Investing in Guns: Some Tips (But It's a Bad Idea)

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A lot of people see the constantly-increasing price of collectible firearms, and assume that guns must be a pretty good investment. Well, they really aren't. The stock market outperforms collectible firearms with ease. But if you want to buy guns with an eye to increasing prices, there are a few things I would suggest.
1) Know your subject. The more specialized knowledge you have in a particular area, the better you will be positioned to find the best and rarest examples.
2) Be discriminating for condition. The highest condition examples are always the most desirable. They will increase in price the most if the pattern becomes more valuable, and decrease the least if it becomes less valuable.
3) Be willing to sell things, or else acknowledge that you are either collecting or building a nest egg for your survivors to sell when you die (or both, typically).
4) Don't buy "commemorative" guns. They are worth nothing.
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@Canuckrz]

I don't look at it so much as an investment, so much as a hobby where its assets at least maintain a reasonable amount of its value over time.

[@Soff1859]

Yeah i guess it is consumption that maintains it's value fairly well and even has some chance of going up. As opposed to other common consumption items like cars or electronics, that loose most of their value in a few years.

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

This is the right way to look at it. Same with cars, if you buy the right ones you can enjoy them, spend on maintainence, but hopefully either break even or make a small profit on resale. If you add that to the value you have gained from using it then it makes sense, but if you buy something just to store it then you better be making big numbers on resale.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

That's exactly what I tell MY WIFE! I also tell her it is like purchasing life Ins for while we are "STILL ALIVE!" as a refugee from a war-torn country as a young girl, SHE GETS IT! Just took her and a daughter "training" yesterday morning!

[@JudeFunk37]

Exactly, it's a very great hobby that protects you and retains value for the most part.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

A hobby is something that you would spend more time and money on if you had more time and money. An investment is something that you spend your time and money on in the hope that one day you'll have enough time and money to spend on your hobby.

[@TheMosinCrate]

"Dont buy commemorative guns." - Things that are made to be collectible are almost never collectible. Think beanie babies.

[@angrydragon4574]

In today's market someone will buy it. I made the mistake of throwing away collectibles that I didn't believe or think would be popular and now those same collectibles are worth tens of thousands... That I threw away years ago before they became popular.

[@ianfurqueron5850]

Or comic books. In a past life I was the manager of a comic book store. I'd often get the question, "what books should I buy that'll go up in value?" My stock answer was always, "None of them. Buy what you enjoy reading." I stopped collecting years ago and the 9 boxes (~300 books per box) might be worth a couple of hundred $.

[@minimalistic_banhaus]

*stares at my extensive beanie baby and commemorative gun collection*

[@angrydragon4574]

@@minimalistic_banhaus If you're looking to sell your Beanie Babies a good place to start would be ebay.

[@con6lex]

I never understood those commemorative guns. Why buy an actual fully functional modern gun that you do not shoot, because you might wear off the applied gold? I can understand not shooting a historical or fragile old gun.

[@TylerSnyder305]

Never invest in firearms, invest in yourself and your happiness through the ownership of firearms. Just buy what you enjoy, not what you expect to gain value.

[@foxtrotunit1269]

gaining value is debatable, but storing value (as Ian points out) is actually pretty doable (not everything you buy will hold it' value like a firearm will - though not all firearms are equal in this regard...)

[@minimalistic_banhaus]

@Paul Thiessen No, but people have eaten eggs poached from water cooled barrels. To be fair to Meemaw's China though, they do make extra-fun skeet targets.

[@GunGnome_]

@@minimalistic_banhaus how dare you shoot me maws oriental dishes

[@davefellhoelter1343]

All mine have "Stored value" as I have never sold one, can't lose if you never liquidate? Real-estate, stocks, heavy metals, no matter? Although some of my heavy metals go back to be mined in the future? Wow I'm Green?

[@JohnsonLobster]

If you want to store value, you buy gold or real estate. The sale of gold will not be outlawed. You can't say the same about guns.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

@@JohnsonLobster Real-estate yes, but "Imminent Domine" is already here in some places. Sorry, Kinda already wrong! Gold IS ILLEGAL for private use as of the end of gold certificates with FDR? This is why institutions store your larger amounts of gold securely for you.

[@cacheman]

I bet buying and holding LEGO sets is a way better investment than individual guns.

[@lutin_mi06]

Make guns from lego, and sell them

[@paulreynold3918]

Most based comment in the entiry world HAHAHA. Here another guy who makes money selling legos 😂

[@rustyshacklford245]

Lego sets literally increase in value faster than gold lol

[@Jim-Tuner]

That worked for older LEGO sets because nobody was doing it back in the day. Now everyone is doing it and making serious money off them in a few years is a whole lot less likely. The opportunity is already gone.

[@khaelamensha3624]

Gosh tell me about it😂

[@Hammerli280]

My observations: 1. Surplus guns can be a decent investment IF they are currently imported AND the supply is about to run out. K-31s are an excellent example. When they were imported, $150 would buy a good one. Today, you could sell it for four times that. 2. Antiques of good quality. Emphasis on quality. You MUST know what you are buying.

[@nelsoj11]

I’d add a third, though it’s pretty much a roll of the dice: An initial/limited run of a hyped firearm that’ll end up OOP.

[@nelsoj11]

Ugh, and a depressing fourth: Inflation hedge. If things keep going the way they are, demand will increase alongside inflation and the right firearm will probably beat a savings account.

[@creanero]

Thing is, $450 in profit over several years isn't much of an investment, though. Yeah, you could multiply this up by doing more of it, but at some point it's not so much an investment as a second job as a gun dealer. I think the amount of work you'd have to put in to knowing what you're buying and reliably predict what direction its price will go is again up to second job levels.

[@cheyannei5983]

@@nelsoj11 I disagree. That Medusa revolver Ian showed off was *really* cool, but the company went under while potential customers were waiting for durable 'fingers'. Today, they sell for virtually MSRP not counting inflation, which means the value has gone significantly down. What you *actually* mean are desirable guns that stop production for reasons other than lack of sales. IE, street prices on a Molot VEPR were around $1200 for a long time, and used prices post-ban are ~1800.

[@beargillium2369]

To truly make any sort of money, you would have to move a LOT of guns....

[@330FoeSho]

I show my wife the increase in machine gun prices as an excuse to buy all kinds of guns. All of my actual investments are outside of the firearms collecting game because we all know I'll never sell any of them

[@ragnarragnarsson3128]

IKR? Don't burst our bubble...gotta have something to help justify it to her lol. Hard enough as it is...:)

[@marcogenovesi8570]

gun prices are increasing a lot in general and will also in the future for various reasons, you might not want to sell them, but if you really have to, you'll be glad you are in the guns hobby instead than in the car hobby

[@peterlazzari3950]

There is a saying which goes something like ---" my greatest fear is that when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them"---always makes me laugh.

