Is the market softening?

[Andrew Sacco]

I am seeing more ammo, powder and supplies on shelves and on line lately, FAR more than in the past few years. Anyone else noticing this? It's not cheap, but I'm finding stuff. I think it's the economy and costs of other things going up? Kind of like choose between heating your home and getting primers. NEW guns seem to be ticking down as I watch buy it now prices on GB. I have not, however, seen prices tick down on Parkers and other vintage firearms that interest us? Any thoughts on this? I'll give you an example. A year ago I was looking at a Citori Gran Lightning in 16g, new, all were over $4,000. Now there are any number of them available NIB for under $3,000.

[Reggie Bishop]

The economy is cyclical. It always has been and always will be. The Feds keep it that way in part by lowering and raising the cost of borrowing funds which impacts the housing market which is one of the major market influencers. So generally you ride the waves, try to buy low and sell high. Its a game for sure.

[Craig Larter]

12 ga is readily available in my area for $80 per case. Winchester and Remington primer are non-existent. No improvement in shotgun powders from Hodgdon and Alliant. No Remington made wads. No hulls except Cheddite. RST supply is still very spotty. No 410 or 28ga ammo. So from my standpoint the supply situation still has a long way to go.
High condition collectable guns seem strong. It's hard to time the gun market.

[Josh Loewensteiner]

Collectible Parkers are as strong as I have ever seen them. Ammo does appear to be normalizing in some ways.

[Arthur Shaffer]

I haven't been buying ammo so can't really speak to that. I have bid on a LOT of guns in the last few months, and frnkly not bought nearly as many as I thought I would. Purchase prices across the board, cheap to rare, seem to be at ridiculous levels above a year ago.

[Andrew Sacco]

I have seen some limited .410, but lots of 28g, Remington primers and both Hodgdon and Alliant powders, but not always what I'd choose to use. The Remington primers were $110 per thousand, but there was no limit and a shelf full, as well as Fiochhi and Cheddite primers. I didn't say things have normalized, I just didn't see nearly as much product one year ago. I can find Nitro, BP, Gun Club, Fiocchi SD, Estates, Sterling...et all in 12g easily. 16g shells are the purple unicorn.

[CraigThompson]

You need to clarify ! Normal for three years ago or normal for now ? As to normal for three years ago I doubt that’s seen again . I mean WIN 209’s we’re $145 a sleeve of 5,000 and Chedderights were about $90-100 for 5,000 . If the Cheddercheese primers ever get below $200 for 5,000 again I’ll be quite surprised .

[Andrew Sacco]

You need to clarify ! Normal for three years ago or normal for now ? As to normal for three years ago I doubt that’s seen again . I mean WIN 209’s we’re $145 a sleeve of 5,000 and Chedderights were about $90-100 for 5,000 . If the Cheddercheese primers ever get below $200 for 5,000 again I’ll be quite surprised .

"Past few years" is what I said, that should be clarification enough. If I tried to go buy a few flats of 12g for sporting over the past few years, no way near me unless I was very lucky to stumble across it. Now I can get 50 flats today if I want. ie Top Gun practice ammo was $119 a flat WHEN I saw it a year ago, same with Fiocchi, now both are under $100. RST and specialty shells no.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Seems as though Auction prices are as high as ever, Most items selling at the high estimate or beyond, I have bid in the last 4 premiere auctions that Rock Island had and did not win anything, Maybe they jack the estimates up to attract bidders, Josh would know, be interesting to find out, Gary

[Randy G Roberts]

Seems as though Auction prices are as high as ever, Most items selling at the high estimate or beyond, I have bid in the last 4 premiere auctions that Rock Island had and did not win anything, Maybe they jack the estimates up to attract bidders, Josh would know, be interesting to find out, Gary

Spot on there Gary. Unfortunately you reminded Stan and me of the 40" guns at RI. 55 and 60K as I recall for guns that most of us thought wouldn't hit the teens. I was almost over it, Stan never will be :rotf:

[Stan Hoover]

Spot on there Gary. Unfortunately you reminded Stan and me of the 40" guns at RI. 55 and 60K as I recall for guns that most of us thought wouldn't hit the teens. I was almost over it, Stan never will be :rotf:

Geez,
I thought I could end my prescription of antidepressant meds, I guess I'll have to renew it again:crying::crying:
Thanks Randy

[Randy G Roberts]

Geez,
I thought I could end my prescription of antidepressant meds, I guess I'll have to renew it again:crying::crying:
Thanks Randy

I lied when I said I was almost over it if that helps. We can do it all over again in February, see you then. Bring your meds for both of us please :)

[Craig Larter]

I got to preview the guns coming for sale at the Guyette & Deeter auction in Feb at the Waterfowl Festival. You guys better get your heart pills ready! Lots of great stuff. Randy a nice CHE 10ga 30" Bernard. The 28ga BHE is to die for. Hold on to your hats.

