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Inside this issue:
– Gun show coverage! – Varmint loads – Gun auction listings – Trends of values for rifles, shotguns and handguns – Guns for sale: Extensive classified listings
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This Special Order Winchester Model 1886 sold for $11,000.
James D. Julia was nervous. It was October 2008 and the firearms auctioneer from Fairfield, Maine, was listening to news reports warning of a possible collapse in world financial markets. Earlier that year, in March, his firearms auction business enjoyed a $12.7 million gross for a single auction, the largest ever, anywhere.
Now, it seemed like the financial world was unraveling and he was about to open another firearms auction. Julia feared that buyers wouldn’t be buying and the auction wouldn’t be successful. “Nobody knew it, but I was sweating bullets,” he says. Well known for their high quality firearms auctions, the James D. Julia Auctioneers started the October 2008 auction featuring a rare Colt Walker pistol with an estimated selling price between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Julia wondered how it would it fare in an economy that seemed to be on the brink of disaster. It sold for $920,000, setting a world record for the most expensive single firearm sold at auction.
Over the 40 years that Julia has been in the auction business, he’s sold over $130 million worth of firearms and military goods. In the past five years his auction company has averaged $15,000 per lot sold—six to eight times the industry average. The day after the record Colt Walker sale, the stock market lost 10 percent of its value. In general, economic times are indeed difficult— “it’s about as challenging a time you could ask for in recent years,” he says—but points to one simple reason for success: “There’s always a bunch of guys who will fight for a special item; they are passionate in their interest and desire. A true collector is not an investor in his things; they love and understand those things; that’s what drives them.”
Manufacturers of modern firearms, especially AR-15 rifles and concealable handguns—have also enjoyed record sales over the last couple of years. Julia, however, says sales in the firearms industry has nothing to do with the success of the auction industry. “Thank God for the fear mongers who purchased Glocks and such,” he says, “but it’s a totally different guy who buys collector pieces from gun auctions.”
Despite the declining economy, Scott Weber, owner of Gunrunner Online Firearms Auctions in Burton, Ohio, also saw significant success in his firearms auction business last year but sees a closer connection between the political climate, general firearms sales, and sales from firearms auctions. Weber says 2009 was Gunrunner’s highest grossing year of their 10 years of auctioneering, “and we thank Mr. Obama for that!” Gunrunner sells 5,000 guns a year in online auctions and Weber says they’re on their way to doubling the revenue of 2009. “No recession here!”
In 2009, Kramer Sales, a firearms auctioneer based in Prairie du Chien, Wisc., sold around 1,500 antique and modern firearms. Owner Curt Kramer says that while they’re a smaller outfit, this is about double what they did in 2008. “We sold some really interesting firearms at auction this past year, from a .50 caliber WWII British Boyes anti-tank rifle to some great deluxe Winchesters, a Henry Rifle, and just about everything in between.”
By contrast, James D. Julia Auctioneers will sell around 800 guns generating from $8.5 million to $13 million. According to Julia, his nearest competitor will sell 3,800 guns to generate about $3 million and conduct 20 to 30 auctions a year. Julia conducts nine auctions a year. “We don’t aim for quantity but quality,” he says. Whether passionate collectors or political concerns are driving the firearms auction industry, the success has brought its share of surprises to the auctioneers.
“Our staff was not ready for the amount of firearms streaming into the store,” says Weber. He says the Gunrunner employees in one load picked up over 1,000 guns and recently received another collection of 500 handguns. “All day long the guns come in the mail or by truckload—it’s like Christmas every day!” Weber says this level of business requires Gunrunner employees to work until 11 p.m. every night just processing the paperwork for the firearms. “It’s great fun,” he says, “but I am working seven days a week.”
The surprising demand for firearms has also brought a demand for ammunition. “Ammo sales has been nuts for two years,” says Kramer, particularly of ammunition in not new but not old enough or in good enough condition to be collectible. “It’s just good shooter ammo,” he says. “Further, ammo prices in the retail stores have not dropped and my buyers realize it.”
