Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Value of a custom rig

Thanks for the heads up Steve. I missed that one.

Here are the prices on a current auction for that Beretta.

$2,495.00, $2,000.00, $2,5000, $2,999.00, $600.00, $950.01, $2,150

http:
//www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SearchResults.asp

This forum would be the best place to sell that rifle. Try the free classifieds.

It's funny when you get to looking at used rifles and trying to set a fair price either to sell one or buy. In the above rifle as a buyer I would question why anyone would have a Shilen barrel fluted as an after market item, why not buy a fluted barrel to start with. Shilen doesn't flute barrels. You really have to take a good look at barrel contour was the barrel treated after fluting and depth of fluting? That barrel to me hurts the price on that rifle. Just my .02

what moa does it consistently shoot?

i was thinkin' 6/284......... much shorter skirt than the 06', makes the legs look longer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

woofer

As an example, I recently put a Jerry Fisher .270 Mauser up for sale at one of the New Hampshire auction houses. It did not reach my $3000 reserve. The rifle is in 99% condition and is gorgeous. Nothing freakish about it. Jerry is thought by many to be the top custom maker in the USA and charges $10g and up these days for a custom rifle.

fwiw,
They bring what they bring depending on the market. Names can come damned close to fetching what they cost, however, they rarely do... I've seen some hellacious good rifles/shotguns bring $.50 on the dollar and I've seen junk net it's procurement costs. Also varies greatly depending on what area of the country you live in. I've had the good fortune to look at the inventory of gun/pawn shops, while on the road, and you find distinct geographical preferences... My best find was a 98% Sako A1 6PPC with a 36x Leupold for $675... A rifle in pistol country so to speak...

My lone suggestion, fwiw, is post an internet ad and spare no picture or detail. The more descriptive the ad the better for both parties. Leaves no bone of contention...

Regards, Matt.

Yep.

THE key,is to solicit the applicable niche..................

True words being spoke here, and many should take note. While most customs are 'proprietary' to the person it's being built for, chances are there's a few others out there that would have done it dang close to the same way ... You gotta be patient, and try to find them ... that's one key for sure ...

Also, you have to remember ... Nobody is hardly ever gonna buy something from you for the price of "new", or even a few dollars short, because they can get "new" straight from the source. There are a few caveats, one of which being wait time ... That's one reason (out of many) you see McMillan stocks holding such a high value... lots of people that do not want to wait 3 months, and that's worth a few more bux ...

Lastly, a really high end custom from a 'famous' smith, can be hard to sell simply because most people that would be interested in it are very discerning in what they want out of a rifle ... and if they can afford to buy (just to throw out numbers) a $5000.00 used custom rig, they can probably afford to buy exactly what they want for a much higher price , and are very willing to do so...

I think WGM's last point is especially well taken - anyone who can swing 5g for a used custom rifle can swing 10g to have one made exactly the way he wants it.

Another vote for rebarrel rechamber as a better way to go.

Could be a long, hard Winter trying to sell it.

I know a McSwirly 338-06 sat on a local gun dealer's shelf for months and months.

No "name" stamped on the barrel = no Sale.

And that was a stainless Ruger Mark II for $395.00.

BMT

Any gun like that....only shot 100 times, likely it don't shoot up to expectations. I'd want to see targets. A screamer is worth way more than a pile of expensive parts, at least to me.

Its been my experience that there are many reasons we build custom rifles; but hoping to get our money back through resale ain't one of them. You may be luckly and recoup 80-90%, but most people who will pay that would prefer to put that same money in the parts and have their own "custom" rifle built.
Go to gunbroker and do a search for "custom" rifle and I supect you will find a few high grade custom rifles by named 'smiths at very high prices that nobody will pay, but you will find many more "custom" rifles selling at 50-60% for that they cost someone to build. IMHO, our dream rifles are never worth as much to someone else.
Good luck
Don

For another example of how low superfine custom guns are valued on resale, look at gunbroker 42589405. A pair of 1903s, superlative, by Dennis Ehrhardt. With a few hours to go in the sale nobody has bid the no-reserve starter of $5500, IMO they would cost well over 15g to duplicate. Of course the calibres are odd, .425 and 9.3x64, if they were .35 Whelen and .25'06 they would probably be sold. But the rifles are really outstanding, albeit with no recoil pads a heroic shooter is required.

What everyone above said. Chambered in 243AI is a detractor and will minus an addition 20%. If I were you, I'd rebarrel it to 7mm08, 308, 338 Fed or 358 and use it as a shooter.

There are actually a few exceptions to that rule, and those would be D'Arcy Echols and David Miller. Many acknowledge them as building the finest hunting rifles bar none. As such, there are enough folks out there that don't want to wait 1-2 years to get one of their rifles, so used ones in popular chamberings often sell for the same or more than the purchase price, and that includes some field wear. They are the exception to the rule, but it is something to keep in mind when considering plunking down serious coin on a custom gun. Would you rather have two $2500-3000 rigs that will get you $1500 when you sell them, or would you rather have a $6500 rig that could go for $7000 in a few years?