Pandemic Auction Revolver "Phenomena"

[William Lincoln]

Call pawn shops and gun shops. Also put ad in Armslist for your area.
Ask for Black Powder stuff & guns including non-working guns. You
will get Plenty. Parts are available from various sources. Until the last
year or so there was an unsold glut of black powder guns. Ever since
the riots things have tightened up because these guns are powerful.
Many people live in the northeast where all you can have is one of
these type of guns. Some years back I bought and sold Black powder
guns of all types. There has always been a healthy interest in the
revolvers and pistols but not the long guns. Now people are begging
for everything black powder. As things often go, I sold everything
but a few items that I'm holding onto. Timing is everthing in life.
For the eager motivated Beaver there are still deals out there.

 

[vintovka]

Before the recent craziness I felt like I STOLE several overlooked treasures on Gunbroker. Both black powder and center fire.

The only place i've gotten burned by a bad barrel was...well... here!

It was several years ago and I just considered it the cost of doing business and moved on.

Done nothing but well on GB. Got severely taken on private forums not unlike this one. GB has a "long reach" starting with the use a CC to register to bid or sell. Even NPBs are feeling the pinch folks like Equifax can put on you.

 

[springfield art]

To premise, I watch GunBroker on a daily basis to see what is being offered. Since the pandemic started about a year ago, I have seen a steady rapid decline in the numbers of new(er) revolvers from Pietta and Uberti. That, it seems, has led to the rise of more older, obscure, and damaged revolvers showing up since the new supply has basically dried up. I, for one, enjoy seeing what folks have kept in their possession all this time, which seems to have signaled a window where these guns can be sold now due to an addiction which I will term as "buyer withdrawal", whereas in "normal" times few would have paid a passing glance at these guns.

I encourage others to add to the list, but I will start.

Uberti 1860 Army AZ/1990 full-fluted cylinder "Gunsmith Special". Uberti 1860 .44cal 8"bbl Black Powder Revolver Gunsmith Special - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 891473286 Start bid $149.

View attachment 62061View attachment 62062

Hawes Colt 1851 Navy .44 Cal percussion black powder revolver - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 891477559 Start bid $350. Date code XXX/1974.

View attachment 62064

Cimarron Colt Paterson SA .36 Cap & Ball Percussion Revolver ATF Antique - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 889126947

Pietta Navy Arms LeMat .44 Cal & 16 Gauge Percussion Revolver ATF Antique - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 889167134

Euroarms Model Rogers & Spencer .44 Cap & Ball Percussion Revolver Antique - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 888926611

All three of these revolvers are being offered with NO CYLINDER. The bidders must be thinking about either back-burner projects or as guns to be parted out.

In conclusion for now, I think there is a new mindset happening with some folks thinking that Italian production will either slow to a future crawl or maybe even cease altogether.

In that case, all the Italian revolvers produced from the late 50's until present are now a new collector area, just like the Colt 2nd Gen, 3rd, gen, and Colt Blackpowder Products revolvers are, only there are so very many different variations of them it will be a chore (and a challenge) to list them all. Dr. Jim L. Davis tried to start that up about 15 years ago with the RPRCA (Replica Percussion Revolver Collector Association) but he was really only on his own in doing so, and it died when he passed in September 2019, and his collection was sold off, but that is another story.

Regards,

Jim

 

[LME]

Wonder how the end of the barrel on pistol No. 1 got flared?

Bet it's really accurate.

Probably by some in home gunsmith? I have seen some crazy damage on rifles/pistol that if left alone and carried to a gun smith it could have been fixed for less than $100.00 ?

 

[Stantheman86]

No one is going to make $$ off repros, even if they stop making them today. There are probably 10x more repros of each model than there were originals produced.

Repro, to me, is just a shootable facsimile. They are not collectible except in my opinion, the Colt 2nd Gens which still languish on GB for $1200

Ok...not to offend anyone.....but, the market for original percussion revolvers is pretty much 0 right now , the same with muskets , rifle-muskets, military bolt action rifles , etc.

Because, the huge , golden era of cheap surplus firearms is long over , the people who collect original percussion and flint firearms are passing away, and no one is looking for stuff like original 1860 Colts. Young buyers don't know or care what they are and people aren't paying $2000 for one. High condition examples are buried deep in collections and change hands among the few high end collectors left.

The repro firearms market is in a bubble, but it will pop

Supply is coming back, slowly. I just bought a Parker-Hale P53 off a Gunbroker dealer for $900, and saw an ArmiSport P53 sell for $1100.....and obviously the Parker-Hale is 10x the fit, finish and quality.

The UK ,European and Australian market keep up demand for repro revolvers, rifles and muskets because of restrictive gun laws .

So...if a Parker-Hale can be found for $1000 or so , and there are very few out there, I don't think anyone should invest in Italian replicas.

 

[vintovka]

No one is going to make $$ off repros, even if they stop making them today. There are probably 10x more repros of each model than there were originals produced.

Repro, to me, is just a shootable facsimile. They are not collectible except in my opinion, the Colt 2nd Gens which still languish on GB for $1200

Ok...not to offend anyone.....but, the market for original percussion revolvers is pretty much 0 right now , the same with muskets , rifle-muskets, military bolt action rifles , etc.