Despite the record-setting sales and its position as one of the larger firearms auction companies, Julia considered the economic downtown and prepared for the worst. “I knew a recession was coming but I didn’t know when,” he says. “Just as soon as it happened I met with my staff and told them what to expect. First I told them that we’re not going to fire anyone; instead we’re going to do more for our client. So we implemented a policy change. If the goods to sell are expensive, we’ll sell at a zero percent commission. I called it the James D. Julia ‘Stimulus Plan.’
Another unique piece from a recent Kramer auction: a Civil War era Henry manufactured in 1864.
The key was to generate an attitude not of restriction but of more service to the customer. The goals were simple: We would get more stuff to sell, get more people in the door (at 0 percent), and make life hell for our competition.” As a result, Julia says last year his company sold a lot less than the $42 million in stuff they were supposed to sell; but they are now constantly negotiating with new clients.
According to Julia, when the market drops, it just gets tougher to sell but also to get the goods to sell. “Sellers are either people who have things that have to be sold—they’re just done with their stuff—or they’re of the opportunistic group, checking to see what profit they might get out of a sale.” Most opportunistic sellers will wait in bad times, he says.
Weber says Gunrunner’s challenge is getting 350 guns a month onto their auction block with accurate descriptions. “It’s tough to research some of the firearms—we are getting some of the rarest guns in the world into our auction facility— and it takes time to get the descriptions right so that we really know what we have.”
Moreover, the company needs more physical space. In fact, Gunrunner recently purchased more business space near their current location and Weber says they may need more immediately. “We will be doing two types of auctions a month. I’ve got a new crew hired and they’ll start a new 24/7 auction in June,” he says.
Kramer brings up a host of challenges he’s facing: time required to keep up with all of the state laws, managing nationwide shipments, and Internet and phone bidding. He says keeping up with technology keeps him busy and the firearms industry is expanding much faster due to the Internet and Web-savvy buyers who are always looking for a particular gun to upgrade or fill out a collection. “I am a computer-literate guy,” he says, “but we are doing a lot of things with Internet catalogs and live Internet bidding that I never thought I would be doing.”
Julia, Kramer, and Weber all share a favorable outlook for the firearms auctions business. Weber says that 2010 looks to be Gunrunner’s greatest year by far—double the business of last year. “It’s unreal!” he says. Kramer says 2010 has been very good so far: “Our March auction was our best attended sale yet and prices were very strong on all types of firearms.”
According to Julia, the auction business, while good, is not as easy as it has been in the past. The bottom line, however, is there. The industry’s advantages, he says, are the huge pool of goods which are a magnet for buyers and the tremendous pool of financial resources which allow him to spend a lot of money advertising the auctions.
“In great times you draw people in and they fight for things,” says Julia. “In bad times, you set realistic or conservative expectations (prices), and then have something people want. With a declining economy, people are preprogrammed to be more careful when buying and the auction creates the right atmosphere to take advantage of this. Get two bidders who think ‘I’m going to save some money and get what I want’ and they’ll drive the price up.” Mark Kakkuri is a freelance writer in Oxford, Mich.
For the past three days I have visited with members of the Blackhawk! staff at their headquarters in Norfolk, VA. You know about Blackhawk!, the maker of some of the finest tactical gear in the world. Stuff that is built for the field by guys who have been in the field. You heard the story of how Blackhawk! founder Mike Noell, a Navy SEAL, found himself face-to-face with a landmine after a strap on his pack broke somewhere in northern Iraq. And how he promised that if he made it out alive he would make the best backpacks in the world… yeah, that’s all legend. Well, the past three day, I have hung out with and learned from a cadre of men. None bragged. None went out of their way to tell storys, but occassionally topics would come up. We talked about breaching doors with a man who helped rescue Jessica Lynch and a sniper who helped knock down three Somalian pirates. There were guys who helped capture Bosnian war criminals and spent time in the hills of Afghanistan.
I could not help but wonder where we would be as a nation without people who risked so much, for so many while so few really knew what they were doing. All of these men said the same thing: “It was my job. I was part of a team. I could do nothing alone.”
The movie version of Navy SEAL is so far from the truth it is almost laughable. I prefer the term I have heard so many times: Quiet Professionals. They are men who work hard, trust in their training and seemingly want nothing more than a nod of approval for a job well done. I felt honored and humbled to work with such men, to be around them for even a short time was great.