[@PapaSchultz74]

Every time she buys shoes (or whatever useless wifee things) get yourself a new gun. Or the opposite buy her new shoes every time you get yourself a new toy. Best investment ever.

[@jkaufman357]

It's like the story a friend of mine told on himself--he was telling his wife what a good investment one of his guns was and "after she got done rolling around on the floor, howling with laughter," she said "Yeah, I can just see you selling one of your guns!"

[@jimroland7314]

Excellent advice, Ian. Over my 70 years, I have exactly what you are talking about. Guns are almost never a good investment. Buy what you like & what you want to use, but forget about making money on them, unless you're an exceptionally astute dealer.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

Not many things that one enjoys are good "investments". It costs to live. What can you afford?

[@ericteipen]

In the early 80s I bought over 30 Surplus SKSs for 50 bucks each...........YOU do the math!!! K98 Mausers were 25 bucks each. To say that surplus guns are a bad investment is straight up BS. If a guy would have invested 10k back then they would easily be worth 200k.. He's full of shit!!! Hell my Ruger 77 VTSS 220 Swift is $1500 now if you can even find one. I think I paid like 650 bucks for it in the mid 90s. You guys spewing this BS about guns not being a good investment obviously didn't buy any 40 years ago and keep them. Or if you did you bought the ones that were owned by every Tom, Dick and Harry. I mean, You have to use some common sense. don't buy say a low end 870 and expect it to make you any money...It's not rocket science guys!

[@thetruthwithin1]

@@ericteipen ok...so you had to store your SKS for 40 years for a 4x profit adjusted for inflation? Congratulations, but that's not a good investment.

[@samadams8355]

@@thetruthwithin1 I agree with that assessment. Much as I'd love to open a crate of mint SKS rifles still in cosmoline, I wouldn't want to pay rent to store them for 40 years. Space is a finite resource for most people. Even if it's your own place and the mortgage is paid off, the cost of maintaining your "investment" is still greater than zero.

[@curious-relics]

​@@ericteipen Lets do the math! If you had instead spent that $1500 buying S&P500 in 1982 instead of SKSs, it would now be worth a little over $50,000 (18x profit w/inflation). You could sell your 30 sks on gunbroker for $900 ea, making $27,000 (6.5x profit w/inflation, minus more for gunbroker's fees, oh and have fun listing and completing 30 separate auctions). Hmm, 18x vs 6.5x, I wonder which is the better investment.

[@tangero3462]

I feel like a lot of the desire to "invest" comes from everyone looking at old ads from half a century ago and not understanding the relative value of that money. A good 1911, for example, costs the same amount in real terms as it did fifty years ago. The money has different value, but the relative cost to you is almost identical. Stuff tends to just cost what it costs

[@muffemod]

Which is what makes firearms such a great investment (and collectables in general). They keep pace with inflation.

[@tangero3462]

They keep pace _when new_ Once you try to realize those gains by selling, you're going to lose money 99 times out of 100, and that exception is not going to offset the rule. Guns are like cars, they lose value the second the receipt hits your hand unless you keep it nice for a really long time, do absolutely nothing with it, and bought something that would be vaguely desirable in the first place. Get a CD, buy some shares in some conservative investments, do literally *anything* else. You'll actually make money that way

[@bavarianpotato]

@@tangero3462 if you really just want a safe way to maintain your relative wealth, buy gold. Otherwise, buy ETFs of reputable indexes like the s&p 500, and you'll be good long-term

[@muffemod]

@@tangero3462 No way! Guns appreciate where as cars depreciate. I've been flipping guns and making a nice healthy living doing it. I've never sold a firearm for a loss.

[@craigthescott5074]

@@muffemod I buy both. Depends on the cars. A Prius yea your losing money. A 60’a or 70’s muscle car. We’ll go watch an an auction these cars are going nuts in value.

[@okayz00mer11]

The only commemorative rifle I’ve ever really wanted are the Winchester 94s that came with a gold Chevy emblem pressed into the stock that sold as a package with Chevys outdoorsman square bodies

[@GunFunZS]

I'd take most any as a well made rifle well maintained and cheap.

[@eliasbram3710]

this video, single-handedly is going to make nambu pistol prices goes up

[@Jreb1865]

My best and only gun investment: Years ago I decided to buy a machine gun, just one, for an investment, to shoot, and to own a firearm with significant historical value, so I bought a Sten Mk2 in 1989 for $600.00...and still own it...I think I did OK.

[@cougar2k720]

Isn't $600 dollars back in 1989 quite a bit too? How much is 600 dollars now account for inflation?

[@Jreb1865]

@@cougar2k720 It certainly was for me...lol. If I remember correctly, I only made about 175.00 per week, so that was a pretty big hunk of change. To put it in a different perspective, I bought a new small truck the same year for 7300.00 and my payments were 124.00 per month...

[@cougar2k720]

@@Jreb1865 wow, one firearm that's like 1.25 months of pay, and a chunk of car payment. I would say it's more of a dream true item than an investment, haha.

[@Jreb1865]

@@cougar2k720 Yea, the Hughes Amendment had only been passed 3 years earlier, but Class 3 items had already started going up. In 1986, that same Sten was 350.00...lol You could buy Macs for around 250.00 or so...

[@cougar2k720]

@@Jreb1865 Wow, nearly doubled in 3 years, that's some crazy price increase!

[@breed4659]

One small exception to commemorative guns being a bad investment.... At my shop, we had a pair of John Wayne Commemorative Model 94's, consecutive serial number pair, pristine condition. The owner has had them at the shop for 15 years. We recently sold the pair on GB for $7500. Thats 5 times what he paid for them just a decade and a half ago

[@markscherm5512]

I think a few of those Winchester commemoratives might be the exception that proves the rule. The Crazy Horse version seems to be highly coveted in my neck of the woods.

[@kw9849]

@@markscherm5512 At the same time, every gunshop in the country has a couple commemorative Winchesters that just sit around taking up shelf space for decades not selling.

[@thelefthandedshooter5760]

So the owner managed to break even if one considers inflation.

[@fringehead]

With auctions things can go higher than reasonable if you have two guys with funds and a strong desire for a specific toy. I know I will rarely make my money back on some stuff I have bought and am mostly OK with that

[@Hansengineering]

@@thelefthandedshooter5760 no? $7500/15 = $1500. $1500 in 2007 is equivalent to $2108 right now. Inflation accounted for $608, and the increase in _value_ accounted for the other $5400.

[@ben501st]

One of my favorite Ian quotes. "If you want to make $1million in the gun industry, start with $2million..."