[Randy G Roberts]

I got to preview the guns coming for sale at the Guyette & Deeter auction in Feb at the Waterfowl Festival. You guys better get your heart pills ready! Lots of great stuff. Randy a nice CHE 10ga 30" Bernard. The 28ga BHE is to die for. Hold on to your hats.

That CHE 10 must not be catalogued yet or I just flat out missed it. Thanks Craig !

[Stan Hoover]

That CHE 10 must not be catalogued yet or I just flat out missed it. Thanks Craig !

I haven't seen any catalog yet, only preview, am I missing something?

[Craig Larter]

Stan I visited the auction facility to view the guns in the auction. I believe the catalog will be out in early Jan.

[Randy G Roberts]

By that I meant listed on the auction site Stan and did not mean to imply that there was an actual catalog.

[Reggie Bishop]

That 34" A grade is going to sell high!!!!!!!!

[Josh Loewensteiner]

I am finishing the catalog this week and it should hit mailboxes in the printed form in about 14 days. Full catalog online prior to that.

[John Albano]

I’m sure looking forward to this one!

[Andrew Sacco]

As advertising manager I have the pleasure (most days) of working with all of our advertisers for Parker Pages magazine. I am just going to have to shout out here that Josh has been among the EASIEST people I work with and a great supporter of PGCA. I also want to thank him for placing a full page ad in this upcoming catalog promoting the PGCA, at no charge to us. Many thanks Josh for all you do for us!

[CraigThompson]

I suspect the only thing that I want in Easton during the auction and can AFFORD will be some of the crab soup at the Tidewater Inn in Easton :crying:

[Randy G Roberts]

That 34" A grade is going to sell high!!!!!!!!

Doubtful Reggie. Long barreled target guns have no followers or interest. Straight stock DT 32" 20's are the rage now. Sophisticated buyers will give this one little attention. Surely you agree :whistle:

[Reggie Bishop]

Doubtful Reggie. Long barreled target guns have no followers or interest. Straight stock DT 32" 20's are the rage now. Sophisticated buyers will give this one little attention. Surely you agree :whistle:

I do agree the 32" 20s w/straight stock are the rage, so much that this little auction doesn't even have one. But word is that 34" A is going to be a barn burner!

[Stan Hoover]

I do agree the 32" 20s w/straight stock are the rage, so much that this little auction doesn't even have one. But word is that 34" A is going to be a barn burner!

But that A has one of those awful Single triggers, the most useless thing they ever designed for a double gun:eek:

I may even have a chance:corn:

But then again, I'll probably be eating crab soup with Craig:whistle:

[Josh Loewensteiner]

There’s a couple of 32” 20’s in the batch, too. Every dog gets a bone…

[keavin nelson]

And some of us will get crab soup!!!!

[Stan Hillis]

Doubtful Reggie. Long barreled target guns have no followers or interest. Straight stock DT 32" 20's are the rage now. Sophisticated buyers will give this one little attention. Surely you agree :whistle:

You are dry, Randy ...........dry, dry. :bowdown:

I love it.

[Joe Graziano]

You guys are making me homesick. As a Salisbury State University alumni, former Maryland Guardsman in Easton, and big fan of the Waterfowl Festival, Easton has a special place in my heart. When I was in college, I used to wander into Albright’s, admiring the incredible shotguns I couldn’t dream of affording. I eventually bought my first high-end (to me) gun, an CG Magnus. Have a blast and some delicious crab cakes!

[Joe Graziano]

Btw, that FAMARS 28 ga hammer gun is incredible. What a piece.

