Do AR's hold value?

[shafter]

Hey guys, I've been thinking about a Stag AR15 model 4. My question is how well do they hold their value? If I play around with it for awhile and can't get used to the AR platform will I be able to turn around and sell it without losing a big chunk of money. A small hit is fine but I don't want to lose a ton of money.

What is your opinion?

 

[pturner67]

I'm not an expert but I would think that any quality firearm these days holds its value very well...some may even increase in value

AR15s are probably no different...they have really gained in popularity for plinking and HD

 

[RT]

As long as you don't overpay, you can part it out and usually recoup your cost.

 

[Ridge_Runner_5]

It really depends. Gun prices the past few years climbed sharply leading up to and immediately following the 2008 election. In the past few years, people have been selling them off and the prices have fallen noticeably as the market became swamped with them.

It's likely that they will go up again as we head into the election this year, and possibly through the holidays. Depending on who gets elected will decide where the prices go next year and beyond.

 

[CTS]

I'm with RidgeRunner on this one. I bought a Bushmaster last June for $950 that is being sold new now for $850. Another thing to look at is the sheer numbers of ARs that are on the market. There is certainly a glut in the market for them. That doesn't help keep the prices up either. My LGS is selling PSA 16" carbine with chrome lined 1:7 barrel, quad rail, magpul MBUS and two stage trigger for $699.00.

 

[Darren Roberts]

The main problem is how many manufacturers jumped on the band wagon and flooded the market with cheap priced (and cheap quality) ARs. To many people are buying those just to say they have one without regard to quality.
It is better to look cool rather than have a dependable firearm.
That being said...this also drives down the price of used guns. People would rather pay $600 for a new POS than the same $600 for a good quality rifle that will still out last 90% of the knockoffs being thrown out today.
Bottom line is a good weapon will hold its value, a cheap knock off will be a dime a dozen as soon as you leave the store with it.

 

[madcratebuilder]

PSA has priced their mil-spec AR so low it's has effected resale of other AR's. $600 buys a new bare bones mil-spec M4gery with warranty and CS.

The outcome of the upcoming election may have a effect on prices like it did in 08. A conservative win could cause prices to go lower.

My LGS is selling PSA 16" carbine with chrome lined 1:7 barrel, quad rail, magpul MBUS and two stage trigger for $699.00.

This kills the resale out of Bushmaster, S&W, DPMS and other commercial AR's, even other mil-spec AR's. How long well people pay 1K for a rifle they can buy for $600-700 bucks.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The problem with ARs is that you can see some wide flucuations in value, especially during the election years as people become concerned about whether or not they will be able to buy an AR in the future. If you buy at the top of those bubbles, then they won't hold their value.

And for another example, every year new manufacturers join the ranks of AR builders and they are all seeking to create a market-niche or do something better. When I built my favorite AR, there was maybe one place that offered some of the features I wanted so you paid what they were asking or you didn't get it. Now I see major firearms manufacturers offering all the custom features I had to piece together myself in a single production packagae that is easily half the price of what I paid - and often better quality as well.

Right now there is so much innovation in the AR market (not all of it useful though) that what you think is a high dollar feature now may not be all that impressive in a few years. After all, there was a time when finding a 1:7 chrome-lined midlength barrel for sale would have been like finding Excalibur.

 

[10-96]

I guess I live in a weird part of the world. Here, nobody ever takes a loss on AR's. Seems to be a common thing to take a $700 rifle, throw a bunch of Chinese junk on it, and then sell it as a super custom uber cool tactical special built ultimate ninja rifle for $1000 regardless of how heavily it was used. So if you're anywhere close to Amarillo, TX- you won't take a loss unless you happen to be the first honest guy to show up here with a rifle for sale.

 

[UtopiaTexasG19]

Most of my friends shoot massive volumes of bullets from their AR's so unlike a good, quality bolt action rifle that may see substantually less rounds per year one never knows how much a particular AR has been fired and how worrn out the barrel or internal parts may be. Granted, many internal parts are easy to replace but how do you place a reasonable price on a used AR when you don't know if its had 100 rounds or 10,000 rounds sent down the barrel? In my area, and compared to any other caliber, AR's would in my opinion have the most wear and tear on them of any used rifle. Then again value and price are in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Keg]

I would think that some Colts would....

 

[Technosavant]

ARs are like most other mass production guns- if you turn right around and sell it, you WILL take a loss if you paid for a NIB gun. There's a ton on the market, and while they're popular, right now production can more than supply the demand. That might change come the election (last time, everything AR was super-popular for a year or so and nobody could keep up with the market).

I'm not so sure that companies like PSA are depressing the market- they don't have enough of a production capacity to pull that off and the folks rolling their own are not the same folks buying whole rifles. They have an extremely vocal group of supporters, but even those supporters have to admit that PSA can't keep up with demand. They just aren't big enough to make the average buyer think "$900 for that Stag is a bit much when I can call up PSA and wait a month or two and hope the rifle is what I ordered... I'll save a couple hundred bucks." Just not happening. Sorry.

If you want to try one out, you might want to find one you can borrow or rent; that should clue you in as to whether you'll like it or not, at least initially.

 

[tahunua001]

an AR will hold it's value as much as any other rifle, anyone and everyone makes one now so resale is going to be garbage just like the 10 million mosin nagants that are so saturated that they are still selling for under $100. eventually people will stop making them when all of the mall ninjas decide that the ACR or SCAR are cooler guns and the market can close up a bit and 80 years down the line you may get your money back out of the investment.

I dont buy guns for resale value, I buy them for shooting value, if a box of ammo costs me as much as the gun then I look elsewhere but I have never sold a gun and don't intend to anytime soon.

 

[ScottRiqui]

You'll have your best chance at maintaining a high resale value if you don't make any non-reversable modifications to the rifle or hang a bunch of custom parts off it. Except for the "Amarillo Aberration" earlier in the thread, you usually take it in the shorts when it comes to resale value on accessories.

In other words, it's a lot easier to get $900 for a bone-stock rifle that you originally spent $1000 for than it is to get $900 for a $600 rifle that you hung $400 worth of stuff off of.

 

[rickyrick]

I think a plain Jane AR new should be 350-375$ tops.

 

[Palmetto-Pride]

Its like this if Obama gets reelected that will play a big role in gun values especially ARs, AKs, SKSs. If the Assault weapons ban ever gets reinstated you will wish you bought them by the truckload. P-Mags would probably go for $75.00+ Hopefully that will never happen, but you never know.

 

[bdturner]

I bought a Colt SP1 in 1984 for $400 brand new in the box. I think it has gone up a little in that time.

 

[Palmetto-Pride]

I bought a Colt SP1 in 1984 for $400 brand new in the box. I think it has gone up a little in that time.

$400.00 in 1984 had the same buying power as $891.10 in 2012.

Annual inflation over this period was 2.90%.

Just keeping it real.....

 

[madcratebuilder]

^^^^^^^^

In 1984 gas was $1.20, milk $2 a gallon, eggs cost $1 a dozen and a 1st class stamp was .20 cents.

We are getting a double wammy of inflation and devaluation of the dollar.

 

[BPowderkeg]

Stag AR15 model 4

just my OPINION, but an AR-15 IS a Colt !!

any Colt will hold it's value far better than ALL the other knock off's, and all the others ARE knock off's....., once more, just my OPINION !!

i bought my first AR-15, in 1966ad, for just a bit over $200.00 which i had to sell along with several high dollar guns i.e., .45 Colt SAA to pay for divorce in 1977ad, i got $400.00 for it, today i believe that rifle would go for about $2000.00, same for the Colt SAA.