doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Purdey or H&H Royal? Which is the best Investment?

How do Dickson Round Actions compare for investment?

That was a design I chased after for a few years here in the states, and I gave up before I ever found a good one. Most of them, here, anyway, are pretty old and have seen either, a lot, or, hard use.
Most people in this country think they are looking at just another boxlock, might be even harder to sell than a sidelock.
Nice, well put together guns, but, I might buy an annuity if I was worried about the money.

Best,
Ted

I still think the best pure investment strategy for shotguns is to plan a trip overseas, making prior arrangements at the various auction houses, then buy every Winchester Model 21 you can afford. Bring them back here and sell them.

treblig1958, you are right, spend the next two years buying all model 21�s you can in Europe, come over,pick them up and send them back to the US and make about 100% on each gun ! Value for money I would try and buy a William Powell sidelock in good condition, pre 1937 or a Westley droplock deluxe in similar, best, Mike

With all due respect, that is a lot easier said than done. I never saw an American gun in Europe, save one Remington pump deer rifle in .270, sitting new in a dealers rack, where it had been for years. You don't just take possession of a firearm in most of Europe, and you don't just come home with it, after you have bought it. Shipping arrangments have to be made, customs duty, exise and state taxes have to be paid, and then you have to sell it. Model 21s, in 12 gauge, are not exactly flying off the shelves here in the US these days, to be fair, most 12s have gotten to be a hard sell.

I wouldn't try it. I wouldn't have tried it when I was in the business, either.

Best,
Ted

My experience is same as Ted's. I've seen one American gun, an over-priced Auto 5 in Paris, during trips to Europe almost every year.

Mike, you sound a little too enthusiastic about my feeble plan, just a little too enthusiastic!!!

RHD45, I bought a Hartman and Weiss a few months back but don�t consider it a better investment than a good Holland Royal or a Purdey, I think as someone stated they will be "knocking it on the head" fairly soon, best, Mike

In my experience, continental guns have relatively poor re-sale values by comparison with Englinsh guns. Also, any gun manufactured in the last 20 years will lose the original buyer a pile of cash when he sells it.

Note the several pairs of modern Purdeys in Bonham's next sale. A new cost of �150,000; these guns made in the late 1990s and early 2000s are expected to make the seller between �60,000 and �80,000, less seller's commission. They should actually hold up quite well for whoever buys them now.

The best bet is to buy guns made pre-war as they have done all their depreciation.

Supply has to play a factor in this, does it not? As OWD pointed out, new H&Ws effectively can no longer be ordered, and Peter Nelson, David McKay Brown, Peter Hofer will all (sadly) one day cease making guns. That has to play a factor in their "investment" value as opposed to Purdey and H&H which will ostensibly continue to produce guns (even if at a relatively small volume).

Dig - your depreciation rate for those Purdeys is interesting. While they certainly take a hit on resale, a "typical" modern sxs (eg AyA No. 2, Merkel 1620 or for that matter even an RBL) doesn't depreciate 50-60%.