Then I kind of got interested in collecting old S&W revolvers. That was a little more expensive than just accumulating whatever, but still, as far as collecting goes, it was fairly cheap. As long as I stayed away from Schofields and Triple-Locks and Registered Magnums, it was a pretty benign form of collectovirus.
Now I'm starting to feel all squishy inside whenever I'm near old Colt autos, and... Holy Hartford! Have you seen what they want for some of these things?
The little 1908 Vest Pocket .25 autos are still semi-reasonable, as are the 1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless guns, as long as you're just looking for a shooter and aren't too fickle about condition. But any of the old .38 or .45 autos? Six bills barely gets you in the door for a beat-to-heck fixer-upper.
Thank goodness I'm not too crazy about Lugers.
Yet.
Yep.
ReplyDeleteNow develop a fixation on doubles.
"Now develop a fixation on doubles."
ReplyDeleteWhy don't I get something cheaper, like a cocaine habit? :p
Illegal drugs would be cheaper than the guns, and the ammo... I still want a double in .470, but God knows how I'd feed it.
ReplyDeleteActually, Cabelas right now has a Chapuis in 9.3 x 74. Six K. A nice boxlock, extract/eject, dual triggers. Good wood. I can't think of any dangerous game I'd be afraid to use that caliber on. A little thumpier than the 470, but with a good professionally fitted recoil pad it would be just fine.
ReplyDeleteNow if I could just find a nice Vest Pocket .25, and have the money at the time... I really do want one.
ReplyDeleteHoly ! My dad just gave me a Colt Super .38 something or other for home use...maybe I wont tell him about this...
ReplyDeleteWow, eight big ones? That's Alot! ;) (No, AT, that's a Colt.)
ReplyDeleteThat may be (and is) somewhat optimistic on the part of that collector, I mean seller...but I have seen even realistic prices on nice oldie colties double in the last five years. What you could find with some time and dedication then for six to eight hundred, you could turn over right now pretty quickly at a good show for close to two K.
And that's the way to think of it. As with most else with strong demand and limited supply, paying what seems like a high price in the present is in fact an investment in the future (well, not that lyin' white lady; she'll just lead you down a path to ruin).
Of course that assumes one could bear to part with such functional, historical beauty for mere profit...
AT
FTB: "Six bills barely gets you in the door for a beat-to-heck fixer-upper."
ReplyDeleteActually, that would be six large. If you wanna talk gangster, ya gotta get the lingo straight. < G >
Of course, I'm talkin' Chicago mob, your Indiana hooligans may not taalk the same way.
Hmm, captcha word for today is "monan" - close, but no cigar.
Pathfinder,
ReplyDeleteNo, no, I meant bills! (Of course, my argot is woefully out of date anyway, being current in the ATL circa the middle of the previous decade.) Six large or long or whatever the hepcats are calling it these days will score a pretty primo piece.
My 1902 Sporting Model was out on a table with a price tag of something like $675, IIRC, and I've seen the occasional 1903 Pocket Hammer in the $600-$700 range, but these are generally pretty ugly and may need pieces to be functional. What a collector friend refers to as "representative examples".
There's been a 1905 at the last couple Indy 1500s; the dude wants ~$4000, if I'm recollecting aright.
Fred--
ReplyDeleteWhen it came to vest pocket .25's, I had to settle for a pair of CZ DUO's.
Colt? Fuhgeddaboutit.
Maybe a nice collection of engraved Holland and Holland shotguns? (They are only 75,000 dollars (well, more than that with the engraving.) The cases can cost 5 grand.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe something by Westley Richards? (They provide firearms to the British Royals.)
Any idea of what the original sales prices of double-link Colts translate to in current dollars?
ReplyDeleteI don't think they have ever been cheap, exactly.:)
I just enjoy the looks I get at the range when I break out the Pocket Hammer, and it's such a sweet shooter. I have pondered carrying it, but would feel like an ass if I whanged it against a doorknob and broke the grips.
Go Borchardt Baby! Hell, collecting houses is cheaper than collecting double rifles!
ReplyDeleteWord Verification-prigs
Local shop has a 1908 in .380 for $600. Dealer at last month's gun show had a Luger marked at $8,000+.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've no idea what the owner is thinking when they ask $2,000 for a Python.
Off to buy a lottery ticket.
Hmmm. Luggger: 1911. 90%. All matching numbers; on both mags as well as pistol--and on holster, as well. Sorry, no little tool dealie.
ReplyDeleteShoots pretty good. But those lousy sights are worse than a GI Colt. Can't be worth a lot...
Giggle-snort...
Art
"Now develop a fixation on doubles."
ReplyDeleteHere is a nice little one. Shouldn't be too much.
http://www.hoferwaffen.com/hofer_52s.php?id=14&lang=en
Chux
Hmmm ... a local gunshop has a consignment m1902 for $2k, original finish mostly still there.
ReplyDeleteFred: Gun Broker in Tigard Oregon ... has a couple of Baby brownings for under $500.
ReplyDelete