[@ddegn]

I had a friend who was very surprised to learn I never sold any of my guns. He liked to cycle through various guns and try them out for a while. Each of my guns hold a lot of sentimental value and I'd hate to sell them.

[@boingkster]

Camera pans up, Ian has a crate of Type 94's on top of the bookcase.

[@maxkronader5225]

The real problem with investing in firearms isn't that they don't increase in value; it's that you have to sell them to realize a return on investment. And for most collectors (myself included) when you find out a firearm is worth ten times what you paid for it 20 years ago, you don't think "I'll sell it and make a tidy profit." You think "Boy, I'm glad I was smart enough to get one for my collection while they were still affordable."

[@hk_4014]

I think politics plays a HUGE part in determining whether an investment is good or not. Bans and import restrictions still happen today, and they artificially raise the price and demand of certain firearms. I think good advice is to pay attention to what's happening in the world. Who is getting elected? What country is pissing off what country? Its still a gamble, but there is potential money to be made.

[@WrecklessSandwich]

That was my first thought as well. I've never considered trying to invest in guns to make money, but living in MA I can't help but look at the cost of preban rifles and ponder if it's a good idea. We still have the grandfather clause from the federal assault weapons ban, which means that if I want to buy an AR-15 here, I have to buy one with a lower that was manufactured before September of 1994. Same deal for magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The result of that clause is that otherwise unremarkable fully assembled ARs and AKs of that vintage currently sell for north of $2000. I suspect that they'll continue to appreciate faster than average. Now, the real trick is to try and predict the next similar ban (assuming it would have a similar clause). You can't really do that, so the best you can do is own stuff that you think they might ban. Get yourself a perfectly normal AR because it's a good idea anyways, and if it ends up being a "pre-ban" item in the future you'll have the option to sell it for a hefty profit.

[@hughbarton5743]

Great advice! Collect for joy, not even to retain value. I was in the car business my whole life, mostly selling/buying used rather expensive stuff ($50,000+, mostly European), so I kept an eye on shifting market trends, most of which were inexplicable. EG: Ferraris generally went up faster than other perfectly swell Italian sports cars...they are not twice as good as Maseratis, they just sold that way. But even in the Ferrari brand, some really good cars never skyrocketed in value, while others did...the market spoke, even though what is was saying just made no sense. The other phenomenon that I observed was this: a particular year/ model/ color item goes to a high end auction, draws lots of intense bidding, sells for a ton of cash....very rare, very special, unique. Within a few months, anybody who has one in the garage says " Well shucks! Guess it's time to sell MY very rare/special/unique one"...suddenly the place is crawling with them, with predictable results. Buy stuff cause you love it. If you inadvertently make a ton of money, savor that moment, it will not likely happen again.

[@seanfoltz7645]

More important advice, especially if you're using the gun - do not modify it in a fashion which can't be undone AND save the original parts. If you want to drop a new barrel and other parts into it so you can fire it with a modern cartridge that's cheaper and easier to find, make sure to hold onto all of the old parts. If you swap out the old, cracked, original wooden stock for a new one, save it as well. Original boxes, cleaning kits and other small stuff is also important - having those little, obscure and what seem like useless junk which came with the gun makes it complete to someone who is collecting in earnest. If it has unique magazines then leave the originals in the box and buy some modern ones to fire the gun if you intend to fire it. The Nagant comes with this pill-shaped cleaning kit in the butt - leave it there and clean it with a modern cleaning kit. Little stuff like that can add hundreds of dollars to the value of a firearm when it becomes collectable. While you should keep it clean, don't try to refinish any parts as, just like with coins, doing so can also destroy the value of the firearm. In other words, don't F with the gun in any manner which can't be easily undone and keep everything it came with.

[@kfeltenberger]

How to make money collecting guns: 1. Build a time machine. 2. Convert all your assets to high density commodities (precious metals, gems, etc.) 3. Go back in time to the early/mid 1960s. Buy NFA items. 4. Go to 1984-5 and spend the rest on AR receivers and have them registered as machineguns. 5. Return to present.

[@michaelprather8371]

My time machine fantasies usually involve going back to the mid to late seventies to snap up all those "gas guzzlers" from the fifties and sixties. For guns I'd go back to the time when you could literally mail order surplus WW2 machine guns.

[@Hunne2303]

lol...with a time machine, I would buy Casio stocks back in the 70s, then sell, buy Apple in the 80s, sell again, then cryptos...and by that time, this planet would be mine.

[@grumpycat5991]

@@Hunne2303 You could also then afford literally ANY and ALL NFA items and Ars you wanted.

[@NamelocTheBard]

The good news is that you can still get plenty of decent guns for a low price at large auctions when something more attractive ( most likely something like a Garand) is in the auction. I've snagged 3 guns at far below average market value by participating in auctions that featured a lot of "cooler" guns

[@NamelocTheBard]

@@oddshot60 yeah, I recently got mine for 750 from the 2019 Phillipines lot. Runs well but looks a little beat, which is fine by me, it adds character

[@GunFunZS]

That applies to more than just guns. I've gotten a lot of tools on ebay in lots for less than almost any item in the lot would sell for.

[@NamelocTheBard]

@@GunFunZS absolutely true. My current entertainment center is an auction find that only cost 20 dollars after all fees and taxes.

[@pjm204]

It was a huge letdown to find out that my specialization in Trump commemorative firearms is not viewed as a good investment by Ian. I just assumed people would really want insanely over the top, tacky guns, with a super controversial ex president on them. (The above is a joke, who the hell would actually buy those???)

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

The sole fact that you have to state this is a joke...

[@angrydragon4574]

@@Intestine_Ballin-ism I know of some people that actually would... Some people worship Trump.

[@johnstacy7902]

Dudes with tiny weiners....

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

@@angrydragon4574 which is incredibly ironic considering he's the president that hates guns apparently

[@angrydragon4574]

@@johnstacy7902 I don't think the size of your package has anything to do with Trump worship...

[@TheComicChild]

Thanks! Your videos are always well put together & it is nice to learn about the expensive hobby/right I have as a Canadian

[@bjrnegillarsen1380]

"It's a great investment', the line spoken by collectors to their SO ever since collecting things as a hobby became a thing...

[@disphenoidal]

Here’s an investment: A brand new Winchester 1894 at introduction cost $27.50. The S&P 500 returns on that would be $133,160, adjusted for inflation. Found a first year 1894 sold at RIA for $1700 last year.

[@d3nza482]

Not sure how you calculated that, considering that S&P 500 index was established only 64 years ago, making any investment through it, back in 1894, as possible as an investment into DMC DeLoreans and the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor futures. On the other hand, that $27.50 from 1894 would be about $891.52 today, adjusted for inflation. Making that $1700 price tad for a Winchester 1894 overpriced by some 190%. I.e. Unless seller offered two for the price of one, at $1700, buyer was being robbed.

