Will antique guns become less desirable

[wbm]

Will antique guns become less desirable?

No.

 

[foxguy]

I believe the answer will be Yes - less desirable .

I see fewer youth out shooting. I have quit hunting, but still enjoy local shooting competitions. We just are not seeing young ones coming out to shoot. The younger generation are enjoying Electronic Games from the comfort of their homes. Look at Bowling and Golf the parking lots are not nearly as full as they use to be.
Times are a changing.

 

[hogpatrol]

I believe the answer will be Yes - less desirable .

I see fewer youth out shooting. I have quit hunting, but still enjoy local shooting competitions. We just are not seeing young ones coming out to shoot. The younger generation are enjoying Electronic Games from the comfort of their homes. Look at Bowling and Golf the parking lots are not nearly as full as they use to be.
Times are a changing.

Within ten miles of my home, IIRC, four or five golf courses have either closed up voluntarily or went bankrupt. Like foxguy posted, times are a changing. It's interesting that on one, the fairways have all grown up in young trees and weeds. Nature is reclaiming the land and the deer have taken up residence.

 

[ngoforth]

I wonder if a way to judge the market would be sales figures from a company such as Cimarron? The guns may not be the real deal but as close as someone could get get to a safe and functional alternative.

 

[joshb]

I wonder if a way to judge the market would be sales figures from a company such as Cimarron? The guns may not be the real deal but as close as someone could get get to a safe and functional alternative.

I just bought 2 Uberti’s if that helps! I met a guy that is selling his collection. He had a Colt SAA made in 1915, that was unspun. He wanted $12000 for it. I did a little math in my head , figured out how many Borden actions that would buy and graciously declined. I wanted a shooter anyway, so I bought the pair of Uberti’s.

 

[243Lapua]

Collection value only depends on who and how much $$$$ you are willing to spend.

 

[flintcreek6412]

I'm mid 50's. I hang with both sides of the crowd. I used to collect coins and had a pretty nice collection. Then I went to a coin show about 5 years ago. All old men that will be dead in 10-20 years. Very few my age and maybe a handful of young ones. In that 10-20 years there will be lots of coins being passed down to younger generations that will quickly flood the market and devalue the entire market. Yes, high grade key dates may hold some value...but for how long. I sold the entire thing. If I do buy a coin it's because I'm going to enjoy it, not as an investment.

Just like I can't stand grandmas depression glass or ornate antique furniture because it's not my style. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate the craftsmanship of it, I just don't want to own it or have it in my house. That stuff worth lots 20 years ago isn't worth much today.

I've got good friends in the 30 age crowd. They are about use and performance and enjoyment. They simply don't want a safe queen to never be touched or used. They prefer to travel and experience life rather than clutch onto the past. While I might appreciate a fine wood stock, custom engraving, etc.....I don't care to own it because for the money I'm into a custom action, custom barrel that performs better than any of those guns ever could. Do I like plinking squirrels with granddads Win Mod 61 .22. Yep. But it's a piece of crap compared to new guns. I play with it because it was granddads. Would never buy one. When I hunt, I want .5 MOA accuracy....not something that can barely hold 2MOA with a 50 year old hazy scope.

The younger crowd, when they can afford stuff, will buy quality that performs. They want to shoot it and enjoy it. Just like they will buy a $1000 bottle of whiskey to enjoy and experience it. Something those gun collectors would never do because they think it's stupid and wasteful. I've got to agree with the younger crowd on this one.

I could buy a fancy old gun to stick in a safe fearing the bluing might find a spec of rust or take a great trip to Scotland or anywhere else. And yes, I've enjoyed a 40 year Balvenie, owned a 30 year Glenfidich and 32 year Oban. Yes, $500-1000 for a bottle of whiskey might sound crazy but I enjoyed every dram and enjoyed sharing it with friends even more.

We all spend money in different ways for different reasons.

Investments belong in a financial portfolio, not a hobby. I have never owned a gun for resale value and I never will.

 

[dolek]

I'm mid 50's. I hang with both sides of the crowd. I used to collect coins and had a pretty nice collection. Then I went to a coin show about 5 years ago. All old men that will be dead in 10-20 years. Very few my age and maybe a handful of young ones. In that 10-20 years there will be lots of coins being passed down to younger generations that will quickly flood the market and devalue the entire market. Yes, high grade key dates may hold some value...but for how long. I sold the entire thing. If I do buy a coin it's because I'm going to enjoy it, not as an investment.

Just like I can't stand grandmas depression glass or ornate antique furniture because it's not my style. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate the craftsmanship of it, I just don't want to own it or have it in my house. That stuff worth lots 20 years ago isn't worth much today.

