The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

BigJimP · December 24, 2009, 02:49 PM

I think some of the used guns I see - are older shooters - deciding to sell some guns, put them on consignment because the expense of shooting is going up all the time ( cost of shells, targets, ammo on handguns, etc ) that some of them, especially on fixed incomes or in bad health, are giving up on the shooting sports - which is kind of sad.

I also think shooters with kids, grandkids - aren't really passing on their guns to members of the family - because the kids don't have much interest in the shooting sports. Young guys in my family are really busy with jobs, family etc - and don't have the spare time ( a lot of young families are struggling financially ) both adults working, etc ........and families aren't raised in the woods or fields - hunting and fishing these days ..so kids aren't exposed to hunting like we were in the 50's...

The saddest thing I see - is young guys coming into sell their dads or grandpa's gun - because they need the money ...and they don't appreciate what they have .... Or they don't want the old model 12 pumps, or evening a Browning BPS pump with nice wooden stocks ....they want an 870 Tacti-Cool ... or cammo something ....or a Glock or Springfield XD ....

Gun clubs in some areas are disappearing / so less places to shoot Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays - let alone to hunt --- and driving 30 min, or maybe up to an hour each way, with gas prices what they are - are discouraging shooting as well....

But I also see more higher end guns on consignment too - Perazzi, Krieghoff, higher end Beretta's and Brownings too / where guys are just shooting one gun now / and giving up their extra guns .... mostly because they see the prices on new guns going up all the time/so they know they can make a few bucks and offset the cost of their own shooting.

So I guess its a little bit of everything in my area at least / which is really a big city environment these days ....but my hunch is, its different in rural areas.

When we travel - gun shops, antique stores, etc are on our browsing list - and I do see more big game rifles in states like Montana and Wyoming, and more "working man's or utilitarian models" in hunting communities / where in the cities, I see a broader mix of higher end guns ....

I don't know what the future of the shooting sports are / the last big registered Skeet up here ....only had 18 registered shooters .../sporting clays shoots still bring out about 75 - 90 shooters up here - but we live in a greater population of over a Million .....Trap isn't much better but a little higher prize money brings out the "money shooters". Handgun tournaments are about the same ........

The good side of this / lots of stuff around for shooters and collectors to pick from: the pawn shop I frequent has about 200 handguns, about 100 rifles. and about 100 shotguns ......on the shotgun side, he has a new Browning 625 12ga for $3,000 - an older Diana grade for about $4K, a Perazzi MX?? for about $5K, a Krieghoff K-80 but 26"barrels and full set of tubes for about $ 8K .... some Purdy's, etc / probably 20 semi-autos Benelli, Rem, etc / maybe 30 tactical shotguns ...and he'll order whatever you want for 10 - 20% over wholesale, depends on how good a customer you are .... and he's been telling me for 6 months he has an estate sale coming in, with about 50 S&W and colt revolvers alledgedly in it ( I've already spoken for any model 27's and 29's S&W's that show up ) ...

But that's what I think and see up here ....

December 24, 2009, 02:49 PM	#9
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I think some of the used guns I see - are older shooters - deciding to sell some guns, put them on consignment because the expense of shooting is going up all the time ( cost of shells, targets, ammo on handguns, etc ) that some of them, especially on fixed incomes or in bad health, are giving up on the shooting sports - which is kind of sad. I also think shooters with kids, grandkids - aren't really passing on their guns to members of the family - because the kids don't have much interest in the shooting sports. Young guys in my family are really busy with jobs, family etc - and don't have the spare time ( a lot of young families are struggling financially ) both adults working, etc ........and families aren't raised in the woods or fields - hunting and fishing these days ..so kids aren't exposed to hunting like we were in the 50's... The saddest thing I see - is young guys coming into sell their dads or grandpa's gun - because they need the money ...and they don't appreciate what they have .... Or they don't want the old model 12 pumps, or evening a Browning BPS pump with nice wooden stocks ....they want an 870 Tacti-Cool ... or cammo something ....or a Glock or Springfield XD .... Gun clubs in some areas are disappearing / so less places to shoot Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays - let alone to hunt --- and driving 30 min, or maybe up to an hour each way, with gas prices what they are - are discouraging shooting as well.... But I also see more higher end guns on consignment too - Perazzi, Krieghoff, higher end Beretta's and Brownings too / where guys are just shooting one gun now / and giving up their extra guns .... mostly because they see the prices on new guns going up all the time/so they know they can make a few bucks and offset the cost of their own shooting. So I guess its a little bit of everything in my area at least / which is really a big city environment these days ....but my hunch is, its different in rural areas. When we travel - gun shops, antique stores, etc are on our browsing list - and I do see more big game rifles in states like Montana and Wyoming, and more "working man's or utilitarian models" in hunting communities / where in the cities, I see a broader mix of higher end guns .... I don't know what the future of the shooting sports are / the last big registered Skeet up here ....only had 18 registered shooters .../sporting clays shoots still bring out about 75 - 90 shooters up here - but we live in a greater population of over a Million .....Trap isn't much better but a little higher prize money brings out the "money shooters". Handgun tournaments are about the same ........ The good side of this / lots of stuff around for shooters and collectors to pick from: the pawn shop I frequent has about 200 handguns, about 100 rifles. and about 100 shotguns ......on the shotgun side, he has a new Browning 625 12ga for $3,000 - an older Diana grade for about $4K, a Perazzi MX?? for about $5K, a Krieghoff K-80 but 26"barrels and full set of tubes for about $ 8K .... some Purdy's, etc / probably 20 semi-autos Benelli, Rem, etc / maybe 30 tactical shotguns ...and he'll order whatever you want for 10 - 20% over wholesale, depends on how good a customer you are .... and he's been telling me for 6 months he has an estate sale coming in, with about 50 S&W and colt revolvers alledgedly in it ( I've already spoken for any model 27's and 29's S&W's that show up ) ... But that's what I think and see up here ....