The mother of a Malden man who survived being struck with four bullets in a gunfight that left the other two men dead said yesterday that she is grateful her son was armed with his licensed handgun at the time.
“He had it on him. Why, I don’t know. His friends said he’s never had it on him. But I am very thankful he did. Otherwise it would have been him killed,” said Kathleen Becerra, 47.
Jerry Bourque, 25, was on his porch at about 12:55 a.m. Tuesday with a friend when they were approached by two Boston men, Lakeem Tombs and Virgilio Dipre, both 18, authorities said.
Bourque’s mother said he got his gun permit four years ago for target shooting. “He defended himself. Thank God,” she said. Read more
The burglar who was shot and killed by a shop owner likely sneaked onto the property through a hole in a chain link fence that is topped by barbed wire, authorities said Friday.
Frank Justice, the 72-year-old owner of Justice Auto Sales, was sleeping inside his business and heard the prowler, said Sgt. Perry Tindall of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
Justice grabbed his revolver when he heard the door rattle and glass break about 2:15 a.m. Friday at the used car lot at 5821 U.S.
Highway 61/67, Tindall said. The owner confronted the burglar at the door, then fired two shots. The burglar staggered back and fell in the parking area outside, Tindall said.
He died at the scene.
Tindall said the shop owner called police and was cooperating with investigators. He was not in custody. Read more
A Pinal County grandfather shot two alleged burglary suspects inside an Arizona City home.
The sheriff's office says 58-year-old John Miller was babysitting his grandchildren early Sunday when he heard a noise.
He went to investigate and detectives say he confronted two teenagers who entered through the garage. A confrontation ensued and Miller shot both intruders.
Thesheriff's office said no charges are expected to be filed against Miller because he feared for his safety and that of his grandchildren. Read more
O'Donnell was up against a member of Congress who earned the notorious distinction as the most anti-gun Republican in the House. But despite the backing of the Republican establishment in Washington, Mike Castle was handily defeated by pro-gunner O'Donnell.
The implications of this win are huge, not only for the next session of Congress, but also in a potential lame-duck session later this year. Because this is a special election to fill the seat of Vice-President Joseph Biden, O'Donnell will take office immediately following the November election if she defeats her Democrat opponent.
Anti-gun congressional Democrat leaders seem intent on a lame duck session, but the addition of just a single constitutionalist to the Senate will go a long way to stopping any gun control from sneaking through in waning days of 2010.
Unfortunately, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has already tried to pull the rug out from under Christine O'Donnell by announcing that the Committee will not support her campaign in the general election. It is an outrage that the NRSC would have spent millions of dollars on an anti-gunner, while it is not interested in helping a pro-gun constitutionalist. Read more
UPDATE* Last night, the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicated there would be no money for O'Donnell, and so we asked you to pound Sen. John Cornyn to demand that he reverse course.
Well, Fox News is now reporting that things have changed, as the NRSC has done an about face after getting “peppered” by angry constituents. The NRSC is now singing a different tune. Here's what a Congressional newspaper, The Hill, is reporting in our nation's capital today:
[Sen. John] Cornyn said that O'Donnell, the conservative insurgent candidate who upset Rep. Mike Castle last night in the Delware GOP Senate primary, would have the NRSC's backing like any other Republican Senate candidate.
“Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee — and I personally as the committee's chairman — strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O'Donnell in Delaware,” Cornyn said in a statement.
The chairman of Senate Republicans' campaign efforts said he'd spoken Wednesday morning to O'Donnell and informed her of the NRSC's support, which included the maximum allowable $42,000 in direct donations to her campaign.
This is huge! Especially, considering that the NRSC had earlier indicated it would NOT help O'Donnell in her race to win “Joe Biden's” seat in the general election. Thank you all for your activism!
The anniversary AR-50A1 rifle includes a custom powder coating color process in silver-black crackle finish. The anniversary dates are laser etched on the upper receiver.
Each Anniversary AR-50 is part of a special package including an ArmaLite 30mm scope mount; Armalite 15, 30, and 50 minute scope rails; a bipod, a monopod; 100 rounds of spent GI brass; and a certificate of authenticity.
See your ArmaLite dealer for details. The anniversary AR-50 isn’t just a pretty rifle… it’s one of the finest high-powered rifles in the world. The heart of the AR-50A1 is its metallic stock to action interface. The patented V-block stock and bedding wedge assure absolute strength and repeatability for superb accuracy.
The aluminum stock reinforces the receiver almost like a bench-rest sleeve. Independent testing has proven the AR-50A1 muzzle brake to be the best in the industry for both recoil control and accuracy. It scrapes away turbulent muzzle gasses and lets the bullet break into clean air for amazing accuracy. Strength, accuracy, and stability make the AR-50A1 stunningly durable and accurate for decades of hard use.
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The FBI released its 2009 report on Crime in the United States, showing that murder declined 7.3 percent, robberies fell 8 percent, aggravated assault dropped by 4.2 percent and forcible rape has declined 2.6 percent. Meanwhile, the National Shooting Sports Foundation notes that gun sales in 2009 were up dramatically.
“What the data tells us is exactly the opposite of what the gun ban lobby has predicted for several years,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Their dire predictions that America’s streets would run red have been shown up as a fraudulent sales pitch for public disarmament.
“No matter how gun prohibitionists try to spin this,” he continued, “the bottom line is that they have been consistently and demonstrably wrong, and they know it.” Read more
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– Stevens 107B Gun Review – Precision Reloading – Gunsmithing the Beretta Storm – Trends of values for rifles, shotguns and handguns – Guns for sale: Extensive classified listings
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The sparrow slayer of the author’s youth gets a second look with the eyes of experience. M.D. Johnson reviews the Remington Model 514, a sweet little .22 LR rifle.
WHEN I WAS 13 or 14 – NOTE: For you mathematicians, the years would have been 1977 or ’78 – my Slovak grandparents moved from the family farm, which like many in northeastern Ohio had been swallowed by progress, onto a much smaller parcel some 10 miles to the north and west. Always the farmer, Dzedo, Slovak for grandfather, put the back 14 acres into sweet corn, with a huge family garden on the side. “M.D.,” he told me often, “you’re in charge of keeping the birds out of the corn, especially those damned sparrows.”
I took my avian eradication responsibilities very seriously, a task made much simpler due to the fact that thanks to my father, Mick, I had access to quite the arsenal of English sparrow-sized firearms, including such fine pieces as a Harrington & Richardson .410 single-shot, a similar single in 20-gauge, and a Fox B Grade, also in 20-gauge.
But despite this wealth of wonderful weaponry, all of which performed quite admirably on sparrows, as well as the occasional starling, crow, and passing pigeon, I had quite the unusual favorite field gun; unusual, at least many would think, for the task at hand.
