[quote=muchatrucha]Yes, price is an issue since I'm a working stiff. I've lost money on every gun I've sold. Sometimes a significant amount. I can chalk some of this up to the learning curve. But now I'd like to follow another course, and at least not lose too much. I understand that purchasing a quality SxS is not a wise investment strategy. /quote]

Except for an exceptional few, guns are not a wise investment strategy.

Books can be written reference the loss of money on gun trading; and I have done it alot. This maybe a small comfort, but I have come to look at the loss on a sale as the rent for owning it it. The accepatability of the loss is measured in relation to how much I enjoyed it (purely subjective) and how badly I want the next thing I am getting (again subjective). In selling guns recently I took a bath (more than $1.5k), I compare it to the $3,000 I will spend on my son's college graduation weekend from William & Mary on plane tickets and hotels and it does not seem as much. Lord knows I got more pleasure out of the six guns than I will the graduation weekend, and the pleasure I have already gotten just beginning to learn about double rifles and reloading for them is worth the $1.5k rent. That does not include the pleasure of shooting them.

Approaching the potential loss as rent on the purchasing will help you focus on the gun itself, the feel of it, the use of it. I realize there are collectors who enjoy the pleasure of having nice or unusual stuff and I have my retriever club pins, other dog club pins, and quail plantation pins addiction; but on guns I try to keep a utility factor in what I buy and what I hold onto. Utility as a consideration helps keep me from extremes.

I once was building a 16ga collection in which I was trying to purchase one of each type of action and samples of all the major makers in the US and some English. I woke up one day and realized there was only one or two guns that ever left my safe for other than show and tell. I was being weighted down by all the stuff while not getting enough pleasure back for the cost of the pile. Most of the stuff was owned just to have one and not something I wanted to shoot. All was a big mistake. We go through cycles in our lives and most of us will learn through our own mistakes instead of those of others.

The hunt for the right gun is an adventure and pleasure in itself. It should include learning as much as possible about the gun, its mechanics, and its history. It should include a great deal of internet exploring to look at comparable guns (note the prices on the internet are often the asking and not what they sell or sold for). The hunt will help you learn what to value so the rent is well spent.

When going to buy the SLE do not buy it online without a physical inspection. Feel is personal and when spending big dollars the price of a mistake is too high. Going to a major event (gun show, vintage shoot) is a good technique, but you have to go with clear purpose, specifications, and limits. The most important limit is that if the deal is not the exact right one, you leave with no gun at all. The greatest skill to master in gun buying is the ability to pass on a purchase.


Michael Dittamo
Topeka, KS