The Recession must be getting serious!!!

[Deaf Smith]

Gang,

About two months ago I ran into a Ruger Security Six, blue, 4 inch, tight, little wear on the finish, and a low back. Yes made in 1974. For $289. Tax included it was $302.

Well just today I ran into ANOTHER low back. Blue, 2 3/4 inch, Secrurity Six, also tight. This one for $325.

Of course I plunked down $100 lay-away and I'll pick it up next month.

So what gives? At gun shows I NEVER see a Ruger SS in any form nowdays. But here in not two months a pair of low backs!

Has Obama's recession now come to Texas in a big way?

Deaf

 

[Cosmoline]

I got my latest short Six for $300 with a minor problem (slightly bent extractor rod that had unscrewed). I suspect that sale was related to economic conditions.

Also saw a guy unload a minty Python for $600. That one didn't last long enough for me to get it.

 

[ThePunisher'sArmory]

Times are tough guys. I was laid off for about 8 monthes till I found another job. Now I'm working 2 part time jobs. Perhaps I'm an extremeist but I would rather sell everything in the house before my guns, ammo, and bed. Especially given this state of the nation.

 

[Hondo 60]

Doesn't sound like an extremist to me.
Sounds like a smart survivalist.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I'm not sure where you're from, but yes, the recession has hit and hit hard (even in my area where we have rarely had much of a recession in the past). It doesn't show in used gun prices here much, though. I thought there would be a few nice used revolvers hit the shelves since times are what they are, but to my surprise used gun prices in my area are just about as high as they have been over the last couple of years.

 

[M2 Carbine]

The Recession must be getting serious!!!

Without a doubt.
The local gun store is going out of business.

 

[rdrancher]

Yep. I'm self employed, my business is down 75%, and I'm too much of a dinosaur to compete with the younger gen for jobs that pay enough to make closing down my business worthwhile. That, and a divorce, have forced me to downsize to the bare minimum. Over the past year I've sold a lot of things that (in better times) I thought that I needed. As far as firearms go, I'm down to two .38 specials, a 12 gauge, a .410 and three long guns. I do have a ton of assorted ammo stashed for better times though. At least the guns that I sold stayed in the "family"...they've all gone to fellow THR members.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Punisher,

You ain't no extreemist. I do hope times get better but yes, there are some guns I have, no matter what, stay. I'll skip a meal a day before I sell them.

Deaf

 

[StephenT]

There was a gorgeous blued 6" Ruger Security Six at the Pasadena gun show this past weekend. I took it home for $325 out the door. I've got a stainless 4", but haven't come across the 6" variant too often.

Yes, there's a horrible recession going on right now. I was out of work for 14 months, but thank God am working again and have a great job.

 

[Grey Morel]

It's bad.

I picked up a beautiful 110 year old Hopkins and Allen in excellent condition for a mere $75 ... these are valued at $275 in that condition.

I've got high bids in on several other guns right now that are JAW-dropping low.

 

[evan price]

I saw a 80%+ Smith & Wesson blue 1905 4th Change 6" 38 spl. long action with diamond magnas go for less than $250 last week. Just didn't have the cash on me to take it home myself.

 

[Oyeboten]

1974, Carton of Pall Malls, any Safeway Store, like $4.00


Good used Car...$200.00


Decent Home in nice Neighborhood, endless places, $10,000 - 20,000.00 Dollars.

Nice, SAA Colt 1st Generation, $100.00



Ounce of Gold in 1975, like $120.00


Gasolene, per Gallon, most places, 1974, like 32 Cents.



Generally, $300.00 in 1974, is $3000.00 now.


Generally, $3,000.00 now, buys what $300.00 bought in 1974


Give or take...

 

[scythefwd]

Back on topic, I have seen Garands in good condition going around here for 500 or so. They usually are around 800 in the local stores if you can even find one. People are selling what they can to eat.. it happens.

 

[Oyeboten]

Well...it can be a good time to buy the occasional nice, older Gun anyway.

May as well..!

 

[Grey Morel]

Generally, $3,000.00 now, buys what $300.00 bought in 1974


Give or take...

Lets get REAL here - Average income in 1974 was $8,000 PER YEAR. Back in High school I made more than that working LESS than 20 hours per week as a clerk at a grocery store.

The inflationary adjustment for $300 in 1974 is $1,300 at present, not $3,000 as you claim.

Yes, the adjusted cost has passed a little beyond that for some types of goods, but so has DEMAND for those products (like cars and gasoline). Things weren't nearly as cheap as your making them seem - thus the reason why you weren't swimming in Colt SAA's, at the period equivalent of $500.