On permanent loan from my Mother’s brother, Neal, the little single-shot .22 caliber bolt action seemed a tad out of place along the edges of Dzedo’s cornfield. However, when primed with CCI’s .22 Long Rifle shotshells, each tiny blue-tipped cartridge containing 31 grains, or 0.07 ounces, of #12 shot, the rimfire became quite the sparrow eliminator – all at understandably close range, to be sure.
This need for proximity, however, did, I believe, assist in my education and improvement as a hunter; that is, I soon learned the importance of stealth, patience, timing, and other qualities vital for success afield. Was I stalking a full-curl Dall sheep on a shale slope at 5,500 feet elevation? Literally, no. Still, to a 13-year-old charged with protecting the whole of northeastern Ohio’s sweet corn supply, my adventures were no less exciting.
Technically Speaking
Although at my then-young age only moderately interested in variables such as make and model, I was aware the little bolt action was a Remington product. Today, I, along with the sporting community, recognize the piece as a Remington Model 514. According to the Firearms History on the company’s website – NOTE – If you haven’t discovered these pages, I highly recommend them – this particular piece was manufactured from 1948 through 1970, during which time approximately 757,000 were made.
The rifle, as mentioned earlier, is a single-shot bolt action of .22 rimfire, capable of handling Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifle rounds. Here, and at great risk of offending fans of the piece, I’ll say the M514 might best be described as extremely basic; however, that was Remington’s intent, as the rifle was brought into play to compete with similarly elemental and inexpensive rimfires from Stevens, Savage, and others. At introduction, the M514 set the buyer back the princely sum of $14. Today, the same model can range from $75 to $150, depending, of course, on condition.
In keeping, I’m assuming, with the budget-mindedness surrounding this particular rifle, the M514 features a one-piece walnut stock, Old School though adjustable iron sights, solitary extractor, and a single takedown screw nicely recessed 2.5 inches ahead of the trigger guard. A rotating safety is located at the rear of the bolt. With the bolt closed, twisting a knurled end-piece clockwise swings a black stud to the 10 o’clock, or SAFE, position; counterclockwise, and a red stud at 4 o’clock indicates the OFF SAFE condition.
Again, I’m sure, for the frugal, the M514’s receiver is non-grooved, and thus wasn’t out-of-the-box ready for glass optics. Some owners had the receiver drilled and tapped for readily available Weaver-style mounts; others, not wishing to modify the gun as such and perhaps lower its collector value, opted to stay with the standard iron sights.
My Personal Report Card
As I wandered through my teenage years, corn-nibbling English sparrows were eventually replaced by fox squirrels. And here, the M514 proved outstanding, a status it holds to this very day. Light at just a smidge over 4.5 pounds, the little rimfire was a joy to carry as I stalked among the towering hardwoods of my native Ohio. Certainly, it would have been a simple matter to drill the stock for sling swivels; however, like adding a scope, such an act of customization seemed rather sacrilegious. Or at least it did to me.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the M514, particularly given the fact Grandpa Verity probably gave less than $20 for the rifle back in the early 1950s. The iron sights, earlier described as Old School, are indeed just that; however, I had no problem printing a .875-inch (horizontal) by 1.375-inch (vertical) 10-round group at 25 yards with Winchester’s Wildcat 40-grain cartridges – and this from a man who’s been sporting full-time prescription glasses for less than a month now. Aesthetically, the rifle, at least to me, epitomizes the traditional affordable .22 rimfire in a package combining basic beauty, simplicity, and more than acceptable accuracy.
Are there negatives? Myself, I don’t cotton much to the bolt-mounted rotating safety. It’s – and I may be nitpicking here – a bit inconvenient in terms of ease of operation; not impossible, but not nearly as handy as either the cross-bolt or right-receiver thumb styles.
And as for the trigger, while the pull itself isn’t atrocious, the amount of creep is, to stay kind, extraordinarily significant. Still, shooters have somehow managed to squeeze satisfactory groups out of their M514s for the past 62 years, and Lord knows how many bushytails have been harvested by hunters packing this popular Remington rimfire. Oh, and lest we forget, English sparrows, too.
This article appeared in the August 30, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Remington Model 514 Specs
Caliber – .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle Action – Bolt Magazine type – None Overall length – 41.5 inches Weight – 4.13 pounds Barrel length – 23.625 inches Stock length – One-piece; 27.75 inches Trigger – 5.13 pounds (average of three) Pad – Thin (.375) hard plastic, black; checkered; circled Remington logo Sights – Step-style (ramp) adjustable for elevation rear; dovetailed blade/bead front Wood–Walnut
Today’s old gun markets have almost everything for the gun collector.
We collect because it is fun to learn about and possess these old firearms, whether they are the Guns that Won the West or the sidearm grandpa carried at Belleau Wood. Good collecting, the most satisfying kind of hunting and gathering or “accumulating,” becomes more than simple acquisition, more than decoration; it becomes a life-long passion that involves more than hiding artifacts in a safe.
The deeper we get into antique firearms, for instance, the more questions we ask: Did Remington manufacture .38 rimfi re Vest Pocket Pistols, its “Saw-Handle Deringer,” or were these simply mis-gauged .41s? And how many .30- and .32- caliber models were made? Are these versions quite rare or simply odd?
Probably less than 1,000 of the Remington Revolving Percussion Rifl e were made from about 1866-79 in .36- and .44 caliber. Larger cylinder and extra-long loading lever help identify authentic specimens. Although few were made, slight demand causes sales below $2,000 if in good condition. (This is a recreation from Traditions/Pietta.)
“Collecting, as opposed to gathering, can be an intellectual pursuit as well as a way to be with other people of a similar interest. In my experience, [fi shing] lure collectors, in particular are the some of more fun loving bunch of people I’ve encountered. How much fun is it to collect in front of your video screen? On the other hand, where else can you legally have this much fun and maybe make some money on your indulgences in the long run? Bottom line: collect what you really like and wait on those boomers to show up about the time you want to buy a house in Montana, but don’t quit the hobby just because it’s hard to find a five dollar Heddon.” – Michael Echols, originally written in 1998 and since updated for Gabby Talkington’s www.antiquelures.com. Used with permission.)
It is a challenge to dig into the unknown. There are so many peculiar and unanswered questions in every facet of firearms as to boggle the mind, and trying to decipher these puzzles keeps us on a learning curve when our human brains, by some medical and sociological accounts, have long since fossilized. Does it matter to the human race whether Remington manufactured .38 rimfire Deringers?
Probably not, but it may matter to us, personally. The mental stimulation of learning about any technology such as guns – the arguing, debating and researching – is sufficient reason, quite apart from actually owning them, to collect.
It is really no different than a medieval monk laboriously transcribing an ancient parchment scroll. It is brain health. But actually owning the old guns, turning them over in one’s gloved hands, poring over them with a magnifying glass is also important.
