Poised for Recession? Guns or Gold?

[Gunther]

While home sick, I have been researching the coming recession. With FDIC poised to bailout 100 banks and the derivitives market ready to implode the "experts" say buy gold and silver. But I think our guns will be the best investment. They will appreciate, you can defend yourself, and get food if the deer are still around, something hard to do with a gold bullion ingot. What do you think? Pay off the credit cards, buy gold/silver, buy ammo/guns? Hope this isn't off topic, I would really like to know what you all think. God Bless and pray for our Country.

 

[Redtail]

Get both.

 

[GW]

IMHO It's too late to buy gold since its about $940/oz now
That $940 could buy you a nice firearm and ammo that will definitely be a commodity in SHTF/depression scenarios.
Silver right now is over $19/oz (It was below $5/oz for Y2K) Drop a few hundred there if you must have precious metals. But for gold? You'll have to spend a lot of money for a little bit of metal. I say pass.

 

[WayneConrad]

get food if the deer are still around

The amount of land it takes to support a hunger/gatherer family is quite a bit, if I recall. It think it's on the order of square miles. Depends upon which part of the country. Here in the desert SouthWest, it's quite a lot.

And how much of the land that bambi is on already belongs to someone, or has someone nearby ready to claim it?

So.

How many people in this country are ready to live off of the land? How many bambis? How much land? And are you ready to go to war with them to eat? Take the land, even if someone else has claimed it? Then defend that land, and the critters on it, using deadly force? Because if someone poaches bambi from that land, you starve.

That's the end game of "I will take my rifle and live off the land if things get bad" in an industrial country. The math doesn't look good for that approach.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Gold is $955 spot right now so unless you expect a huge jump, it's pretty spendy. Last time I bought more gold, it was back in December for $792/oz.

Platinum is even worse, its hovering at $2105 right now. If you bought platinum a month earlier, it was just under $1600 and you'd be a very wealthy man right now.

$1000 in gold or $1000 in silver? They're both worth $1000. Silver is nice for hard currency if you're the type expecting a total economic collapse since the trade units are smaller so you could trade for goods/services much easier. Pre-65 90% silver coinage is nice too purely as backup trade units.

It's also more tangible than gold or platinum of similar value.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I thought it would be stupid to buy gold when it was up around $700/oz, couldn't go much higher! I think it's way too much now but with my luck it'll hit $3000/oz like in Molon Labe
Precious metals are a LOT less fun to play and train with than guns though...

 

[Tribal]

Are you looking at gold/silver as long-term investments or as SHTF investments? If the latter, you're better off buying .22 rifles and ammo. Gold's going to be worthless if we're all trying to survive.

 

[Geronimo45]

Gold's at an all-time high, I understand - I don't think it's a good idea to buy right now. I sold my piece in December, and prices haven't gone up a lot since. Prices are likely to go down again (as they have in the past). Guns? Not normally a great investment, unless you buy the cheap ones (S&Ws going for 200 a few years back run around 350 now). Pick up a few of the surplus CZs, some Mosins... they might appreciate. ARs might go up in price if Hillbama gets elected... at any rate, wouldn't be a bad idea to have a few to sell for a markup around Christmastime. You could get some of the bargin bin ARs from CMMG.

 

[Ed Ames]

Remember to adjust for inflation when you quote gold price records.

In 1980 gold hit about $850 an ounce... inflation adjusted that's $2400 in 2007 dollars.

If we're headed for 1980-level economic woes figure gold still has room to double...but that don't make it a good investment.

I'd suggest EuroBucks at this point.

 

[Just Jim]

If you have a pile of gold and need food then hope you bought small coins to trade. God only knows how this is going to end.

jj

 

[Eightball]

Guns have the potential to skyrocket in price after november, as do magazines and such.

A money-market mutual account would be the best non-gun investment, IMO. Or maybe silver.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

ARs might go up in price if Hillbama gets elected

[DREAM MODE]Or the Heller vs DC case will be ruled in favor of an individual right, we press on and get the hughes amendment stricken from the 1986FOPA, and we can buy real M4s for $1000 from the factory[/DREAM MODE]

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Ironically enough, class III owners will probably fight you because their auto collection would be worth zilch. I've seen that attitude before...full auto owners in favor of NOT de-regulating them, or not in favor of cracking open the registry again.