[@grumpycat5991]

@@d3nza482 There are a number of ways to calculate S&P500 returns going back to the late 1800's. There have been a number of researchers (specifically Prof. Robert Shiller) who have done this and developed models to calculate returns based on REAL data sets of the 500 of the largest companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States (aka the S&P500) from their ACTUAL monthly dividend and earnings data since 1926. For the time periods before this he uses Dividend and earnings data from Cowles and Associates (Common Stock Indexes, 2nd ed. [Bloomington, Ind.: Principia Press, 1939]), interpolated from annual data (aka he uses actual REAL annual returns to compute monthly/daily returns ). His stock price data are monthly averages of ACTUAL daily closing prices and uses the CPI-U (Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers) published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics begins in 1913; For years before 1913 he spliced to the CPI Warren and Pearson's price index, by multiplying it by the ratio of the indexes to calculate hypothetical returns accurately from January 1871. $27.50 invested the the S&P500 in April 1894 would give you about $5,676,000 today or just over $104,000 today adjusted for inflation . Yes the S&P beats Winchester Rifles. The only guns that beat the S&P500 are pre'86 machine guns and they do so with very low liquidity and MASSIVE regulatory risk including either the NFA being repealed or worse the banning of resale of pre'86 machines guns which in each case would cause your "investment" depending on the gun to easily lose 90-100% of its value respectively. Betting on artificial regulatory induced scarcity is a horrible idea from an "investment" perspective.

[@seanlavoie2]

Good stuff!!! I imagine a lot of that quality insight can be applied to other situations and hobbies too.

[@nicholasdial8213]

My grandpa ALWAYS said you'll never get what you paid for it in guns. You might as well keep them. He regretted selling a bunch of his stuff in the 80s. He was a big winchester collector. Grew up really poor and Winchesters were the way to go to him. So he bought up every Winchester he could get hold of but especially loved the 97 Shotguns.

[@ron827]

I have a feeling the Nambu type 94 demand just jumped, thus also raising its value while commemorative Win. 94 values just went down.

[@alias1719]

Sadly, I have the Winchester, but not the Nambu. Thanks Obama!!

[@eaglelord1780]

The only thing is the Type 14 is a substantially better gun than the Type 94 which is also a bit to do with why the prices are are even between the two. Demand plays a huge factor in prices

[@dannysmerdon8616]

For the commemorative guns i can say i have both the Sig M17 and M18 which are numbers matching, only because they are special Employee guns and mean something to me as i have personally built thousands of them.

[@dreadnought1984]

If I had those, I would definitely have another commercial set to shoot. I don't really like putting miles on my basic commercial ones. Thanks for putting mine together, its an amazing platform. Cheers!

[@martinbartas9587]

To the topic of investing into commemorative series of guns. CZUB made a limited edition of the CZ 75 pistol for the Czechoslovakia's 100th anniversary. Known as "CZ 75 Republika", handmade, only 100 pieces were produced, each of them bearing a single year number symbolically ranging from 1918 to 2018 throughout the series. Initial price in store was '200 000 CZK' and all of them were sold even before getting finished. Many of them went to customers outside of Czech Republic. Later, some of these pistols went in auctions for as much as '650 000 CZK'. Today, there's one piece currently being offered on the market for a price of '1 115 000 CZK', pristine condition of course. I would say the level of significance and unrepeatable rarity are the factors here. Both have to be exceptionally high. Seems like today's market is oversaturated with limited editions not special enough. For comparison, there was also another commemorative CZ 75 edition by CZUB called "Tobruk" (memorating Czechoslovak batallion involvement in the battle of Tobruk) which haven't done nearly as well as the "Republika", going for about 350 000 CZK today.

[@albundy7459]

I still have boxes of baseball cards that were at one time worth thousands. Now they’re barely more than the cardboard they’re printed on.

[@rags417]

I used to work in the finance world and when we talked about real estate the rule was always that any property asset is actually a land asset which appreciates over time and a building asset that depreciates over time - the trick was always to buy a property asset that had a high ratio of land to buildings. A gun investment is, like a building, effectively a manufactured asset, ie it will effectively only depreciate over time. The flip side of depreciation is the fact that for every gun there will almost always be less of them each year thus increasing their rarity value, unless of course the gun itself is still in production. Since depreciation and rarity are exactly complementary, ie a highly depreciating gun will eventually have a high rarity factor and vice versa the only other considerations are legal considerations and popular sentiment, both of which are effectively unknowable in the long run. TL;DR - From a financial perspective, in the long run a gun is effectively a neutral or depreciating asset, not an investment.

[@grumpycat5991]

Yeah no one defending guns as a "good" investment in the comments section here seems to take into account the regulatory risk... By the end of the 80's "smart" money would have been running away from guns since they seemed to be being banned left and right. Also they still dont outperform the S&P (except MAYBE Pre86 machine guns.) and from a liquidity perspective the S&P has got guns beat hands down.

[@InvestmentJoy]

I've done supremely well on all firearms I've bought as an investment. Unlike the stock market you don't have to pay retail prices, even if the market says that a Finnish captured hex Mosin is worth XYZ, I usually only buy/offer to buy if I can get 30% under market average. Excellent video in general, so many think all guns are solid investments which is absolutely not the rule.

[@TheComicChild]

:0

[@zacharycastillo7075]

I tell you what, this is perfect. Ian, you approached this in the best way it could have been. I definitely appreciate your points!

[@CrazyPetez]

Thank you Ian. Excellent subject, very informative.

[@Bynming]

Still, I'm kind of impressed by how some firearms increase in value despite not being particularly rare. I bought a SKS about 4 years ago in Canada for CA$180, at the time they were selling for CA$200-250, and now they're selling for around CA$500 sometimes. On the other hand, I also bought a Remington 700 and a 870 at the same time so I'm probably down a few hundred overall :D. So yeah, not investing in guns really...

[@chickensbelike2790]

crazy thing about remingtons is that their retail is almost always the same

[@davefellhoelter1343]

In CA you can get anything you WANT for UnObtainium incuding ammo!

[@TestTestGo]

@@davefellhoelter1343 that's true of any unobtainium anywhere. The problem is, I can't seem to find any for sale to invest in.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

@@TestTestGo never give up! Never give IN! I just found a dream for Cheap! on the way NOW!

[@ben501st]

A base Remington 870 from the 1950s adjusted for inflation cost more than a new Wingmaster made in the 2010s.

