Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum Is the bottom dropping out of the Left Hand market ?

Was watching the auction below on Gun Broker. Tho not stated in the title, to me it appears to be a LH Rem 700 FS. Was floored when it sold for $600 WITH scope. Basically a complete FS rifle with scope for less than the cost of a new McM KS stock. Would have jumped in on the bidding, but, was already enroute to pick up two new toys. Could not justify a third in one week.

Anyone else feel like the market is dropping on Left Hand rifles ? With all of the election year rhetoric going on, I would have expected an uptick in sales and prices. Thoughts ?


Left Hand Rem 700 FS on GB

Long action standard calibers are everywhere seems like. Now start talking about short action LH, especially anything in a varmint caliber, and the market still seems to favor the supply side. At least on the used market.

The 700FS was a bargain, I think a .270 would have brought more money.

I had a Rem 700FS in .270....still regretting letting it go.

Doc

Can't say about the LH market overall, I suspect what we saw these past few years was the shortage of components creating a panic driven bubble that extended into firearms as well. One guy raises his price, then another guy tries to get that same high price, then folks figure "oh gosh, better get one before the prices really go crazy..." and it fed on itself.

As to this FS, I don't think the seller knew what he had and other folks didn't either. He advertised it as a 700 ADL with a synthetic stock so it sounds like an el cheapo gun. Those FS models are about the sleepiest sleeper of the firearms market - a Brown Precision stock glass bedded to a Model 700 made when Remington was at the top of their game.

Someone definitely got a terrific deal on that one.

Fairly certain the buyer knew what he was getting. Seems to pick up a fair number of Left Hand rifles over the course of a year. Especially "unique" or "under valued" LH bolt rifles. Part of the reason I didn't bother to jump in...

I just picked up a LH 1990 FS 270 in incredible condition for 700$. Had no problems handing over the cash!


Roy

I doubt it; sometimes I miss rifles I want due to timing.

George

In the last 2 years I found and purchased 2 KS 270s.One under $500.00 and one @ $550.00.I cerakoted both and for what I have in them,they are great buys for LH guns.

One was advertised as an FS and the seller seemed sure of what he had.It was a nice surprise to open the box and see a KS!

Perhaps the Ruger American and Savage Axis are pulling down the market?

Seems to be no shortage of them that can be purchased new for less than the cost of a used rifle.

Sako and Weatherby still have high asking prices but don't seem to get too many bids.

For entry level guns, that's absolutely correct. They cost half as much and are pretty much guaranteed to shoot better and have better triggers than guns 2 or 3 times the price. It used to be the T3 that was looked on as the out of the box great shooting dependable gun. But, there are now 3 in that category, with 2 at low budget price points.

For high end guns, it might be more of an economy related thing. People aren't spending $4000 on Dakota's, Heym's and others, unless they actually have a safari planned. But at the same time, there are more left hand models made at lower prices by companies such as Cooper, that look just as good, and probably shoot better anyway.

I've got a RAR in .223 with a Timney trigger and a Cabela's 4x12 scope on it that I've tried to sell twice for 500 dollars without getting a reply. Oh Well, gun will shoot too. Elk

I would say the lefty market has more options for sure, and especially on the low end, but when the right buyer finds the right piece, market figures and trends go out the window.

Here's another Lefty that sold for a song. Looks to me like a McMillan stock. If it is, the stock or the action either one would be worth what the entire rifle sold for. Only draw back to the rifle that I could see was the magna-porting.

Lefty Sako 375 H+H

I was watching that Sako and almost got in on the bidding. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I have an over abundance of magnum leftys and need to sell not buy.

The caliber definitely has an impact on the sales, but it is also correct that good, cheap factory rifles are cutting into the market.

I have a hard time spending money on an expensive rifle, when I can buy a new RA, Thompson Center, Savage etc., for a real reasonable price.

I am getting ready to re-barrel a rifle and it will cost nearly as much as a new rifle. It just depends on what you want.

Definitely true. I wanted LH 9.3x62. Looked and looked and never could find one. So, I was going to buy a LH .30-06 as a donor rifle and do a re-bore. Luckily, at the last minute I found a NIB LH Tikka 9.3x62 at a gun shop in Indiana. They knew what they had and what is was worth, so I paid a slight premium, but it was definitely worth it (and much cheaper than a donor rifle - re-bore).

I think the used market is very depressed across the board. Each month has set a new record for gun sales in the recent months. There's just simply more supply than demand. I've watched TONS of great deals sit in the classified much longer than I ever would have expected. Same with GB.

There are only so many 270's, 06's 7mm mag, 300 Win mag, etc that one wants to own. The last two lefties I bought were a 260 Tikka, and before that a .204 CZ.
Another reason is there are a lot of us who been collecting rifles most of our long adult lives and are now starting to realize we don't have a use for most of them.

Long action rifles are so last century, especially in a caliber greater than .264, with ROT that won't stabilize javelins.

I hope it is! I have a couple of LH boys to outfit...