 

[catfish101]

There are some stainless steel options available.

 

[Jimmy Newman]

Ironically enough, class III owners will probably fight you because their auto collection would be worth zilch. I've seen that attitude before...full auto owners in favor of NOT de-regulating them, or not in favor of cracking open the registry again.

Many of the NFA owners I have talked to or heard about have said that they'd leap for joy the moment their collection lost $20K or $100K or $500K in value because FOPA just vanished.

 

[Geronimo45]

Some Class III people might fight it... but others'll probably be glad to see more come their way. After all, if you can afford to spend 10,000 or 20,000 on a gun, you've probably got quite a bit of discretionary income. The speculators in that field might scream over it, but I expect the majority of Class III folk would like it.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I have yet to hear a NFA owner opposed to it (or admit it). The "real ones" don't do it for the investment value. Would you mind if your $2000 gun suddenly dropped in value if you could get 10 newer guns of equal (or better) performance for $200 each?

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Here's my take:

1. Insulate the economy:
Keep your money moving in American based and American staffed companies and businesses that have integrity. Don't give in to MMs fear-mongering conspiracy*. No made in China junk.
Don't forecast (gamble) in any publicly traded AND subsidized companies that deserve to get nuked by their own stupidity, malice and mismangement. If things tighten up that much, they are going to be the first in line unless they are very intimate w/.gov .mil.

2. Insulate yourself:
Forget precious metals (too late). Get durable goods (see above), like guns, washers/dryers, water heaters, ovens, water-filtration, power-gen wind/solar/etc), tools, etc. Smaller durables for trade/barter if it all goes TU.
Improve/reinforce your house/land.
Don't over-save or squirrel cash away, if it goes down that badly, it's only good for wiping your behind or starting a fire. If you can't help but to be a squirrel, then stick away some (additional) long term food stuffs.

Money into hearty and deserving businesses will keep the worst from happening in the first place.

IMHO.

*sparing you the rich details.

 

[Daemon688]

Poor student = not investing. I'll keep buying my guns though and put myself in a tighter financial situation because I fear I will not be able to own certain guns after 08. Economy will have it's ups and downs but gun laws are unlikely to be changed in our favor.

 

[p2000sk]

Gold is heavier than lead, right?
So if you chose gold,
that peice could make someone a lump.
Pun intended

 

[ilcylic]

Neither, if you have any. Buy food. It's already getting more expensive, and will continue to do so.

But buy stuff you actually eat. And eat it, and replace it. Otherwise it's just an expensive purchase that goes bad.

Worst case scenario, food doesn't get outrageously expensive, and you eat a lot of similar meals over the next 5 years.

 

[Right Wing Wacko]

And they told me I was crazy for buying gold at $450/oz!

 

[ElToro]

a wise man once said, and I paraphrase here: "a man with gold and a man with a .44 met up ...the man with the .44 walked away with both"

that being said i loaded up on AU in 99 at 260-300 /oz and sold out around 500... doh !

i almost talked myslef backed into some last summer on the dip at 650.. double doh ! alway seemed to need something more important.

still have lots of junk silver though.

if you beleive in tru reconomic collapse get the a mortage fixed for as long as they will let you.. 40 years if you can.. when inflation is 20% and your fixed at 6, theyre paying you to keep that thing.

run up all your credit cards on guns and ammo and gold coins. make the minimum payments for at least a year then go bankrupt. they cant take your house and you can start over fresh with tradeable items. just keep making that house payment and tax payment to tht county assessor.

 

[teombe]

run up all your credit cards on guns and ammo and gold coins. make the minimum payments for at least a year then go bankrupt.

Isn't this contributing to the problem?

I think Gold at nearly $1K per ounce is overpriced for the amount of supply. Platinum at $2K per ounce is crazy!

Go for the guns. We're facing an uncertain political climate, so buy whatever you wanted to own soon.

 

[Slinky]

Guns, good luck finding someoone who will actually buy your gold coins at market price.

Guns also have a practical use and will retain their value as long as you take care of them.