Crazy Prices/Crazy Guns

[Bob McBride]

No time out for that! No doubt our standards are very high and keep getting higher. Same everywhere. If we got into a new off the line 56 Chevy we’d think it was the worst piece of junk we’d ever driven. You got to roll the windows up and down with a handle for heaven’s sake! It’s got a carburetor!

I like the hand cranked widows but I wouldn't have anything with a carburetor again.
going to muzzle loaders,the guns we regarded so highly in past years wouldn't get en
honorable mention today.
Bob Roller

I been looking for a good hand cranked Widow.

Them'd be right handy...

[Bob Roller]

I hear what you're saying Mike Brooks.  I've sort of been wondering how the high end market is holding out.  I'm much more detached from it these days with the kit business, but I've gotten the feeling it's taken a bit of a hit in recent years.  Any thoughts from others?

Jim

The upper end of any market is just THAT,the upper end.That small group that ignores cost
and the classic car market is proof of that.Ferrari,Facel-Vega,Bugatti and Duesenberg.
This market completely ignores the mass market and does its own thing regardless of
economic conditions as does any other areas of interest like ours or coin and stamp collectors.
Willing sellers +willing buyers,no more,no less.

Bob Roller
*fixed missing stop quote bracket--Dennis-*








'

[t.caster]

Mike, I have no clue what a plumber makes, I unplug & repair my own pipes here. But my car dealer/mechanic gets $175 hr.! TOOOO much! The guy that tunes my furnace/A/C & heat pump each year gets at least $75/hr.  Lets see now $75 x 100 hrs. = NO, no...I can't ask that much labor cost!
Back to being a struggling artist. LOL

[Bill Raby]

Mike, I have no clue what a plumber makes, I unplug & repair my own pipes here. But my car dealer/mechanic gets $175 hr.! TOOOO much! The guy that tunes my furnace/A/C & heat pump each year gets at least $75/hr.  Lets see now $75 x 100 hrs. = NO, no...I can't ask that much labor cost!
Back to being a struggling artist. LOL

   You certainly can ask that much for labor. Actually getting it may be tough. But if your work is good enough, you will get it. There are people out there looking for the very best and don't much care about price.

[Bob McBride]

I’m lucky that I have a fairly strong affinity for the common and a very strong dislike of the popular.... so it’s shoulder-britches, old trucks, white t-shirts, and Schimmel long guns for me. Save money on the first three so I can spend it one the last..

[RoaringBull]

Well I'm one of those guys that has the factory made rifles at home, but that's what I could afford at the time. I'm most assuredly not going to offer those for sale here. But what I am doing on this site is learning. Learning about the areas of my leatherwork that need work. And learning what makes a quality muzzleloading forearm. While my next purchase of a firearm won't be in that $2500 and up range, it may very well be in the $1000 to $1500 range. And very hopefully I can get into that upper range soon. Just gotta save my pennies.

[Bob McBride]

Well I'm one of those guys that has the factory made rifles at home, but that's what I could afford at the time. I'm most assuredly not going to offer those for sale here. But what I am doing on this site is learning. Learning about the areas of my leatherwork that need work. And learning what makes a quality muzzleloading forearm. While my next purchase of a firearm won't be in that $2500 and up range, it may very well be in the $1000 to $1500 range. And very hopefully I can get into that upper range soon. Just gotta save my pennies.

I have a few myself. If you put them up for sale, post them here. Lots of new guys showing up lately and if that’s what it takes to get them making smoke while they learn and/or save their pennies, here is better than there, I say.

[Bob Roller]

Some of the factory made military rifles are OK and if I were going to hunt
with a muzzle loader that would strong construction,easy loading and a heavy
bullet.
   Hand cranked car windows should be an option even in very high dollar cars
but they all seem to be very high dollar now thanks to deteriorating currency.
Bob Roller

[Mike Brooks]

Some of the factory made military rifles are OK and if I were going to hunt
with a muzzle loader that would strong construction,easy loading and a heavy
bullet.
   Hand cranked car windows should be an option even in very high dollar cars
but they all seem to be very high dollar now thanks to deteriorating currency.
Bob Roller

50% of my fleet have hand cranked windows. They also have the old vent wings for fresh air and no air-conditioning.

[RoaringBull]

I do a lot of teaching and introducing of muzzle loading rifles to young folks, so I try and keep them for that purpose really.

[Bob McBride]

I do a lot of teaching and introducing of muzzle loading rifles to young folks, so I try and keep them for that purpose really.

That’s great Bull. We need to get the young into this or our fine rifles will end up being bought for a few hundred bucks by interior decorators to be hung over fireplaces in Americana Rustic Livingrooms....