Proxibid is the world’s largest provider of live auction webcasting services and offers firearm’s collectors access to thousands of high-quality items each month.
If you’ve purchased firearms at auction you’ve likely experienced the thrill of winning a great piece at a competitive price, as well as the agony of defeat when leaving an auction empty-handed. Online bidding provides collectors with the opportunity to bid on, and win, high-quality pieces without having to travel to the live auction. What does this mean for the average collector? Instead of spending precious time and resources away from work, home and family, collectors who purchase firearms online are happier than ever. They are actively participating in auctions online and because they aren’t traveling, expenses are drastically reduced.
These collectors are spending more time with their families, are enjoying life and are still able to grow their collections – often finding more precious items than before because they’re able to participate in more auctions. Not all Online Bidding Services are Created Equally When purchasing firearms online, consider that not all live auction webcasting services are the same. • Choose a provider that works with only licensed auction companies to ensure you are acquiring firearms from a trusted source. • Be certain that your provider has a proven track record and employs the latest technologies to ensure your bids are accurately represented. • Select a provider who offers live audio and video streaming of the event to guarantee the best user experience possible. • Work with a provider who offers access to auction archives, which allows bidders the opportunity to research the market value of items on which they plan to bid. • Make sure the provider you choose has a secure Web site to protect your online purchases.
While there are several online auction providers, not every live auction webcasting solution emulates the live auction. Be sure your provider allows you to purchase times-the-money, all-one-money, and in buyer’s choice lots – ensuring that you experience the same level of interaction and excitement as if you were at the live event.
In addition to selecting a provider who offers a leading live auction webcasting solution and access to firearms you need, be sure the provider offers world-class customer service and speak with an auction specialist who works directly with bidders on a regular basis to ensure their needs are met as they bid in online auctions.
How Does Live Webcast Bidding Work? When participating in live webcast bidding, it is critical that the bidder is aware of the strategic interaction taking place between your bid, your online provider and the auctioneer. Once a bid has been placed via the Internet, rest assured that a real person – an agent on staff with your provider or a ringman on staff with the auctioneer – will represent the Internet bids until the high bid has been reached and the hammer has been dropped.
Bidding online is easy. Most online auction providers require bidders to have an account to participate in their auctions, and also require bidders to register per event as a means of protecting both the buyer and seller since terms and conditions are unique to each individual auction and bidders must agree to the terms of the auction before they can bid. Auction companies often have varying requirements to be accepted to bid in auctions, such as deposits, bank letters, or previous bid history. Because bank letters and deposits can sometimes be difficult to obtain, allow ample time to gather the required items for your registration well in advance of the auction. Be sure to allow at least 24-48 hours for the auction company to review and accept your bidder registration.
Select a live auction webcasting service that is interactive and intuitive to ensure a smooth bidding experience. Choose the auction in which you wish to participate, launch the online bidding application and audio/video stream and you’re ready to bid.
We recommend selecting a provider that offers bidders the opportunity to leave pre-bids and absentee bids for its auctions. If you cannot participate in a live auction webcast, simply leave a bid, up to your maximum amount, and the online bidding solution will represent your bid, up to your maximum bid amount, using increments that the auction company has set prior to the live auction. Tips for Effective Live Online Bidding When bidding online for your next firearms purchase, be sure to consider the following: • Research the firearm prior to the auction to ensure you are making an educated purchasing decision. • If you have questions regarding a particular piece, be sure to contact the auction company directly prior to the event. • Review the auction terms and conditions and be certain that you understand them before you agree to them, including buyer’s fees and shipping guidelines. • Register for events as quickly as possible to ensure enough time for approvals. • Leave pre-bids to ensure your bids are always represented in the event you cannot attend an auction. • Place your bids early and often! If you are interested in a piece, don’t wait to place your bid. Remember, you are competing with other Internet bidders, as well as with those in the live audience and the onsite software operator needs time to represent your bids before the hammer drops. • Understand your shipping options and additional costs, including buyer’s fees, and budget accordingly prior to placing your online bid.
Procuring high-quality firearms specific to the needs of your collection can be difficult, but online bidding solutions can help you save precious time and resources. Don’t let all of the terrific pieces crossing the auction block online each month pass you by. Join the thousands of savvy firearms collectors who have already begun procuring pieces online and find out for yourself why more collectors than ever are buying live online.