[@sbrazenor2]

I buy guns for utility value alone. Everything else, like appreciation in value has nothing to do with my purchasing choices. I assume everything I buy will depreciate, with the exception of some securities, real estate, and things at the bottom of their trade curve. (Usually there is a decline in value to a point and then the value either flattens out or improves if there's some nostalgia value.)

[@markfergerson2145]

Nostalgia value is a fickle thing though. As we post-Boomers die off, anything we feel nostalgia for tends to depreciates along with our life expectancy. There are some exceptions like certain cars and improbably, old telephones. Go figure.

[@grumpycat5991]

@@markfergerson2145 This is an interesting trend I have seen over my 30 years of owning guns... I always liked scary black rifles, "tupperware pistols" and cold war era guns... they were not that popular back in the day.. and were I lived and the gun clubs I belonged to they were VERY niche (think FUDD shaming) The big thing was WInchesters, Colt Single Actions, 1911's, Springfields, Flitlocks etc. etc etc I bought an early Gen1 Glock 17 AF serial number prefix (the coveted "pencil barrel") for next to nothing b/c it was the only Glock I could afford at the time ... and the Gen III had just come out so gen1s were VERY cheap. I also bought a few HKs and a bunch of FALs and ARs and AKs, SKS' & cheap surplus Mousers and anything French (I was into MAS rifles before Ian rose from the grave and became gun Jesus). They are all now worth the same if not more then many of the guns our dad's liked... Its been really interesting to see how tastes have changed and interesting to see that the stuff I always liked and bought become "collectable" and the older generations guns are getting cheaper/staying the same despite inflation.

[@jykke67]

Nice video, thank you! New information for me about the commemorative guns.

[@timsmith1589]

I agree, everything one that I have bought was for my collection and I don't plan on getting rid of any of them. Knowledge is key to investing in anything for that matter. Nice video bro

[@Aldamiras]

The kinds of firearms that I could have purchased in the 1980's for $400 - 700 today sell for $4000.00 - 7000. The problem with that is you'd have to wait 30+ years to realize it. A good rule of thumb to go by, purchase the firearms that you personally like to shoot. The high - end investment guns are beyond the reach of most people and aren't an investment anyone should make, as they sell best unfired. Just look at the RIA prices for engraved 1873 Colts. Good idea there Ian, don't buy anything that you'd be eager to sell later on.

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

And an investment appreciating 7% a year (not that high) would have increased 1500% over 40 years.

[@stevee8318]

@@Cl0ckcl0ck Yep, if you had invested $500 in an S&P 500 index fund in 1980 you would have between 17k and 18k today.

[@jaylewis9876]

Thats about 7% a year. Way better than bonds way worse than stocks. Like art it seems worth considering because its attractive and interesting. This channel first caught my eye with the hexagon shaped barrel and matching bullets. Any antique unusual machinery like that would be as interesting

[@jussi3378]

@@jaylewis9876 Not really better than bonds, bonds yielded double digits in the 80s, and lower rates have made them even more valuable. Ofc nowadays I'd much rather own firearms than bonds

[@tylermallory2504]

I would argue this fact if you invest in transferable machine guns, they have steadily increased in price since the early 40s

[@gunslingerfromwish4656]

But that's one hell of an investment and the demand by people you can actually sell to is quite limited. Same with the machine guns, quite limited. You're better off getting a type 7 and selling post samples between dealers. Still limited in demand but more concrete, and a cheaper supply of machine guns. Not only that, you're licensed to sell civilian legal arms too, and ammo! If you wanna consider a career in firearms. You really gotta play your cards right and my plan is still in the mental works like it has been for the past year.

[@ONEROUNDLEFT]

Lol look at Mosins. I bought a crate in 2010 for $2000

[@tylermallory2504]

@@ONEROUNDLEFT I feel ya, I bought 2 chinese sks for 70 dollars an piece in the mid 2000s lol

[@ChocoIatx2]

Poor market for resale due to low liquidity, so you’d need to factor in a liquidity premium.

[@theaikidoka]

Yes, the total price has gone up, but as Ian says in the video, if it does not rise more than inflation, they aren't worth more, they just cost more. The house your grandparents bought in 1950 for 3000 is not going to cost that now, because of inflation. However, compared to incomes, it hasn't hugely increased in value.

[@peteshour768]

In 1980-82 you could buy a Colt SA or a Colt Python for $500. During that time the Ruger Redhawk hit the market for $500- $795. A Browning Hi-Power new made in Belgium was about $450. Smith & Wesson Revolvers were plentiful and just under $300. A Colt Series 70 was under $300. Who would have thought that the prices would have reached what they are today.

[@undertow2k502]

This is great advice for any collectable market, not just guns.

[@highboy72]

i am a collector, been buying surplus since the 80's. i enjoy the history. i think the best buy i've ever made was a very nice johnson model of 1941 in 30.06 with an extra sporting barrel in .270. $600.00 out the door. they have gone up some😁

[@DelGTAGrndrs]

I think some is an understatement lol

[@robosoldier11]

dam having a johnson would be slick. Too bad there just aren't that many around. I wonder if there would be a market to make some? Or at least older esq. surplus rifles.

[@Rowehouse1819]

Until it breaks then what

[@highboy72]

@@Rowehouse1819 i do not shoot it any more, with the value in thr $10,000 range it's not worth the risk. i have managed to locate some small parts.

[@Rowehouse1819]

@@highboy72 oh that's good, only problem having firearms like that. They are nice and awesome but crap what of it breaks..ouch

[@jackdundon2261]

Most of my co-workers blow a few hundred dollars a month on beer a few hundred dollars a month on cigarettes a little bit of cash on illegal drugs, whiskey, gambling, chasing women. fancy car upgrades, fancy cell phones, and useless crap like that. I spend a few hundred bucks a month on guns every month. Some to be used/worn out before I die, some never to be shot... my "collection is 200+ strong". it may not be an investment but I can raise 50,000 in cash in a week, and still have my favorites. SORRY IAN, THAT IS A WISE INVESTMENT.

[@grumpycat5991]

No its not an "investment" that is just wealth storage, at best a hedge against inflation. And investment nets you a return in excess of inflation, good investments will net you 7-10% returns inflation adjusted. If you took that money and bought a S&P500 index fund your money would actually be growing Im not telling you how to live your life but 50,000 in a S&P500 index fund for 5 years would have netted you $95,525.69 or $77,796.17 adjusted for inflation, and it would not take "a week" to liquidate it and would not cost you anything to buy or sell.

[@olegthewise8223]

Ian has the best and most informative gun history channel!

[@richardriley8906]

Ian this was a fantastic subject for a program. I'm a 60 yr old life time enthusiast and like to see education for new enthusiasts . Also like the sense of culture and respect for firearms you add to the education you offer us . Thanx

[@twestgard2]

If you need to produce money through your gun interests, become a gunsmith. You’ll collect guns like mechanics collect cars and the customers who need your expertise will pay practically anything to get their guns back in shape.