There is a story about an old duck hunter who has taken his grandson into the marsh. The old man calls and the cold wind blows and the boy shivers. Finally, the ducks swoop in and the old man points out the mallards and the blue wing teal and shows the boy how to tell them apart from the wood ducks, the drakes from the hens, and coaches him about lead, but the old man does not shoot.
As the next flight swings around the decoys, the boy does not raise his gun to shoot, either. “Why didn’t you shoot?” the old man asks and the boy says, “I just want to be like you, grandpa.” And the old man pats him on the back and says, “I’ve shot plenty of ducks in my time. Now it’s your turn. You have to shoot ‘em.”
It is the same way with antique firearms. Beyond the biofeedback, the hand-to-brain hypothesis suggests that it is the stimulation of our restless hands and fingers that encourages our brain to learn:
“You have to own them.” Learning about old guns is wonderful and some might say a sufficient reason to be interested. That coin has another side, however, and that is actually making a purchase; taking home your first gun. And that thrill – and it is a thrill – is absolutely necessary to fully participate in and enjoy this antique field, whether or not it is ultimately a meaningless activity and whether our kids follow in our collecting footsteps.
Investing vs. the True Collector
It was a myth, perhaps one that fans of Old West stories want to believe, but dime novelist Ned Buntline never had these guns built for the Earps…or what was left of the Earps after the fallout from the OK Corral incident. Legend has it that Buntline presented special order Colt revolvers with 12-inch barrels and detachable shoulder stocks to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and other noted Old West celebrities. Based on this story, the long-barreled Peacemakers came to be called “Buntline Specials.” Uberti makes them now, with incredible 18-inch barrels, but are they really “reproductions?” Buntline wrote the sort of turn-of-the-century Dime Novel that popularized the gun as a method for settling arguments and made heroes – famous and infamous – out of many of the cutthroats, neer-do-wells and rascals who flooded west toward America’s frontier. (Courtesy Autry National Center) It was a myth, perhaps one that fans of Old West stories want to believe, but dime novelist Ned Buntline never had these guns built for the Earps…or what was left of the Earps after the fallout from the OK Corral incident. Legend has it that Buntline presented special order Colt revolvers with 12-inch barrels and detachable shoulder stocks to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and other noted Old West celebrities. Based on this story, the long-barreled Peacemakers came to be called “Buntline Specials.” Uberti makes them now, with incredible 18-inch barrels, but are they really “reproductions?” Buntline wrote the sort of turn-of-the-century Dime Novel that popularized the gun as a method for settling arguments and made heroes – famous and infamous – out of many of the cutthroats, neer-do-wells and rascals who flooded west toward America’s frontier. (Courtesy Autry National Center)
According to Gabby Talkington of AntiqueLures.com, “The person who gets into collecting because he or she enjoys it is going to come out ahead, no matter what happens to the market. If they have fun studying old lures or whatever, then when a barrel of oil reaches $200 and the bottom drops out of the stock and collectible markets, they won’t be hitting their head against the wall like they would if collecting was just some investment. If they’re collecting because its fun to fi nd and have this old stuff around and the prices go up…then that’s kind of a double bonus.
“There is the risk that the bottom [of the collector market] will fall out tomorrow. The collectible decoy prices fell. Gold coins fell. Baseball cards fell. Think about it again. You didn’t sell that lure for $1,000 last week…and the very next week the market crashes and we are back to the $5 lure! Don’t laugh, it could happen. It has happened before.
“In 1988-89 the prices went through the ceiling and crashed the next year as the rolling recession of the 1990- 93 period started. With the Asian and Russian economies crashing in 1998 [and ultimately rebounding] we may see the same results sooner than later.
“Collecting is a mind game. Without the perception, in your mind, that something has value then there is none. What is the intrinsic value of a wood fi shing lure? Well, we’re back to the $5 lure.” – Michael Echols, writing for Gabby Talkington’s www.antiquelures.com With permission.)
Perhaps it is the same in every collecting field. A group gets together for a beer and talk turns to “what Dad did in the war.” The next time they have a neighborhood Bar-B-Q someone brings an old Nazi battle pennant and soon, someone else brings the Luger that his father smuggled home from Germany. Then someone buys a book such as the annual Standard Catalog of Firearms or does an Internet search for “gun collecting” and a whole new pod of collectors springs to life.
The men and women in this hypothetical neighborhood group illustrate an excellent way to get started in collecting – start or become part of a group. One person’s interest feeds that of another and enthusiasm, stories, good purchases and even screw-ups become a commonly shared experience. A quiet competitiveness is naturally awakened within the group.
While joining a club or hanging out with other collectors is a great way to get started, there is really no “wrong” way to begin (unless it is to rush out and buy something impulsively). Nevertheless, most collectors, writers and gun experts suggest that to get involved in collecting with the objective to make money buying and selling guns as investments is close to the wrong way.
Becoming a “gun trader” involves an entirely different motivation and methodology, one that is strictly mercantile, commodity oriented. While collecting values tend to be stable to gradually increasing – after all, as Mark Twain is supposed to have quipped about land, they are not making any more Model 1, First Type Smith & Wes- son .22s, for example (Or are they? Does one count a reproduction?) – those same values can be volatile and swings in the marketplace are as notorious as swings in the stock market. (Former Hoyt-USA president Joe Johnston recalls that the archery company got a terrific, although temporary boost when Sylvester Stallone used their product in his first Rambo movie in 1882.)
On the one hand, Nevada Colt collector Ed Cox warns, nothing is assured in the world of collecting. The generation of kids who grew up playing cowboys and Indians, the ones who are especially in love with cowboy action shooting and collecting antique Colt SAAs, are getting “along in years” now and whether the next generation wants these old guns is anyone’s guess. (When members of the next generation arrive at their 50s, they may collect vintage iPods!)
But on the other hand Cox notes that, “If I had put my dollar in a savings account in the bank, it would never be worth $1,300. By buying the antique gun, though, it would surely go up in value. If I’d bought an antique gun when I was a kid the value would be $1,800- $2,500 now.”
Florida’s Norm Flayderman believes that gun collecting has so far been isolated from dramatic market swings because it has not attracted hordes of “investors,” people hoping literally to get rich quick, the Warren Buffets trying to corner the market on silver, for instance. What has given the antique or collectible gun market its continuing viability is that collectors know the guns and have an interest in them other than strictly their monetary value.