Proxibid is the world’s largest provider of live auction webcasting services and offers firearm’s collectors access to thousands of high-quality items each month.
About Proxibid Omaha-based Proxibid brings auctioneers and bidders together for a world-class online auction experience. Since 2002, the Company has worked with more than 2,000 auctioneers to bring more than 23,000 auctions to a global, online audience. With registered bidders from more than 180 countries, no other provider in the industry connects more buyers and sellers than Proxibid. The Company’s proprietary live Internet bidding service and Web site were developed by auctioneers and industry-leading professionals to provide our bidders with the most user-friendly and comprehensive online auction experience possible.
Proxibid’s customer service and support is unmatched in the industry. The company’s toll-free support center is open before, during and after every live auction, and is staffed with bi-lingual auction specialists who assist both bidders and auctioneers. For more information about Proxibid, please visit us online at www.proxibid.com.
ZALESKI — Authorities are still on the lookout for a pair of would-be robbers who were forced to flee a Vinton County store Saturday after its owners and a customer opened fire on them, Vinton County Sheriff’s deputies reported.
At about 4:54 p.m. Saturday, two men wearing camouflage and carryingan assault-style rifle and shotgun entered the Zaleski General Store at the intersection of Ohio 278 and Ohio 677 and demanded money, according to a release from the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office.
Store ownerLetha Toops retrieved a small handgun from under the counter and fired four shots into the floor in front of the would-be robbers, who then fled. As the pair got into a waiting car, the lone customer in the store took Toops’ handgun and fired a shot as the car drove away.
Toops’ husband, Jerry, also fired at the car, using a gun he had in the waistband of his pants.
The sheriff’s office is unsure whetheranyone was struck by the gunfire, but all area hospitals were put on notice and units from the sheriff’s office and Ohio Highway Patrol searched the area. Read more Source: chillicothegazette.com
Recommended gun books for those who carry concealed handguns:
AUGUSTA – A Martinez man remains in critical but stable condition after being shot during a confrontation on the 2000 block of Westfield Drive in Augusta. Authorities say 19-year-old Milo Hayes III was shot by Brete Anthony Gunby after Gunby spotted Hayes allegedly attempting to break into a neighbor’s truck.
The 39-year-old says he watched Hayes enter his neighbor’s truck and that’s when he called 9-1-1. He then went outside with a pistol and told Hayes to stay put until the police arrived. Hayes pulled out an object from his pockets, and that’s when Gunby fired at him, according to the police report. Investigators say the shooting was self-defense.
The shooting has gotten theattention of many in the neighborhood. Mrs. Ruby Underwood says in her eyes, Gunby is a hero. The almost 90-year-old mother and grandmother says if someone tries to come in her home uninvited she’ll be ready too.
“I’d shoot up in the air a coupleof times and I might come to another window and take another shot at them,” said Underwood. “I do have a gun and I know how to use it. I was taught how to use a gun when I was 12 years old.” Read more
FAIRFIELD, CA — Gunfire erupted Friday afternoon when two suspects attempted to rob a cell phone store in Fairfield and an employee with a gun opened fire in apparent self-defense, according to police.
Officers responded to a reported attempted robbery at a MetroPCS store located at 2023 N. Texas St. at around 3:15 p.m., Fairfield police said.
Witnesses told police that two black men in their early 20s entered the store and one of them pointed a handgun at two employees while the second jumped over the store counter and demanded cash.
One of the employees apparently drew a handgun and fired multiple rounds at both suspects, according to police. The two men fled and were last seen running west through an open field onto Tabor Avenue.
It has not been determined if either of the men were struck by the gunfire. Read More
Those rifles had sat in South Korean warehouses for the last five decades, and could prove a treasure trove for military surplus retailers, collectors, and shooters.
Recently, though, came news from South Korea that the sale of these M1’s was in a sort of bureaucratic limbo.
According to the Korea Times, “The U.S. government opposed South Korea’s bid to sell hundreds of thousands of aging U.S. combat rifles to American gun collectors…The [Ministry of National Defense] announced the plan last September as part of efforts to boost its defense budget, saying the export of the M1 Garand and carbine rifles would start by the end of 2009.”
