View Full Version : Always buy the most expensive gun you can afford
SA Friday
03-17-2010, 20:35
"Always buy the most expensive gun you can afford," was advise given to me over 25 years ago by the man who got me into firearms. He was my second cousin's husband (big family). I never forgot his advise and I never forgot the explaination. I've reflected on this advise every time I purchase a firearm. It's advise that's served me well and so I'm passing it along as I see many not understand it regularly.
It boils down to real cost, resale, and functionality. You always have a choice when you buy a firearm. The choice is gun A, or gun B, or gun C. With a few exceptions, the more expensive of the three guns is almost always built better. The real cost of purchasing one gun is not being able to purchase one of the other two guns with the money used. For example, Gun A is a $1000 Springfield 5" 1911, gun B is a $600 Glock 21, and gun C is a $250 Star. If you buy the Star, that money cannot be used to buy one of the other two guns. Now, you have the choice of saving the current $250 and getting gun A or B at a later date, or getting the Star now. The advice would point me towards saving till I could get a better pistol.
The point of resale is probably what most overlook when making this decision. The Springfield will always be worth more than the other two pistols, always. I will always be able to recoop a higher percentage of the money spent on the more expensive gun than the cheaper gun. There are times when any of the three just won't resell, but eventually they will. Even super-unique guns will sell if you find the right location to sell it. What I've seen not sell consistantly are crappy guns that won't work.
The last point is how well the gun functions. Ya, I know, Glocks are fairly cheap and ALWAYS work, right? [Tooth] For the most part, sure. Glocks, XDs, M&Ps, all seem to work pretty well. Then you go shoot a very high end custom pistol and the light bulb turns on. Consistantly over the last 30 years I've been shooting, I've seen and felt (while shooting) the more expensive gun will shoot better. Depending on the gun's use, there's a point where a less costly gun is good enough, but don't overlook the more expensive gun. It will shoot better, and resell (if ever sold) at less of a loss.
So, there it is. I know not everyone can afford a $3k custom built pistol, or a $7k custom built bolt gun. Obviously, the price of the guns being looked at are based on the amount the buyer can afford. But, if you feel you are settling for a cheaper gun, you probably are. The latest example of this I have dealt with is giving advise to a friend of a friend on which AR carbine for him to buy. I recommended the $650 used gun made by a better manufacturer in immaculate condition. He opted for the $450 kit gun with questionable origins to save $200 for whatever... He's already blew one of the rings and the gas key almost immediately became loose due to the absolutely half-assed staking job on it. I'm all for a good deal, but sometimes it just isn't worth it.
AR-Tracker
03-17-2010, 20:42
Well put!
I am a firm believer in going for the best you can save up for.
[M2]
ronaldrwl
03-17-2010, 20:46
nice
I once had a friend tell me that you'll never, ever say to yourself, "Oh man, I wish I had bought that cheaper gun."
I'd say so far that has held true.
The other thing to consider is that unless it is going to be a safe gun, you're going to spend much more money on the ammo you put through it over the years and that cost won't even register to you.
I have a couple of cheap ones that seem to work just fine.. Who knows, someday they may even increase in value..
The fact they helped win WWII doesn't hurt either..
[Tooth]
AR-Tracker
03-17-2010, 20:57
What if you want about 20 guns?
called self control Easy now!
Aw heck sell the farm get em all!! [ROFL3]
My cheapest guns are either 10/22s...one that has probably close to 15000 rounds through it, or a mosin nagant or a German K98.
Cheap guns are necessarily bad as long as they are quality. I KNOW when I pull out the ruger P90 it will shoot every time. it is built like a tank, heavy as one as well and probably about 1/2 to 1/3 the price of my nice 1911 springfield.
What if you want about 20 guns?
only 20?[Muaha][Weight]
Well i've literally drug my glock through the dirt and it still worked. I doubt any 1911 could do the same, no matter how much money you throw at it.
This isn't real estate investment for me, it's security. I've never contemplated resale when buying a carry gun. If a reliable gun costs more then its money well spent, but if your multi thousand dollar pistol cant handle minor abuse then it isn't reliable.
You're family members advice seems like the equivalent of saying a jaguar is what you should buy, however a honda will get you to and from just fine.
Guns are tools and if you need protection, you need reliability. If your competing you'd do better with a nicely running race gun. If your broke and need protection then you get the best thing you can afford. Pick the tool for the job.
What if you want about 20 guns?
Well if you don't have the scratch you're going to have to wait a while. I've found not wanting house apes to be very helpful in achieving your goals a little quicker. [Tooth]
Troublco
03-17-2010, 21:14
I'll admit I don't often consider resale when I buy a gun. I don't because I don't like selling once I have acquired; guns, tools, and books. That isn't to say I may not sell a few at some point but if I do it'll just be to thin the herd. But I buy specific guns for specific reasons. I have a habit of building what I want so I get exactly what I want, so I get something specific to do that with.
