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Am I off, or has the price of all but the most 'commom' DRs gotten very high recently? And, where have they all gone to?

One can still acquire 'production' DRs (Merkel, Chapuis, Krieghoff, and a few others) 'off the shelf' here in the US for prices that have kept pace with other firearm prices. H&H or Purdey or WR new builds? They are in the stratosphere, but have been for quite some time, so no surprise there.

But look at the prices of 'used' or vintage DRs. H&H? If it is a Nitro gun, in original condition and not rebarreled or rebored, $50,000 for one in 'decent' condition is the current 'ask' and they are still rather thin on the ground. Purdey? When was the last one you saw in any kind of decent shape, or saw at all? Nitro Purdeys are simply not out there. WRs? Sure, you can find the lesser grades for under $20,000. in fairly good condition, but not in the 470 and up range. Jeffery, etc? Same situation. Even rebored and restocked go for $11,500 up, and they seem to be snatched up quickly.

Okay, so how about Continental guns? The Sauers, Ferlach guns, and various German makes normally bring less than a DR fro Ole Blighty. But when was the last time you saw a good hammerless Nitro gun in decent shape under $10,000? And, if so, how long did it last?

I am also an O/U rifle collector. Most of those originate from the Continent. The price of those has gone up, and the flood that used to be around is drying up quickly.

I use George Caswell's site as a barometer of the current used market. But how many does he have on hand and how long do the good ones last? I just checked his site, and he shows 47 in stock. However, I'd guess that almost half are sold and waiting for his webmaster to remove them. I know that when he gets an exceptional gun (check out the Purdey in 303 he has listed) it goes out very, very fast. The 577s he had around the first of the year are all gone, and most have been removed.

Now check out GI, GA, or any of the internet sites. The number of vintage or even mildly used DRs seems to me to be far smaller than a year ago at this time, and what is there is either a fright pig, and ancient and well worn BP, or wildly overpriced. But even then, the selection is quite small.

Your thoughts? Am I just gettin paranoid, or am I perceptive? Dave

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Time Wounds All Heels

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