Invest in guns? Why Custom Guns Sell Better…

We’ve all tried to explain to our wives at some point that guns will make more money then they cost. Well here is some data for you to show her now to prove a point.

Is there a trend for depreciation, or appreciation, of firearms? Generally speaking, firearms will lose some of their value over time. However, when they reach antique status, the price will climb again. While the value of a gun may depreciate over time, it doesn’t lose as much value as goods in other industries. Gun (as well as ammo and accessory) prices will fluctuate based on a number of factors, including the current political climate and inflation.

With the midterm elections around the corner, I have no doubt that gun values will remain steady (perhaps even dip) or climb, depending on the outcomes. Firearms tend to appreciate in value under democrat regimes, and depreciate or remain constant under republican regimes. For instance, under the Obama administration, gun sales skyrocketed and have been in stead decline under Trump. The same holds true for the Clinton and Bush regimes. Both of these claims are reflected in this detailed report on gun sales statistics check out the University of Cincinnati.

Inflation can be loosely tied to the political climate as well. However, it is less about political affiliation, and more about economic stability. Regardless of whether the current president is a democrat, republican, or independent, gun prices typically track along the same lines as inflation. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is not comprehensive data on used firearm sales. If there is, I don’t think it breaks down firearm sales by make and model. I seriously doubt that data would account for any firearm accessories data associated with the sale. Furthermore, there is such a great degree of variance between sales for an abundance of reasons. I’ve listed some below:

• firearm care/maintenance
• haggling with the seller
• customization or accessories
• factory recalls
• and more!

However, for the sake of this article, I will use one of my own handgun for perspective. I will be talking about the purchase of my Sig Sauer P250 compact chambered in 9mm. This weapon was purchased from a gun show through an authorized vendor (i.e. not private sale), was new from the factory, and included an extra magazine. My pistol also has the glow in the dark (tritium) night sights, which can raise the value. I negotiated my price, so there is variance in pricing from that alone. However, all said and done the price was $422.00.

Bear in mind that this pistol is not old enough to be considered an antique. I’ve looked around the internet to find comparable prices, and they generally hover around the $300-$400 range used (approximately 71%-94%), which is slightly higher than I expected. Because my weapon was purchased new from the factory, I will be doing an apples to apples comparison of prices. Currently a new gun similar to the one I purchased appears to be going for around $649.00. Upon further investigation, this firearm is no longer available from the manufacturer, which could be the reason for a price spike. I’ll discuss gun appreciation in a later section.