I have a friend that is interested in selling a rifle that he has, but he is wondering how much to ask for it. Here are a few details -







It is an extremely nice custom rifle made by a gunsmith named Gary Goudy. It has a very nice XXXX grade wood stock with very nice figure in it. The checkering it appears to be 26 lines per inch, and is wraparound underneath and over the top of the grip. It has several panels with ribbons in between. Even the screws are engraved. To me, it looks totally awesome. It is built on an FN Mauser action, and has an octagon barrel. 300 Win Mag. It is very accurate as well. I'd say it is 99-100% perfect. I don't think it has ever been hunted with. It has Talley mounts on it, but I think he wants to keep the Leupold LPS scope that is currently mounted on it. How would you get something like this appraised? Thanks - Jeff

[ 01-15-2003, 10:33: Message edited by: Ngrumba ]

Jeff,

First thing you might try is to get an appraisal from the man who built the weapon. It is awful tough to pin point a fair price based on a one of a kind custom rifle. There are so many variables and details involved in the building of such a rifle, not to mention the lack of a standard price base from which to begin such an appraisal, that the first attempt ought to be from the creator himself. (The creator of the rifle that is) A second and third appraisal may help in triangulating a fair value. Good luck...

Malm

Used custom rifles are always tough to put a value on. Let's face it, the rifle was built especially for someone who had specific desires and was willing to spend a lot of money to get the rifle just the way he wanted and now, for whatever reason, the rifle is for sale. He may have spend $6,000 or $7,000 for it the odds are it won't be exactly right for someone else so the orignal cost is going to take a big hit unless the builder is very well-known and basically back-ordered to the point where it isn't reasonable to commission a rifle. Bottom line is if you get 50% of original cost you are probably doing good but I've seen a lot go for 30% to 40% of original cost.

Looks like a nice rifle and I've heard the name before but I thought all he did was stocks.

Gentlemen

I would say that a very good price would be 50-60% of the new price.

More realistic is 40-50% of the new price, just like DB Bill claimed. I bought a Mcmillan rifle not to long ago the price were 500$ because it's built to someome's specifications.

The rifle looks very nice and I guess the smith is fairly well known. The caliber is also very common which is a plus in this case. Wildcats and odd ball camberings are harder to find new homes for.

/ JOHAN

Gary Goudy is a trained machinist but he only does stock work as DbBill said. 50% is in the ballpark and unless you are famous and dead, it is tough to get a lot more.

That stock does not have any stand out features and I would guess somewhere in the $2000 to $2500 range would be the high end. Gary is known as one of the best checkerers that ever did that workand often gets $600 to $800 for his more intricate work.

BTW, leave the rings with the rifle.

[ 01-16-2003, 06:13: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Thought I would add one more thing....the best way to learn the value of a used custom rifle (or shotgun) is to have one built....and then try to sell it.

Some other thoughts for those thinking about having a custom rifle built...

(1) Things that add to or improve functioning and /or accuracy can be considered "hard" values.

(2) Things that add only to the aesthetics of a rifle are a "soft" value...this includes things like skeleton grip caps and butt-plates with checkering in the cut-out areas.....octagonal barrels, some checkering patterns, engraving, etc etc. This can be very subjective and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". The "hard" part here is that it is these soft values that increase the cost of the rifle but are also what makes a rifle "special" to the owner.

Used high-quality custom rifles are one of the best buys out there...especially for someone who has ready cash at the right time.

That is a very nice rifle which would cost a bundle to have made, but unfortunately my experience in having custom rifles built and buying and selling them supports what the above posts say. Generally, unless the rifle is particularly special and has many features that are universally desirable, made by a famous smith for a renowned person both of whom may be dead, it is very hard to recover the replacement cost of such a rifle. It's almost never a good idea to build a custom rifle as an "investment" but I keep doing it just the same (it's an addiction!).

Jeff,

That is a very fine looking rifle, however, my ex wife taught me a valuable lesson in that looks are sometimes deceiving... Hows it's bore?


Malm

Dear Ngrumba,

As several others have already commented, somewhere around 50% of replacement cost is about right. I'll tell you a story that will emphasize what we are saying.

Several years ago, a married couple, both dear friends of mine, decided to go their separate ways. As a part of the divorce settlement, the couple agreed that my appraisal of the husband's custom rifle collection would be accepted by both parties. He had quite a collection, perhaps twenty-five rifles or so, and all were custom built for him. His soon-to-be ex also knew exactly what he had paid for the rifles.

I did the best job I know how to do in honestly appraising the rifles as to what they would bring on the market, if liquidated.

I ended up making them both mad at me. The wife was really irritated at me as she was sure that her husband and I were conspiring against her. We weren't, but she hasn't spoken to me since. While the husband was happy that the value I placed on his collection was so low compared to what he had paid for them, he was also ticked off that I had valued them far below what he really thought they were worth. What they were worth to him, and what they could be sold for on the open market, were two completely different things. A custom rifle is worth precisely what a buyer is willing to pay for it, period.

Tom

Thanks for all the input folks. I'm not sure how much he has in this rifle, but he's got 'new rifle' fever. He just ordered a 375HH Dakota African and wants to take it out and play with it. I"m not sure about that white line spacer in the butt though. If it was left-handed, I'd find a way to buy it.

My friend Lou spoke to Gary Goudy, and Gary stated it was one of the first ones he made in the 80s. The gent that originally bought it had a mega gun collection, and it's apparent he didn't shoot it much, if at all. It would cost 7K or so to duplicate it. Do you think 3K would be a fair price to ask for it? Thanks, Jeff

One can always come down if no offers appear. From my own experience I'd say $2000 or $2500 at most for this piece.

Sadly, a custom rifle is worth what the market will bear. Right now, in most places, that is not what it was a few years ago. Check out the Used Gun page of the Griffin & Howe site and the Custom Rifles page of Guns America.com. They can give you some idea of the market. G&H's prices are absurd, but you can get an idea of what a particular maker has done in the past and what his work might bring. Guns America is more helpful with current prices. In either case, you have to watch them for at least several weeks before you will really get an idea of what is a realistic price and what just sits there gathering dust.

In any case, the rifle in the pictures is a well-executed, conservative example made by a well-known and respected maker. It should much move quickly and at a better price than a flashy piece in an odd caliber by an unknown maker.

Hope this helps, Okie John.