Vern Humphrey
Member
A thing is worth what a willing buyer will offer and a willing seller will accept. Most of us would like high prices for our "customized" guns, but finding someone willing to offer those prices is the problem.
Sporterizing A Lee Enfield
- Thread starter Grubby
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Gordon
Member
A Number 4 and a Number 5 :
jimmyraythomason
Member
Absolutely true Vern however the owner must be WILLING to sell before ANY price is enough. I think what is being said here is that these sporters are worth more to their owners than what it cost to build them or what they COULD be sold for.
jimmyraythomason
Member
$100-$150?
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I think I could get more than that for this military sporter (Colombian M98 in .308) and this 30.06(Colombian M98) if I decided to sell them(which I won't). Except for the rebarreling I did it myself including D&T for scope and hot bluing on the .308. I did all of the work on the 30.06. Cost to build NEVER intered the picture nor did re-sale value.
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Vern Humphrey
Member
Oh, the sentemental value is very high, no doubt about it.
But I keep thinking of my neighbor's home -- he died a year ago, and his wife is trying to sell it. It's a beautiful house -- lots of oak paneling and trim and cabinetry (he was a cabiner maker), very high quality construction (they did much of it themselves), in a beautiful spot, with 57 acres of woodland. The widow is asking $379K -- and it's "worth" every penny.
But she hasn't found a buyer in a year now.
jimmyraythomason
Member
Yes ,it is a buyer's market in a down economy. If she is able to hold out she will eventually sell it for her asking price,provided the economy improves. I recently made a number of improvements to my home. After the latest appraisal it lost $20,000 in value. The appraiser said it was due to a downturn in the market due to the economy. Same with custom firearms. If you aren't totally rediculously overpricing,some-one will eventually pay your price (assuming good quality work). It all depends on how badly you want/need to sell.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Did I mention it's 3.5 miles down a county road, then 3/4 of a mile on a private road used by only one other family (mine)?
jimmyraythomason
Member
It seems that anyone looking for seclusion would jump at that!
Vern Humphrey
Member
It would have to be someone with $379,000 to spend.
jimmyraythomason
Member
Or VERY good credit!!
There are plenty who do. It is just getting those who do and are looking for a nice secluded home into contact with those who are willing to sell. Home sales are subject to the economy but guns are not (as a rule). People often buy guns on a whim not so with houses. I personally am more likely to buy a sporterized mil-surp,especially M98s or Enfields that have been well done than a plain Jane commercial rifle(I have those too).Vern Humphrey
Member
You can see the house here:
http://www.c21frankorrrealty.com/se...price_max=0&price_min=0&qry=&mode=office&la=1
It's the one listed for $379,500.
http://www.c21frankorrrealty.com/se...price_max=0&price_min=0&qry=&mode=office&la=1
It's the one listed for $379,500.
jimmyraythomason
Member
Vern,are you getting a sales commission?
Vern Humphrey
Member
Nope. But if she's successful at selling it, I am getting a neighbor, and why not get one that likes guns?
jimmyraythomason
Member
Good point! That's forward thinking at it's best! Now,what if your new neighbor likes to sporterize mil-surps?
Vern Humphrey
Member
Well, I have a couple of sporterized mil-surps, an M96 Swedish Mauser sporterized by Kimber, and worked over by me, with the addition of a Bold trigger, a walnut stock and a Weaver K2.5 scope.
And there's Bigfoot Wallace, my custom '03 Springfield built by C.W. Fitch of Phonenix in the late '60s or early '70s in .35 Brown-Whelen (the most radical form of the Whelen.) Now there was a man who knew how to build a rifle.
But keep your mitts off my two '03A3s.
BrocLuno
Member
In my neck of the wood, you'd have to move the decimal point over ($3M) to be even close to what property is going for. There are market disparities all over the country - some make sense and some do not. To bad there is no easy way to level the playing field a bit
But about rifle prices - it's like this - I know what the rifle means to me. As long as I'm still breathing and able to shoot, it's not going down in price. If I didn't want it, it wouldn't be in my safe. As long as I do want it, you have to have enough money in the deal to make me think about something else I want instead. It's not a commodity to me.
I like well done older mil-surp conversions. I know there are a lot less "surplus rifles" available now than there used to be. So even the bubba specials are starting to go up in price as a starting point for someone to build a new custom with. It's the building, playing, tuning and shooting that are the fun things. Buying and selling are not that much fun. Dealing commodities is not fun at all
You want my beater commuter car - offer me anything close to reasonable and it's yours. You want one of my rotor-tillers, same deal. You want one of my rifles - NOT the same deal. You try to talk about my rifles like they are beater commuter cars, there's the door, don't let it hit you ...
