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[vta]

i use to spend my money on computer gadgets, cars and boats. Guns might not necssarily be a good investment but it is the best hobby to have if you are tired of throwing money down a drain.

buy a $2k+ 1911 and a Glock 21. Shoot the hell out of the Glock 21 and keep the 1911 in the safe and fondle it in the living room when you want. Just don't put any idiot scratches on it.

[Thefeeder]

Depends on who makes the pistol and what model it is when it comes to collectibility or desirability. You have to factor in inflation as well. If someone bought a particular gun way back when it was $60 it may seem like a good investment if people would pay a few hundred dollars for that gun now. However when you look at inflation $60 might be the equivalent of a few hundred in today's money. That having been said there are some guns that have appreciated very well over the years. Look at the SKS for instance. Or if you want to see something that has really increased in value look at the 1903 bolt action rifle. So yeah, do your homework and find out what is in demand if you are looking to make some money off of it. You'll probably never get rich but I suppose you can make a few bucks. Honestly, the biggest return on your investment will probably be hours of fun at the range.

If you are looking to buy new factory guns then I would say no. Probably not going to get you any money. If a gun is used, unless it is collectible, then it will typically fetch less than factory new. I'd go more in the direction of C&Rs.

Guns are profitable as investments, not the best of investments. But why not turn a buck to help upgrade your toys. If your losing money when you sell....It was a bad buy to begin with.

You need to know your stuff , just like anything else in life.

[ih8ca]

There is an old saying you make money when you buy not when you sell. If you buy right you can make money. You just need to study the market, I have been very lucky to have a good friend own a pawnshop and give me first crack at insane prices. It is a 0buyers market right now. I would be aggressive right now.

[Synergy]

There is an old saying you make money when you buy not when you sell. If you buy right you can make money. You just need to study the market, I have been very lucky to have a good friend own a pawnshop and give me first crack at insane prices. It is a 0buyers market right now. I would be aggressive right now.

It is a buyers market and cash is king! If another buying frenzy happens like when Obama came into office. Then if you have bought low then you have room to sell high.

[mrlightning559]

I think a 1911 is better than most since dveryones crazy over them

[Günter]

I won't consider investing on most modern handguns be profitable, unless the gun becomes unique/rare/discontinued/banned. Otherwise, once you buy and shoot it, the value will go down, having said that though, if kept in good condition you can redeem a good portion (~75%) of the original price - Which is great, considering selling a 2 year old PC will likely get you less than half the original price. So most used modern guns wont increase in value, but they hold a good portion of their value better than most hobby equipments.

The really profitable guns are the old rare C&R type weapons kept in good condition that were originally purchased cheap decades ago and currently are in limited supply and high in demand. These guns will likely be stored as safe queens instead of shooters if resale value is the main concern for owning them.

[vta]

I would tend to agree that guns, in general are not good investments compared with traditional (real estate, stocks, bonds, etc) investments. If you buy one and sell it and make $$$, great !

As an example, I bought a Colt Series 80 Combat Commander in 1985, for $395 + tax.
That same amount, invested in 1985 and growing at 3% interest (compounded annually) would be worth $827 today. My Colt has been shot through the years, but I could probably only get $775-$800 or so for it today.

umm. i think that series 80 is actually a pretty good investment. compare that with 1985 real estate today and you will know what i mean. especially since it requires hardly any maintenance and no property taxes every year.

[doc540]

really depends on how one defines "investment"

[bombadillo]

Spend it on .45acp ammo instead. I pretty much guarantee your investment will go up drastically!

[Miltiades]

Colt 1911s as investments

There are pros and cons to Colt 1911s as investments. I first became interested in Colt 1911s in the late 1960s, when I got into handgun shooting and was visiting gun stores to look at what was available. Colts were perhaps the leading brand of handguns then (along with S&W), and you could buy a pre-Series 70 Gold Cup for about $150 to $200.

Thirty years later, in the late 1990s, I decided to buy several Gold Cups and keep them in my safe just to look at. Most of them were selling in the $600 to $900 range by then, depending on type, age, condition, etc. This was before the CA "list", and you could buy guns on Gunbroker and bring them into the state without a problem. I probably bought about 10 Gold Cups over the course of 15 months, and still have 5 of them. A couple of them were unfired and I have kept them unfired. Others were already used but in excellent condition, so I have used them at the range myself.

All of them have appreciated in value, based on current sales of similar guns. For example, a Series 70 in factory nickel was bought for $750 in 1969 and is probably worth at least $1500 today, so it has doubled in value. A Series 80 "Elite" two tone in .38 Super was bought in 1969 for $900 and is probably worth $1800 today, so it has also doubled over 11 years. These are shown below.

As investments these have been good, and certainly comparable or better than most stocks or real estate over that period. The question is whether this past rate of appreciation will continue into the future.