Because, the huge , golden era of cheap surplus firearms is long over , the people who collect original percussion and flint firearms are passing away, and no one is looking for stuff like original 1860 Colts. Young buyers don't know or care what they are and people aren't paying $2000 for one. High condition examples are buried deep in collections and change hands among the few high end collectors left.

The repro firearms market is in a bubble, but it will pop

Supply is coming back, slowly. I just bought a Parker-Hale P53 off a Gunbroker dealer for $900, and saw an ArmiSport P53 sell for $1100.....and obviously the Parker-Hale is 10x the fit, finish and quality.

The UK ,European and Australian market keep up demand for repro revolvers, rifles and muskets because of restrictive gun laws .

So...if a Parker-Hale can be found for $1000 or so , and there are very few out there, I don't think anyone should invest in Italian replicas.

I have noticed that originals arn't selling fast. I have a minty original 61 Wm Mason and a .36 Star Navy which drew little attention lately.

 

[Stantheman86]

I have noticed that originals arn't selling fast. I have a minty original 61 Wm Mason and a .36 Star Navy which drew little attention lately.

Demand for high end, nice condition originals is low.

People don't want to shoot them and there's less incentive to collect them

Unless a big blockbuster Civil War movie comes out which is highly unlikely .......no one is going to want original Civil War era weapons besides probably us on this forum

I remember when Saving Private Ryan and all the video games came out , demand for M1 Garands skyrocketed

 

[vintovka]

Demand for high end, nice condition originals is low.

People don't want to shoot them and there's less incentive to collect them

Unless a big blockbuster Civil War movie comes out which is highly unlikely .......no one is going to want original Civil War era weapons besides probably us on this forum

I remember when Saving Private Ryan and all the video games came out , demand for M1 Garands skyrocketed

Add in other unmentionables in demand like WW2 russian guns with movies like Enemy at the gates and Stalingrad. Video games don't hurt demand either but never seen one where action characters take time to load and prime a Musket or long rifle.

 

[Stantheman86]

Add in other unmentionables in demand like WW2 russian guns with movies like Enemy at the gates and Stalingrad. Video games don't hurt demand either but never seen one where action characters take time to load and prime a Musket or long rifle.

There actually were a few, but they were terrible.........XBox 360 had "Secret Missions of the Civil War" but most of the weapons were kinda altered to suit gameplay, Gods and Generals actually had you ramming Minie balls down a pipe for a Springfield but the game was terrible, like abysmally terrible.

The whole PC erasing history thing with the Confederacy pretty much nukes any interest any film maker would have in a Civil War period movie.

If it weren't for the European/UK/Australian etc. market, I think reproduction sales would pretty much cease. Spaghetti Westerns and the Civil War centennial in the 1950's and 60's sparked huge interest in the cap and ballers, and reproduction muskets, rifles etc for reenancting, N-SSSA Skirmish, the American obsession with the Wild West, the fact that these weapons were exempt from gun laws and supplies were easy to get............. and just people who thought the guns were cool caused a surge in interest. Most young people who are into guns don't think muzzleloading is worth the effort and they have no interest in learning.

As we know, muzzleloading has always been hugely popular in the UK.

But in America, reeenactment interest is low, those who take part are getting older and fewer young people want to bother with it. The Civil War is "ancient" to them and boring, for the most part. I mean, how much Revolutionary War reenacting takes place? I personally love this period but it's like no one reenacts it anymore and so few people are interested in shooting Flintlock muskets.

Even the inflated prices for WWII firearms isn't resulting in any huge sales of these, people have been trying to sell $1500 Krag rifles for years. No one wants them. It's all "tactical" and plastic stuff now. Increased legislation or threats of bans aren't going to drive people to suddenly want to pick up an Enfield rifle-musket and want to learn. Either you need an interest in this or you're not going to want to pick up muzzleloading.

A lot of rusted out Brass frame Navy repros are out there at gun shows and GunBroker because people impulse bought them, discovered they took work to actually use and they require cleaning , so they gave up on them.

 

[springfield art]

No one is going to make $$ off repros, even if they stop making them today. There are probably 10x more repros of each model than there were originals produced.

Repro, to me, is just a shootable facsimile. They are not collectible except in my opinion, the Colt 2nd Gens which still languish on GB for $1200

Ok...not to offend anyone.....but, the market for original percussion revolvers is pretty much 0 right now , the same with muskets , rifle-muskets, military bolt action rifles , etc.

Because, the huge , golden era of cheap surplus firearms is long over , the people who collect original percussion and flint firearms are passing away, and no one is looking for stuff like original 1860 Colts. Young buyers don't know or care what they are and people aren't paying $2000 for one. High condition examples are buried deep in collections and change hands among the few high end collectors left.

The repro firearms market is in a bubble, but it will pop

Supply is coming back, slowly. I just bought a Parker-Hale P53 off a Gunbroker dealer for $900, and saw an ArmiSport P53 sell for $1100.....and obviously the Parker-Hale is 10x the fit, finish and quality.