I've got good friends in the 30 age crowd. They are about use and performance and enjoyment. They simply don't want a safe queen to never be touched or used. They prefer to travel and experience life rather than clutch onto the past. While I might appreciate a fine wood stock, custom engraving, etc.....I don't care to own it because for the money I'm into a custom action, custom barrel that performs better than any of those guns ever could. Do I like plinking squirrels with granddads Win Mod 61 .22. Yep. But it's a piece of crap compared to new guns. I play with it because it was granddads. Would never buy one. When I hunt, I want .5 MOA accuracy....not something that can barely hold 2MOA with a 50 year old hazy scope.

The younger crowd, when they can afford stuff, will buy quality that performs. They want to shoot it and enjoy it. Just like they will buy a $1000 bottle of whiskey to enjoy and experience it. Something those gun collectors would never do because they think it's stupid and wasteful. I've got to agree with the younger crowd on this one.

I could buy a fancy old gun to stick in a safe fearing the bluing might find a spec of rust or take a great trip to Scotland or anywhere else. And yes, I've enjoyed a 40 year Balvenie, owned a 30 year Glenfidich and 32 year Oban. Yes, $500-1000 for a bottle of whiskey might sound crazy but I enjoyed every dram and enjoyed sharing it with friends even more.

We all spend money in different ways for different reasons.

Investments belong in a financial portfolio, not a hobby. I have never owned a gun for resale value and I never will.

I have never considered anything that makes me pee or poop worth all that much money . I much rather fondle an old gun that has soul.

 

[epc308]

I have some old original rifles that while not cheap, didn’t break the bank, but most took some time to find at a price I could afford. Honest wear is different than abuse, and tells me it went to the field as it should have. I don’t feel a bit guilty about taking them out, and enjoy the hunt all the more because if it. I look for that kind because so many seem to prefer “as new” condition, and can usually get a much better deal. One of our 3 kids is a fairly serious gun guy. I’m sure he will get the majority of what I own at some point. He appreciates the old ones as much as the newer ones.
During trip to the Tulsa show a couple years ago I was looking for an old Marlin lever rifle. Imagine my surprise to find them higher than similar Winchester’s by 30-50%, all else being fairly equal. The prices of things in general there certainly hadn’t dropped. There were some deals if you looked long enough, as always, but overall they were as high or higher than on previous trips there.
I have no idea where the market is going at this point. Maybe those Marlins will drop back down to affordable again.

 

[cotntop]

Somebody is probably gonna get a really good deal in the near future. Took an old 38-40 Winchester 92 out today and me and couple of youngsters had a blast. Don't know what will happen in the future but I do not have to worry what will happen to my Winchesters.

 

[DirtySteve]

Antique guns Pffffffffft.

It can be a lot of work to shoot true antiques, pre WWI and even some of the between the war stuff. Honestly not too many people have the attention span for it these days. Probably going to need to learn to cast if you want the best results, going to need to be part wildcatter, might even need to ask somebody for help. if you have to do all that stuff just to get a few shots off it can be pretty traumatic.

Tell me about it..I bought a bullet swage to make good Paper Patch bullets (waiting on delivery from Corbin). Learned to paper patch bullets. Now working on developing a long range load for my Sharps.. It is time consuming and one must be methodical in his approach.. Most of the Participation Trophy Generation want instant satisfaction or they move on...

 

[jds holler]

I've got about six different rifles and pistols that are antiques in the 80 to 120 year old vintage. They are mechanically excellent, and cosmetically only fair. I love the fact that I can enjoy them for what they are, and in fact use the hell out of them.

I don't even desire pristine condition anymore, and sure don't want to spend the price required for it. Fact is, I'm just not a "pristine" kinda guy. jd

 

[joshb]

I have never considered anything that makes me pee or poop worth all that much money . I much rather fondle an old gun that has soul.

Darn right! We were staying just outside of Aspen, Co.. The wife thought it would be nice to go to the Steak house in the center of town. While doing the walk around town, I stopped to look at the menu. I noticed the price for a ribeye was $125. Now, I have 5 people so it’s probably going to cost me a thousand bucks for a night out. Oh HELL no. We went to a nice barbecue joint in Snowmass instead. Great food at a reasonable price. You can keep the hoity toity for those with private jets.

 

[TC260]

I don't think we've ever seen anything like this new generation. They could care less about "things", they want "experiences". What used to be passed down from generation to generation has for the most part come to an end. They don't want anything to do with "old crap" and will gladly get rid of it for junk.

Realistically, what are younger generations supposed to do with the mass quantities of stuff the boomers/X'ers accumulated? Even for somebody like me (40's) that values what my dad and grandparents owned, the reality of the situation is that most of the time it's simply impractical to hang on to more than just a few sentimental items.

I don't think that's a situation unique to modern young people. People have always needed to be mobile for one reason or another and hauling around every previous generations stuff simply wasn't an option.