[rich pierce]

I do a lot of teaching and introducing of muzzle loading rifles to young folks, so I try and keep them for that purpose really.

That’s great Bull. We need to get the young into this or our fine rifles will end up being bought for a few hundred bucks by interior decorators to be hung over fireplaces in Americana Rustic Livingrooms....

To the point, Bob, but it still hurts to hear it!   

[LuVerne Schumann]

I do a lot of teaching and introducing of muzzle loading rifles to young folks, so I try and keep them for that purpose really.

That’s great Bull. We need to get the young into this or our fine rifles will end up being bought for a few hundred bucks by interior decorators to be hung over fireplaces in Americana Rustic Livingrooms....

I was a wooden boat builder back in the '90s, and each and every one of the boats that I sold ended up this way.

[Daniel Coats]

I've given away things I could have sold and forgiven loans to younger people for years. The only thing I ask is that they help someone else one day.

[t.caster]

Amazing, we went from crazy high prices to giving them away! LOL

[Daniel Coats]

Amazing, we went from crazy high prices to giving them away! LOL

Amen Tom, some of the crazy high prices are probably considered to be giving them away depending on who you ask! 

[Dphariss]

If you want to make money building firearms its "lathe guns" with plastic stocks. Easy to build and people will pay big bucks for the right stuff and they sell fast.
This from some I know who make both custom BPCRs (expensive to make, sit on the rack a long time) and "lathe guns" (cheaper to make, retail as high or close to it and sell fast). People that buy MLs are, for the most part, notoriously cheap and always have been.
So most people making MLs get paid much less than the work is actually worth especially if much of the hardware is made in shop.

Dan

[EC121]

If a builder and a buyer agree on a price for a custom gun, then both are, in theory, happy.  However, if a builder builds a spec(rack) gun, then the price is whatever a willing buyer will offer and the seller will accept.  Aftermarket(used items) prices are negotiable.

[utseabee]

I have two old vehicles with hand crank windows and 4 barrel carburetors, by choice.
As one of a few builders on here currently with a gun priced over $3k, I feel like some of this is targeted at me. I guess some people don't appreciate the experience and time and effort that goes into creating not only a functional firearm but a piece of artwork that fits into a historical timeframe. I think everybodies price is negotiable, but you shouldn't expect a trained artisan to give away what they know to be fine hand crafted work.
Go buy an assembled kit for under $1500 and hope, I said HOPE, it fits you. If not, find a custom builder who can fit you and give you just what you want and like, and agree to pay his price. Nuff said.

My goal would be to make as much per hour as the plumber that comes out to unplug your toilet. Although I get close to 50% if I  work real fast I'll never make that pay grade.

    Speaking purely from the plumber's point of view. The owner of the plumbing company makes out quite well, but the poor sap who shows up at your door to do the dirty work doesn't do near as well. If I work real fast, I just end up with s*#t on me
I've tried my luck at gun building and understand what is involved with building a quality rifle. Good quality is expensive and I am willing to pay for a quality flintlock. No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to quit my job as a plumber to be a builder. I'd starve if I had to rely on my building skills.

[t.caster]

If a builder and a buyer agree on a price for a custom gun, then both are, in theory, happy.  However, if a builder builds a spec(rack) gun, then the price is whatever a willing buyer will offer and the seller will accept.  Aftermarket(used items) prices are negotiable.

Exactly. That's how it went down when you bought the "Free Born" rifle from me.

[EC121]

If a builder and a buyer agree on a price for a custom gun, then both are, in theory, happy.  However, if a builder builds a spec(rack) gun, then the price is whatever a willing buyer will offer and the seller will accept.  Aftermarket(used items) prices are negotiable.

Exactly. That's how it went down when you bought the "Free Born" rifle from me.

You are quite right.  The price was never the issue.

[Mercier]

I’ve been a member here for a while.  I never post, just read, learn, and admire.  I’m currently in line for a specific build of Southern influenced longrifle.  I’m certainly not a topend buyer but I’m ready to pay for the quality that a member/builder here can produce. 

Also, my son and grandson truly enjoy shooting the two Plains style rifles that I have.  I don’t think the passion for these rifles and smoothebores will ever die.

[Stoner creek]

It might be helpful if you will specify what type of Southern gun that you're looking for. Early Virginia,  North Carolina, Tennessee, and many more, there's a pretty wide berth for Southern guns. You'll find what you're looking for with the help of the members here!  Good luck with your quest.

[Mercier]

The rifle that I covet is the Joseph Bogle Rifle that is featured in the virtual museum under Tennessee Rifles.  I have already contracted with a builder from this site, but I thank you for your response. 

Didn’t mean to hijack.

[Stoner creek]

Absolutely great choice!!