[Skans]

I own one machinegun, a Ruger AC556. I paid $2,400 for it sometime around 2002; well, you have to add $200 + another $180 or so for tax and transfer costs. In 10 years it has about tripled in value.

My gut tells me that machineguns are not "good" investments and I would be inclined to tell others to invest in something else. However, my little AC556 has proven to be a good investment, and a fun one as well.

I wouldn't worry about the laws too much when investing in machineguns. However, if you intend on shooting them, I would be worried about parts, barrel replacement and possible receiver cracking. Although, unlikely, these things can be very costly to repair or destroy your investment.

I would also have at least a 10 year horizon. Prices do slide backwards - I've seen this happen at least two, if not three times since I bought my AC556. Scarcity and higher cost of ammo will put downward pressure on prices. Also, you have to keep in mind that there are going to be less and less buyers as prices rise - not as many people looking to buy an AC556 at $8,000 as there were at $2,500; obviously there are still enough with plenty of money who want them at $8,000+ since they seem to be selling.

The biggest problem with buying machineguns as an investment is becoming too attached to the machinegun(s) you purchase and not wanting to sell them to get into other investments.