What firearm do you own or have owned that you've "lost" or "invested" the most money on/in?

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MCMXI

MCMXI

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@wgp has a thread titled "What are your guns with the most increase in value" and that got me thinking about the opposite direction. I've spent an inordinate amount of money on firearms and firearms related stuff over the last 30 years or so, probably a lot more than many, but also a lot less than some. I've never been a speculator and have always bought based on what I like.

So what firearm(s) do you or have you owned that you "lost" or "invested" a lot of money in. I use the term "lost" and "invested" loosely for obvious reasons.

"Investment" ....

One example for me would be a Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull that I bought for around $800 about ten years ago, and then sent off to Mr. Bowen of Bowen Classic Arms Corp. to work his magic. I ended up spending about $1,700 on the work but the result was absolutely worth it. I doubt that I could get $0.50 on the $ out of the revolver but that's ok since I have no intention of selling it.

"Lost" ....

The most I've lost by selling a firearm is probably the Savage Weather Warrior in 7mm-08 Rem that I sold about 18 months ago. The rifle was an overpriced piece of garbage, and before I sold it I bought a Hogue stock and McGowen barrel ... lipstick on a pig. I probably had a bit over $1,000 into that rifle and sold it for a little over $600 plus $100 for the original barrel, so I lost about $300 on that deal.
 
I invest a lot of money in most of them, but not in a way most do, by doing mods, etc, to the guns. The investment I make is in ammo. :thumbup:

Most of the guns I shoot regularly in practice have had a lot more money through them in ammo, than the guns cost and/or are worth.

Didnt lose a thing either. :)
 
Probably an engraved Pedersoli Gibbs with custom sights. I've got about $5000 in it, including custom molds and loading tools. On the open market it would probably fetch $2000 at most. It's just too niche to be worth much to most folks.
 
We spend far more money on reloading components than we have on guns. We don't have alot of money so we put alot of thought into our gun puchases. Only get what we will use. We've never sold any of them except a Ruger P95DC we just didn't like. Bought it used from a friend that needed money real bad. Was just trying to help them out.
 
Had to go to the spreadsheet because a loser didn't come to mind. I have a few break evens and the recent Beretta 81and 81BB additions would have been short term losers if not for Covid.
 
Pretty close tie between various .308 semi auto rifles with lots of steel mags each, My DDM4 with 6.5G alternate upper and my Steyr Scout Cooper edition. I think all cost a little over $2G without optics.

I have a pistol or two running right at $1500
 
When it comes to guns, with me anyway, the terms "loss" and "investment" as usually defined don't capture the whole picture. In strictly monetary terms, anyway. Sure, I buy firearms as a financial "investment" and if I sell I have a financial gain or loss. But the straight dollar amounts are, to me, a pretty small part of the whole basket of reasons of why I do it.
 
.38 Special said:
Probably an engraved Pedersoli Gibbs with custom sights. I've got about $5000 in it, including custom molds and loading tools. On the open market it would probably fetch $2000 at most. It's just too niche to be worth much to most folks.
Click to expand...

This sounds familiar to me ... "too niche to be worth much to most folks". My Bowen/Alaskan certainly falls into the "niche" category but I'd do it again. I've been thinking about buying an Alaskan in .44 Mag and sending it off to Mr. Bowen before it's too late. He's not getting any younger. :(
 
wiscoaster said:
But the straight dollar amounts are, to me, a pretty small part of the whole basket of reasons of why I do it.
Click to expand...

I hope it came across that I'm in the same boat as you on this but I'm still interested in hearing some stories about what folks are willing to spend money on. Also, if I'm not the only one who's gone backwards on some purchases.

I shot a mule deer a few years ago and felt pressured to get it mounted even though it was an average buck. The only interesting thing is that I shot the deer at 465 yards using a .375 H&H. The mount has been sitting at the taxidermist for a couple of years and I recently received a call asking for payment. I've discussed a trade instead of cash since the mount is around $650. I might hand over a Kimber Raptor Pro so will probably lose out a bit on that deal but it seems better than giving cash for a mount that I'm not that excited about.
 
I have far more invested in ammo then in the guns themselves. I keep everything stock. Including my truck. Just what I do.
 
Most I've ever spent on a single gun? Around $1200.00
This one, which I later sold for about the same amount I paid for it

(I have several that are worth more, but I didn't invest that much to start with...)
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I have zero custom or really fancy guns, but I have a gun that I’d like to have made from a stainless 6-shot GP 100 .357 6”: a 5” .41 Special with the full lug barrel shaved down to a half-lug.

The GP would run $600-700 (hopefully) and the custom work would probably run probably another $1,200-1,400.

Maybe I’ll go for it as a retirement present to myself in a couple of years. :)

As for current guns, I think all I own were reasonably priced so I don’t think I’d lose much on any of them.

Stay safe.
 