[Josh Loewensteiner]

Catalogs are at the printers now and should be in mailboxes next week.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

look forward to your new adventure, I am sure you will be very successful, do not know another that has the fine qualities that you do in your dealings, honest and straight forward! Gary

[Dean Romig]

look forward to your new adventure, I am sure you will be very successful, do not know another that has the fine qualities that you do in your dealings, honest and straight forward! Gary


+1 - 100% :bowdown:





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[John Albano]

Josh, now that the catalog is done what will you do with all of your spare time? ������

[George Davis]

In my opinion rare, usual and quality collector side by sides are cyclic however the differential price points over the last ten years has shown substantial gains. I personally don't believe the next ten years will be as aggressive but I'm wrong on many of my ideas and time will tell.
However I enjoy traveling and shooting at different clubs over multiple states and my long term concern is I'm observing a tremendous reduction in the number of shooters and how free rounds they're shooting. I've shot multiple days in San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix and Tucson in the last three months and never once waited for a station at Sporting Clays, Trap, Skeet, Bunker or Wobble trap. All these clubs mentioned how they are throwing fewer birds, we probably didn't start with side by sides but got their because of our appreciation for shotgunning. Part of this issue is components and shell pricing but we need to be generating the next generation of US!!!!!

[John Dallas]

The softening of the prices and the easing of number of rounds being shot can be explained by the results of the PGCA Survey. 70% of the folks are 60 or more years old

[John Albano]

Gray is certainly the color of choice for hair at the Vegas gun show. It also works at the Rod Run car show in West Yellowstone. Not so many kids interested in 32 Ford roadsters.

[Dean Romig]

Recruitment is the answer, is it not?





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[Andrew Sacco]

The softening of the prices and the easing of number of rounds being shot can be explained by the results of the PGCA Survey. 70% of the folks are 60 or more years old

In my experience the people who shoot a lot are not necessarily always older, they were just smart enough to dollar cost average buying flats of shells over the past decade and are sitting on huge stock piles so they can weather these prices. I keep buying as I see flats become available (more on the shelves now than in a long time) and over time feel it will keep me shooting. My comfort level is a certain number of flats that I will not put into print, while I know guys who are sitting on PALLETS of shells and still buying aggressively. I think if you're waiting for $7 boxes of shells you should sell me your guns, but I am seeing $10 boxes all the time now. I do load RST hulls for my SxS but that is a very small percentage of what I shoot, opting to shoot regular 1200fps 2 3/4" in my VH guns. When a round of sporting and 100 shells costs $100 you're not getting many new shooters to enter the ranks. That's more than a round of golf around here, and I wouldn't pay $2 to golf.

[Russell E. Cleary]

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;378576] Recruitment is the answer, is it not?

As for recruitment, I see it at my club coming from the most implausible of places: competing clay shooting teams from Harvard, and Northeastern Universities, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From whence springs the interest with these metropolitan college students, I have no idea, but should find out.

It is true, nevertheless, that the old guns and old cars appeal mostly to the old guys.

Here is a photo of one of my former shipmates from the petroleum transport industry, not a gun “collector" and has not hunted in many years, but retains a few firearms, including a Belgian hammer gun.

He worked full-time as a merchant mariner into his mid-70s, and now as a widowed 79-year-old retiree, visited us here in Massachusetts a few weeks ago, after leaving his home in Alabama on a one-month-long, 16-state, 5,500 mile single-handed, auto trip in a rented vehicle (not his 1937 Business Coupe that you see here).

[Bill Murphy]

What a machine. General Motors product?

[Andrew Sacco]

Russell, we had, of all things, a team of bunker shooters from a small upstate NY college approach our club to ask if they could train there. So hopefully we'll have a dozen college kids shooting bunker this summer who we didn't even know existed. Then we found out they compete against other college teams across the NE. You're correct, we should find out who these kids are. One other kid comes up with his dad, I don't think he even drives yet, and he shoots 22-23-24 all the time, and if you haven't shot bunker you realize at his young age he's something special. We need to grow that.

[Russell E. Cleary]

What a machine. General Motors product?

Yes. Chevrolet.

[charlie cleveland]

I have a 1938 chevy business coupe its a street rod...327...350 horse...400 turbo tranny...pinto station wagon front end with disc hrakes...1955 chevy rear end with drum brakes....black in color....your 1937 is a beauty....I like old guns too....charlie

[Russell E. Cleary]

I have a 1938 chevy business coupe its a street rod...327...350 horse...400 turbo tranny...pinto station wagon front end with disc hrakes...1955 chevy rear end with drum brakes....black in color....your 1937 is a beauty....I like old guns too....charlie

How about pictures, Charlie: Your 1938 Business Coupe, with you standing in front of it, holding one of your old side-by-sides?

[Dean Romig]

There’s a picture I’d like to see Charlie.
If you have trouble posting the picture I can help.
Your good wife sent me pictures back when we did that article when you went out west to hunt with that nembed in Kansas I think it was.





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