[@VCBird6]

Misurps are a good hedge against inflation that you can play with Kinda like classic cars. 😀

[@DelGTAGrndrs]

Correct

[@J3ffish]

Thanks Ian, very sound advice.

[@lwrii1912]

Good perspective, thanks for the advice.

[@shadowcat6lives639]

Has Forgotten Weapons effect the price of guns? I understand that the auction houses have used FW to increase views of there items and therefore prices. But my question is geared towards general prices of the firearm? With or without those claiming that their gun broker gun was featured on FW?

[@yorecf9641]

In all seriousness, Ian himself has stated that he believes this channel has driven up the price and demand of surplus French firearms. Not sure if that answers your question.

[@Aldamiras]

Agree on the influence of FW when it comes to exposure. He did a piece on the 1899 Remington Lee some years back through RIA which sold for $4500.00. Recently I bought a better quality one for about $3500.00. Exposure through FW does affect firearms prices.

[@wrxs1781]

Well said, especially with the Winchester commemorative collection.

[@nealgold8442]

Great video and subject matter. Thanks for sharing.

[@Southernguitar74]

I don't invest. I don't collect. I accumulate.

[@morganahoff2242]

An important point worth mentioning -- and I know this is true for investing in guitars, but it applies as well to cars, guns or anything else like that -- when you buy an object as an investment, it's entirely up to you to keep that item safe, for the whole while the value is going up. Look at the elaborate storage that other owners of investment guns have: highly secure rooms, with sprinkler systems. If you don't have the means to store investment items in a 'vault' you are relying on luck to keep them safe until the value has increased and you sell them. You'd better have a garage with a squeaky clean checkerboard floor if you're going to invest in Mopar muscle cars, or Corvettes, or Ferraris, because that's what it takes to own something like that. If you drive it imprudently and roll it and twist the frame, you'll never recuperate your investment. If you put your money in stocks or bonds or GICs, you don't have that added requirement of storing your investment safely -- the bank does that for you.

[@curious-relics]

Ever since deluding myself that I was "investing" by owning guns, I started having dreams about people breaking into my home and stealing my gun collection. I've never had a dream about someone stealing my index funds. So I totally agree for all the reasons you mentioned and also psychological ones, it is bad to have investments stored in your home.

[@Hunne2303]

Isn´t that why insurance was "invented"?

[@grumpycat5991]

@@Hunne2303 Insurance on a substantial collection (250k+) of guns is not cheap and will come with storage/security requirements. Insurance on a Roth IRA that has 250k in it is ZERO as its unnecessary/not a thing and does not require you to have a vault. Insurance on up to 250k in a FDIC investment like a CD is Free and the bank pays for its own vault.

[@adampearson9680]

The exact same criteria apply when buying Art or Antiques. Always buy what you are interested in and build knowledge in your favourite field. Good advice!

[@patrickgjorven7832]

You're absolutely right! It's selling value really only goes up if there is a person willing to purchase said item for the high dollar the owner wants.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Never figured my collection as a source of wealth. I'd expect that, because it's a complete series, they're more valuable as a group than individually, but really, I only have them because of my interest in Mausers.

[@con6lex]

I remember reading that collections don’t add to the value. The problem is that almost nobody wants to buy a complete collection. Let’s say you have a collection of Lugers. Anyone who would be interested in spending big $ on multiple guns would have to have a big interest in Lugers. But those people already have some Lugers, so they would want only what is needed to fill in gaps. Likewise museums for the same reason, and they might not have space to add a whole collection. I think Ian and Ashley have talked about this before. You probably do better selling items individually instead of as a group.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@con6lex huh. Good thing I'm not collecting for value, then.

[@c.j.1089]

You can't appreciate how good of a financial decision collecting guns is until you've raced cars.

[@Hunne2303]

tsehehe...especially if you are a bad driver...

[@darrellh1840]

Thanks as always Ian!

[@frankbrowning328]

Lots of great points addressed. I would also add Low production on in demand guns= higher profits. If we have a gun that is in demand and only a few were produced, those guns tend to weather the marketplace value far better than in demand mass produced guns.

[@davidfurr6004]

Don't forget inflation, when I purchased a new Colt single action in 1976, I paid about $375.00 for it. given that a1976 dollar had the purchasing power of 5 dollars today, I 've actually lost over a hundred dollars. on the deal.

[@allenschmitz9644]

375 in 1976 was a whole lot of money.

[@mattlinton1456]

$375 was 3 ounces of gold in 76, today in 2022 its price would be $5,400.

[@allenschmitz9644]

@@mattlinton1456 what I implied, over 5G's😂.

[@williamflowers9435]

I’ve never found engraved or ornamental guns very appealing. Generally I prefer original form/military issue versions. The only modifications that interest me are modern ARs (M16A4, M4, Mk18 clones) where there’s a variety of ways you can accessorize or camo paint them or customizing modern handguns (mostly Glocks).

[@davidmeek8017]

Aloha; well done sir! Greatly appreciate you taking your time and explaining this subject. Mahalo

[@RomanianAlphaDaddy]

"store of value". That summed it up perfectly! I often describe my firearm purchases as an investment. What I really mean is that I can have fun and enjoy myself now, but I have something I can instantly get my money back on if something goes terribly wrong in life.

[@Menaceblue3]

$5k for an Argentinian 1911.... I don't even know if that's a fair deal or what....

[@jontee3437]

Oh yes my friend, it is a great deal but mine is a better deal at $4498 is a better deal

[@GreenBeretUSA]

You paid the rarity plus, some argies 1911 are more obscure than others, you have to take a look to what branch they were issued, for example the more rare ones of the 1911 were those issue to the Buenos Aires PD.

[@grumpycat5991]

I had one of these in the 2000s... I bought it for like 500$ on my C&R I have no idea if it was a rare variation... It wasn't marked in any interesting way that I know of. I sold it for like 800$ a few years later in 2009-10. I guess if I had kept it for another 15 years I could have made another 600$ ish??? ... Or I could have taken that 800$ put it in a S&P500 index fund and made 6,396.02 or about $4,331.35 inflation adjusted.

[@tocsa120ls]

Same as investing in cars: unless you snag one of the 199 pieces of Ferrari Daytona built, or the last Grand National, you will lose money.

[@craigthescott5074]

Not sure where your getting your facts but just about all 60’s 70’s muscle cars and trucks have gone nuts in value. You should prob watch a recent auction. Corvettes have increased in substantially in value. Even newer ones in this current Biden poor economic climate.

