thereafter you would now be a billionaire {that's right, with a B}!!!!!

 

[Texas Star]

I gather that Paterson Colts are a good investment. Or Walkers...

 

[mtgianni]

For growth you might want some of the classis easy to sell guns, AR's, 10-22's, Smith revolvers, BHP.
For an investment you might be better off with 100 inexpensive pistols in 9mm. Easy to sell get a box of ammo to go with every one and fund the end of the world/economic collapse. Intermational arms dealers are not making money on guns that they shoot or keep in the safe, or that most of us would want to own.

 

[Wyo]

I'd say some of the best over the last several years have been the most expensive ones - Class 3 weapons of all sorts and very high end shotguns and rifles. Stuff like Holland and Holland Royals or Rigbys. Nice thing about them is that you can use them like the devil and they'll still hold their value and even increase. The AR's and AK's may be good for the short term, but I don't think they'll hold the recent increases for very long. Either there will be legislation that makes them non-transferable, in which case they'll be worth nothing, or the whole gun control furor will blow over with no major changes and the values will fall accordingly.

 

[leswad]

The ones I inherited

 

[pownal55]

If they ban private sales, and your only opportunity is to sell to/from an FFL, there will be no such thing as collectibles, as no FFL will pay you what a gun is worth

Let's hope they don't get rid of "Gunbroker".

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Forty years ago, retail prices:

Colt Government Model .45, $92.00.
Smith & Wesson Model 19, $140.00.
Smith & Wesson Model 29, $190.00.
Colt Python, $190.00.
S&W Model 36 Chief Special, $85.00.

Of course, 40 years ago most of us couldn't afford most of these things! I was on the police department, taking home $192 every two weeks, with two kids to feed and a house payment of $181 per month (paid $17,700 for that house, brand new, 3 bedrooms and a 1-car garage).

New Ford half-ton pickup trucks could be had on sale for about $2600. I bought decent used cars for well under $1000, and my credit union provided 3-year financing so I could keep the payments down to about $35 per month or so.

Cup of coffee was 5 or 10 cents, depending on where you went (Sambo's, Denny's, IHOP, etc). Gasoline fluctuated between 18 and 35 cents per gallon and, while a $10 bill would easily fill the tank and bring a handful of change, no one I knew could afford to buy a full tank all at one time.

Draft beer was a quarter. I used to treat myself to one now and then, maybe a couple of times per month. Otherwise I bought 6-packs for around 89 cents.

Good quality firearms are pretty good investments, but I'm not sure that today's prices reflect investment performance that has exceeded inflation over the years.

Bottom line: a buck just ain't what a buck used to be!

 

[litenlarry]

Well, a KelTec sub 2000, using Glock mag's, even tho they have always been scarce, could be bought for around $350 ,6 months ago..Now they are fetching right at $ 1,000,,

 

[OLDSTER]

Colt Pythons/Diamondbacks. Shooting/collecting buddy of mine bought a set of circa 1989 Pythons for $10000. Royal blue, unfired, consecutive SN, North Dakota Centennial, in presentation case, a year ago. I thought he over paid. He was recently offered $16000.