I am considering purchasing a used 12 gauge sidelock in the $4k to $6k range preferably with 29"-30" barrels.I intend to use in the field, at vintage events and informal clay shooting. It would be nice if it had "decent" engraving and wood.
After an extensive search of online resources and advertisements, it appears that I might purchase either an old Birmingham (non-London) gun or a lightly used AyA or Arrieta Spanish entry-level gun. Both options would suffice.
I have to consider functionality and resale value at some point. I can't afford to buy high and sell low.
Assuming I can find one of each with similar configurations, which would you choose and most importantly WHY?
Focusing on the original question; while the LC Smith is an option as an American SLE, like other varieties of Brit, Belgian, German, and Spanish SLEs, it is an acquired taste. I have owned good LC Smith's in the past to include a pre-13 20ga 5E. They are good guns. That said to get to the higher grade LCs it can get expensive fast and given the original poster's price range of $4-6k, it would be difficult to achieve that.
Further the original poster seems to state he is looking primarily to Birmingham and Spanish SLEs. The challenge in his objective is a desire to sustain resale value. The reality has been stated on this website before; "you make the money on the purchase price." Experience has taught me that unless something unusual happens I have made profits on guns only when I brought them below and not at their actual value. I have not seen gun values truly grow past inflation or even necessarily stay even with inflation.
Because resale is important to the buyer in this case (as a significant factor) In terms of configurations and what is important as a rule of thumb stay with mainstream features. Southgate/Baker Ejectors (because they are standard have fewer issues and are widely accepted) Stay with Double triggers (while many types of single triggers are good, on old guns they can be a nightmare and many buyers in the future will not look at your gun with single triggers) Stay away from sleeved barrels (because while many of us like them and do not mind them a bit, I would say the majority do not and selling a sleeved gun is harder than a non-sleeved gun). Make sure the barrels are of a more than acceptable thickness (thin tubes or borderline tubes are all over the place out there) Weight toward Holland and Holland style locks (other types are good, but the H&H style has great acceptance and thus easier resale). Lastly and most importantly, weight the price against the actual value (if resale in the near future -- I define near in this case as next five years -- then you must find a bargain price gun from a motivated seller)
Now that I have said all that, I can say I have not followed the criteria above because my main criteria over the years has been when I mount the gun does it feel right. Does it fit me in that it points to where I am looking? My second criteria is it mechanically sound gun. Lastly does it look good to me. If it meets those three criteria and it meets my final "can I afford it" criteria I buy. I do not buy to speculate, I buy to shoot and more than one member of this website has benefited from a discounted price from me so I can go do it again.
