doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Depressed prices?

Ryan: I just picked up a nicer 1940s EC Powell (for bigger water) simply because I like the older stuff. I'm sure the new stuff is truely great but... it doesn't mean the same things to me. I guess you like what you like in the fishing world too.

I'm with Mark21 I'm still buying but the gun has to be in the condition and grade that appeals to me, I'm 67 years old and really don't care if the guns get buried with me when I die it's the enjoyment now that I care about.

Lloyd: Do you find the old ones to be suited for modern line tapers? Our lines are so different from the 40's. I was just gifted an old SouthBend that I need to do a little work on.

Seems like most of the USA auto CEO's called the shot on the future wrong--and it appears that only Toyota and Honda's CEO's saw the future as it turned out. Here in South Carolina (5 miles from my home) VW is building a billion dollar plus electric vehicle(EV) factory to produce the new Scout EV---I expect big changes in their plans for the EV Scout.

This video explains more of what is wrong with the auto industry currently than its title suggest; and it may not be spot on but it outlines a great deal of the truth.

I know my thought here are off topic but for the last year the posts on this board have gone off topic in spades.

Ryan: Well, I'm probably a unique case on this question.

I don't usually use modern lines anymore much (except on modern rods). I've got several reels loaded with silk these days, and It's the better option with the older stuff, no question (thinner, denser, no stretch). Silk isn't the cheap option, at least initially, but if it's cared for properly it will outlast several owners. I''ve got a number of lines from the 1950s, along with some more-modern stuff (90s and early 2000's).

Since I've become accustomed to it's peccadillos (mostly just care & feeding) it easy for me to default to it. That's not saying that I don't appreciate the modern stuff too, because I certainly do (& own lots of it). It's just when I'm feeling like fishing bamboo, I'm pre-conditioned to use silk lines (Come to think of it, I don't own any modern bamboo at the moment, which is probably why I'm doing what I am, eh?).

On top of a depressed market for doubleguns, there is a depressed number of qualified gunsmiths to keep them maintained.

Tarheel: There is that as well.

All this talk of depressed prices is making me depressed.
Quality always sells.

I attribute much of the blame for the depressed prices of old doubles and for the current woes of the auto industry to governmental interference in the free market system. For old guns, it's partly the current and impending lead bans, on top of the restrictions on gun purchasing and ownership in some states. I live in a worst case state, California, and we now have to pay an 11% excise tax on all gun and ammo purchases, and that is on top of the 10% sales tax and background check and transfer fees for guns and ammo. Separate background checks (and separate fees) for guns vs ammo, even if you buy them at the same time. It's just an incredible hassle to buy, sell, trade, or use guns in this state. For cars, the government enthusiasm for EVs was clearly unwarranted because the technology (batteries and charging infrastructure) were not and are not ready for prime time. And they probably won't be be ready in my lifetime. I don't like EVs and there is little about them that appeals to me because they don't meet my use case. If they work for you, great. But the government's insistence on transitioning to EVs was premature, and that insistence has cost the manufacturers billions and billions of dollars. And from a customer perspective, the industry's focus on EVs has reduced the availability of the vehicles that many of us actually want to buy. I'd like to buy a new truck, have been looking for the right combination of features and accessories since February, without much success. Did not plan on placing a factory order but may have to. Biggest problem is that Toyota and Ram no longer make a truck that I'd want to own, and Ford has not shipped any to my neck of the woods. Why so hard to buy what I want? The manufacturers have been too focused on their electric and hybrid future. because the government is forcing them to.

Double guns have been a niche item since about the Second World War. My Dad saw the Garand replacing the 1903A3 as the way forward, and extended it to his sporting arms, using an A5 for most of his adult life. He bought an O/U with a reenlistment bonus in 1964, but, I don’t know why, he seldom used it. Most of the Fathers in my neighborhood had been in the military, and most either had or wanted an A5.

If I’m not hunting with Lloyd, I won’t see anyone with a double gun when I’m out hunting.

Best,
Ted