Is the market for custom beautiful wood-stocked and blued rifles dying out?

[Condorcet]

In trying to determine values for some beautiful rifles in my collection, I've been told many times that the market for such rifles is just simply dying out. Putting a beautiful Al Biesen Model 70 on the market in .300 Win Mag guaranteed a bidding war and a surprisingly high price tag.

These days, I am told I'll be lucky to get a couple grand for it simply because the old farts that value such fine firearms are simply dying off.

Everyone wants composite stocks, fluted barrels, 6lb rifles, and the latest and greatest wildcat cartridge that offers another 75 fps at 500 yards.

I know that's what I like in a hunting rifle. But I am also growing fonder of the old-school beautiful custom wood stock, tasteful engraving and metal work, and matte-finish bluing in a traditional caliber. But I'm 54, which is approaching old fart territory.

So, are today's younger shooters going to grow older and start to appreciate the finer custom rifles, or are these rifles simply going to be relegated to museums?

I'm 72 and won't settle for anything less than blued steel and wood stocks. It helps that I was willing to settle for
Interarms Mark X rifles as well as the same rifles branded with the manufacturers name, Zastava. The last two I bought (Zastavas) a few years ago were less than $450 each. They were part of an import shipment from a gun club in Germany, I believe. Zastava has a U.S. website and still imports these Mark X style rifles as the model LK-M70.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

In trying to determine values for some beautiful rifles in my collection, I've been told many times that the market for such rifles is just simply dying out. Putting a beautiful Al Biesen Model 70 on the market in .300 Win Mag guaranteed a bidding war and a surprisingly high price tag.

These days, I am told I'll be lucky to get a couple grand for it simply because the old farts that value such fine firearms are simply dying off.

Everyone wants composite stocks, fluted barrels, 6lb rifles, and the latest and greatest wildcat cartridge that offers another 75 fps at 500 yards.

I know that's what I like in a hunting rifle. But I am also growing fonder of the old-school beautiful custom wood stock, tasteful engraving and metal work, and matte-finish bluing in a traditional caliber. But I'm 54, which is approaching old fart territory.

So, are today's younger shooters going to grow older and start to appreciate the finer custom rifles, or are these rifles simply going to be relegated to museums?

I'm 27 and own this custom-ish Remington 700 in 25-06. It's got a McGowen Precision 26in 1-7.5 twist Light Palma barrel that's threaded. It's a factory Remington receiver and bolt with a Timmney trigger. The bottom metal is an aluminum Pacific Tool and Gauge model. The pic rail is a 20 moa Weaver USA made rail.

It's got a factory new old stock Remington walnut stock that dad and I hand sanded to make it fit. I put some Tung Oil on it and it really pops.

 

[Mosin77]

Most of the guns I own are blued steel and walnut. I’m also not afraid to get my guns wet or dirty if necessary (though I take care of my stuff, more than most.) BUT there’s undeniable utility to a more modern gun with modern finishes or alloys, polymer furniture, etc. These are popular for a reason. They perform better and are generally cheaper, too. I think there’s still a market for pretty, traditional, hunting rifles, but I think that market is smaller now than it was a dozen years ago and getting smaller yet.

I’ve advised selling the Al Biesen gun, before. That said, I don’t see it in the same way I see a typical nice model 700 or model 70. A custom rifle like that is an expression of the gunmakers art and a piece of Americana. It will always be worth money. However, right now there are still guys, retired guys with money to spend but not too old that they have no interest any more, who know who that smith was, and were avid fans of Jack O’Connor. As they fade from the picture, I have to think demand for that sort of rifle will soften too. It’s not true that guns “never go down in value.” Civil war guns are very soft compared to a decade + ago. So are a lot of double barreled shotguns.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

The market is probably about the same I think. I don't think there ever was a time when beautiful custom rifles with high-grade bluing and figured, checkered wood was the standard. That was always too expensive for most.

It's just that the base rifle is no longer blued steel and walnut, but synthetic and stainless or Cerakote/DLC/PVD coated. I think 40 years ago all the hunting rifles on the rack would have been blued steel and walnut, but not 'beautiful' blued steel and walnut, just sort of matte blued and wood of no particularly good quality or figure. Simply because those were the standard and least expensive materials at the time. Now polymer is much cheaper and from a functional standpoint, better, and machine tools are better, so machining stainless is easier than having a separate bluing tank with all the chemicals so involved. So the market reflects that.

I also will confess that it grinds my gears a little bit because sometimes people in these sorts of threads have the implication that their way and their preferences in shooting are the only correct ones. I am only 37. I really love blued or parkerized guns with wood stocks and character. I also really love stainless guns with character, and I love polymer guns for their functionality, which is a sort of character in itself. I don't look down on anyone else's preferences or think that what I like is anything other than just one guy's opinion.

