Those are collectors prices which reflect dollars chasing a diminshing supply. There is no limit to the price and it does not have to be rational. It's the same with any antique or diamonds for that manner.

Diamonds are really not all that valuable but the short supply makes the price high.

You might find that any nice old gun to be expensive. Check out Parker shotguns.

DM29,

Yes, I realize that. But those are the going rates. You direct me to a near-mint pre-64 .270 FWT for a thousand bucks, and I'll buy it right now. Direct me to a near-mint pre-64 .338 for a thousand bucks, and I'm there.

The supply of near-mint pieces is so thin that a thousand bucks isn't the going rate any more. Two thousand is more realistic, and if someone knows they have something special (i.e. SUPERGRADE FEATHERWEIGHT), you'd better be ready to sell the farm.

Wapi-T,

I don't understand your distress? My wife has a couple of couches here in the house. I am looking at one of them as I type this. It's very old and has some gold colored paint on a carving on the back and it's covered in red velvet. It's a "antique" and in fact the fancy legs are a little short. Maybe cause people were shorter long ago? I am told the better of these couches is worth $5000 to the right person. To me it's not worth much at all. A new couch costs about $1000 I guess we can agree.

There are collectors who will pay more for a M-70 in .250 Savage than 30/06! Why? The .250 Savage is not nearly as useful a cartridge and that's why there are almost none of them available. It's the short supply and the demand for them.

A friend of my dad's passed away and I we had first refusal on a pre war .250. The price was much higher than a regular caliber. I turned it down. I really don't even want one in .250 over one say in .270 Win.. a much better cartridge. But collectors do.

I hope this answers your concerns.