We are delighted to welcome Jonny Carter, director at TGS Outdoors, as a regular contributor, in his first article Jonny casts his expert eye over the month’s best gun deals.
It is no secret that used guns can be great business. It is a no-brainer service to offer to customers so that they can use you for all their needs and allows part exchanging on new purchases. More importantly it allows you the chance to set your own margins by buying in at wise prices, rather than being fixed into price wars on new items for sale at your competitors.
Buying right is not always easy, and every shop I have been to does it differently. Whether it is buying with a set margin in mind or with fixed profit you would like to realise, there are many ways to skin a cat. More than ever the gun trade is offering commission sales rather than outright purchases, and the reason for this is relatively evident – the cost of living! End users want the maximum return on their guns and shops are not wanting to carry massive stock at this unpredictable time. A future article might investigate this deeper to see what the average rules are for commission, as I have seen everything from 10% to 40% offered by folk.
Best second-hand gun deals
This month I thought I would look and see what the market for second hand guns looks like by picking some of my favourite bits for sale online right now.
Beretta 12-gauge 686 S
£425
This is currently on offer at Ingleby Guns and is the cheapest in its category. It has been interesting to watch used Beretta and Browing guns change in value over the last 14 years in the trade. When I started, even the oldest and roughest of examples would be £800 with the new models around £1,200. I appreciate that those same guns are now older and more wrinkled, but the real reason is a change in the market for first time buyers. Back then when a customer walked in, they wanted a Beretta, a Browning or a Miroku for their first gun, and they did not mind paying more than a new budget gun to get it. Over those years customer confidence in budget guns has increased. I put this at the doors of the distributors for marketing better and giving customers confidence through long warranties and swift service when required. Towards the end of my time in retail it still shocked me that someone would rather have a new Turkish gun than a 20-year-old gun that was once used by world champions. Now I have gotten to know a few of those customers, I understand it a little better. They seem to want the ‘new gun experience,’ and I cannot blame them for that.
Browning 12-gauge B25 B2G Lightweight Game (fixed choke)
£3,450
This one from Greenfields of Salisbury is here as a celebration that used B25 values are starting to rise after hitting a low point a few years ago. I follow Holts auction very closely and for a while these things were dragging on the floor, either not selling or selling for low estimate values. This was mimicked in gun shops with B25 B2Gs being found for down near the £1,000 mark. It seems however from the last Holts sale that guns in the right specifications are now becoming more desirable. All ships rise on a rising tide, so we should be celebrating this and finally clearing some of those old Brownings that have been gathering dust in the back room. There are still a few cheaper ones about, but this gun represents a great example of what is out there now. Still be cautious when purchasing of course, but perhaps not so mean as you have been.
Thomas Wild 12-gauge BLNE
£950
Chris Potter has this run-of-the-mill boxlock non-ejector on offer for a very solid £950. This and a heap of other offerings show that British guns are back in fashion. Prices dipped around a decade ago and were then not helped by the lead shot phase out. As we have all learned more about steel shot and been reassured by non-lead offerings suitable for these old cannons coming to market, we have seen a steady rise in the value and desirability of old British guns in the right specifications. Add to that a few new companies offering export to the USA at affordable prices, and it is safe to say British guns are a good thing to have in stock once more. Auction houses again are giving good indicators of what people are willing to pay for these, and some of the prices being realised are inspiring. Just make sure you do your homework on the gun and have all the correct tools for measuring the barrels, to make sure your money and your customers are safe.