I don't want to be an alarmist, but....

[George Lang]

I believe it has more to do with the aging of sportsman with fewer and fewer youngsters coming into the sport and those do have more interest in more modern firearms. Having a small antique business I see less and less interest in "old stuff". What were highly sought collectibles a few years ago don't move anymore or people have no idea what it is. Ask someone under 40 who Howdy Doody is, or even Hopalong Cassidy, and watch for the blank stares. American firearm trends have always been bigger, faster, more powerful and thats what the new sportsman looks for. Your told you can't kill a duck unless you Have the latest 3 1/2" super duper magnum and a "6 ounce load of the latest technology shot at unbelievable speed". When you read the posts here most water fowl are shot with 7/8 to 1 1/4 oz. loads at what would be considered ridiculously slow speeds by today's standards, and yet they work and work well. Outside of the "true collector's" and collector quality firearms, or Sportsmen in the"know" I don't believe prices will escalate the way they have in past years unless we can pass on our ways to a younger generation. We are Dinosaurs and fading fast, hopefully some will discover our footprints.

[Bill Kekatos]

I just turned 49. I have always carried an appreciation for SxS vintage guns and I enjoy shooting them for hunting and sporting. I have a modern shotgun (Beretta autoloader) but I have not shot it for about 6 years, although I probably shoot it better than some of my older shoguns. I also have a Browning O/U used for sporting clays and that too has collected a lot of dust in the last few years. There is something about the old time craftsmanship and the artists who created those beautiful examples of functional work of art that is seldom duplicated nowadays, (or it is beyond my affordability when created today). I would not be able to afford any of my turn-of-the century guns if they were to be produced today the same way as then, handmade, with lots of labor intensive hours by expert workers at today's market prices. Heck, I would not be able to afford the piece of walnut wood or the engraving work on it.
For me, the vintage gun represent an example of amazing work of art, aesthetics, and quality that I can both admire and use at the same time. Those old guns have soul!!! Alas, a lot of shooting folks I know do not share the same admiration and views as I do. BillK