That being said, I look at the purchase of guns and tools the same way. If you're going to use it once then you're going to use it again and you should get the best you can. If you buy a cheap, crappy tool and it breaks the first time you're trying to use it, forcing you to buy another one, by the time you buy the second one you probably could have bought a good one, once. False economy costs you more than getting something higher priced and higher quality to begin with. The lowest bidder usually gets you the lowest quality.
As long as you're careful and educate yourself on the product, you tend to get what you pay for.
GreenScoutII
03-17-2010, 21:14
I never skimp on tools, workboots, or guns.
That said, there are some things which are just not going to be in the realm of possibility for years. Thats OK. I'm patient, but sometimes a guy has to work with the best he can afford even if its not exactly what he wants.
ronaldrwl
03-17-2010, 21:15
Well if you don't have the scratch you're going to have to wait a while. I've found not wanting house apes to be very helpful in achieving your goals a little quicker. [Tooth]
If I understand your coded message it's to late. Kids, house, wife, pets, lot's of hobbies.
SA Friday
03-17-2010, 21:15
Well i've literally drug my glock through the dirt and it still worked. I doubt any 1911 could do the same, no matter how much money you throw at it.
This isn't real estate investment for me, it's security. I've never contemplated resale when buying a carry gun. If a reliable gun costs more then its money well spent, but if your multi thousand dollar pistol cant handle minor abuse then it isn't reliable.
You're family members advice seems like the equivalent of saying a jaguar is what you should buy, however a honda will get you to and from just fine.
Guns are tools and if you need protection, you need reliability. If your competing you'd do better with a nicely running race gun. If your broke and need protection then you get the best thing you can afford. Pick the tool for the job.
Completely agree that picking the tool for the job is important and the amount the buyer can afford is a huge limiting factor, especially if you are purchasing your one and only pistol to carry. The needs are different at that point.
I would disagree about the 1911/Glock comparison though. I have hundreds of thousands of rounds through both designs, and seen both designs puke for various reasons. I would put them both very high in the reliability chart, but not one over the other. Shootability is another story though.
I don't think the 1911 could have survived at least two wars if it couldn't handle a little dirt.
/arnie voice on
Between your $1500 Kimber, and my Glock nine milimeter, I take my Glock.
Troublco
03-17-2010, 21:20
I don't think the 1911 could have survived at least two wars if it couldn't handle a little dirt.
robotacpony boy has a point!
If the 1911 wasn't an awesome design we wouldn't have more manufacturers than at any time in its near-100 year history making the design today!
But the Glock is an excellent design as well; I have more than one of each.
Not_A_Llama
03-17-2010, 21:21
Disagree strongly.
You shouldn't be purchasing a firearm you intend to use on the basis of resale value.
Actually, in my experience, high end custom guns tend to depreciate heavier. Especially when viewed proportionally with your purchase price, high end stuff undergoes *brutal* resale value reduction. The market at that level isn't as liquid, and your "customizations" are not likely to align well with another person's. Especially at that pricepoint, people will pay a little more to just get it made new and truly be custom. If you do manage to find someone, it will, as you noted, take much much longer to sell. Painfully long. Keep an eye on our very own sale boards - expensive shit just doesn't sell, and when it does, it's only after 30-50% reductions. It's painful to see.
A commodity gun like a Glock or an XD or an M&P will lose some value, but there is a definite floor. The market is also far more liquid, and you'll get done much faster. The powerplay there is to buy used and (if you need to) sell used. The difference in price between a mildy used Glock and a fairly severely used Glock is not great. They preserve value very well.
Moreover, it's a bad idea to have any sort of attachment to a tool; the far majority of people cannot bring themselves to use and abuse an expensive firearm as the tool it is. There's at least one school (Thunder Ranch?) that has students throw and kick their guns on the ground at the very start of the course. Some people refuse, understandably. When you're worried about beauty and resale value instead of using your gun, your priorities in a weapon have been inverted.
Sidenote on financial planning and custom guns: If you should need to barter or sell your gun in a time of difficulty, it's easier to detach yourself from something like a Glock or an XD than it is your finest mother-of-pearl, gold-engraved custom 1911. I've seen people one paycheck (or one gun's proceeds) away from having a financial buffer that could drastically improve their lives. Many simply won't part with a sentimental firearm. Then, because they don't have that buffer, they end up in a financial spiral that forces them to sell the gun, and everything else they have. It's a scenario that's actually alarmingly common, especially among people professing to own only the "best". Usually blue collar types are the most prone to this trap - I think it's the "papa said buy once cry once" mentality. I've bought some very nice guns at very steep (75%+) discount from these types.
The smart man always examines value over price.
PS: My observation on 1911s - they belong in year 1911. Don't drag them to this century with all that shit on them. If they're stock, they shoot reliably and are terrific fighting guns. Custom 1911s never improve function, but do increase weight, cost, and gaudiness.
Well i've literally drug my glock through the dirt and it still worked. I doubt any 1911 could do the same, no matter how much money you throw at it.
You lost me after this.
Glocks are great and all but I have an old Baer TRS that I'd put against any Glock. Started out as a duty/range gun that had about 12k on it before my old man bought it, 10k rds, one busted extractor, and a couple sets of springs later I picked it up from him and I've had it in the snow and mud with no problems to report. I've ran about 1k a month for the past year and a half and I've only swapped out the springs a few months back so you do the math.
Zundfolge
03-17-2010, 21:25
There's a big difference between "cheap" guns and "inexpensive" ones ... and that difference is true on the other end of prices too.
I own a couple Steyr pistols ... paid quite a bit less than what comparable Glocks would have cost and I believe I have guns every bit as good as Glocks (and in some ways better).
Another example: an EAA Witness in 10mm is easily a quarter the cost of a Bren Ten ... and is a better gun.
I still contend that while they're pretty, have wonderful triggers and will hold their value, Colt Pythons are grossly over priced when compared to a comparable S&W or even Ruger or for that matter the Dan Wesson I recently bought (but I understand how supply/demand economics runs).
So I don't agree with the blanket statement that you should buy the most expensive gun you can afford in that I don't think high price = quality and that low price automatically = poor quality.
Its just not that simple (but thank God for teh internets ... you can do so much more research than back in the stone ages like the 80s)
well ill be the different guy i guess. i really don't believe in this philosophy, too many generalizations and i think this is where some of the "fanboys" come from. some companies are just more expensive because they have a cult following that doesn't know any better and will shell out the money. some companies make great products and simply always have reasonable prices. now if you are considering customer service in this, that might make a difference. example, i went with springfield 1911 instead of a RRA, because even though it was $200 more, it came with some extras and i lived 15 minutes from springfield's world headquarters AND they have always proven to be a very reliable customer service business. but then you have manufacturer's like colt. i know this will bring the fanboy's out, but colt's are not any better than anything else. they are the same as any other higher end company (many of which you can buy weapons from cheaper) but since they have a government contract, everyone thinks they must be where its at. ive seen lots of colts have lots of problems, no different than anyone else. ive also seen and heard their customer service being absolute crap. but yet time and time again some fanboy will come onto forums and say how awesome he is because he bought a colt. waste of money in my opinion.
you obviously never want to go with gun "C" which is probably your bottom of the barrel alternative. i realize that, and agree with that (although just for kicks i did get a blackthorne upper for dirt cheap once as a plinker rifle and its performed beautifully. thats not to say id do it again though). but choosing between gun A and gun B should not come down to simply "which is more expensive". there are a lot of other things that should play into it. heck, for that matter the expensive gun may not have as a good of a market as the other one, so who cares if its "worth more"? classic example is an AUG, or even a sig. fine weapons, but nothing special. cost you your right arm, and for what? if you wanna buy it by all means, im sure its fun to have, but why would you buy one of those and not a daniel defense ar? youre going to have a hell of a time selling it and it isn't going to outperform anything else really. for that matter, if youre going to get an AR, why not an ACR? ill tell you why. most people look at it and say "yeah ok, nice little gizmos, but certainly not worth the price". if youre deciding between a daniel defense and a rock river ar, then yes, id say this may apply. but taking this philosophy to the max is why we have so many noobs out there blowing money on stupid stuff
aaaaaaaaaaaaand.....rant done.
DocMedic
03-17-2010, 21:28
Well i've literally drug my glock through the dirt and it still worked. I doubt any 1911 could do the same, no matter how much money you throw at it.
Puff puff pass?
I don't think the 1911 could have survived at least two wars if it couldn't handle a little dirt.
G.I., Looser tolerance than "race guns". Try dragging a race gun through the muck and shoot it..
I have no complaints with either, I owned both..
AR-Tracker
03-17-2010, 21:38
[LOL][LOL][LOL]
I love it, this is a funny thread. The title says buy the best gun you can afford not go for the most expensive.
I have some cheap shooters to kick around and some well preserved older pieces that I picked up on a bargain for collecting. Then a few good high dollar Competition shooters which I would never be worried about getting my dollar back on. Just buy the best you can afford and be happy with what you have. Remember though... who is going to fix your piece when it goes boom. Warranty service is everything.
[LOL][LOL][LOL]
AR-Tracker
03-17-2010, 21:42
sorry have to fix that last statement of best. Key word is Afford. !! [LOL]
its to late for this
Tracker out
[LOL][LOL][LOL]
I love it, this is a funny thread. The title says buy the best gun you can afford not go for the most expensive.
I have some cheap shooters to kick around and some well preserved older pieces that I picked up on a bargain for collecting. Then a few good high dollar Competition shooters which I would never be worried about getting my dollar back on. Just buy the best you can afford and be happy with what you have. Remember though... who is going to fix your piece when it goes boom. Warranty service is everything.
[LOL][LOL][LOL]
you hit the nail on the head with the warranty statement
another thing people need to remember about resale value is that it is more important the ratio of loss not the number. a cheap gun you won't get crap for. a solid, well respected gun you will generally get a higher percentage than what you paid. for most expensive guns, people are going to want a decent price reduction in order to give another person that much money. otherwise they should spend a little extra and get it from a dealer.
I think many people are not picking up on the important parts of this post.
First, as it has already been pointed out, this is an example of operating in your budget. Second, and more importantly, obviously this is discussing a purchase between choices that you WANT. No where in the post does he talk about buying a more expensive gun that you weren't even considering. Perhaps it would have been more clear if he said that if money wasn't an object, you would purchase Gun A. He specifically said not to "settle" for a least expensive gun. This means that you WANT Gun A, but the price is causing you to second guess your decision.
Or maybe I'm just an SA Friday fanboy. ;)
llostwolf
03-17-2010, 21:59
I agree that you need to buy quality but not necessarily the most expensive.
It alot of cases your paying for something to look at. ( or show off) I think you need to buy what satisfies your purpose. I have several that are not pretty but are very functional. An example is my sportsman 78 Remington. It the same barrelled action but costs a few hundred less than than a 700 BDL. The difference is that the BDL has hardwood higher grade furniture and a better looking blue on the steel. When bought it i was looking for the cheaper model because i knew wouldn't a take a pretty BDL where the ulgy one goes. Same gun but won't win any beauty contests.
SA Friday
03-17-2010, 22:21
I knew this would get some interesting posts, maybe even an arguement or two too. There's lots of ways to look at the decision and choice. I still stand by my conclusion, but I hardly expect everyone to agree.
Great-Kazoo
03-17-2010, 22:50
yes and no.
yes if you can afford the "higher quality/name brand" go for it.
No to buying a "name brand" that is nothing more than a "name" as mentioned above, the Coltaid drinkers. sure they command a higher asking price. However what does a stock Colt do better than my lesser priced (still a major name) AR do? its the body behind the trigger that makes the difference.
Yes to the good deals out there
No to the tire kicker like i'm dealing with now. for what i priced him one of my AK's he's looking at a Mini-30 with one 5 round mag. He says it will cost $100.00 less than my Norinco AK???? I'm like sure buy the mini, when you tell me you invested another $150.00 into 4-5 magazines, you really made the wise decision.
some folks (uninformed) don't realize it until they take a $200.00 beating on the price.
hey they saved $100.00 or so up front. do research, shoot a few different brands, then buy what is right for you. both price and comfort wise
Forgot to note, I am very biased. I had a 1911 blow up in my face and once the bleeding stopped I took it to a smith who showed me how the firing pin bushing slid down and blocked the firing pin forward for a slam fire.
I don't trust the design much after finding that flaw.
They don't make em like they used to, and in this case, its no joke.
Isn't this true with everything though?
Microwaves
fridges
blenders
radios
all electronics really
cars and trucks
hell, even women!
What Hoser said.
My 1911 path went like this:
No name 1911 (don't remember), bought new, sold at a loss
Kimber Pro Carry, bought new, sold at a loss
Kimber Warrior, bought new, sold at a loss
Colt Guvmint Model, bought used, broke even
Wilson Combat Pro, bought new built to my specs. I'll likely keep this gun forever because it's perfect for my needs and wants.
I don't remember the buy and sell prices of those items, but if you figure I lost $200-$300 one each of the new guns, I pissed away quite a lot of coin working my way up to what I really wanted.
I think the whole situation changes if you buy used guns. If you're not an idiot, you can usually get what you paid back out of a used gun when you sell it.
You guys aren't considering the value of the time you owned the gun.
If you buy a Kimber for $1,200, shoot 1,000 rounds through it a year for 3 years, you've put nearly $800 in ammo through the gun. If you sell the gun after 3 years, you're only selling at a loss of $400.
Now, nearly every good in nearly every market loses value over time, that is to be expected. You basically rented that Kimber for 3 years for $400. Did you really lose money on it? I'd say you didn't.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.