Hit The Jackpot On Used Firearms
Image: tussik / Adobe Stock
Collectors and hunters prowling for used, premium-brand firearms represent an interesting opportunity for retailers to diversify their clientele.
John Barsness, a writer for many consumer firearms publications, posts often on social media about classic rifles he obtains from gun shops in his home region of Montana. Barsness has a substantial following. There’s no telling how much business his posts have directed to those outlets.
While modern sporting rifles and tactical-style handguns are driving the contemporary firearms market, a vast clientele has an insatiable appetite for high-quality used firearms. Buyers might be older hunters who prefer wood stocks and traditional styling. Some who fondly remember a dad’s or uncle’s Browning Auto-5 or Winchester 101 buy them for nostalgia. Others buy them for investments. All are willing to pay righteous money for guns they are itching to own.
They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To
Dana Schoppe, assistant manager at Daryl’s Gun Shop in State Center, Iowa, has a soft spot for classic firearms, especially Winchester Model 12 shotguns. She loves beautiful wood stocks and deep lustrous bluing, and she empathizes with buyers who value the same qualities. It is why local collectors and hunters come to Daryl’s Gun Shop when they are searching for high-quality classics.
“I like the older stuff,” Schoppe said. “If it’s got a wood stock and a pretty finish, it’s got more personality than a lot of the newer stuff. I’m not a fan of the plastic guns. Winchester, Colt, Marlin, Browning — those are my favorites. I am partial to those.”
A used gun will sell eventually, Schoppe said, but some sell quicker than others.
“Remingtons and Mossbergs are easy sellers,” Schoppe confirmed. “Old military rifles are in demand. M1A1s and Mosin-Nagants are generally sought after by all age groups.”
Pedestrian, “everyman” types of guns also sell quickly, Schoppe added, like single-shot, break-action rifles and shotguns made by Iver Johnson and New England Firearms. Many retailers shy away from guns like these that might only net a $20 return, but Schoppe said she sells them as fast as she gets them.
“This is a farming community, and those are truck guns for a lot of people,” she explained. “An old-style single-shot .22 in the Midwest: those are hot commodities because people want them in their vehicle or behind the door of their farmhouse. They’re cheap, and people like to shoot them.”
The AR-15 is always in season, Schoppe confirmed, but they sell especially well in election years.
“If it is a cheaper-style AR, as long as it functions, it sells,” Schoppe stated. “ARs in bigger calibers, like .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster, sell, but not as frequently.”
Colt’s “Snake” series revolvers — Python, Anaconda, Boa, Diamondback, Cobra, King Cobra and Viper — are for a more affluent clientele, but they seldom stay long on the shelf.
“Another one that’s crazy on pricing is the Remington Nylon 66,” Schoppe volunteered. “It’s a cheap gun, but it functions. They are highly sought after, especially the ones with green stocks.”
“Elite shotguns, like Perazzi, are hard to sell,” Schoppe noted. “It’s a one-of-a-kind gun for a one-of-a-kind buyer.”
“I’d like to know what the infatuation is with the GLOCK,” Schoppe added. “Everybody calls for them. Trying to figure out GLOCK’s model system is atrocious. I finally figured out their generations, but they screwed it up with Gen5, and then they went back to Gen1.”
Pricing Used Guns
Schoppe said Daryl’s Gun Shop doesn’t hunt for used guns to sell. Because of its reputation since 1967, it doesn’t have to. The guns come to Daryl’s.
“Some are estates where a spouse wants to get rid of items and there are no kids to pass them on to,” Schoppe reasoned. “Just recently, a guy brought in a couple of pistols. One looked like a Luger. It’s called (Davis Warner) ‘Infallible.’ It was built in 1915. I’d never seen one before, and I thought it was kind of cool. The other one was a revolver made by Marlin. I did not know that Marlin made revolvers, so I thought it was interesting. It was a Triple X Standard in .30 rimfire.”
Because the used market fluctuates, Schoppe says she watches a couple of sources to keep abreast of current values and pricing.