Thus, as the economy swings, the gun market tends to remain steady to increasing – again, because the field is saturated with true collectors rather than investors who, Flayderman notes, “purchase only for the sake of financial gain with no appreciation for the arms themselves.” Previous Page Next Page
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The Six Rules Of Smart Collecting
After World War II, there was an awakening to the quality of Japanese arms when returning soldiers brought thousands of them home as souvenirs. Today, they are highly collectible. This Type-14 Nambu was manufactured at the Nagoya Army Arsenal in February 1927. Rock Island Auction valued it between $950 and $1,100 (Lot 169) and said that “while the magazine is nickel and mismatched, the gun is in excellent condition. It retains approximately 90 percent original blue finish and 75 percent straw colors. The grips are very good with small chip out of left grip on bottom, the usual gouge from the safety lever and minor handling marks….the right side grip screw is locked up and the head is slightly marred.”
After World War II, there was an awakening to the quality of Japanese arms when returning soldiers brought thousands of them home as souvenirs. Today, they are highly collectible. This Type-14 Nambu was manufactured at the Nagoya Army Arsenal in February 1927. Rock Island Auction valued it between $950 and $1,100 (Lot 169) and said that “while the magazine is nickel and mismatched, the gun is in excellent condition. It retains approximately 90 percent original blue finish and 75 percent straw colors. The grips are very good with small chip out of left grip on bottom, the usual gouge from the safety lever and minor handling marks….the right side grip screw is locked up and the head is slightly marred.”
1) Read and Learn. The rules of satisfying collecting are perhaps everywhere the same. They begin with identifying your interest and – before collecting any firearms – collecting information, building a storehouse of knowledge. If you are enticed into the field by the romance of the American Frontier era and enjoy looking at old Colt firearms, your fi rst purchase might be Doc O’Meara’s book on the Colt SAA.2 O’Meara’s book will both inspire you to collect and alert you to some of the nuances of the field, Bisleys to Buntlines.
The more you read and learn, the easier it will be to narrow your interest and objective when you get that itch to write out a check. And the more secure you will feel when you return home without that sulkingly familiar “buyer’s remorse.” Every bookstore has an outdoor section that contains a sample of gun books, but the best references for these invaluable collector’s aids can be found online with a minimum of searching.
2) Find People with Similar Interests. A second rule of good collecting is to affi liate with others and learn from them…or allow them to learn from you. While any group can exhibit a “flock mentality” and carry you over the edge to a disastrous purchase (the lemming mentality of group-think), there is strength in numbers. Within a group, the new collector can find a mentor and can, in turn, become a mentor. There are quite a few gun-collecting associations and we provide a brief listing of national groups in an Appendix at the end of this book.
3) Attend Gun Shows. At an early stage, it is a wonderful use of your time to visit local gun shows. Unless they are so designated, local shows will not have many antique firearms, although many curio and relic (C&R) guns and a ton of reproductions will be on view and on sale. Gun shows are a great place to make contacts, to pick up business cards of men and women who may take time with a newcomer, to learn about organizations that provide contacts and information.
They are not necessarily good places to make a purchase for a collection, however, because there is simply not time – and there are rarely facilities – to study and to thoroughly examine a gun. For that, one needs reference books, a good magnifying glass, good light and some peace and quiet, time without interruption to look and think; time to just sit and stare at the gun….
4) Avoid Impulse Buys. The fourth rule of good collecting is to avoid the rush to make a purchase. Everyone is, on occasion, struck with the craving to buy now, as in “right now.” It is a strain of impatience that runs deep in the male species, men generally possessing the pro-buying, anti-shopping gene. Generally speaking, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Today, the field of American firearms holds many questions, but few surprises.
Still, every serious gun collector has a story about making an impulse decision to buy a firearm without thoroughly examining it or questioning its owner. It happens when one is distracted and can happen to an expert as well as a newbie. The field is littered – some say heavily – with altered and even downright faked firearms, and so when the impulse rises to make a snap decision that will cost hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars, your best course of action is to walk away.
Ninety-nine percent of the time this will be the correct long-term decision.
5) Make a Test Purchase. While avoiding the impulse buy, it ultimately becomes important to buy…something. As a youngster I wanted a telescope to look at the moon and stars. My father insisted that I read about telescopes first, learn the principles by which the mirrors worked and then once I knew what I was talking about, he said, we would buy a great telescope.
Learning somewhat in a vacuum with only pictures and nothing to actually handle, manipulate, enjoy, I found words about objectives lenses and diopters and image stabilization to be terribly frustrating. I never got a telescope and eventually lost interest. I did not want an expensive motor-driven refracting telescope anyway…just something to play around with. The recollection of that experience, and others since then, have led me to believe that nothing quite beats handling the real thing to stimulate interest. You must have something to “play around with.” Only by investing in more than moving our eyes and perhaps our brain, only by making a real purchase can we extend the learning and enjoying experience.
Perhaps it is a version of the “build it and they will come” philosophy. Your fi rst purchase does not have to be expensive; it probably should not be expensive, in fact, but it has to excite you. Stimulate you to want to learn more, see more and, yes, possess more. (Hint: For your first purchase, buy down in desirability, but up in quality or grade.)
6) Build Relationships. Finally, when one has read and looked at pictures as much as one can stand, when one has narrowed one’s interest and visited gun shows and even made an initial “test purchase,” it is time to establish a relationship with a seller. One of the best ways to avoid being stuck with a turkey is to know the person who is selling to you; know where they will be two weeks after your check has cleared. By developing a long term relationship with a seller – whether it is an auction house or a private gun trader, 3 one begins to develop trust.
A serious caution is in order here, however. Even though you may be collecting for fun, money is changing hands and that makes some aspect of collecting a business. If it isn’t a business for you, it almost certainly will be for the person who is selling to you and in a business relationship you must, in the words of Ronald Regan, “Trust, but verify.” The first time your new best friend approaches with a Confederate Colt, show your interest and ask for the paperwork, the provenance, and for any independent evaluations that might be reasonable. If the seller is legitimate and the product is legitimate as well, your questions and requests for independent authentication will not be offensive. You might also ask for a written, 90-day money-back guarantee. If you are afraid to speak up, you lose.
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms, 25th Edition is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
Matched pair of presentation, engraved, ivory-grip MANHATTAN 36-caliber percussion, 5 shot-revolvers with 6 1/2-inch barrels. Each handsomely inscribed along their backstraps: “to G. W. France Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A. / from Attendants of U.S. Gen. Hospital No. 11.” Illustrated here with a Civil War Army issue Hospital Steward’s (Corpsman) medicine case as worn on a waist belt. Dr. France served as a surgeon at a Prisoner-of-War camp outside Nashville during the Civil War; following cessation of hostilities he continued duty 1865 to June, 1866 at Army posts in Oregon Territory.
Appetites for gun collecting are often whetted by mechanical ingenuity, artistic features or historic associations. The possibilities and potential in collecting antique American arms are virtually unlimited; but these must be matched to both one’s pocketbook and the amount of time one can devote to what can become a possessive mistress.
