Several years ago I remember a commodities broker who was bidding on 48,000 lb lots of pork bellies for an investor. He had to list an address to deliver the shipment to, and kept trying for a higher profit. Then he wasn't able to sell at a profit and some of those 48,000 lb shipments of pork bellies were actually delivered, and rotted on his front lawn.

A lot of gun collectors, as well as collectors of coins and art and all manner of other things, are doing the same dangerous game while trying to justify their hobby as an investment.

Very few people are willing to pay $50k or $100k for a hunting rifle of any sort regardless of what name is stamped on it. Among average people who like firearms and hunt, very few are even willing to spend $1,500 for ANY firearm, and if they spend anything on a gun they want it to be as durable as Snap On tools. Most don't want to buy a collection of guns because they won't use most of them if they do. If the average guy were to spend $1,500 on a firearm, and it had ANY problem whatsoever, he'd likely want to wrap the barrel around the neck of the maker.

In the USA, price increases in the older guns are now being driven by collectors and not shooters and they are now priced far beyond what they're worth, and to sell one at a profit, you have to sell to another collector.

Sooner or later the artificially inflated prices will bite buyers on the rear.

Richard.