They may be tools of a certain kind, but they are not cars or chain saws, or leaf blowers, which are as common as fleas. None of my rifles are common models. If they are, they don't stay that way long
But about rifle prices - it's like this - I know what the rifle means to me. As long as I'm still breathing and able to shoot, it's not going down in price. If I didn't want it, it wouldn't be in my safe. As long as I do want it, you have to have enough money in the deal to make me think about something else I want instead. It's not a commodity to me.
I like well done older mil-surp conversions. I know there are a lot less "surplus rifles" available now than there used to be. So even the bubba specials are starting to go up in price as a starting point for someone to build a new custom with. It's the building, playing, tuning and shooting that are the fun things. Buying and selling are not that much fun. Dealing commodities is not fun at all
You want my beater commuter car - offer me anything close to reasonable and it's yours. You want one of my rotor-tillers, same deal. You want one of my rifles - NOT the same deal. You try to talk about my rifles like they are beater commuter cars, there's the door, don't let it hit you ...
They may be tools of a certain kind, but they are not cars or chain saws, or leaf blowers, which are as common as fleas. None of my rifles are common models. If they are, they don't stay that way long
jimmyraythomason
Member
Perhaps we have just found THAT person!
Gordon
Member
BrocLuno is correct. It is possible for me to sell my little ranch cheap to Daughter and have that kind of cash. The property taxes are one FIFTH of what they are here! The huge shop makes me wet my drawers! I could live OK on my Miltary retirement and SS and my wifes SS until the crooks give all the $ away .
I have a lot of milsurps, maybe 20 , plus 120 others. That and everything of value in the household could fit in my 50 ' sea container I use for a man cave and just have it shipped! Now the almost insurmountable problem would be to tear my wife away from her family by 2500+ miles into the beautiful sticks in a free state!
I have a lot of milsurps, maybe 20 , plus 120 others. That and everything of value in the household could fit in my 50 ' sea container I use for a man cave and just have it shipped! Now the almost insurmountable problem would be to tear my wife away from her family by 2500+ miles into the beautiful sticks in a free state!
jimmyraythomason
Member
Hmmm...wasn't this thread about Enfields or something?
BrocLuno
Member
Yeah, but it was about converted rifles too. And folks who like conversions tend to wander off the beaten track
jimmyraythomason
Member
Yes we do.
GunnyUSMC
Member
I have read many post that have blamed Bubba for the crimes commited against Enfields.
But it was not always Bubba and his evil doings that caused those poor Enfields to suffer.
Lets go back to 1965 and see how things were.
Here in an ad from a '65 gun magazine Enfield #4 Sporters for $26.95 and one in military dress for $18.95.
As you can see, sporterized endfield rifles sold for almost twice the price of one still in military dress.
So you can see that Bubba didn't have to chop up a rifle, someone else was doing it for him.
Most offten it was not Bubba buying the sporterized rifles. We know that he was cheap and would not spend the extra money. It was the guy with the extra cash that was buying them.
You must understand that during this same time a new hunting rifle sold from $80 to $150. Money was still tight amoung blue collor workers. A nice sporterized military rifle for $27 was a heck of a deal.
So lets not be so quick to blame Bubba for all the sporterized rifles out there, just the ugly ones.
Now lets get back to today.
Most Enfield sporters will not bring more then $200. Yes there a few out there, but they are far and few inbetween.
On the other hand an Enfield in military dress, now days, will sell for $200 to $400.
Here is the math. Back in 1965 there were many military dress Enfields and not many people wanted them that way, so they were cheap.
Now days there few Enfields in military dress and collectors are looking for them, so the price goes up.
I have 11 enfields. Five of which I have restored to military dress.
But it was not always Bubba and his evil doings that caused those poor Enfields to suffer.
Lets go back to 1965 and see how things were.
Here in an ad from a '65 gun magazine Enfield #4 Sporters for $26.95 and one in military dress for $18.95.
As you can see, sporterized endfield rifles sold for almost twice the price of one still in military dress.
So you can see that Bubba didn't have to chop up a rifle, someone else was doing it for him.
Most offten it was not Bubba buying the sporterized rifles. We know that he was cheap and would not spend the extra money. It was the guy with the extra cash that was buying them.
You must understand that during this same time a new hunting rifle sold from $80 to $150. Money was still tight amoung blue collor workers. A nice sporterized military rifle for $27 was a heck of a deal.
So lets not be so quick to blame Bubba for all the sporterized rifles out there, just the ugly ones.
Now lets get back to today.
Most Enfield sporters will not bring more then $200. Yes there a few out there, but they are far and few inbetween.
On the other hand an Enfield in military dress, now days, will sell for $200 to $400.
Here is the math. Back in 1965 there were many military dress Enfields and not many people wanted them that way, so they were cheap.
Now days there few Enfields in military dress and collectors are looking for them, so the price goes up.
I have 11 enfields. Five of which I have restored to military dress.
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