Probably the best approach to beginning a collection is to assemble a basic arms library and read those books thoroughly. But, alas, years of stressing this point and offering the same advice many times over has found it to be the least often accepted counsel.
Whether time is too precious or gun money tends to burn a large hole in one’s pocket, it seems the neophyte collector just cannot visualize that book hanging on two hooks on the wall! This note of sarcasm is well intended, if the collector- to-be can persevere and acquire a few recommended basic primers, he will find his money very well spent indeed.
Larger city libraries are bound to have a good shelf of gun books as do many of the larger book stores; a few dealers specialize in arms books and issue catalogs, or, a visit to a gun show will usually find dealers with a wide variety of titles on hand. The Bibliography, Chapter IV, should be found helpful as a guide to basic works. Thoroughly digesting such primers will provide a good cursory knowledge of what gun collecting is all about. Recommended as a basic starter is the recently published “331 Essential Tips and Tricks for the Gun Collector” by S.C. Mowbray (2006). Chapter IV.
Armed with the basics, the next order of progression should be some astute travel—to a museum featuring a well-rounded or specialized collection (quite a few of these will be found throughout the country), to a gun collector’s home, to a dealer specializing in antique arms, or to a nearby gun show; (none of these need be in any special order). New horizons will quickly be opened, especially at that visit to the first show where anywhere from a hundred to a thousand (or more!) tables may be seen displaying and offering for sale thousands of antique guns; a fascinating and unforgettable experience.
Probably on display will be more guns than can be seen in most individual museums, plus a variety of accessories, parts and literature. The shows also offer an excellent forum for meeting with a very wide crosssection of collectors and dealers. On the assumption the aspiring collector was able to attend that first gun show and not purchase anything (but some books), the next logical step should be to subscribe to a few of the regularly issued periodicals devoted to or featuring articles on collectors’ arms.
The importance of belonging to the National Rifle Association cannot be over-emphasized. Their highly respected and widely circulated publication The American Rifleman contains a great many informative articles for the gun collector, and the Association offers services to collectors who are members. Other periodicals devoted entirely to antique arms are of great value to the collector and should be subscribed to (see details in Bibliography). A host of other magazines covering modern weapons is readily available, and most of these carry some articles on antique and collectors’ firearms.
The importance of all these periodicals to the neophyte is not only their wealth of informative articles, but the profusion of advertisements of dealers and collectors nationwide who are offering their services or their lists or their items for sale. One of the best mediums of exchanges in the antique arms business is mail order. Advertisements and listings for all the regularly scheduled gun shows throughout the country will also be found in these publications.
Before money is laid down for that first gun, it would be wise to have selected a general area in which to confine one’s collecting activities. Likely a choice was made by reading and by studying museum and private collections; at least some general guidelines should have been established, and the search for specimens can be confined to within a given category. A key asset for the neophyte is a mentor whose opinion is valued (and who is not trying to sell one of his own guns!); an outside impartial opinion as to the wisdom of the first choice will do much to start the collector on the right foot when making that first selection at a gun show or at a dealer’s shop; it is also a great aid in building self-confidence.
If on his own, then good common sense and judgment of human nature should take precedence when assessing circumstances surrounding the purchase of that first piece. Checking the reputation of a dealer or collector source is a worthy step, and remember that a guarantee, either verbal or written, is only as good as the party giving it.
The matter of GUARANTEES is worth dwelling on for a moment. Regardless of what one might be told about a gun, and even if said data is committed to writing, there are so many vagaries involved that unless the party making the guarantee is reputable, it will be found worthless.
Proving an item is not what it is stated to be in a court of law is a highly involved process and a costly one as well. Courts and (most) lawyers know nothing about antique guns, so it is a matter of hiring witnesses (an expensive matter) and trying to educate judge and possibly jury as well!
Unless a gun is worth many thousands of dollars, there is little likelihood that the aggrieved owner will ever get satisfaction if the seller does not choose to honor a complaint. In only the most flagrant violations does a collector have a chance to get together a consensus from the seller’s peers and coerce him into making a disgruntled refund.
This discussion is not intended to lessen the importance of acquiring a detailed bill of sale, which in some cases may deter the seller from passing off a spurious piece. A general observation in some five decades of dealing has shown that those highly detailed, multi-part bills are rarely asked for or offered, nor are they necessarily what they appear to be if the seller had larceny in his heart from the beginning!
The entire subject has very broad legal and ethical implications not within the realm of discussion for this book, other than to bring them to the readers’ attention and strongly stress the extreme importance of knowing the party from whom the purchase was made. It is very much a matter of a man’s word being his bond. A source of satisfaction for the majority of those active in gun collecting is that such a statement stands not merely as a hackneyed cliche, but a standard of one’s ethical code. Undoubtedly the best rule-of-thumb on purchasing antique guns, and one that is heard repeatedly, is to limit one’s buying as much as possible to quality and condition.
Far better it is to have one good piece than a dozen “dogs.” This is one of the most difficult points to get across to new collectors, especially when they are itching to buy that first piece! From studying human nature and collecting habits, it may be broadly stated that the new collector most often commits all the sins that he has been pointedly warned to avoid and that he ultimately comes to the realization that those were not such bad warnings after all. Those seeming bargains just are not bargains and are so damned hard to pass by!
The mere fact that a gun bears a price tag and is being sold by a dealer or collector in his shop or at a show is not necessarily a measure of actual or accurate worth. That tag does not always indicate the actual price a seller is willing to accept. In some instances it may even be purposefully inflated, outlandishly so; a rather crafty device to tempt the prospective buyer to make an offer, after which the trap closes quickly on the unwary!
The buyer must be prepared to analyze not only the weapon, but the person selling it, including their knowledge in that particular area, their method of doing business, their standing and reputation as a collector or dealer.
On auction buying: The final rule-of-thumb on bargains is worth remembering when it comes to attending an auction. Under no circumstances ever bid on any gun (or any other item for that matter) unless it has been very closely examined at the exhibition preceding the auction by yourself (preferably) or someone representing the collector and whose opinion is valued.
This is a time-honored, unwritten rule equally applicable to neophyte as well as expert. The novice, with no idea of gun values, has no business bidding at an auction and is gently cautioned to possess his soul with patience and wait until he has some collecting experience under his belt before entering bidding competition. Common sense dictates that when one stands toe to toe and slugs it out price-wise—and that is what auctions are all about—he should at the very least know what he is doing.
Swivel-breech, double-barrel (over/under) percussion Kentucky rifle by Peter Smith of Pennsylvania; c. 1840. Exceptional use of eagle and dove motifs, along with extensive silver and brass inlays and mountings. (As illustrated in Steel Canvas; The Art of American Arms, with permission of the author)
In the early 1970s the greatest, often record-setting price increases were noted. Momentum remained high through the entire 70s and right on into the early 80s. True, there was a leveling off and a readjustment in the deep recession in the early 80s but prices (except in a few isolated instances) never slid backwards at any time and demand never slackened; overpriced mediocre merchandise merely stagnated much as it always had.