EDIT: I will also say that I'm the old man in so many parts of my life that I also really enjoy coming onto the gun forums and being half the age of the average user.

 

[jdsingleshot]

Only plastic stock I ever owned was on a Daisy BB gun. I eventually replaced that with wood.

I feel the same way about modern shooting machines as I do about modern folding knives. They all look like they are part of a Lego set or are made for robots to use. And the knives are hard on the hand in use.

I have made abut a dozen walnut stocks for my long guns. I could never sell them for what they are worth to me. I hope some of my grandchildren will show an interest so I will know whom to leave them to.

The guy holding the Springfield 94 B is not me, it's the guy I sold it to.

 

[3Crows]

The plastic boat paddle Ruger in Win Mag and resplendent in stainless steel is a grail gun. It is freaking beautiful!

 

[someguy2800]

People buy side by side UTV's that cost $20,000 and nobody thinks anything of it. Same for $100,000 SUV's. Somehow though a $10,000 rifle is an extravagance that only the wealthy can afford. I could afford to save up and buy a $10,000 rifle if it was important enough to me, as could most working middle class people.

 

[someguy2800]

The plastic boat paddle Ruger in Win Mag and resplendent in stainless steel is a grail gun. It is freaking beautiful!

I had a one in 338 win mag briefly. I thought it was really neat looking, but the shape of the grip did not work for me at all.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I like quality guns of all types - if they are functional.
I also like lesser quality guns that do what they are supposed to do.
Custom guns are only custom for those that order them from the customizer or customize the gun for themselves.
It does not especially interest me if the customization merely makes the gun prettier.
What excites me is when the customization improves the function of the gun in question.
If it works better or is more accurate then I can forgive a bit of plastic or stainless steel... .

 

[.308 Norma]

The plastic boat paddle Ruger in Win Mag and resplendent in stainless steel is a grail gun. It is freaking beautiful!

Mine was a .223, and it was one of the few guns I regret selling.
As I've said before though, my wife got herself a .22-250, and I just couldn't stand the fact that my wife was shooting a faster varmint rifle than what I was shooting. So, I sold my boat paddle Ruger .223 and bought a Kimber (I don't know the model number) .22-250. At least my Kimber .22-250 is still stainless with a synthetic stock.

 

[codytrucker]

There is a market for fine rifles , you just need to find where it is to advertise and find interested parties . A place like Mark Marks Lambo in a gun shop thread . You wouldn't try to sell a luxury car down at Crazy Fred's used wrecks and expect top dollar . You would probably get more interest at a site geared to a more upscale lifestyle , like Africa hunting .com .

 

[Hookeye]

I recently discovered Merkel makes an over under rifle.
B4 in .308 win would be super cool.
Appears a new one is maybe 10K.
Too much for my wallet.
Still cool though.

 

[Show Me]

Market didn't dry up the money did

 

[film495]

if it is nice, there is a market for it. I don't know what that rifle is, but it is easy to search sold items on gunbroker to get a rough idea of what things sell for. condition is hard to determine online, but - it gives a rough idea.

 

[Trey Veston]

if it is nice, there is a market for it. I don't know what that rifle is, but it is easy to search sold items on gunbroker to get a rough idea of what things sell for. condition is hard to determine online, but - it gives a rough idea.

That's just it; you can't find a Jim Zahm rifle for sale on Gunbroker, or Guns America. I have found some Al Biesen rifles for sale and they went for between $5500 and $7500. I have two of them and one is hopefully going to stay in the family for generations.

I simply don't need ANY of these rifles as I was a simple man that believed in one or two do-it-all rifles for big game. but they are so beautiful and well-crafted that I hate the thought of parting with any of them. I thought for sure I would sell the Ruger #1 in .375 H&H Mag. Then my brother said he has always wanted a #1 in a big cartridge, so now I am thinking of giving it to him for Christmas. Then I was definitely going to sell the .220 Swift. Until I realized it was built by Jim Zahm. Now I don't know what it is worth. I don't have a need for the 1903 Springfield sniper rifle, but it is cool as heck. Same with the CMP Garand. The Pedersoli muzzleloader was going to go, then I realized that I didn't own a muzzleloader and might want to have one of the most accurate ones ever made in the safe. I am selling the two shotguns; a 28ga SKB side by side worth around $1500, and a Winchester Model 51 12ga worth around $7500. I will still have the custom Ruger Red Label 12 gauge for pheasants.

The Mel Smart built Model 70 in .35 Whelen with one of his early Accu-Bond stocks on it might go, but again I have no idea what it's worth. $2500? Or $17k? I have seen very few rifles of this quality for sale, so figuring values is challenging.

