Some would have you believe that one you purchase a firearm the value will never decrease. That, as it turns out, is not generally the case. Today’s gun shops are filled with polymer wonders the most popular of which has to be Glock. A brand new Gen 4 Glock 19 with fixed sights is always listed at online shops for $540. Of course law enforcement can purchase it for much less so immediately it should be apparent the new $540 pistol is not worth that amount. When I purchased mine it was $505+tx, so $35 less or 6.5%. Once those pistols get used the value generally depreciates to $450 or even less depending upon wear. So IMO with a polymer framed firearm their worth decreases after being fired and I have not seen evidence it will rebound and surpass the initial investment when new. You may be able to obtain a firearm at a reduced cost due to instructor discounts or other programs, but unless you do the value will never increase on a polymer frame pistol.
So how about a rifle or shotgun? With them it is the “University Answer”…”IT DEPENDS.” If the long gun is old and in good shape the value can far surpass what it cost new, but you have to be careful when purchasing new if looking for an investment. Let’s say you purchase a Remington 870. Once it is used the value will not be increasing and there are plenty of used guns out there. Now let’s get something more rare, perhaps an extremely low production and very expensive model from some manufacturer. The firearm will most likely increase in value in most cases. Right now I have my eye on a used Rossi The Overland 12 ga shotgun (shh, don’t tell my wife). It was discontinued in 1994 and now the values are starting to creep upward. The seller wants more than I am willing to spend, but is close to what I believe the value of the shotgun is in the current market. It remains to be seen if I will negotiate a price with the seller or not.
Now back to pistols and my favorite the revolver. Revolvers do not seem to be dropping much at all in value immediately after purchase and certainly a well maintained revolver with the original box and paperwork can be worth quite a bit of money. I purchased my Ruger 357 magnum after I turned 21. It is now worth nearly double what I paid for that lovely mass of stainless. The S&W Model 36 I spoke of in an earlier post is worth about what I paid for it, but I wanted it to shoot. The original grips are long gone, the manual was not included and there was no box, but the 3″ pinned barrel will help that pistol hold value forever.
So to answer the question are firearms a worthwhile investment, probably not initially, but over time any rare or non-polymer framed firearm should increase in value.