As for me, I'm going to take as much advantage of this as possible, buying up nice old Smith and Colt hand ejectors for $200... or $45 in 70's money.

 

[Sky]

Got an E-mail about checking your receipts when charging. Seems like some cashiers are placing $20 to $40 extra cash which you never get when you charge something. Recession?

 

[Cosmoline]

I'll sell the excess guns for emergencies, but now I'm down to the core I won't sell. I can honestly say I'd rather live without a car than without firearms. I still haven't replaced the car I sold back when I was out of work in 2006. I just learned to live without the car. It's rewarding in a lot of ways, in spite of the blisters and the frostbite. And the money saved is nothing short of astonishing. Folks don't realize how many thousands upon thousands of dollars they're pouring into autos.

 

[mptrimshop]

bought my house when i was 22......had move into my parents house last year....i'm 29.......this economy sux

 

[captain awesome]

Folks don't realize how many thousands upon thousands of dollars they're pouring into autos.

I sure do. if their was any way around driving, you bet I would quit. Cant carry work ladders and such on a bicycle. and 50 miles a day to and from where I have to park my truck next to the jobs is a long ride in a car not to mention a bike.
monthly;
$499 - car and truck payments
$285 - Insurance
$400 - gas(give or take)
$? - repairs and maintenance (haven't averaged it out, some months its nothing, others it has been as high as $700 on one rare occasion.) say $50 just for kicks.
$1034, which could be construen as a low estimate thinking about new sets of tires as well.

Imagine the guns and ammo and paraphernalia one could buy on a monthly basis with that extra dough. you always have friends to drive you to go hunting and shooting. other than that, you should be set.

 

[Onward Allusion]

It's not just revolvers but all kinds of firearms. Just peruse Gunbroker or Auction Arms. While there are merchants that still charge the "norm" I've been seeing more and more individuals who are selling pieces at near fire sale prices.

Heck, our company slashed about 20% of its workforce and closed abut 1/3 of our warehouses in the past 18 months. I can only imagine how many of our former workers had to sell off their belongings, including guns, just to survive.

Deaf Smith
The Recession must be getting serious!!!

 

[wnycollector]

I ran into a gun at the range a few months ago. I struck up a conversation with him since he was shooting a revolver I have wanted for a while (5.5" blue Ruger Redhawk). He told me his "friend" tossed it in to a deal for a 7.5" blackhawk .44 w/ bisley grip...both revolvers for $500!!! He said the guy needed to make a mortgage payment. I thought that with "friends" like that the sellers luck couldn't get much worse.

I was "downsized" in 1996 when my wife was 5 months pregnant with our 1st son. I sold a mint pre-ban colt HBAR in order to stay a float. I sold it to a REAL friend who gave me a very fair price for it.

I hate to hear stories about people taking advantage of others misfortune at times like these!

 

[Deaf Smith]

You know this reminds me of my Grandmother.

During the Depression my Grandfather worked alongside a guy named H.L. Hunt (Hunt carried his lunch in a paper bag guys... no fancy stuff for him!)

Anyway some of their friends would be so hard up for money they would sell their guns to my folks. BUT, my Grandmother, being so honest, told them that when they had the money, come back and they would sell the gun back to them, at cost. No interest, no nothing. Just sort of keep it for them till times got better.

Good people back then. Yes I might pick up a good gun or two, but if some folk needs money and they are parting with something they would keep if they could, I'd tell them the same thing my Grandmother told those folks.

Deaf

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I've been seeing things for sale that look like one of 2 things:

The excess that they didn't really want to sell.

And the nice stuff they really, really didn't want to sell.

I also look on GB at caliber, some calibers aren't all that common, I see the quantities (of firearms in certain calibers) have increased a good bit.

 

[Cosmoline]

I guess I'm hard-hearted, but I've had to sell off my own precious items at a discount, and I sure never wanted the buyers to tell me I could buy them back at the same low price. That smacks of pity.

The only time I've increased a payment was where the seller truly didn't know what he had. Other than that, a deal is a deal. It's not for me to be giving buyback rights or whatever. That sort of complication is what leads to trouble down the road.

 

[jad0110]

In my area, I have noticed that gun and ammo prices have leveled off, or even fallen in some cases. I see SKS rifles going for $250 - $275 pretty often again, a far cry from the $450-$500 they were bringing in the winter of '08-'09. WASR and Romanian AKs are back down to around $375 - $425, whereas they started at $600 in couple of years ago. Even S&W revolver prices seem to have stabilized, or even decreased a bit in a few cases.

The following would normally be a $300 gun in my area, but I picked it up for $235. It is a 1945 manufacture 5" S&W M&P (pre-10) transitional model.