Thread: The secondhand rifle market

For me I usually expect this sort of thing to be around 50% of new value in what you listed as good condition. I think currently the market is volatile and bargains can be had for buyers. Even the retail side seems to be struggling as we see some half price new rifles being advertised. I was looking for something to shoot pigs with so getting a brand new rifle at half price was something I jumped at, better option than an unknown used item I think

Thr only reason the market down is because not everyone wants to register.
Which makes a buys market as thd ones that are sitting, waiting will end up having to do it. Meanwhile gunshops close, staff loosing jobs.get over it and get shooting.

Originally Posted by smidey

For me I usually expect this sort of thing to be around 50% of new value in what you listed as good condition. I think currently the market is volatile and bargains can be had for buyers. Even the retail side seems to be struggling as we see some half price new rifles being advertised. I was looking for something to shoot pigs with so getting a brand new rifle at half price was something I jumped at, better option than an unknown used item I think

I guess the 50% for second hand depends on what it is.
I paid a lot and I mean a lot compared to new for a sako .223.
I was more than happy to pay this as this model is no longer made and the chances of finding one second hand is very very slim.
The new models weren't out at that stage.
So it all depends on what it is and how bad someone wants it.
But yes for run of the mill Tikka I usually work on half price.

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Originally Posted by C7A1

Thr only reason the market down is because not everyone wants to register.
Which makes a buys market as thd ones that are sitting, waiting will end up having to do it. Meanwhile gunshops close, staff loosing jobs.get over it and get shooting.

Really, are there that many ‘tin foil hat’ people out there that it’s affecting firearms prices ? I don’t know a single person that’s held of registering even though they want to buy/sell a firearm and I interact with a lot of shooters. There’s still a few out there that don’t know about registration requirements but those that do realise registration isn’t going away in a hurry. I don’t believe Nicole is going to get it reversed with the lack of support from her own coalition partners and I doubt any future government is going to show much appetite to. Perhaps prices are depressed because of lack of money flowing around, maybe it’s because people have come to realise they’re getting rorted by high price expectations and prices are stabilising at true values. Firearms are no different to any other commodity, the moment a new one leaves the shop it devalues by 30-50% unless an individual really wants it and is prepared to pay the ‘inflated’ prices that some sellers expect to achieve. Just my 2c.

Probably the best place to buy and sell is still on here though , most people seem to be realistic or at least get realistic with there price pretty quickly if they want to move it on

This reminds me of the old market for lemons (cars) scenario. Sellers know more about the condition, accuracy of a rifle than the buyer. Since buyers can't get this information easily they only want to pay the price of a low grade rifle and sellers of high-quality rifles exit the market to avoid being undervalued.

I e. If it's so good, why are they "only selling because upgrading" [because the rifle is flawed] or "plans changed" [because the gun won't shoot].

FOOP is real, and in this market is much stronger than FOMO.

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Originally Posted by Mararoa

I think there’s a lot of truth in that comment. Often (but not always) things get sold because there’s a problem with them and rifles are no different. And with rifles often those problems are not that obvious, and are only found later on. “Does it shoot alright?” “Fuck yeah, does under an inch with everything I’ve put through it!”. Oh really.

Probably does do under an inch with everything - but I note no claim that it is at the same time with everything and not with only one type of ammo at a time, and also no mention of range!!!!!

Originally Posted by Mararoa

I think there’s a lot of truth in that comment. Often (but not always) things get sold because there’s a problem with them and rifles are no different. And with rifles often those problems are not that obvious, and are only found later on. “Does it shoot alright?” “Fuck yeah, does under an inch with everything I’ve put through it!”. Oh really.

Not with me I’ve sold way to many good guns


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Originally Posted by Mararoa

I think there’s a lot of truth in that comment. Often (but not always) things get sold because there’s a problem with them and rifles are no different. And with rifles often those problems are not that obvious, and are only found later on. “Does it shoot alright?” “Fuck yeah, does under an inch with everything I’ve put through it!”. Oh really.

the problem is that "under an inch" is utterly meaningless unless specified for how many shots, how frequently


wouldn't it be nice if everyone used a clear consistent and meaningful measure of precision so we could trust statements about how well a rifle for sale shoots? e.g. 10rd groups

Very interesting comments.
Some of you may have seen a week or so ago I was trying to sell the grandsons Anschutz smallbore target rifle. I didn't have a lot of confidence that it would sell on this forum, given that it was a target rifle, but worth a shot (excuse the pun).
Anyway, never sold, so onto TM it went. Sold within 2 days for the asking price. Now these rifles have increased in price over the 2 years since I bought it, but got what I paid for it back then.
More than happy

The ones Ive seen really struggling to sell are the Sakos with swapped stocks, barrels and stuff.

@gimp I very much agree about “accuracy” claims.
Possibly not to the point of requiring several $50 10 shot groups,
But there is a lot of difference between 3 shot and 5 shot groups isnt there ?
zero stability is equally important but its very difficult to be sure if a gun has a problem.

@BushChook idea that add ons add little to the price: I would have thought there are a steady stream on new hunters coming in with no gear and would aappreciate a package they can take out straight away and use as is complete. Those extras add a lot to the cost of getting into hunting. Established hunters / shooters wanting to upgrade their gear - sure, bare rifle, bare scope are what they want.

@25/08 IMP thanks youre the only one that stuck their neck out and answered the question. Personally I think they are a bit optimistic and would be happy to get $2000 for a well used sako 85 with suppressor and mounts but optimism doesnt hurt.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

@gimp I very much agree about “accuracy” claims.
Possibly not to the point of requiring several $50 10 shot groups,
But there is a lot of difference between 3 shot and 5 shot groups isnt there ?
zero stability is equally important but its very difficult to be sure if a gun has a problem.

A single 10rd group shown would be good evidence of how a rifle can be expected to perform with that particular ammunition. Much better than vague "under an inch" claims

Originally Posted by Bos

Very interesting comments.
Some of you may have seen a week or so ago I was trying to sell the grandsons Anschutz smallbore target rifle. I didn't have a lot of confidence that it would sell on this forum, given that it was a target rifle, but worth a shot (excuse the pun).
Anyway, never sold, so onto TM it went. Sold within 2 days for the asking price. Now these rifles have increased in price over the 2 years since I bought it, but got what I paid for it back then.
More than happy

I have made a point of ignoring the general vibe about TradeMe on the Forum because when I have used it’s services I’ve done generally very well. A good number of things I’ve listed on here haven’t even had a sniff but they’ve gone pretty much immediately when listed on TM, even when priced such that the buyer is paying the fee and then some.