Both demand and prices had increased almost on the same scale as the runaway inflationary trend common throughout most of the world in the late 70s. When inflation eased so too did the general price rise. The demand factor continued to reign supreme.
Reviewing the “Introductions” of the preceding eight editions of this Guide offers a credible means to get a handle on what has taken place in this hobby in the past 30 years; a practical and reasonably accurate barometer. The general trend certainly affects ever-increasing values and also recognizes the added emphasis focused upon detail and manufacturing minutiae which continue to dominate many areas of specialty collecting.
Those same preceding years have seen greater significance, justly deserved, accorded to antique arms directly associated with specific eras and events in American history and the individuals that may have personally owned and carried them.
An interesting and influencing factor in changing the American antique arms market had been the entrance into the picture of the European buyer. Until the late 1960s, the European antique arms market, especially as it existed for the sale of American arms, played no role of any consequence. In fact, up to the 1960s Americans had been able to purchase large quantities of antique arms in Europe (both American made pieces as well as European arms) for import and sale throughout the United States.
In the late 1960s this trend was completely reversed. Rising European affluence and a great influx of new collectors there caused rather meteoric rises in prices for arms in Europe, making it practically impossible for an American to purchase over there and import. European buyers (dealers and collectors) came to American shores to gather up great quantities of their own arms as well as American manufactured pieces to export for sale in their own countries.
This situation was quite volatile and very much subject to the economy of the several countries involved as well as their currency restrictions (often subject to unpredictable fluctuations).
The European factor caused considerable change in the American market beginning in the early 1970s and was especially noticeable in affecting prices of American made guns of the Civil War and Indian War eras, mainly pieces in poor and mediocre condition. Quite a few Europeans have a great fascination with those periods of American history, and a heavy demand was created for weapons of those eras, partly influenced by a proliferation of television and movie Westerns.
However, the European collector is generally not as discriminating a buyer condition-wise as is his American counterpart. Hence, the demand was much greater for lower quality pieces, and prices for those arms shot up disproportionately. Demand and sale of American arms oscillates in direct ratio to the fluctuations of the economies (and money restrictions imposed) of individual European countries.
In the early 1980s the European buyer, once here in prodigious numbers, had, like the passenger pigeon and the buffalo … or even the dodo bird … become an almost extinct species!
Although he no longer directly affected the American market, he left behind a very wide following of lovers forsaken who, like the mariner’s wife, look forlornly to sea waiting for the ship to return! Those same “lovers scorned” continued their lonely vigil with many sitting on piles of mediocrity they had accumulated for the foreign market; one which had merely been a temporary aberration on the collecting scene!
The hysteria those dealers created in their frenzy to accumulate hoards of ordinary merchandise for Europe, left a trail of carnage behind them in the many unknowing collectors and small-time dealers who thought their mediocre guns were suddenly turning into gold all over America … never realizing that it was only the temporary, short-lived European market that kindled, and ultimately doused the demand!
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a slow return of European and a few Scandinavian buyers to the American market searching for antique American arms as well as those of their respective countries. By the mid 90s even that sporadic trend slackened. Their impact has been much more modest than it was with the earlier wave.
Restrictive gun laws in a few countries have caused some to limit the scope of their purchases here. While generally adding to the collectors’ market, they have not generated the volatility attendant to their earlier entry.
Another interesting observation and reality of the antique arms business in America, and one for which no explanation is offered, is the changing pattern of the professional full-time antique arms dealer. In the 1940s and 1950s there were quite a few full-time dealers issuing catalogs on a regularly scheduled basis.
The number of such dealers today has dwindled to the point that less than a handful regularly issue sales catalogs. Very possibly this number may dwindle to nil, since there are but the slightest signs of dealers coming into the field who intend to regularly catalog their merchandise.
Likewise, there is an apparent decreasing number of full-time dealers who have retail establishments open to the public at regular hours and to which the collector may freely visit. The trend, with increasing frequency these past years, has shown a great influx of new and full-time dealers in the field, but their manner of conducting business is completely at contrast to the time-honored approach standard in almost every other collecting field. As a matter of fact, the modus operandi is peculiar to this antique arms business and offers an interesting insight into it.
The general antique arms dealer of today—and most likely those of the future—normally conducts business along four parallel lines: he travels to the better known and larger gun shows throughout the country; he advertises some of his best pieces in one or two of the better known and widely circulated antique arms publications; he has a small gun room or showroom associated with his home and will allow visits by appointment only; and, with ever-increasing frequency maintains a Web site on the Internet.
In the early 1970s the greatest, often record-setting price increases were noted. Momentum remained high through the entire 70s and right on into the early 80s. True, there was a leveling off and a readjustment in the deep recession in the early 80s but prices (except in a few isolated instances) never slid backwards at any time and demand never slackened; overpriced mediocre merchandise merely stagnated much as it always had.
Both demand and prices had increased almost on the same scale as the runaway inflationary trend common throughout most of the world in the late 70s. When inflation eased so too did the general price rise. The demand factor continued to reign supreme.
Reviewing the “Introductions” of the preceding eight editions of this Guide offers a credible means to get a handle on what has taken place in this hobby in the past 30 years; a practical and reasonably accurate barometer. The general trend certainly affects ever-increasing values and also recognizes the added emphasis focused upon detail and manufacturing minutiae which continue to dominate many areas of specialty collecting.
Those same preceding years have seen greater significance, justly deserved, accorded to antique arms directly associated with specific eras and events in American history and the individuals that may have personally owned and carried them.
An interesting and influencing factor in changing the American antique arms market had been the entrance into the picture of the European buyer. Until the late 1960s, the European antique arms market, especially as it existed for the sale of American arms, played no role of any consequence. In fact, up to the 1960s Americans had been able to purchase large quantities of antique arms in Europe (both American made pieces as well as European arms) for import and sale throughout the United States.
In the late 1960s this trend was completely reversed. Rising European affluence and a great influx of new collectors there caused rather meteoric rises in prices for arms in Europe, making it practically impossible for an American to purchase over there and import. European buyers (dealers and collectors) came to American shores to gather up great quantities of their own arms as well as American manufactured pieces to export for sale in their own countries.
This situation was quite volatile and very much subject to the economy of the several countries involved as well as their currency restrictions (often subject to unpredictable fluctuations).
The European factor caused considerable change in the American market beginning in the early 1970s and was especially noticeable in affecting prices of American made guns of the Civil War and Indian War eras, mainly pieces in poor and mediocre condition. Quite a few Europeans have a great fascination with those periods of American history, and a heavy demand was created for weapons of those eras, partly influenced by a proliferation of television and movie Westerns.
