Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Selling a custom rifle ?

I'm thinking about selling a custom rifle I had built , how do you guys go about coming up with a price on a rifle that you basically just did the barrel break in ?

I lived in Idaho when I had it built now back in Florida and haven't used it in 5-6 years -I figure it might be better put to use than sitting in the safe.

Thanks for any help.
Mike

I ask what I want to get for it. Weird ain't it.

Depending on the smith & the configuration, it should sell itself once listed. Who built it & what are the specs??

Consider what you paid for it, assess condition and throw out a number.....it's not complicated and if your # is high, there are plenty of irascible chitheads that'll let you know

Have you thought about re barreling it to a caliber you can use where you live?

If it was a 308, for example, a 22-250AI, 22/243, 22 Cheetah etc. might be fun.

Selling a custom is almost always a big time losing proposition, investment or cash flow - wise. But re doing a custom to better fit one's current needs, now THAT just ads to the fun!

My deadliest, longest tenured rifle in the safe has been a 30/06, a 300WBY and is now a wildcat 338/8mm RemMag. Killed dozens of denizens with each caliber and gained some good experience and fun times.

Tell us about what the rifle is now, and what kinds of hunting you still do and I am sure that the brain trust here will be glad to help you spend more money on it

It's a rem 700 bdl bought it new around 88-89 -Mickey blueprinted it - SS 26" douglas #4 barrel -hs precision sporter stock desert camo -10110 bedded.
Shot 50-60 times .

Chambering?

22-250 -12tw

Sounds like a good varmint/coyote rifle that should sell, and if Mickey Coleman did the work guys will be all over it. I'd figure what you built it for and what you could live with selling it. Ask for something in between to give some wiggle room and I'll bet both parties will be happy in the end.

I try to add up the components....knowing about what I could get if I parted it out.

HS Precision stock - about $200-$225
Trued Action - about $400-$450
BDL metal - about $75 if Rem factory
Trigger?

Barrel is the hard part. Maybe you could get $200......maybe $100.

Once I know about what I could part it out for......and I know what it would cost to build.......I price it somewhere between. And the smith makes a little difference.

Chambering and twist makes a big difference.

I've seen a lot of customs sell for about half of what it cost to build them.

Yea. You generally don't get your money back. That's why I figure price of components. And if it don't sell........part it out.

Never going to get anywhere near what you have in it piecing out for sure. I have a custom 7mmRM, would cost $12,000 to build today, but been offered $3,500 by dealers, and no real private bids, though I haven't listed it for years. If parted out, might almost bring the low bid from a dealer, but ruin a lot of top quality parts, barrel etc been engraved, so wouldn't match up, etc. Put in on here and ask what you want for it. Some rifles instantly attractive to shooters, some others not so much. I think you said a 22-250 and that seems to be a popular round.

$12K rifle? You'll never come out right.

What makes it $12K?

^^^^^^^^^. Isn't that the standard.

I'm also curious..

The same thing that makes a Mercedes not a Chevy. quality materials, wood that costs $500 just for the wood, and the cost of having a real stock make, the rust bluing, the new bottom metal, the engraving. The having it made to fit you, the cast off, etc. 26 line per inch checkering, etc. Go look at D'arcy Echols, or Jerry Fisher's stuff.

I have one of those that you speak of with custom stock and all that....and the only way it will get sold is if my kids sell it after I'm gone. Then I won't care.

But it didn't cost anywhere near $12K. Wow. If your rifle is a D'Arcy Echols, I'd think you could get more than $3,500 for it on Armslist or Gunbroker.....or even commissioning the sale through one of the upscale shops.

OP is talking about maybe a $2K rifle.

yeah, I knew what he was talking about. Was trying to point out that you not going to get what you put in a real custom rifle. one like he has might bring his money back easier. I haven't never really tried to sell the custom rifle, just asked around, as too pretty and "quality", to want to. I intend to leave it to the NRA or some such organization, once I'm gone. No, it's not an Echols, it was made before he started making rifles, back in the late 60s.

Sounds very nice! I'd like to see you start a thread with pics if you have the capability. I've posted pics of mine several times.....a 257 Rbts on a pre-war Model 70 with a pencil barrel. I do love nice walnut!!