Uhhhhh, let's just say every sale is a loss.......I don't usually loose a ton of money on guns, but mostly that's because I'll give them away if it looks like I won't be able to sell them for anything reasonable. Also I enjoy playing gun dress up and tinkering, so many of my guns (read most) are cheap, and become expensive.
Worst monetary loss was my original 7mm. That got a new stock, then a new barrel, then another new stock, then new mounts and scope, then traded for a mosin nagant and 100 bucks (when nagants were worth 150ish).

Closest I came to breaking even was my 7mm Ruger American Magnum. I bought it at dealer price and got its upgrades on sale. Had I not tried two different stocks, I'd have been exactly even when I sold it for 750.
 
I've always looked at losses when I sell a gun for less than I paid as "rent"'.
I had use of the gun and finally got tired of it and moved on to something else.
I was just the temporary custodian and took pleasure in having it, so rent seems reasonable.
 
Since I rarely sell guns (anymore), technically all of them are a 'loss'. I have given some away in the last few years, (don't get greedy, guys, they went to my sons), and the rest eventually will go to them, too. There are a lot of guns I'd still like to buy, but the list gets revisited constantly, I really am trying to keep it to either real needs (like a 9mm eventually) or things I've wanted for a long time, (16 ga SxS pheasant gun, Drilling, an Ithaca 4E or better, Sharps or Martini, and an M-S butter knife bolt gun in 6.5 M-S with set trigger and a claw mount. )
 
Lets see....

Still putting it off on buying a Luger P08, so investment is out..

Losses I have many. The Zastava M70 with wood stock. I had wanted the folding stock one, but was not available at the time (5 years ago)
I tried to like it, I really did.
It didn't fit to my shoulder right, for some reason. I stripped and refinished the stock and hand guards to an nice ash color, and bought the best AK-47 side mount available......

Then I just, lost interest. Sold it at a loss. No regrets really, my Universal 1st Gen first my needs better.
 
A while back, I decided it would be fun to assemble my first AR. Also decided that AR should be in 9 mm. So I researched my components and magazine choices. I ended up with a universal lower with a mag block and a Rock River LAR-9 A-4 upper.

When spotlessly clean, that thing might go through a magazine without jamming. And spectacular jams they were. My favorite was when the spent cartridge would somehow wedge under the bolt, between the upper and lower.

I tried everything, researched high and low. Tried to adjust the mag block spacing, tried the "buck-fiddy" buffer tube trick. I had the 9mm hammer, and a 9mm buffer. I couldn't figure it out.

So, I traded it for an MLT, you know, when the mutton is nice and lean. Actually, I decided to double-down. Got a Rock River dedicated 9mm lower. Now I'm in about $1100 for a Franken-AR that might be worth $600 in an average year. Maybe more in a panic.

Thing is, I would never sell it. Now it's the fun gun I always envisioned. My kids love to shoot it. I have friends who want to buy a 9mm AR after trying it. With a simple Millet red dot, it's like the finger-of-god out to 50 yards. Transitioning across targets is super fast and accurate. And No-More-Jams. I haven't cleaned it in several trips. I can probably get it to jam if I run it dirty enough, but that's fine.
 
It amazes me that no one ever seems to take into account inflation in discussions like these. I paid $750 for a rifle back in 94. I would have to sell that gun for $1300 today-just to keep up with inflation. Unless you have an historically significant gun, with proof of provenance (e.g., the pistol with which John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln), or you have a gun that is in incredibly high demand (AR15 after a Democrat takes the White House), the probability of losing money on a firearm is pretty high.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
It amazes me that no one ever seems to take into account inflation in discussions like these. I paid $750 for a rifle back in 94. I would have to sell that gun for $1300 today-just to keep up with inflation. Unless you have an historically significant gun, with proof of provenance (e.g., the pistol with which John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln), or you have a gun that is in incredibly high demand (AR15 after a Democrat takes the White House), the probability of losing money on a firearm is pretty high.
Click to expand...
You are so right. People just aren't programmed to take it into account. Funny, because in other countries they are. I remember exchanging currency in Mexico. It's a whole different story. Everyone was aware of how much the peso was "worth". Firearms simply shouldn't be viewed as "investments" in terms of monetary "gains" and "losses". Over time their current value in terms of currency pretty much keeps up with inflation on average, so they're a better material asset to own than say, a vehicle, which always depreciates. Also their current value is always subject to supply and demand, so if you make a habit of buying and selling you're subject to market timing on your capital gain or loss. And unless it's a private sale the seller always incurs the cost of selling. But yes, the probability favors losing in terms of intrinsic value. You're better off just buying and holding until you die. Then your heirs get your assets at their (inflated) current value.
 
I don’t spend a lot on firearms in the first place, so it’s hard for me to decide which one “cost” me the most.

I guess it would be my AK build. The initial outlay for the parts was cheap. But the receiver and 922r parts, tools (built and bought), and time in were pretty steep because it was a one-off build. I can’t tell you what all that might have added up to. No regrets, though. I learned a bunch and had fun.

When I’d had my fun with it I cut the reciever up and sold the parts for pretty much what I’d originally paid.
 
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