Soft gun prices

[winplumber]

Two nice guns sold on here today ! Do we think the prices were soft or inline ? Just wondering.

[Michael D Hankinson]

Interesting day at the local Grand Rapids MI gun show???today. My Impression is this is turning into more of a knife show, black gun parts, even had a pillow salesman there today. I did see a new Vendor at the show, had a "G" Grade Parker $1495, and a Holland & Holland side by side for $37,000, don't normally see a lot of those guns at this show. I carried two Twelve Gauge SXS guns for sale, a FOX Philadelphia Sterlingworth and an LC Smith that had been restocked with some really nice wood. Lots of lookers, no serious offers. Comments are "Nobody wants to buy a 12 today. I must confess at 74 I lean to my lighter guns today except for Turkeys and Woodchuck down near the garden.
Did sell a Remington 1100 20 gauge that I had replaced in the rotation with a Browning Sweet Sixteen. My best purchase today was a box of 3" 20 gauge ammo for $5 and two 12 gauge boxes of Woodchuck ammo for $4 each. Spent three and a half hours looking, talking and handling guns, except that Holland & Holland, and enjoyed the day.

[Ed Blake]

Plus, how much demand is there for 16s? My guess is not much.

[John Davis]

When you are as involved and invested in the vintage gun market as most of us on this site are, you begin to think the whole world feels or has felt the same way. Well, it doesn't and it never has. Outside of our tight little community, folks aren't now and since the end of WWII have not been particularly interested in side x side shotguns. I've been at this for about 30 years now, quite a while by some standards and not all that long by others, and from the beginning I was usually the only one on the dove field, or the duck pond, or the quail thicket carrying a side x side. Same at the Sporting clays courses. And usually one of the few walking around a gun show looking for a nice old double barrel. But now of course because of my years of associating with the double gun community, I really only hunt with the like minded and only really go to vintage shoots and I really only show up at antique gun shows. All of which make up about 1% of the gun world but seems like the whole world to me. And now I'm in to Trap shooting. And guess what, I'm the only one shooting a vintage single barrel trap gun. Same song, second verse. Prices are probably soft, but as mentioned above the sellers don't seen to have gotten that message yet. We have to remember we're in niche market.

[Randy Roberts]

I understand totally what you mean John when you say that you are the only one with a SxS. I shoot a fair amount of sporting clays and I would say that counting the State shoot I have shot 8-10 registered shoots this year, all with a SxS and I do not recall seeing one other SxS, not one. At the State shoot where they have trappers/score keepers at each station I inevitably got a comment from them, usually the same, that's the only one of them I've seen or you're the only guy shooting one of those. I will see a few SxS guns at fun shoots at the local club but that is about it.

Originally Posted by John Davis

When you are as involved and invested in the vintage gun market as most of us on this site are, you begin to think the whole world feels or has felt the same way. Well, it doesn't and it never has. Outside of our tight little community, folks aren't now and since the end of WWII have not been particularly interested in side x side shotguns. I've been at this for about 30 years now, quite a while by some standards and not all that long by others, and from the beginning I was usually the only one on the dove field, or the duck pond, or the quail thicket carrying a side x side. Same at the Sporting clays courses. And usually one of the few walking around a gun show looking for a nice old double barrel. But now of course because of my years of associating with the double gun community, I really only hunt with the like minded and only really go to vintage shoots and I really only show up at antique gun shows. All of which make up about 1% of the gun world but seems like the whole world to me. And now I'm in to Trap shooting. And guess what, I'm the only one shooting a vintage single barrel trap gun. Same song, second verse. Prices are probably soft, but as mentioned above the sellers don't seen to have gotten that message yet. We have to remember we're in niche market.

[C.O.B.]

Originally Posted by Ed Blake

Plus, how much demand is there for 16s? My guess is not much.

I think similar guns in 12 and 16 the 16 will sell first. This gauge has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years.

[Bill Mullins]

Over the many years of my collecting and "love" for guns I cannot recall once when I purchased one that I did so thinking of present day or future value.
I bought them carefully (as I did have a limited gun fund) but primarily because I liked them and they filled a niche in my small collection. If they happened to
increase in value that was just an extra "bonus" but my primary goal was to enjoy them down life's path! Just how many "dollars" is it worth to hunt, shoot, collect and look at them for their beauty!
My daughters do not seem to be into collecting but my Grandaughter enjoys it and just may be the heir apparent to my gun collection. But, please, don't tell her yet because I want to enjoy them a little longer!!

[BRDHNTR]

I made an addendum to my will specifying who gets my guns. My oldest grandson will get several Parkers, including a very nice 20 ga Trojan that Brad B. restored for me. My other Parkers are to be given to the 3 gents that I regularly shoot clays with and hunt with. I'm the oldest in the group and most likely the first to go.

[John Allen]

There are several factors at work in the classic gun market now.First,tastes have changed and people that shoot now generally want more modern guns.Therefore the "shooter" grade doubles have dropped in value.Second,mint "collector"grade guns are bringing more than ever.The market is changing to a pure collector market.Third,there are a lot of classic guns out there now.One of the things that drove this market when I started was Parkers and other doubles were considered rare and hard to find.The internet has killed that mystique.There are now hundreds of good doubles listed on various sites now.Economics 101,high supply means lower prices.

[Mills]

Being in the buying mode, a buyer's market is fine with me for the time being. John Allen is right about the internet increasing supply. Same thing happened in old books which I collect too