Carbine value..Where will it go?

[Ed Johnson]

Howdy all. It appears that there may not be anymore Carbines coming to CMP. Being a proud owner of more than a few of the little rifles, I wonder what you all think about the value of them in the near future (2 to 4 years). I think we are in a great moment when these rifles have been made available thanks to CMP at a very reasonable price. I don't plan to sell any of mine but thinking about the future value for my grand children who will before too long, have these. We all know there will never be anymore WW II Carbines.
Thanks to all of you who have been so helpful to me and other new owners.
Best..
ED

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[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Ed,

I bought my first carbine in 1974 for $40, a Rock-Ola.

In 1989 you could buy shooters (the least expensive) for around $125-$175

Today shooters go for $550-$800 depending on where you live.

The price has doubled about every 7 to 10 years. Except for Obama banning them, I don't see any reason for the trend to change.

Parts, tools, web gear, etc. seem to have gone up at about the same rate.

My feeling is this has been better then inflation and my retirement accounts. I don't have grandkids, I'm hoping it continues so I have a nice addition to my retirement. I'm planning on keeping 2 or 3 M1's, plus 1 M1A1, 1 Garand, a couple 1911's, 8 to 10 modern 45 acps, and some small carry pistols. Then sell the rest. It should add 100K+ to my retirement. My cousin has already gotten 10 and wants some more. I think they will be easy to sell in a few years.

[Ed Johnson]

Thanks Jim. That answers my question. I failed to mention that I have an Underwood I bought about 40 years ago for $20 or so. I reckon we have made a good investment. I hope my grand children appreciate what is coming to them before too long..(Hopefully a long time). LOL I don't own any real collector rifles. All of mine are mostly mix masters but in super shape. I am shooting them all and loving every minute and every round.
Thanks again.
Ed

[Ed Johnson]

Jim, were you by chance an F-4 Phantom driver? I am an old F-86 Sabre driver. Still a fighter pilot but without a plane but ready to go if they gave me one. To pull more than 3 Gs now would probably ruin me. Sigh
Best..
Ed

[Curt]

Guns are not the best thing to leave your kids and grand kids. Maybe a couple for sentiment or a few more if they have genuine interest.Since you know what they are and what there worth sell them and leave them the cash.Somtimes they are hard to sell or transfer.If they like guns they can buy there own. I was just talking to a guy at a party who had inherited over 100 rifles. He is a young guy with a young family. Do you do any shooting? No he said I just dropped them off at the corner gun shop, they wrote me a fat check.Enough for a 60 inch plasma TV and a new couch. What were they I asked? Just variations upon variations of the same thing mostly, stuff my Grandpa shot in the marines and in competition.He said. I am sure his Grandpa thought he was doing him a big favor too.
My grandpa left his WW2 Arisaka and 1911A1 fromm WW2 to his favorite grandson (not me) who took them to his apartment in DC and got them both confiscated 6 months later. There probally melted down and part of someones new Honda civic right now.Sorry for the rant a little bitter.

[dnikkor]

Since I'm a Johnny-come-lately, buying my first of four (hopefully soon to be five) carbines this past January, I imagine it will be awhile before I could turn any real profit....not that I am planning that for at least 20-years.

[Curt]

Yeah fine quality firearms are always a good investment

[Piercesaw]

Hello all, The best thing you can do is collect what you like. I also wonder what the market will be but when I look around at gun shows all I see are people that are older. Not too many young collectors. With the current economic conditions and undermining trade policies like Nafta that force us to compete with cheap labor I wonder if up and coming young people will have the money to invest into collector items that they don't need.

[Neal Myers]

Curt makes a good point. I helped a WW2 vet I know sell his gun collection; he had given his best gun (a complete 1903A4) to one grandson who had wasted no time swapping it at a gun shop for a pimped-out AR. After hearing that, he figured he might as well sell the rest & keep the money.

But, those of us who are putting away M1 carbines would do well to also put away a bunch of mags & ammo. Surplus USGI ammo is gone, & no one knows how long the good foreign ammo will be available; after that, we will have to line up at Wally World hoping they get a shipment.

[imarangemaster]

I had a bittersweet moment this summer when I was visiting my cousin. He is a retired Federal LEO and rangemaster. He was 15 years my senior and my mentor and idol on firearms and my getting into law enforcement. (In fact the first M1 carbine I fired was his NRA/DCM one). He is in his 70s and running low on $$$.

He opened his gun safe and handed me a pristine, like NIB S&W 29-2, early production, 8 3/8" barrel with magna- porting installed when it first came out. He was a S&W trained smith for Fed, and he worked it over glass smooth action. It was in its factory presentation box. He said he couldn't give it to me, but wanted to know if I would buy it for $650. I said of course, but asked why he wasn't passing it on to his son. He told me he gave him a beautiful shotgun from his collection, and his son pawned it. He knew this would suffer the same fate.

It is in my safe as I write. It is one of those "never sell" guns.