I watch as people buy uncommon, unknown and questionable AR’s these days. They look at the SPEC sheet and see some buzz words and think that it is GTG. This may be true, but realize that AR manufacturers are ALSO aware that you are looking for these same words.
The biggest thing that people seem to overlook when buying an AR is RE-SALE VALUE! The top name brands will sell the best. If you are trying to sell to the “well informed” crowd, you will need to have a brand name like BCM, Colt, DD, Noveske, KAC, LMT, etc. If you are trying to sell to the “I see this company in every magazine I read” crowd, you will need to own a BM, RRA, DPMS, Armalite and S&W.
As you go down more into the weeds with such brands as Del-Ton, ST, Core15, etc, etc the number of people that have heard of these brands diminishes and it will be harder for you to get your money out of your gun, upper or part.
I know that we don’t like to sell guns, but stuff happens and we all need money from time to time or want to “trade up.” The better the name (or at least the more recognizable name) the easier it is to sell and get most (if not all) of your money back.
I personally view making a rifle purchase with its intended use in mind. Resale is almost never a concern. I’ll stick to stocks, bonds, and precious medals when I want to worry about how much I’ll be able to sell something for. Rifles are for shooting, investments are for speculating.
This is a perfect world thought process and not everyone lives in this same world. What if the economy crashes and the US dollar is worthless. You need to trade your AR for food, shelter, etc and certain brands are more sought after than others.
Along that theme, the argument could be made that putting money into QUALITY guns, ammo, mags, etc is a BETTER investment than most everything else these day.
If the world has gone to shit you would be better off keeping your rifles. All of them simply for spares…
A majority of the people who would be willing to trade for a rifle will have no clue what the differences between a Noveske and a Core15 are. At that point you need as much tacticool stuff as possible. The average consumer loves that stuff.
If that happens ammo, toilet paper, soap, alcohol, medical/first aid supplies, skills, labour, precious metals, food, sweets, fuel, etc, would be higher on my list of barter items than rifles.
Your rifle cannot provide you shelter and you cannot eat it. If it is your ONLY one, then yes, keeping it is best, but a wise man always has spares (for trading purposes and this is where my point comes).
A majority of the people who would be willing to trade for a rifle will have no clue what the differences between a Noveske and a Core15 are. At that point you need as much tacticool stuff as possible. The average consumer loves that stuff.
This is not true. Because of the internet, the consumer is 100 times more knowledgeable than they were just 20 years ago.
Depends. Everyones situation is DIFFERENT. Lots of people own ZERO weapons. These people often thought that the “Govt” would protect them. When the Govt no longer exists, they will realize that they have NO WAY of protecting themselves.
I know it is hard for people to do this, but think OUTSIDE of your own situation and realize that not everyone is like you!
Before the errornet, BM sold tons more rifles. Why? They spent the money on print ads (which were king in their day). They also had excellent distribution channels and were able to get their guns into every gun store in the country.
I would personally take ammo off that list. If it is truly that bad that we have gone to a barter system, then there’s no way in hell that I would give someone the ammo or guns that could possibly be used to kill myself or family to take the rest of what I have.
And I do agree with Grant that the better quality/better known rifles have a higher re-sale value, but I disagree that I would ever trade them in a situation where the world is falling apart
Aside from that, the limited weaponry that I do have each serve a purpose in my perceived needs “list” and parting with them are pretty much out of the question…same for ammo. Unfortunately, I’m not at a point in my life where I have the income available for spares.
And that’s my point. The same people who didn’t prepare for security/defense are the same ones who didn’t stock up on food, water, and other necessities. What do you think their next course of action will be when they now have a weapon and ammo, but still no food/water?
When?
And the fact that I know everyone is not like me is exactly why I won’t be trading weapons and ammo
Much like you, I had an AR for each purpose (CQB, long range, etc). I know buy AR’s (leave them in the box) for the SOLE purpose of trading at some point in the future or as options for my two boys to use as they will.
Ever watch that TV show Dooms Day Preppers?? Many of the people on there have HUGE gardens, water resources, etc, but NO WEAPONS.
There are TONS of “hippies” out there that live off the grid NOW and that have everything they need to survives (less guns).
Your thinking that you will trade with people that have NOTHING (no food, water or resources) and that you are now handing them a gun and ammo. No one in their right mind would do that.
Maybe some Shurbmasters would be better suited for the trade idea…if they try to turn them against you, you could rest assured that you can buy some time with all the “jams” and parts breakages that will occur
And somebody with ZERO arms, who has realized the .gov isn’t going to protect them, that suddenly NEEDS a firearm, isn’t going to say “no thanks” because you are offering a DelTon AR instead of a Colt.
