doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com UNDER VALUED DOUBLE GUNS

it might be fun to have a discussion about double guns that could be considered as under valued in today's slow economy. for the purpose of brevity, lets limited it to those sxs guns that currently retail from say $600 to $1200, such as:

- post war german guns...field grade of course

Ithaca SKB. A friend just picked up a 12ga Model 100, 26" barrels, IC/M, very nice condition. I know he didn't pay over $700.

Not sure if there are any "under valued doubleguns" out there anymore. Ocasionally you can find a Smith at a good deal. Even the old Stevens are selling at more than I would want to pay.
Unless you consider the new Turkish guns and I'm not sure how well they hold up.
Would like to hear from guys who have them though.

The Feg double barrels and the CZ/Brno's (not Turkish guns) are undervalued in my opinion, at least in Canada. Very nice examples can be had for $300.00 to $500.00.

Old W&C Scotts with hammers can often be found at the upper end of what you quoted. Provided the condition is there, they can be phenominal values.

Almost any French double that's not an Ideal or a Darne. I like both Ieals and Darnes too but they typically don't fall in the price range mentioned earlier.
Steve

and then there are the husqvarna guns, that seem to have appeared here recently and in large quantities...

Certainly from an English perspective it's boxlock non-ejectors. British ones are real bargins and Italian and Spanish ones go for next to nothing. I recently bought two Spanish double 12's in excellent condition for �30 each and sold them for �40. I even had chance of a nice Gow of Dundee double 12 boxlock ejector that I could have had for �300. Guns don't seem to be selling much in the lower end of the spectrum here and bargins abound. Anyone looking for good cheap English boxlock needs to hop across the Atlantic. Lagopus.....

In SouCal, fagedaboudit, especially right now.

Unless you encounter gross ignorance--not an ultra-rare commodity. I just bought a Valmet-made Savage-marked Model 333 O/U 12 for my son. New condition, except for a professionally installed pad. $450, inc. tax and background check fee (yes, Virginia, we aren't IN Virginia....) "Made in Turkey," said the dealer. Turkey's NEAR Finland, ain't it?

The CZ ZP BRNO's

If you are willing to do a little "sprucing up" on them a lot of good guns fall in that price range. I paid $225 for this gun.



All I had to do was repair all the damage, polish the action, rust blue the barrels, nitre blue the small parts, strip and refinish the stock and recut the checkering.
CHAZ

What make is that? Nice looking.

Chris, yer politics ain't right, but yer taste in guns is without blemish. Show'em a picture of that 16ga ZP I sold you and you re-did...Geo

It is a mid-50's Ugartechea SLNE. Made for the european market I am sure, marked "Bufalo model."

CHAZ

You can still find Flues Ithacas at low prices. My go to for the last twenty-five years has been a 16ga Flues choked IC and full. It was rough when I bought it in '88 and has been through the ringer so I started looking while wandering. Found a like new Flues 16ga choked cyl and full for $300.00. Retired the origional go to and replaced it with the more recent purchase. Couldn't believe the price from a dealer.

Price is a function of demand. The reason those guns sell in that range is that the size of demand is low.

The number of shooters who want those guns is a declining number and will likely continue to be so.

Yes there are some solid field grade guns out there that can be gotten at a great price. They will be shooters not collector guns as they will not likely grow in value. At the same time it is likely they will hold there value at the bottom of the market.

The top two CZ's are 12 gauge with the middle gun being an ejector gun with a bit fancier wood, straight grip stock and gold colored trigger guard. Both guns were $350.00 each. The bottom gun is a 16 gauge which are very hard to find here. It was around $600.00. To me, great guns for the value.

Simpson limited ( http://simpsonltd.com/ ) has a few of the BRNO's listed for sale right now in various states of "needing a hand."
Prices vary by condition 200-300.
CHAZ

Older Belgian double guns have ,in general, an unsavory reputation but there are good well made examples available as well.
I picked up this Hanquet 12 ga double for a song a couple of years ago and it has turned out to be a real jewel.
Jim

Unfired Ithaca SKB 200E so ga. w/ 28" barrels........... $900

Montgomery Ward Western Field, 12 ga., 32" barrels, very good condition................ $255



These were not private sales, but advertised. The SKB was bought at auction, the Western Field on Gunbroker.com

SRH

I'm almost tempted to not say, fearing posting to a board like this to cause the price of "undervalued" guns to jump.

But I'd say a lot of the Husqvarna SXS "hammerless" can be found in the $500 range. The wood and metal is almost always very plain, but the Swedish steels are second to none, and the craftsmanship and designs very sound. It is also easy to find one rigged for a sling, which I value for something I'm truly going to use in the wild bird fields.

Geo,

Yep, can't disagree with you there, my politics certainly isn't "right", but much to the left!

Here's my BRNO 16GA courtesy of Geo from a few years ago.




Jim (ISS) are those cocking indicators on that Belgium SXS?

With four lockup points I would think they would hold up well. Double underlugs; crossbolt and a lip on the end of the rib extension that gets cammed over.

I have two; a Dehaan and a Huglu branded that have seen a lot of use in 11-12 years. Right sear on one went bad, but that was after shooting a 50 year old box of ammo and noting later that almost ever primer was pierced which is probably what caused the problem with gritty residue blowing back into the action. The single trigger Huglu gun has been perfect.

Many 12 bore (extractor) Sterlingworths fall within ed's price range. They are well made and have nice handling characteristics. They commonly weigh from 7 to 7-1/4 pounds, relatively lightweight for an early 20th century American double.

Ithaca NIDs are probably the best value among American classics.

Grade 2 Parkers with Damascus barrels in 12 and 10 gauge are great classic guns and can be had for $1200 or less if you look.

V. Bernadellis would be close to the top of my list in this price range. Very nice examples are often sold around $1,000 in 12 bore. Exceptionally well done metal and good wood though generally very plain. Stock is secured with a through bolt. Many are often thought to be side locks when actually they are sideplated boxlocks cleverly disguised.

belgian guild guns made prior to ww1.

Parker field grade hammer guns and Remington hammer or hammer less SxS's can be had for under 1200. Also the Ithaca gun is great. Both the Remington and Ithaca guns are easy to work on.

I believe that Belgian and French guns from the 1920's can be good values for the dollar. Some reflect very good quality production for which little credit is given in the marketplace today. While many have short chambers reloading makes it easy to feed them.

Old Colonel:
I believe the Harquet Belgian double I posted earlier in this thread meets your criteria.
Jim

I agree, it does meet the criteria of a good quality gun for the money.

I know there were many Belgian guns exported to the US that do not, however I believe strongly that there are a number of good Belgian guns out there that are well worth the dollar. I have been very lucky over the years to find under-valued Belgian guns at a low price and I am happy to have purchased them. My only regret is there is only so much room in the safe.

All of Ithaca'a NIDs, still woefully undervalued but built to digest modern loads, within reason of course. This includes the most undervalued of guns, Ithaca's Nitro Special.