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There's always going to be a market for cheap RAR's and Westley & Richards.


The middle is what gets goofy.

It’s definetly a buyer’s market....

So funny and so true .

Funny you guys say that because teenage boys light up around Garand's and carbines and Thompsons due to the WWII specific iterations of games like Call of Duty.

I think the recent softening is multifaceted.
A politically driven demand drove prices way high.

A stable environment killed that demand.
Other factors, along with people having purchased in artificially high numbers,
then pushed demand below norms.

Soft market.


The above mentioned high prices were so artificially high, that when the crazy demand stopped,
and prices settled (to still higher than pre-Obama) levels. Those levels feel too cheap to sellers.
Nobody likes to sell a gun that was worth $900 a year ago, for $650 today.
Even if they bought it for $320, ten years ago

For sale,

RRA, carbine.

$200 off what it was worth in 2013.
If I could just find a sucker.

I just sold my AR. I lost money, but the market took a nose dive on AR's. I was happy to get what I did out of it.

My concern is the possibility of getting a Californian in the Oval office.

While I was in Australia, I met a guy who lost his retirement as he had it tied up in highly collectable firearms. London's finest, the government decided he didn't need them so very much.

I believe a lot of folks believe in the second amendment. In other words they can have them when they are empty. Hasbeen

I am a ready, willing and able buyer. Therefore, if any of you guys have anything to sell please feel free to send me a PM with details. You never know what I might be in the mood to acquire.
I read all of the comments. I agree with most.
However on a positive note I am a professional but all of my recreational focus is on hunting and fishing and shooting.
I have 2 teenage
boys and a teen nephew that I have raised outdoors and they all love it and are carrying on the traditions. I help them each year to try and introduce their friends to our lifestyle. So far most have taken up the outdoor pursuit.
This spring we hosted 2 weekend camping trips at our place for teenage youth groups. 90% had never slept outdoors and all had a great time.
Lifestyles are changing but I do believe that there is still a hunger in the youth to experience the outdoors. We that have grown up in it and want to maintain it must make the sacrifice of time and effort to bring new people into our community of outdoorsmen.lo

I personally am buying up what I can now at the lower prices. A few years ago I could not dream of affording a rifle in high demand and being able to put quality glass on it. Now I have been able to pick up a few of what I have been looking for , for years, at to me a very fair price. I hate that some of you feel that you are not getting what you think your rifles are worth, but I think that 3 times what you paid for it 10 to 15 years ago is a little extreme anyway. and I think that some of the prices I see on Gunbroker are way to high. Stuff that a few years ago that was selling like hotcakes, is sitting and be relisted week after week.

As many of said, hunting and shooting has changed drastically for me and others that I know. The rifle range that I use to shoot at 200 and 300 yards is now closed for what seems like for good. Only a 100 yard range remains within a decent driving distance. So what good is a 300 yard rifle if you cannot practice at those ranges?

The landowner of the land that I hunted last season has pulled our lease, he is clear cutting the property and it will go up forsale once it is timbered and clear cut. Hunting public lands is getting crowded and harder to access. Public land is a crap shoot anyway, as most of the farms and hunting clubs around public lands have cover and feed to keep the deer on those properties. Getting into hunting clubs is getting way to expensive with way to many rules and what you can harvest or not harvest. I am more interested in meat in the freezer than I am horns on the wall. Going outwest in just a pipe dream right now. With the hunt, license, travel, butcher cost and taxidermy cost, it is just out of reach right now, and besides I could not get that much time off of work. Just my opinion and kind of ranting.

You are depressing.



Unfortunately, what you post is true, and common.

If I was in a situation like that, my gun/glass money would become hunting trip/lease/land money right quick...

I have pretty basic rifles/glass as I end up spending the money for that on hunts/trips.

It will come back someday!

Always does.

No complaints here. I recently placed a M77 MkII in the classifieds of rugerforum.com, where it sat for two weeks with only a couple of lowball offers. Posted it here, and in eleven minutes received a three word reply, "I'll take it." I did sell it for a lower price than it 'could' have gone for, but I was happy, and the buyer is happy!

Good thread.

22LR Redneck 401K's bit the dust, back to buying lottery tickets.

I had a small table at a show last week and my friend next to me - had two larger tables. He had a Thompson machine gun, 100 round drum, all correct parts, full auto group, etc., except the receiver was aluminum - a minor detail...which drops the price by about $32,000. Anyway, everyone fondled it, but it was interesting/encouraging that a few younger guys knew so much about the gun. We also had a young guy wearing British military hat and shirt, sold my friend a really clean British flare gun - darn near bough it myself, but if doesn't go bang, I'm trying to self-discipline!

Ever lift a tommy gun BTW? Holy cow are those things heavy. No wonder they "shouldered" them in the armpit

Very soft market, the advent of factory rifles that shoot as well as customs and have semi-custom features themselves (ie Barrett Fieldcraft, Seekins Havak, etc) has driven the custom rifle resale prices way down.
I had a Beanland 260 for sale and was down to $2500 with no takers. It’s back in the safe now.

My father bought a used SW 686 Stainless 357 Mag no dash with 8 and 3/8 inch barrel with box in 1984 for 225 bucks. I sold it for 1000 because I had no one in my family to pass it down to. I hated seeing it just sit in the safe. Now someone else can enjoy it. Deff not a soft market for older revolvers! Look at the crazy prices for Colt Pythons!!!!

I'm still looking for that "soft market" priced Kimber 22LR.