[@craigthescott5074]

@King Tutt yep people are getting out of the stock market and investing in commodity’s. Collectible cars have risen 30% to 40% in just a year. I sold a 1973 Chevy Blazer in the mid 90’s for $3500 I just saw one sell at a Mecum auction in Florida for $82,000 !!!

[@diegoferreiro9478]

Great video, those tips are valid for anything collectible, not just guns.

[@nate3928]

I agree with what Ian has said. Obviously purchasing a firearm that is new or older, but common is a bad collectible "investment". However; I think there is value in coming into an older gun that is extremely scarce with a desirable history/story behind it for a good price and holding onto it for decades.

[@Chris-1742]

Firearms and ammo are made with technology-whether that be handmade tools or a CNC machine, Technology generally creates efficiency, which in turn creates a deflationary environment and drives down the cost of goods.

[@TheWolfsnack]

....Which is why politicians are needed? To drive up the cost of plummeting firearm values? grin.

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

yes and no. The increase in productivity can and sometimes does create demand and drive up price. See you are describing just one half of the inflation theory. Most people have heard of one but not the other but every coin has two sides.

[@beargillium2369]

@@jussayinmipeece1069 so what we need is a three sided coin. Working on it!

[@zombieranger3410]

Yes except you cannot produce originals, in the case for military surplus or antiques. Anyone can produce a Springfield Trapdoor, but nobody can produce a 1800’s Springfield Trapdoor, and that is what everyone’s after. Its a limited, finite supply with an ever-increasing demand.

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

@@beargillium2369 😄🤣

[@Draftsman_MC1300]

Yeah, I really only want maybe 10 guns. And that’s just because I want each type of action and then a couple of specific guns.

[@shoelessbandit1581]

You say that now lmao

[@tylermallory2504]

That's what I said fifteen years ago too, now I have somewhere around 40 lol

[@Draftsman_MC1300]

@@tylermallory2504 see, I already have around that many thanks to my dad and grandpa so I’m just making my contribution

[@Bubba-Fudd-bulletsmith]

You gonna need more than 10 for every action type

[@lungcanc3r666]

I'm already at that many in just AR. Clones-ish rifles are my jam

[@acar3615]

Its all in the eye of the beholder when it comes down to it. This shop in Tucson had a few of the black powder type Colt SAA's. If I would have had the 3k he wanted I would have bought it for my dad.

[@gerryg1056]

This is a really good point Ian, buying anything aesthetic, whether it is art, or ceramics, or books, or yes guns is an inherently risky move. You only have to watch the antique shows on TV to see that what was fashionable and high priced five years ago may have slipped in value later on. If you are going to buy anything like art, it should be because you like and appreciate the item for what it is, any increase in value should be seen as a bonus only.

[@LunaticSign]

This video is going be a hard pill to swallow for a lot of people.

[@craigthescott5074]

Unless you bought class three machine guns in the 1980’s. 1000% increase in value is a pretty good pill too swallow.

[@grumpycat5991]

@@craigthescott5074 Until the regulations change... betting on artificial scarcity created by gov't regulation is not a pill you should be considering swallowing.

[@grumpycat5991]

The cope is very real in the comments section.

[@Jesus-gh8gm]

I would never "invest" in guns, I only buy guns that I like and don't mind keeping forever. I only buy quality name brands only. Id only sell if absolutely necessary. I agree that they are a money holder but not really going to grow much past inflation generally speaking.

[@jackstecker5796]

I wanted a PTR-91 and found a screaming deal on magazines. $0.98 for aluminum mags, $1.95 for steel mags, free shipping. Never did buy the gun, but I bought hundreds of mags. Years later, I found myself out of work, and I had hundreds of G-3 mags, and sold them for 10 times what I paid for them. Neighboring state was going back to an AWB, and it was a seller's market. Folks were happy to get them at the asking price I was asking, which was under market.

[@qspice6413]

Really good advice! Not particularly interested in investing myself, but good to think about as practically all of my family's firearms are quite valuable, but have much more sentimental value than monetary which is always something to consider.

[@austinwagner3231]

I like to compare fire arms to personal vehicles in many contexts. If youre drunk, dont drive or handle a gun. If youre driving or handling a gun, pay attention to your surroundings. This comparison works for investment too. It is possible to invest in cars, but in reality it will never be worth as much to the next guy. Buy it for personal use, enjoy the hell out of it, and expect that no one wants your second hand toys.

[@highspeed9518]

The best investment i have ever seen in my life is ammo, its better than gold and silver hands down,and if ammo ever get close to the price it was 5 years ago im dumping my 401k and buying as much as i can,guns are NOT a good investment at all,if you had 100,000 rounds of say 9mm 5 years ago you just made around $200k,nobody buys gold/silver when prices spike and i mean nobody plus you have spot price 3 over 2 under ,but ammo they sure do, offer it .5c less than market price and you will be sold out overnight

[@grumpycat5991]

This didnt age well doh. 9mm is back to about $0.25 a round... So if you had 100k 9mm rounds you would have about $25k in ammo. You would also probably have paid about 20K for them... ($0.20 a rnd) If you had paid that 20k into an S&P500 Index fund 5 (now 7) years ago you would have $48,840 or about $38,036 adjusted for inflation. And you wouldn't have had to store or transport over 1.5 tons of lead and copper.

[@robertfritz9916]

Agree on your major points. I have a few US WWII rifles and pistols, but the bulk of my firearms are commercial and were bought for me to shoot. I like Ruger and Springfield Armory, but I know that while the retail value might increase, I don't want to sell these firearms I like to shoot. Good video.

[@RUSTYSURPLUS]

Ian thanks .. I started buying M1 carbines 25 years ago and some in the last few years ago. To day at auction there 3 time the price that they were 3 years ago. There value has skyrocketed. good investment there.

[@andrewstoll4548]

Don't buy commemorative anything.

[@slicknick270489]

If you have a colt 1911 it’s worth nothing and nothing in the future so send it to me 😅

[@Cousin_Uli]

One of my friends keeps buying M9's. He's bankrupted his business, his family, and is getting by on warm store bought broth he calls "soup". I can't convince him to stop.

[@Courier-Six]

I would say the only 2 guns i have that are investment pieces are my Marlin Camp Carbine since it is a cult firearm that was made for a fairly brief period when it comes to Marlins history and my Browning Citori GTI because i can't find any information about the model and can't find any reference to it on Brownings Website, just that one goes up for sale for $1,000-1,500 every once in a while and i bought it for only $500

[@Isaiah-ip4xj]

So what if I bought serval transferable Thompsons in 1981 for $855 apiece ? Would that have been something with a good return ?