However, “The U.S. administration put the brakes on the plan, citing ‘problems’ that could be caused by the importation of the rifles. The problems the U.S. government cited were somewhat ambiguous, said an official at the Ministry of National Defense on condition of anonymity.”
“The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents,” the official told Korea Times. “It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions. We’re still looking into the reason why the U.S. administration is objecting to the sale of the rifles and seeking ways to resolve the problems raised.”
The spokesman is Bill Ames, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of Nevada and a self-described “member of the NRA and a Republican.”
Says Ames:
“What she’s actually talking about is armed resistance….That kind of talk is dangerous and way too extreme.”
The first disconnect is his claim that Angle “keeps saying” this. It’s a one-time sound bite they selectively culled from the Lars Larson show, and Ames presents no evidence that this has been a recurring, or even a repeated theme in the seven months since this was recorded.
That said, what is it she’s really reporting on and cautioning about–as opposed to advocating or inciting, which this ad implies? If the government ignores the Constitution and the rights it is mandated to protect, the Second Amendment may ultimately enable the people to restore its protections against tyranny…?
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Talk about “over the line.” “dangerous” and “way too extreme”! Read more
State and Upson County officials had the case moved to the U.S. District Court in Macon on Friday. The case garnered national news coverage when it was first filed a month ago in Upson County Superior Court by the Rev. Jonathan Wilkins of the Baptist Tabernacle of Thomaston, which is partnering with GeorgiaCarry.org Inc. on the lawsuit. Wilkins said he has a constitutional right to be armed in church, which is now prohibited under state law.
The case was filed shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court clarified an individual’s right to bear arms. Wilkins’ attorney, John R. Monroe of Roswell, said the case depends more on Wilkins’ First Amendment right to freely worship than his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
“It’s difficult to imagine how a law that permits a certain behavior throughout the state but prohibits it in church would stand constitutional muster,” Monroe said. Read more
Joining SAF in this lawsuit are the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), Action Target, Inc., and three individual plaintiffs including a retired Chicago police detective. They are represented by attorneys Alan Gura of Virginia and David Sigale of Chicago, who teamed up with SAF and ISRA on the landmark case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, which incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, effectively striking down Chicago’s 28-year-old handgun ban.
“While the city has adopted new regulations that make it legal to own handguns,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “they have crafted this new ordinance to make it virtually impossible for prospective gun owners to meet all legal requirements unless they travel outside the city for mandatory training. The new ordinance prohibits public gun ranges inside the city yet the city demands that handgun owners get at least one hour of range training time.
“This is a ‘Catch-22’ scenario,” he continued, “that seems deliberately designed to discourage Chicago residents from exercising their firearm civil rights barely two months after those rights were restored by the Supreme Court.” Read more
I’m working on a story for Tactical Gear Magazine and I need your help. If you are a LEO, I want to know what you carry off duty. Be specific. Does your agency allow off-duty carry or does your agency require off duty carry? Do you carry everywhere? In church? At the mall? Name the make and model of firearm. Tell me the brand of ammo. Do you have a knife? ID or a badge?
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Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. Readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews and practical how-to instructions. With your Subscription, you’ll also learn about threats to your Second Amendment rights. Click here to begin your subscription to Gun Digest.
“We sleep peaceably in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
This is a great quote from George Orwell and reminds me that I don’t want a “kinder, gentler military.”
In any situation, your enemy should know that violent action will come at great cost. I am proud that our nation lends a hand to those in need and proud to have been a part of that. But these days it seems those who would do us harm have no fear of our retaliation. They should.
Geneseo, IL — ArmaLite has announced the immediate availability of a limited run rifle. The small batch of AR-10A4’s will be offered with two special upgrades — a stainless steel match grade barrel and a National Match trigger. This is a rare configuration for an AR-10.
The rifles are being shipped as an EXCLUSIVE to the RSR Group, one of the top firearms distributors in the U.S. (www.rsrgroup.com) For interested customers, the formal name of this rifle is AR-10A4 BSNF. Contact your local ArmaLite dealer for details. About: ArmaLite manufactures and sells 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
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 of the best concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
Inside this issue:
