Collectors

Liquidating a large amount of guns from an estate or large collection on GunsAmerica can be a lot of work. Often the task is left to relatives and heirs, and they know little about guns. Before you start taking pictures and posting ads for sale, this is a brief overview of what you should consider.

Shooting History. This is the name of a new series that we will be running here at Guns America. We will take some historic guns, shoot them and review them not too much unlike our new gun reviews. It was seeing the new production Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless at SHOT Show this year that got me to thinking, so, it makes sense to kick it off with an antique 1903.

You have probably already surmised that GunsAmerica is an enthusiast site run by enthusiasts. Therefore I feel it my duty to report on really cool stuff I encounter that relates specifically to guns and shooting sports, and other stuff that gun guys usually like. If you have been following my Prepping 101 series, you may have already read the “What is Your Fighting Knife” story, and in that I mentioned that there are some great deals to be had right on Ebay. Why these idiots from Pakistan don’t sell on GunsAmerica is beyond me of course, but I’m an Ebay junkie anyway. What I found of late is that as Christmas gets closer, the opposite of what you would expect is happening. Demand has been slow, and the prices have been coming way way down. Incredibly gorgeous Damascus pattern Bowie knifes and other patterns of hunting knife are going for crazy low money, and I can’t help but share you with you the deals I have found. The digest for this article is coming out on December 22nd, so if you don’t visit here during the week you probably missed out on gift buying for others, but who needs other people when you can can just buy gifts for yourself?

From CMP, “There is an $1,800 fee for the class and includes the CMP Special Rifle that participants will build in the class and three lunches that are provided. The class fee of $800.00 will be charged to the credit card provided approximately 4-5 weeks prior to the class.”

Before there was a Sig P226 or a Beretta M92 there was a the Browning High Power. It was made by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, and was designed by John Moses Browning like like the Colt 1911. But unlike the 1911, the High Power has always stayed under the Browning name and it is still manufactured today by Miroku in Japan. The major departure from the 1911 on the High Power is the feature that brings the 226 and M92 into the same family of guns. It is a double action/single action, method of firing. On the first shot, the trigger both pulls back the hammer and releases it, like a revolver. Once the first round is fired, the hammer stays back from being cocked by the recoil of the first shot, then the second shot fires single action. The tangent sight marks this as a military contract High Power. It is among the more desirable models from a collector standpoint.
The tangent sight marks this as a military contract High Power. It is among the more desirable models from a collector standpoint.
This double action/single action design evolved into an entire class of pistols, that eventually came with hammer decockers and safety decockers, but the original High Power had neither of those. It can be carried with the simple manual safety engaged, hammer back in single action (holstered of course), or without the safety engaged in double action mode. There have been several copies of the Browning FN high power over the years, but the original High Power is still made today for Browning by Miroku in Japan. Examples of the Belgian made High Powers are thought to be the original classic guns, and are sought by both collectors and shooters today.

The line between having a gun or two and becoming a collector is a fine and blurry one . . . and that is the magic of it all. You do not need a large bank account or carved-in-stone criteria to be a collector. We could use Webster to find a definition of a “collection”, but because I am writing this, I will make one up to suit. To me, a “collection” of guns and/or related items is simply when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There is more good news, that “greater” need not be in my eyes or in the eyes of formal collectors or organizations; but in your eyes only. If, over time, you choose wisely there is a very high probability that your collection will please someone else also; and it may be a very good financial investment. With that in mind let’s look at the mental process that can lead you down the road to safe and happy collecting.

There should be two overriding criteria when you begin to invest. First, buy what you like. That is, do not try to keep up with the “Joneses.” Just because someone has a fine collection of all Damascus Nambus, or gold inlaid Iver Johnsons it does not mean that these would be right for you.