“Blue Book is a good reference point, of course, but I also go to True Gun Value (truegunvalue.com),” she shared. “At the bottom of their website they tell me guns that have been sold, what they sold for, how long ago and location. It gets me in the ballpark.”
Naturally, there’s always a used gun that wears out its welcome on the shelf. Again, Schoppe said, it will sell eventually.
“I don’t have a timeline,” she elaborated. “I revisit the prices about every eight months. Do I have it priced too high? If somebody is hemming and hawing over the price, I might throw in a box of ammo or a gun sleeve to sweeten the deal. If they feel like they’re getting a steal, they’ll be happier to buy it.”
Quality Service For Niche Clientele
Ozark Sportsman in Springdale, Ark., is another small outlet with a loyal clientele of avid hunters, and hunters. James LaVergne, manager of Ozark Sportsman, said a steady stream of buyers is always in the market for a “new” used rifle or shotgun.
“We’re a big hunting community here. Hunting rifles do really well,” he said.
Northwest Arkansas, headquarters for Walmart, Tyson and several large transportation companies, is an extremely affluent area. It creates an interesting dynamic for obtaining and selling used guns.
“I don’t go out looking for them,” LaVergne said. “There’s a good amount of money in our area here. Estate sales or anything advertised like that, people show up and bid on them through the roof.”
On the other hand, those same people look to Ozark Sportsman for used classic items that bypass auction channels.
“We have a local guy who is a collector. I’ll bet you we see $100,000 to $500,000 in Colt single-actions come through here for just that one guy,” LaVergne said. “If Hickok45 does a video about something, it’s a popular deal that generates interest. And there’s always a lot of interest in old Browning Hi-Powers, old Colt Snake guns, old Colt 1911s. You do well with them as long as you can grade them accurately. If it’s something we know will turn around, we will do a trade. We don’t buy anything outright.”
Ultimately, LaVergne contends selling used guns is a way to provide a quality service to a niche clientele.
“Somebody can buy an old hunting shotgun or rifle and be treated with respect and appreciation,” he shared. “Those customers will also buy ammo, cleaning supplies, optics and accessories.
“It’s a great way to make some extra money, but you don’t try to make a crazy amount of money on anything,” he continued. “You can turn a little bit of profit. You’re not hurting people, and you’re not giving them the pawn shop treatment.”
Lever Guns: On The Upswing
The pace of sales for used guns is seasonal, said Mike Rickert, owner of Hammer Down Firearms in Wheat Ridge, Colo.
“This time of year (early summer), we’re sitting on a lot of inventory,” he said. “Between Christmas and tax return time, gun sales are pretty slow.”
To illustrate this point, Rickert said on June 4, at the time of this interview, only one person in all Colorado was waiting on a background check.
As with elsewhere, certain classes of used items are universally in demand.
“People shopping here are mostly looking for handguns,” he noted. “Our demographic in this area of Denver’s western suburbs is mostly low-to-middle income. The things that sell best are things you would expect, any Colts, whether it be single-action, 1911 and the traditional Snake guns. Not so much Colt ARs, though. Any of those guns at the right price, people will certainly grab them if the price is right.”
There’s also high demand for used, inexpensive, striker-fired semiautomatics, Rickert said, but one of the hottest segments of the used market is lever-action rifles.
“Lever guns have gone through the roof — any Marlin 336 or Winchester 94,” he explained. “We used to get $400 for nice ones a few years ago. Now we’re getting $750 to $1,000 for the same gun. It’s been like that for a couple of years.”
Rickert admits he has to resist the temptation to bring in guns he likes, but have limited appeal.
“There are a lot of guns I would love to have, but I know it would take forever to sell them,” he said. “Daniel Defense is one. It will sell eventually, but it will take up space on the shelf for a long time.”
Dana Schoppe has found the same to be true, but with this caveat: If a cool, old gun hangs around for too long, there’s a good chance it will ultimately wind up in her personal collection. Gun dealers love guns, and they appreciate high-quality classics as much as anybody.