However, the European collector is generally not as discriminating a buyer condition-wise as is his American counterpart. Hence, the demand was much greater for lower quality pieces, and prices for those arms shot up disproportionately. Demand and sale of American arms oscillates in direct ratio to the fluctuations of the economies (and money restrictions imposed) of individual European countries.
In the early 1980s the European buyer, once here in prodigious numbers, had, like the passenger pigeon and the buffalo … or even the dodo bird … become an almost extinct species!
Although he no longer directly affected the American market, he left behind a very wide following of lovers forsaken who, like the mariner’s wife, look forlornly to sea waiting for the ship to return! Those same “lovers scorned” continued their lonely vigil with many sitting on piles of mediocrity they had accumulated for the foreign market; one which had merely been a temporary aberration on the collecting scene!
The hysteria those dealers created in their frenzy to accumulate hoards of ordinary merchandise for Europe, left a trail of carnage behind them in the many unknowing collectors and small-time dealers who thought their mediocre guns were suddenly turning into gold all over America … never realizing that it was only the temporary, short-lived European market that kindled, and ultimately doused the demand!
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a slow return of European and a few Scandinavian buyers to the American market searching for antique American arms as well as those of their respective countries. By the mid 90s even that sporadic trend slackened. Their impact has been much more modest than it was with the earlier wave.
Restrictive gun laws in a few countries have caused some to limit the scope of their purchases here. While generally adding to the collectors’ market, they have not generated the volatility attendant to their earlier entry.
Another interesting observation and reality of the antique arms business in America, and one for which no explanation is offered, is the changing pattern of the professional full-time antique arms dealer. In the 1940s and 1950s there were quite a few full-time dealers issuing catalogs on a regularly scheduled basis.
The number of such dealers today has dwindled to the point that less than a handful regularly issue sales catalogs. Very possibly this number may dwindle to nil, since there are but the slightest signs of dealers coming into the field who intend to regularly catalog their merchandise.
Likewise, there is an apparent decreasing number of full-time dealers who have retail establishments open to the public at regular hours and to which the collector may freely visit. The trend, with increasing frequency these past years, has shown a great influx of new and full-time dealers in the field, but their manner of conducting business is completely at contrast to the time-honored approach standard in almost every other collecting field. As a matter of fact, the modus operandi is peculiar to this antique arms business and offers an interesting insight into it.
The general antique arms dealer of today—and most likely those of the future—normally conducts business along four parallel lines: he travels to the better known and larger gun shows throughout the country; he advertises some of his best pieces in one or two of the better known and widely circulated antique arms publications; he has a small gun room or showroom associated with his home and will allow visits by appointment only; and, with ever-increasing frequency maintains a Web site on the Internet.
This article is an excerpt from Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms. Click here to learn more.
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue signed Executive Order No. 62, declaring a State of Emergency in advance of Hurricane Earl. In doing so, Perdue suspended the right of state residents to use or carry firearms outside their premises.
At issue is N.C. General Statute 14-288.7, which prohibits transporting a “dangerous weapon” during a state of emergency:
§ 14 288.7. Transporting dangerous weapon or substance during emergency; possessing off premises; exceptions. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to transport or possess off his own premises any dangerous weapon or substance in any area: (1) In which a declared state of emergency exists; or (2) Within the immediate vicinity of which a riot is occurring. (b) This section does not apply to persons exempted from the provisions of G.S. 14 269 with respect to any activities lawfully engaged in while carrying out their duties. (c) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1969, c. 869, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 192; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)
According to § 14 288.1 (10), a state of emergency exists “whenever, during times of public crisis, disaster, rioting, catastrophe, or similar public emergency, public safety authorities are unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives or property, or whenever the occurrence of any such condition is imminent.”
Violation of the order is a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail. Those impacted include concealed handgun permit-holders, sport-shooters, and anyone else carrying a firearm outside their home or business. Critics note that dove-hunting season begins on Saturday (September 4), potentially making criminals of thousands of hunters. Read more
Running Enspired Technology Inc., an information technology consulting firm, is no nine-to-five, and the 32-year-old Ontario resident can find himself on the job anytime, even during the wee hours of the morning.Wrye is working on obtaining a concealed weapons permit, but in the meantime he “open carries” his handgun, unconcealed, unloaded in a holster on one side of his waist, with a full magazine on the other side.
“It's the economic turmoil,” Wrye said. “I carry expensive equipment in my vehicles. I feel better protected having it with me. It makes me feel a lot safer, overall.”
Gun rights advocates such as Wrye dodged a bullet last week when a state bill that would have made it illegal to carry unconcealed firearms in California escaped consideration on the final day of this year's legislative session.
Fearing a Republican filibuster, Democrats decided to set the bill aside so others deemed more critical could be considered, officials say.
Assemblywoman Lori Salda a, D-San Diego, introduced the legislation known as Assembly Bill 1934. It's supported by the California Police Chiefs Association and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, she said. Read more
(Geneseo, IL) ArmaLite, Inc. has announced that a small batch of its AR-10 chambered in .338 Federal is ready for this year’s hunting season.
The first run of the big .338 in two years comes after repeated customer requests. This finely crafted firearm is both powerful and match accurate. The ArmaLite .338 is capable of taking any North American big game, including moose and bear.
The AR-10 in .338 features a match grade stainless steel barrel and a finely tuned National Match two stage trigger. The rugged one piece aluminum handguard allows custom mounting of bi-pods, sights and optional MIL-std 1913 rails. Click here for further details and specifications. About: ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. We manufacture and sell semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester, 338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols. Visit: www.armalite.com
In other words, while Glock continues to enjoy a banner year—the company is trying handle backorders of 70,000 units—firearm auctions tend to feature entirely different categories of firearms sales.
At Findlay, Ohio-based Old Barn Auctions, firearms consultant Larry Wells says they recently auctioned off a Winchester 94 Deluxe Sporting Rifle sold for $3,800, a Henry First Model for $20,000; and an engraved Gustav Young 1862 Colt Pocket Navy with ivory grips for $13,500.
Gunrunner Online Firearm Auctions recently offered at auction 30 unopened boxes of Model 12 trap guns from the 1960’s and 1970’s, including Super Pigeons, Pigeon, Skeet and Trap Grades. ”These beautiful and rare pieces created a nationwide sensation!” says owner Scott Weber, explaining that the company seems to do best with fine double shotguns and rare military firearms. “We have also done well with ‘famous guns,’ selling some of Elvis Presley’s personal firearms and the firearms of Winchester exhibition shooter Herb Parsons,” Weber says.