The valuable things we can pass down to younger generations is good morals and values. Raise them up right and that legacy will be far more meaningful and long lasting. If I can leave that and some sound investments to my girls I'll call that a win. Hopefully they can get a few bucks out of all my old junk and take the grandkids on vacation with the money

 

[dolek]

Darn right! We were staying just outside of Aspen, Co.. The wife thought it would be nice to go to the Steak house in the center of town. While doing the walk around town, I stopped to look at the menu. I noticed the price for a ribeye was $125. Now, I have 5 people so it’s probably going to cost me a thousand bucks for a night out. Oh HELL no. We went to a nice barbecue joint in Snowmass instead. Great food at a reasonable price. You can keep the hoity toity for those with private jets.

That's the spirit, I would have done the same . With the money saved it paid for your new Tikka....and that leaves more money for your wife to buy you another. Like you, I am also blessed with a very generous wife . If my wife saw that ribeye price the convo would go something like..."We can all get a good meal somewhere more reasonable, and that way if ya see another gun ya want we can buy it".

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I'm 84 years old. I have always held to the adage, that if you don't or can't use it for it's intended purpose, don't own it. That goes for cars, furniture, and especially guns. I am a very active man, who takes shooting seriously. That means if I'm not going to use it, I am not going to own it. When I buy a rifle or hand gun and I have a lot of them, all I care about is shootability. A $500 shotgun will shoot just as well as those $10,000 super engraved oldies. I'll give you top dollar for a performer, no matter what it looks like. I have no use for either a garage or safe queen.

I do have a some guns that have some sentimental value as they were passed down from loved ones. Some are really up there in price, some are not. I only keep them because I can't stand the thought of someone else owning them.

My only interest in a gun, is how well it performs. Very few of those antiques, will out outperform most of the guns on the market today. I have collected stamps, coins and a host of other things in my day. Thing is what the hell do you do with that stuff after you buy it. You can only look them and admire them. To me that gets boring and is a waste.

Collections are like real estate. Before you can sell these things, you have to find a qualified, and motivated buyer with money. People who are interested in these things are far and few between. Prof in point, If I had a rifle with a qualified appraisal of $100,000, and offered it for $80,000, how many of the folks here, who are for the most point very appreciative of firearms, could afford to buy it or would even want to own it?

 

[ngoforth]

People can buy whatever they want and fits whatever budget they have for an item be it guns, cars, whiskey or food. As a previous poster commented someone wanted to sell a colt for $12,000. It may very well be worth that to many people, just not to him or even me. If it is worth that, will it ever be worth $13,000? Or if that pre 64 winchester is worth $1500 will it be worth $2000 in the future? I think there is a difference in buying something to have versus buying it in hopes that you will make money off of it.

 

[dolek]

Subject:
Will antique guns become less desirable

I guess it depends how a person views the word "desirable" , to me it has nothing to do with money . Some folks put a dollar value on everything,that's fine too.

 

[jdh47]

I think true collector firearms will continue to rise in price as they have over the years. If you ever get a chance to pick up a Woodward O/U you might understand why it justifies it's six figure price. Not all people will appreciate it but you just can't duplicate that workmanship easily. Early Colts, especially engraved specialty ones will continue to rise. Even the lowly Parker Trojan that sold cheap when introduced will bring lots of money these days and the AAHE and A1 Specials are pretty much priceless. Labor was cheap back then and those specimens that survived time just keep going up.

I went to the Tulsa show a couple of years ago and saw a lot of fine collections. They haven't gone down and most of them were not for sale. Even though our country has suffered a huge cultural decay over the years for various reasons I think we will eventually overcome it and collectors will thrive. Future collector firearms are being made today.

 

[Rick300]

Realistically, what are younger generations supposed to do with the mass quantities of stuff the boomers/X'ers accumulated? Even for somebody like me (40's) that values what my dad and grandparents owned, the reality of the situation is that most of the time it's simply impractical to hang on to more than just a few sentimental items.

I don't think that's a situation unique to modern young people. People have always needed to be mobile for one reason or another and hauling around every previous generations stuff simply wasn't an option.

The valuable things we can pass down to younger generations is good morals and values. Raise them up right and that legacy will be far more meaningful and long lasting. If I can leave that and some sound investments to my girls I'll call that a win. Hopefully they can get a few bucks out of all my old junk and take the grandkids on vacation with the money

So if I read this right, that 1863 lever action that was passed down to me should go into the junk pile? I F'ing hope not! You proved my point that the younger generation doesn't give a crap about history. Which is EXACTLY why this country is where it is right now.
Copy & paste:

“We're doomed to repeat the past no matter what. That's what it is to be alive. It's pretty dense kids who haven't figured that out by the time they're ten.... Most kids can't afford to go to Harvard and be misinformed.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard