SkinFlint Outdoors

All this talk about guns is enough to make a person’s head spin. Every channel, every radio station, every newspaper, they’re all bound to have something to say about guns. Whether it be gun violence, gun sales, gun control, or gun rights, you’re bound to be bombarded by something. It goes from gun rights advocates, to crooked politicians trying to spread their own version of guns. It’s enough to make you cringe.

But the fact of the matter is the great American machine will grind on. Thanks to those who defend constitutional rights we will have our heritage, even if it is different because of those who have more tyrannical notions in store for the American people. Let me first say, this is not a political work. No doubt some of my views will bleed through, but I do not intend for this article to be politically charged. Sadly, it’s hard to talk about guns in this day and age without paying some attention to the political polarization we so often see.

Simply put, there are politicians who are trying to disarm law-abiding American citizens. I don’t see where anyone can deny this, but there efforts have more immediate effects. Specifically, the price and trading practices in the firearms market today. This article is written from experience, and is not designed to deal with any more politics than is absolutely necessary. Nor is it intended to make a bad name for gun dealers. There are plenty of respectable businessmen out there who deserve positive recognition. But, there is also a number of shady ones who would rake a customer over the coals in any way humanly possible.

Buying, selling, and trading firearms is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors, and shouldn’t be made into a partisan battle cry. Here are just a few of my personal experiences in dealing with firearms, from the good deals to the days I left the gun shop feeling like a new woman. The following points are intended for the novice firearm owner so they may avoid the simplest and most costly of mistakes. Existentially, if you are going to give away two weeks’ worth of salary you should make sure it is money well spent and invested it in something of a nest egg.

To kick off, I must say it’s the first responsibility of a gun owner to care for and maintain their collection in a safe manner. Education is key to being a safe gun owner. I know many people who have kept a rifle or two in the corner of a closet for years with no issues. But times have changed and what was once okay is simply not best practice any more. I encourage everyone to spend some serious time on developing a secure way to store guns and ammo so they are safely out of reach of young children, marauding thugs, and disgruntled wives. If you find you need help securing your firearms you can always reach out to your local Sheriff’s Department. Usually, they are a wealth of knowledge about ways to safely secure your collection.

With the safety disclaimer done, I can start talking about the business of buying, selling, and trading firearms. As a member of the working public I have always had to live on a strict budget. Assuming there are many like me who would clench their meager funds tighter than most anything else I would state it is always the goal to put money in the best place as is possible. When you’re converting money into firearms there are some simple points that need to be observed. If you are the type who as the budget to purchase some expensive pieces for your collection you may not get much from this article. However, if you have a smaller budget I have some points that will help you retain your posterior virginity when trading guns.

Ultimately, trading a gun begins when you first purchase a gun. That is to say when you make your initial purchase you should have already educated yourself on how this piece will hold value and how much demand it may be in at a later time. If you’re shopping at Wal-Mart, Academy Sports, Dick’s Sporting Goods, or any such establishment the odds are good the piece won’t have a high resale value and you’ll be sitting on it for a long time before you can recover your investment. These are the guns you buy to use, and use well. They are built using the most efficient means possible so large numbers can hit mainstream American retailers.

It never hurts to have one or two pieces like this in your arsenal for use during the worst of conditions, but beyond that they aren’t the best investment to build your collection. When trading them at a local gun shop, or God forbid a pawn shop, the proprietor will no doubt grade them hard and offer you a fraction of your initial purchase. These are the guns you keep and love because they never let you down, and they are affordable enough to make a hunting trip happen.

On the other side of that is the rare day a skinflint will actually break down and spend some serious dough on a firearm. Even though the price goes up the rules stay the same. Going into the deal you have to consider how much the piece can be sold or traded for. An example is any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have bought an AR-15. They’re fun to shoot, pricey to acquire, and relatively hard to recover your investment unless you are buying an older and more collectable model. Modern stuff with fancily made furniture, insanely impractical optics, and mid-life crisis attitude simply aren’t the best pieces to invest your money in. Still, you only live once, and if such a weapon is boner-inspiring to you then drop the cash and enjoy your Sunday afternoons at the range.

When making your purchase you also need to be weary of the dealer. An associate at a big chain store may not care, but just as you are looking to the future so is the dealer who is setting your purchase up. Face it, these guys are in the business to make money the same as a car salesman. So they spin a fine web about how good an investment a particular piece is, or how much you’ll love shooting it. In the end, they’ve already sized you up and have a reasonable idea of whether or not you’ll be trading the gun in or selling it. Just as you want to bring a piece in to your collection under the right circumstances, so do they want to put a gun on the market under the right circumstances.

Essentially, it boils down to the age old rule of somethings value will be different depending on if you own it or want to buy it. So a dealer sells you a gun for what you feel is a fair price, even an outstanding price. The truth is he gave a fraction for that piece when he brought it in to his shop on a trade for a brand new firearm. That guy though he made out good too. Dealers only make an average of thirty to fifty dollars on a new firearm purchase. It’s the trade-ins and trade-ups that net them the most cash. So the awesome price you just got actually made the dealer a fair sum of money, and the cycle will repeat itself when you trade in the firearm.

Furthermore, you need to make sure to always buy a gun for the right reason. That reason will vary from one person to the next and from one budget to the next. However, it is reasonable to say that buying a gun for the sake of buying a gun isn’t always the best course of action, unless you happen to know it’s a once in a long-time kind of deal. Buy a firearm for an investment, a hunting rifle for your child, a present for you from you to your wife, or any other logical reason. But always avoid making a spontaneous purchase. Odds are you haven’t done enough research and your wife may try to shoot you with it. This is the voice of experience as I have faced both scenarios.

So, when buying your new addition to your collection you need to stick to your guns, no pun intended. If you’re in a situation where you can make an offer you need to have a reasonable number in your head to present. If the dealer accepts your offer you’re the proud owner of a new toy. If not then you need to walk away. You need to be patient, as someone else will meet his price, and someone else will meet yours. Somewhere over the rainbow there’s a person who will have the gun you want for the price you’re willing to spend. Be patient and you’ll find this happy fellow.

Another point on the buying end of firearm ownership is to do it legal. There’s no point in making the purchase if you can’t legally own it, transport it, use it, trade it, or resell it? Always know your local firearms laws, as well as all the federal laws so you can make purchases that will not land you in federal prison or cause you to lose the money you’ve just invested. If someone pressures you to break the law you should be asking yourself what they are up to if they are unwilling and unable to make a legitimate transaction.  Breaking this golden rule only compounds your woes as now the only way to recover your investment is to sell the gun illegally after you’ve purchased it illegally. This doubles your risk of being contacted by law enforcement which will definitely blow any chance of making profit on your transaction.

After you make your purchase there is the obvious task of maintaining your piece. This could mean basic cleaning and care, to significant restoration or modification. Basic care is easy, but to restore or modify a firearm can be a big decision. I was personally faced with this when I took an old Winchester 22 to be restored. The gunsmith said I may hurt the value by having it done. I simply asked him to do the job anyways, as the gun had belonged to my grandfather and value was of no concern to me as I would never part with it. When all else fails, don’t hesitate to talk to a gunsmith or dealer you can trust to get the best advise when making such a decision for yourself.

Regarding modification, you need to be equally as cautions as some modifications and additions will not be easily recovered. Once, I had an opportunity to purchase a gun that was heavily modified. The gentleman wanted over two thousand dollars for the piece, but there was simply not that much value in all the used parts he was trying to pass of. Moral of the story, if you’re going to tear apart a classic rifle you need to be prepared to suffer a loss through depreciation. Generally, a piece like that should only be built if you have a purpose for it and never intend to sell it.

How you store your collection is equally important. There are any number of downloadable records you can keep serial numbers, and purchase prices in. It also isn’t a bad idea to photograph each piece in your collection and attach the photos to the register. This will also help in the event of a loss due to fire or theft. This is a great tool in the event of a break-in, or if you simply have owned a gun for a number of years and don’t remember where you got it or what you paid for it. You should also store your collection where it won’t suffer the effects of mold, mildew, rust, or fading. Keep you guns away from children and pets so as to avoid unfortunate accidents and don’t store loaded weapons.

Now we come to the hard part, which is parting with a piece of your collection. So much can go right or wrong here it isn’t even remotely funny. The first place to begin is to make sure you’re parting with a piece of your collection for the right reasons. If an investment has matured and you’re looking to increase the value of your collection then you’re on the right track. If you’re desperate for money and need to liquidate some inventory, you’re going to end up butt-hurt.

Many of the rules that apply to buying a firearm are the exact parallel when selling. First and foremost is to do it legally. It’s never a good thing to have your name attached to a firearm that was used to do bad things by a criminal. Again, when you get that chap who wants to do a deal in the gun show parking lot instead of at a legitimate dealer you need to tell him to pound sand up his Jackson and get as far away from him as possible. Remember, honest and legitimate firearms transactions are the best way to stick it to the crooked politicians who have their own agendas.

When making a sale or trade you have to know the value of your piece, and have a reasonable price in your head before you even get to the gun shop or show. These guys do need to make money so don’t expect to get book value, but have a good price to do some dealing on. Dealers sprout wood for an uneducated and unprepared seller. I’ve literally seen a dealer like his chops like a dog going after a ham bone when he was presented with an uneducated seller. That day I saw an average working man sell a four hundred rifle for a whopping one hundred dollars. Remember I said about posterior virginity? Well, this guy walked away not even knowing to what extent he had just lost his.

If you’re relatively new to gun trading you may be wondering how is the best way to get an idea of what you should buy or sell a piece for. That really depends on who you ask. For buying a gun a dealer will tell you the book value and for selling a dealer will tell you how much people will pay for a piece. Notice how the cards are not stacked in your favor. The truth is the price for buying and selling doesn’t change unless you allow someone to change it. Basically, we’re back to the stick to your guns idea. If you don’t figure out a price to stick to you’re essentially giving someone permission to bend you over a barrel. I can’t speak for everyone, but I get nervous when I see a gun dealer rolling a barrel around.

The best way to set a price for your firearm is to do a lot of research. Really grade and fine tune the value of your gun. My personal favorite method is to check the price on sites like GunBroker.com or AuctionArms.com. This lets you see what people are actually paying. From there you can average it out however you like. If you’re realistic with your numbers you should be able to make good transactions that will allow you to grow your collection. If you’re out of line with your numbers and don’t do enough research you’ll probably loose in the end. Remember, you’re dealing with people who deal with firearms on a daily basis and know exactly where the bear craps in the proverbial buckwheat.

Now, with your research done and your price set, you venture out to conduct your business. At this point it helps to deal with a reputable dealer, who is respected and honest. Yes, they are out there. If you’re going to a gun show, you have your number and research as a back-up. Same as with buying, you need to be prepared to walk away when selling. If a dealer or private buyer tries to give you some cock and bull story about why you’re asking too much you simply need to walk away. Someone will meet your price someday. Patience will keep you money in the right place.

You also want to make sure you are watching the news when deciding on a firearm purchase. Let’s face it, with America’s current administration there is more gun control done through the deception of making weapons illegal as there is anything else. Has anybody else noticed what has happened to the price of ammo since our current “leader” took office? As scary as it is to say, we can no doubt expect similar changes as these same crooked politicians relentlessly push their agendas. As you watch the news and see the efforts such folk make you can begin to see the pattern in the firearm market, which ultimately can tell you the most opportune times to buy, sell or trade.

So there you have it my fellow skinflinters. We Americans like our guns, and we folk on a budget like to keep our money. Whether you’re a collector or someone looking for firearms to use in the field the common goal is to make good buying and selling decisions. We’ve all had our share of good deals and bad, and hopefully you can learn from the ones I’ve shared with you. We live in a time where firearms are hot items and hot topics. But making sure you are buying well and selling well will allow you to get the most bang for your buck. Always remember, being honest and legal is the best way to show up those who scream for us to lose our 2^nd Amendment freedoms. Please be sure to buy, sell, trade, keep and bear responsibly and keep in mind that in the end you always want to keep your money in a good.