A good friend called today. She asked what kind of rifle/shotgun should they buy for hand-me-down to their 2 year old son when grows up.

To me guns are a poor investment. I own a bunch of guns, but never really ever bought a gun to "resell" some day or as an investment.

Is there such an animal as a gun to buy today that you feel would be a "Classic" in say 15 years?

As for me I'd just put the money in savings and buy the lad a good rifle/shotgun when the time comes.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Just about any gun which has recently or is just about to be discontinued is a good prospect for holding its value and perhaps appreciating a bit more than inflation. Those models which seem to have gone "out of fashion" and are selling poorly are the ones to focus on.

Examples from past years:

Most any 16 gauge shotgun

Most revolvers in .41 Magnum

Rifles in .358 Winchester, .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .25-35 Win, .257 Roberts, .25-20, .256 Win

Any item discontinued by Winchester, and many items discontinued by Savage, Marlin, Ruger, etc.

Note that these are items of interest from PAST years and some, like the 16 gauge shotgun and .22 Hornet, have had a resurgence and are now once again available.

If I had to pick something that's not doing well right now, but might be "rediscovered" in about 15 years, I would say one of the Remington short magnum rifles, say in 7mm, in a Model 7. The WSM line is getting all of the attention, so the Remington shorts will be rare in a few years and people somebody will start writing about how they were the perfect compromise of case capacity and cartridge length, ad nauseum, and they'll suddenly be all the rage and bringing a premium price. Besides, the little Model 7 is a neat little rifle and would make a nice handy gun for a younger shooter.

The obvious question is, how much do they want to spend? If it is more than a few hundred dollars they would almost certainly be better off buying him good mutual fund shares or starting a college fund.

However, if they want to buy him a gun for using and value retention purposes, then they should consider a quality .22 IMO. Again, depending on money, I would think along the lines of an original Winchester 52 or a NIB (still available, but going up) Browning Jap 52. I love the Winchester 62s but the pumps may lose their popularity in the coming years. A good 39A might be a choice. A good original Kimber might be a choice.

Whatever, think aboutof what has stood the test of time, bolt actions, classics, that kind of thing. For just using purposes, I'd still vote for the .22 but a pre64 Featherwt 70 in .270 or .30-06 are fairly cheap right now, less than $800 is easy, and they will almost certainly hold their value while still being a usable hunting gun. The second issue Winchester levers in .45-70 are still available NIB at discounts, and they will almost certainly go up in value over the years. Not to denigrate another's choices but I think 700s are a very poor choice for the purposes outlined and I like 700s.

What about a Mannlicher? One thing that for sure would go up is anything with customization or built by a top, well known smith, one that is on the downhill of life (older). Many guns shoot up in value once an engraver, stockmaker, metalsmith etc. passes on. I know it is morbid to think about, but it is true.

Something original with a hex barrel would probably be a good bet too. I saw at the shows about 3 years ago a rifle that had been something like a Prussian royal guards rifle, in hex barrel, perfect fit and finish, in a rare chambering (can't remember it now).

I am not a collector though, like you I buy them for fun, so wouldn't be able to say for sure what might go up in value.

Red

Any gun old and english (non milatary).

urdubob

German K98K "sniper" rifles.

High Quality, and I do mean HIGH Quality, never goes out of style and will always hold it's value.

Everyone likes different things. I'd buy the lad what HE wants when he gets older. It will mean a lot more to him than someone else deciding what's best for him.

For an investment?

Transferable M16. $600 bucks in 1985, $10,000+ now. You never pay too much, just too early. I was looking at them a year or so ago, and they were 8K.

For less $$, Remington Etronix or whatever it was/is called. And a case of factory ammo. Leave it in the safe.

[ 08-23-2003, 07:46: Message edited by: Duckear ]

To be a sucessfull collector of anything, (I'm not) a lot of specific knowledge is required about arcane minutae. However one can (not often) get lucky. My only area of knowledge concerns older military arms, some of which have appreciated considerably in the last 30 years. The main tennant here and elsewhere is originality of the piece. Drilling for sights etc., sporterization and any other "improvements" will likely destroy any "collector" value.

What one needs is a crystal ball, to buy what is cheap, but undervalued today, and will be rarer tomorow. The German Snipers mentioned above are in my opinion overpriced and plagued with fakes to the point that they are not now a good investment. At one time they were! It's a little like realestate, just because a California tract house which sold new for 13,000 and now goes for 600,000, does not necessarilly make it a good investment.

Good luck!

Possibly a Winchester 88 in .243 or .308. Or, a Mountain Rifle or Featherweight in 7-08. I wouldn't recommend anything with a real obsure chambering because factory ammo or cases may be difficult to accuire. I know, I have a couple .284 Win's.
I've heard that rifles with wood stocks are going to hold value because composite stocks are in vogue now. They'll probably improve upon the composite materials between now and then any ways.
For a shotgun I'd suggest a Berretta A303, preferably in 20 gage otherwise 12 gage.
Sure hope the little one aquires a liking for hunting and shooting. My daughter's 9 now and I still have my fingers crossed. Been taking her hunting and shooting as much as I can. I just remember when I was 17 I lost interest and it didn't return until I was 22. During that time I sold my guns.
My daughter will get her mothers Ruger 77RL (tang safety) in .257 Roberts. And, if she chooses to go to college we'll sell our display collection of factory chambered .284's.
Bill

A British Double rifle in 470. The more well known the maker, the better.

Stonecreek,

I am glad you're not MY stockbroker.That was some pretty rediculous advice you gave there.Almost as bad as the Leupold BS you spout about on here .

I think Stonecreek is pretty much on the money, the guns he named will definately go up in value...Winchester have always been a good investment on the long time market and it the rare calibers they really go up in value...Most discontinued guns go up in value...S&W pistols and Colts sure have been good investments in the long run...pre 64 M-70 still seem to hold and bring premiums...The Rem 700 and Sav.99 have gone out of sight the last year or two...

I think the English shotguns and double rifles are as good an investment as one can make...I have made a lot of money on them over the years, better than my "safe" long term stocks that go up and down all the time...these doubles are expensive to buy, but the increase is awsome, particularly the guns in the shooting gun catagory that sell in the $10,000. bracket and are good using guns..

When one buys guns for an investment he had better know his guns, but I suppose that applies to everything....

Rusty,

I have been putting "grandson guns" away for some time. I have four of them coming up, and another one not yet born.

I would not worry about predicting the future, except as far as equipping each of them with a rifle, handgun and shotgun. Diane Feinstein and her ilk can do what they will, but I will still equip them. My worry is not about rare guns, but having guns at all.

jim dodd

Winchester leverguns in original and verygood+ condition have always been a good investment, if the purchase price is right. For a new gun, I'd buy a new Colt SAA, the so-called 4th generation with separate cylinder bushing. Don't even take it out of the box, wrap the box in brown paper and put it away for 30+years, longer is better.

Doug

On the shotgun side, I would look to Parker, LC Smith or Ithaca in collectable condition. Also, some of the english guns can be a good bargain today.

The one thing I have learned, is that your best bet is to stay with a name brand maker. Buy the best you can afford.

I had an early Ruger 22 pistol. Paid $70 new, sold it recently for several times that.

If they only interested in new guns. Then I would suggest that, if they can afford some custom work, make sure it is done by the factory. Try and get a letter from the factory confirming the work. Save the box, paperwork, etc. All these can affect collector value.

Having said all that, I must confess a weakness to lower end shotguns, eg, Lefever G grades, Baker, etc.

Pete