 

[Mick Boon]

Until recently I was not interested in anything with plastic stocks. Nowadays with what I see on the horizon I don't think what a rifle looks like is important, what is important is how it performs. Nothing else matters.

 

[Hookeye]

Even if you don't "need" em, if ya like em, keep em

 

[Chuck R.]

People buy side by side UTV's that cost $20,000 and nobody thinks anything of it. Same for $100,000 SUV's. Somehow though a $10,000 rifle is an extravagance that only the wealthy can afford. I could afford to save up and buy a $10,000 rifle if it was important enough to me, as could most working middle class people.

Just for a reference, the last couple rifles I had put together were just north of $3K each, before adding glass.

Even with my .MIL discount, Manners stocks are over $700 for a hunting/sporter stock, Bartlein barrels are over $400, then there's the smith work to put it all together.

Like anything, it's a question of disposable income and priorities.

 

[Mick Boon]

Just for a reference, the last couple rifles I had put together were just north of $3K each, before adding glass.

Even with my .MIL discount, Manners stocks are over $700 for a hunting/sporter stock, Bartlein barrels are over $400, then there's the smith work to put it all together.

Like anything, it's a question of disposable income and priorities.

Times are changing.

 

[Chuck R.]

Times are changing.

and hopefully most of us can except it, while others will spend countless hours shifting between biatching about what used to be, and sitting on the porch shaking their fists at the kids on their lawn...

 

[someguy2800]

Market didn't dry up the money did

When I go to the lake in my old boat and there are 100 new boats each costing $50-100k running around, and the lake is surrounded by $500k-1m houses with $200k worth of cars parked in the driveway, I tend to think there seams to be plenty of money around. Same for when I go to the racetrack with my home built race car and there are 100 cars with $40k engines in the pits. And half of them have a $30k trailer pulled by a $300k motorhome and a $20k UTV or smart car to push them around the pits. Me thinks the problem is not money but that people with the money are just not interested in rifles. Or maybe the banks don’t give loans for Holland and Hollands.

If Griffin and Howe could sell as many rifles as Supra and Malibu sells wakeboats, they would have to build a new factory to keep up.

 

[Mick Boon]

When I go to the lake in my old boat and there are 100 new boats each costing $50-100k running around, and the lake is surrounded by $500k-1m houses with $200k worth of cars parked in the driveway, I tend to think there seams to be plenty of money around. Same for when I go to the racetrack with my home built race car and there are 100 cars with $40k engines in the pits. And half of them have a $30k trailer pulled by a $300k motorhome and a $20k UTV or smart car to push them around the pits. Me thinks the problem is not money but that people with the money are just not interested in rifles. Or maybe the banks don’t give loans for Holland and Hollands.

There is a lot of debt around too, more debt than money I suspect.

 

[Show Me]

There is a lot of debt around too, more debt than money I suspect.

I like to say too many people making too much money. But blue collar workers I know have used stuff and glad to have it. Fix it yourself and keep going.

 

[Mosin77]

When I go to the lake in my old boat and there are 100 new boats each costing $50-100k running around, and the lake is surrounded by $500k-1m houses with $200k worth of cars parked in the driveway, I tend to think there seams to be plenty of money around. Same for when I go to the racetrack with my home built race car and there are 100 cars with $40k engines in the pits. And half of them have a $30k trailer pulled by a $300k motorhome and a $20k UTV or smart car to push them around the pits. Me thinks the problem is not money but that people with the money are just not interested in rifles. Or maybe the banks don’t give loans for Holland and Hollands.

If Griffin and Howe could sell as many rifles as Supra and Malibu sells wakeboats, they would have to build a new factory to keep up.

I think you hit the nail on the head… the people with money are spending it on a status symbol lifestyle boat or side-by-side/UTV toys rather than a nice rifle… can’t show off the rifle at the local turkey shoot these days like you could in 1824.

And I suspect it’s dramatically easier to get a loan for a bike/boat/trailer/etc compared to a Purdey.

High end guns just don’t have the conspicuous-consumption marketing behind them. There are plenty of people who can afford them, they just choose to spend their money elsewhere.

 

[Trey Veston]

Until recently I was not interested in anything with plastic stocks. Nowadays with what I see on the horizon I don't think what a rifle looks like is important, what is important is how it performs. Nothing else matters.

Couldn't disagree more, and I suspect you don't actually believe that either. Paint that AR in your pic pink with glitter and unicorn stickers and I think you'd have walk back that statement. It's also interesting that you chose to post a picture of the rifle and not of the targets it's capable of. If performance is what's important, then why post a pic of the rifle and not it's performance? Because the appearance of a rifle does matter, at least a little bit, to everyone.