According to James D. Julia, his auction company’s recent sales included a Napolean-era pair of cased pistols by Boutet Arms (Versailles, France)—”the finest gunsmiths in history,” he says—that went for $438,000. In March 2009 Julia auctioned off the firearms collection of Dr. Joseph Murphy of Philadelphia, a collector of Colt pistols. “In terms of average quality, rarity, and number of firearms, Dr. Murphy’s collection arguably was one of the finest collections in history, if not the best,” says Julia. With this auction, he says, “the eyes of the gun fraternity were on me.”
Overall Julia says it was a fantastic sale: The first lot included engraved and cased #2 Paterson pistols with an expected sale range of $275,000 to $500,000. The final price was $517,500. Thirty lots later, says Julia, an engraved Colt Single Action estimated at $450,000 to $800,000 went for $747,500.
Finally, Curt Kramer of Kramer Auctions reports that Winchester rifles “are always a hit—those old lever actions really appeal to a wide range of buyers.” The most memorable and significant sale for Kramer, however, was a Sharps Berdan Rifle. “Aside from being a fantastic firearm,” says Kramer, “the family selling it had no idea what they had. So they were in shock when this ‘Civil War gun’ as they had described it topped the sale at over $12,000.” Not all the auctions, however, were marked by sales of rare or antique firearms. Kramer says he also noticed a big increase in the sale of quality new or used modern handguns. “I am sure the political environment had something to do with that,” he says.
It might be the ugliest gun on the market, but the Chiappa Rhino Revolver gives you a ton more control over violent .357 recoil…Check out this video of rapid fire with 125-grain rounds. You get all the muzzle flash and bark you would expect from a 2-inch .357 mag, but the clever design helps keep the gun on target. So there you have it, a .357 you can hide in a pocket and it won't jump off target when you fire it. Take a look. For more information on CCW topics, grab a copy of the Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry. That's me on the cover. Click here to order the book:
In other words, while Glock continues to enjoy a banner year—the company is trying to handle backorders of 70,000 units—firearm auctions tend to feature entirely different categories of firearms sales.
At Findlay, Ohio-based Old Barn Auctions, firearms consultant Larry Wells says they recently auctioned off a Winchester 94 Deluxe Sporting Rifle sold for $3,800, a Henry First Model for $20,000; and an engraved Gustav Young 1862 Colt Pocket Navy with ivory grips for $13,500.
Gunrunner Online Firearm Auctions recently offered at auction 30 unopened boxes of Model 12 trap guns from the 1960’s and 1970’s, including Super Pigeons, Pigeon, Skeet and Trap Grades. ”These beautiful and rare pieces created a nationwide sensation!” says owner Scott Weber, explaining that the company seems to do best with fine double shotguns and rare military firearms. “We have also done well with ‘famous guns,’ selling some of Elvis Presley’s personal firearms and the firearms of Winchester exhibition shooter Herb Parsons,” Weber says.
According to James D. Julia, his auction company’s recent sales included a Napolean-era pair of cased pistols by Boutet Arms (Versailles, France)—”the finest gunsmiths in history,” he says—that went for $438,000. In March 2009 Julia auctioned off the firearms collection of Dr. Joseph Murphy of Philadelphia, a collector of Colt pistols. “In terms of average quality, rarity, and number of firearms, Dr. Murphy’s collection arguably was one of the finest collections in history, if not the best,” says Julia. With this auction, he says, “the eyes of the gun fraternity were on me.”
Overall Julia says it was a fantastic sale: The first lot included engraved and cased #2 Paterson pistols with an expected sale range of $275,000 to $500,000. The final price was $517,500. Thirty lots later, says Julia, an engraved Colt Single Action estimated at $450,000 to $800,000 went for $747,500.
Finally, Curt Kramer of Kramer Auctions reports that Winchester rifles “are always a hit—those old lever actions really appeal to a wide range of buyers.” The most memorable and significant sale for Kramer, however, was a Sharps Berdan Rifle. “Aside from being a fantastic firearm,” says Kramer, “the family selling it had no idea what they had. So they were in shock when this ‘Civil War gun’ as they had described it topped the sale at over $12,000.” Not all the auctions, however, were marked by sales of rare or antique firearms. Kramer says he also noticed a big increase in the sale of quality new or used modern handguns. “I am sure the political environment had something to do with that,” he says.
What Auctioneers Look for in a Consignor
Across the board, firearms auctioneers state that selling firearms at auction requires consignors who are motivated and realistic. For example, Weber says that he first looks for someone who listens to our appraisals/auction projections. ”All we do all day and night is sell guns, so if we have sold their guns hundreds of times, we know the value,” he says. ”If the consignor disagrees with our assessment, that can spell problems down the line.” So the best consignor, says Weber, is “the one who believes without qualification that we are going to give their firearm the same attention and promotion we would give our own firearm.”
Larry Wells states that it’s very helpful for consignors to “look at the bottom line” and not at the final auction prices of individual items. “I want a consignor to tell me something to the effect of, ‘I’d like to see about $50,000 for the lot,’” says Wells.
The best consignor, says Kramer, is someone who is ready to sell. “Some sellers will sell if they get a certain price for every item; that is a seller who is not ready to sell,” says Kramer, “and that is not a good auction client.” He says about 90% of the auctions are “unreserved,” meaning the items will sell regardless of price. “We spend a lot of time and money advertising these auctions and most items will bring what they are worth.”
When there is a reserve price, Kramer says he makes sure that the reserve is reasonable, “one that I think is fair, not some crazy price that this one guy who never saw the gun said it should be worth.” He adds that if his sellers are not happy with what he feels is a reasonable price, he simply won’t offer the item at auction. “No sense wasting my time and my buyers’ time on lots that have unreasonable reserves,” he says. With auctions, he says, sales and profits always seem to even out—some guns sell for a little less than they should and other guns seem to bring more that they should. Of course, says Kramer, “Everyone always seems to have a good story of some gun at an auction that brought way more than they expected. I like those stories especially when they are talking about my sales.”
James Julia prefers consignors who meet two key criteria: First, they must have quality goods to sell. Second, they are motivated, realistic, and conservative in estimating value. With that kind of consignor, he says, his auction company can then create a great marketing plan and establish a selling price or “put it at auction and let the market decide.” Consignors need to know that estimating low, says Julia, will sometimes cause a good to overperform in an auction.
Both auctioneers and sellers desire goods to sell well. “The more a seller makes, the more we make,” says Weber. “Once the seller understands that, the auction process is a beautiful thing!”
The 2015 Standard Catalog of Firearms is the preferred desk reference guide to the realm of antique, vintage, and modern firearms from around the world, and is now in its Silver Anniversary, 25th edition with more than 26,000 listings of collectible and modern firearms. This industry-leading reference on firearms valuation and pricing has everything you need, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or collect firearms.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
The mother of a Malden man who survived being struck with four bullets in a gunfight that left the other two men dead said yesterday that she is grateful her son was armed with his licensed handgun at the time.
New! The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15 Vol. III