[@Isaiah-ip4xj]

@@bmstylee I think I’m seeing a patern

[@grumpycat5991]

If you invested that ($855x2 + $400 for 2x tax stamps) in and S&P500Index fund in 1981 you would have $226,906.56 today or $63,298.58 inflation adjusted return...I just saw a WWII Auto Ordnance 1928AC sell for 32k (Some Stemples or commercial conversions go for 18-20K) . So if you bought 2 "real" GI thompons you could probably get $62-$64k for both of them ... which interestingly is nearly the exact return on investment you would have had by just buying an index fund... And you wouldn't be betting on artificial scarcity created by the go'vt to create value... and You would have a far more liquid investment with no storage or maintenance costs or being on the gov't list.

[@showtime2629]

I've never understood this logic. Very few guns increase in value by a substantial amount. The only caveat is if guns become VERY necessary in the future and there is an extreme shortage.

[@avlawns3037]

Ak says am I a joke to you?

[@twestgard2]

The scenarios where guns are in that kind of demand are also scenarios where there are a ton of other things that will simultaneously become extremely valuable: water filtration systems, medical supplies, power generation, biodiesel production, tools, etc

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

It's basically impossible for there to ever be a shortage of serviceable firearms. People are a lot less picky about needing *that* AR when the shit hits the fan.

[@Dogirot]

If there’s some sort of apocalyptic event and people are extremely desperate for guns they’ll take whatever they can get, and since there is more than 1 gun per person in the US I doubt your specific guns will attract any more interest and money than anyone else’s

[@brianpdaniels]

How old are you, 18?

[@elmoreoocyte]

The Winchester 94 comment hits deep. One of the guns I inherited from my grandad was a 94 with the gold port still in the box. I've never even shot it because I know how much he regarded it.

[@raysmith1630]

Very good advice all around.

[@Miller_Time]

Imagine buying a Colt Python in the 70's for retail price. The value has gone up at least 10,000 percent. I really think it depends on the weapon. Antique weapons, special editions, gun show buys and plain old good deals will continue to happen forever. Quality definitely matters, especially with import bans and the the bankruptcy of the NRA. Not to mention current political turmoil and the track record our current president has with "assault weapons".

[@biggerbehindthetrigger2814]

It's crazy how some of the firearms I have in my collection have gone up and some stay the same. It almost evens out almost. I'm ahead in the game but not what I thought it would be. I made more money on gold a year and a half ago. All I up about 40% as a estimate for the price of inflation and the current lack of collectables on the market. I'm sure it will fluctuate and I will get back to probably more like 20%. It's a calculated risk that I have been lucky on and it's pure luck. I don't have the knowledge that Ian has but I do have my specialty area's. It's more fun fore. I do love collecting low serial numbers. I have a MAB type A that is serial number 93 of the first run of 279 that had the first trigger design and then there was a second deign that only lasted a few weeks of 170 then a third that sold millions. The author that wrote the book on them confirmed the serial number and really wants it from me. He has offered me $2,000 for it. I bought it for $50 at a gun show. The guy was going to save it for a gun buyback. He figured he could get $50 for it there so I gave him the $50 for it. I love to collect mouse guns from that time period. I had it for about a year and I decided to get it running. When I did research on it I was very surprised and so was the author. He called me and told me all about it after I described the trigger and then I sent him pictures. He said that he wanted it and I decided not to fix it. I am going to give it to him to be a cool guy. It will make his year I hope. I just have to figure out how to ship it to him in Spain. I know Ian did a video on the subject. I need to go back and see who the guy is and get ahold of him. I know I can't surprise the gut that was the author of the book that I can't remember the name of. It wasn't translated to English and us out of print. It only did one printing. I know it goes against the whole reason behind collecting but I really want this guy to have it and it's just the cool guy thinking to do. I would love it if someone sent me a less then 100 serial number M1 carbine. I would need a new pair of skivvies. I want the author to have the same feeling. Happy Safe Shooting 🇺🇸💪

[@_ArsNova]

I don't buy guns as an investment, but it really does give me great peace of mind, knowing that the twenty-some historic firearms I've collected are pretty much going to go nothing up in value. Some are pretty desirable and these kinds of guns can only get scarcer. Just in my relatively short life I've seen at least the kinds of guns I buy shoot up in value fourfold or more. Also sweet to see Ian mention some I've collected haha, I've paid less for every Type 94 Nambu than I have Type 14, and I think they're fascinating guns.

[@ben501st]

The Remington 870 Wingmaster is an interesting example in gun values. A 1950s base model Wingmaster with plain walnut, no choke tubes, no rib, adjusted for inflation, costs more than the new high gloss, fancy checkering, vent rib, choke tube from the 2010s.

[@grumpycat5991]

I had a 1960's winmaster and I can tell you that compared to the average 870 today that gun is a work of art from a smoothness perspective. I sold mine to buy a 2000s era Synthetic model and ai regret it to this day... Not b/c the newer gun didnt function.. it does .. just fine... but its action, trigger pull etc. is like chucky peanut butter compared to butter... aka not smooth. And it has a plastic trigger guard with the stupid integrated trigger lock in the safety. which is f-ing stupid.

[@J069FIX]

Yeah, gotta be honest, for me, guns are a fun hobby, but as an investment? No way. If I were to invest in "guns", I would just buy stock (if that is even possible!) in some gun company (since I'm a Finn, maybe I'd invest in Sako or the ammo manufacturer Lapua, for example)

[@gunnermurphy6632]

Buying lapua stock seems like a great idea

[@TheMosinCrate]

Investing in guns is like investing in the stock market.. You really need to know what you're doing. People that don't know what they're doing tend to either scream how "its a bad investment" or how "I'm going to get rich doing it." Two opposites.. The truth is you can get wealthy doing either, you just need the KNOWLEDGE first.. Which is what so many don't want to bother taking the time to do.

[@MellowFellowOfYellow]

Gun stocks have horrible performance over time. And even then, the performance of a stock historically has little to do with company performance. That's especially true now.

[@craigthescott5074]

You would be better off buying high quality rare guns than gun stocks. They don’t do very well. To your point I bought a Saco TRG 42 20 years ago for $1800.00 it’s now worth 3 times that. Plus I had a great time shooting it over the years.

[@LuckysMotorcycles]

Guns are better than money in the bank ; because money in the bank don’t go BOOM !

[@xxheartbrokexx100]

I bought an Izmach SVD for $1400 a year ago, that was a hell of an investment. Also $800 for an HK91, and $900 for a Springfield SAR48 FAL. Among many other Cold War era gems.

[@kennagel8088]

I collect and when I shed this mortal coil my weapons will be buried with me like a Egyptian pharaoh

[@greygoblin9491]

Don't let your wife watch this video.

[@user-hm1ci2xm6h]

How do you have only 4 likes... Awesome comment