The UK ,European and Australian market keep up demand for repro revolvers, rifles and muskets because of restrictive gun laws .

So...if a Parker-Hale can be found for $1000 or so , and there are very few out there, I don't think anyone should invest in Italian replicas.

When I go to large gun shows, common bolt-actions are going, or at least are priced, extremely high. No, you shouldn't 'invest' in repros, but there does seem to be a collector market for them. I don't know where you are located, but if you're in Europe, the whole market is different in the US. Good luck anyway and thanks for your comments.

 

[Stantheman86]

When I go to large gun shows, common bolt-actions are going, or at least are priced, extremely high. No, you shouldn't 'invest' in repros, but there does seem to be a collector market for them. I don't know where you are located, but if you're in Europe, the whole market is different in the US. Good luck anyway and thanks for your comments.

I'm in the US, where I also feel people are pretty much buying up anything

The only repros worth buying up IMO are Colt 2nd Gens and Parker-Hale Enfields, but even still, I don't see anyone retiring off them.

A person who bought a few Spiller & Burrs and never fired them could probably get $700 a piece for them because it seems like Pietta gave up on them for now. Not a huge profit

 

[Bad Karma]

I'm in the US, where I also feel people are pretty much buying up anything

The only repros worth buying up IMO are Colt 2nd Gens and Parker-Hale Enfields, but even still, I don't see anyone retiring off them.

A person who bought a few Spiller & Burrs and never fired them could probably get $700 a piece for them because it seems like Pietta gave up on them for now. Not a huge profit

I’ve a few collectibles. 1860’s naturally, I bought them because I liked them and the price was right. I could make from 2 to 5 hundred on most of them, but then, I bought when there was no rush to do so. Selling wasn’t really part of the ciphering…

 

[Stantheman86]

I’ve a few collectibles. 1860’s naturally, I bought them because I liked them and the price was right. I could make from 2 to 5 hundred on most of them, but then, I bought when there was no rush to do so. Selling wasn’t really part of the ciphering…

I don't buy anything with any intent to resell, I buy what I like to shoot

Honestly I think I lost a few bucks on some rifles I just sold, oh well, they funded new purchases

 

[2 shots]

william lincoln. where did you hear you can only have black powder guns in the north east????

 

[brushblind]

Supply and demand. I'd rather buy from this site than people on GB. I've never had a bad experience with a seller here.

GB has no appeal for me anymore with charging state tax, shipping and they just added another fee that the buyer pays. A small fee but it all adds up to make it not worthy anymore.

 

[vintovka]

GB has no appeal for me anymore with charging state tax, shipping and they just added another fee that the buyer pays. A small fee but it all adds up to make it not worthy anymore.

Been downsizing my collection lately on GB. The taxes, fees, and increased shipping costs have slowed sales to a crawl. The 1099 issue for CC and PP have made things very difficult for buyers and sellers alike. When you add up the total effect is seems purposely insidious.

 

[Stantheman86]

Been downsizing my collection lately on GB. The taxes, fees, and increased shipping costs have slowed sales to a crawl. The 1099 issue for CC and PP have made things very difficult for buyers and sellers alike. When you add up the total effect is seems purposely insidious.

I won a P53 for $910, by the time I paid all the fees I was above $1000

 

[vintovka]

I won a P53 for $910, by the time I paid all the fees I was above $1000

You were actually fortunate. Have seen delivered totals over 20% of bid amount. Many have 12+ percent sales tax on some items plus a hefty "just cause we can" fee. Some MLs and unmentionables have transfer fees at or above $75 and climbing. I have gotten some considerable red derrière feedback over the final costs and increase shipping. Many are unaware of the additional costs but wising up fast. Won't even mention auction premiums,

 

[kh54]

Repro, to me, is just a shootable facsimile. They are not collectible except in my opinion, the Colt 2nd Gens which still languish on GB for $1200

If by “collectible” you mean only guns (or anything for that matter) that will increase in value because of some inherent quality, then I may agree with you. On the other hand, anything is collectible. I “collect” reproductions because they allow me to have representative examples of many of the pre-ACW and ACW period guns that are my primary interest. I could never afford to have originals of the 30 or so guns in my collection. I do, however, appreciate quality, so I have tried to by 2nd generation revolvers when they are reasonably priced and I have four, I think - but who counts? I have bought three Parker Hale Enfields but my defarbed Armi Sport P1853 is more accurate than the PHs and cost me about $400 less. I also have two Mirokus and I think they are desirable for their accuracy and appearance, so they’re collectible, no?

I watch Gunbroker and I’ve made some pretty good deals, but I do a lot of looking. I’ve noticed that good deals on 2nd gens that three years ago were selling for $400-$500 are now closer to $750 and up. You’re right, though, the 2nd gens priced at much more than that do languish.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I don't buy anything with any intent to resell, I buy what I like to shoot

Honestly I think I lost a few bucks on some rifles I just sold, oh well, they funded new purchases

Could not agree more! I buy to shoot, not to resell at some exorbitant price everyone complains about when others do it! Everyone whines about high prices until they want to sell their items. Suddenly high prices are OK!