Been looking at investment options and considered adding a HK sear to the list.
Any thoughts as a long term investment for a fun toy?
Any thoughts as a long term investment for a fun toy?
Yes and No.
Every machine gun I have purchased has gone up in value. However, the market has been very, very soft. I noticed the prices leveling off and then going down slightly before the press started noticing the same thing about our economy.
Machine guns are a fixed level commodity. There are only so many available and many people want them. Every year their number gets smaller for various reasons. Seems like, every year, more and more people want them and that drives their value up.
I believe that in the State of Oklahoma, if you declare bankruptcy, the law allows you to keep (among other things) one firearm. I would look at getting and keeping the most expensive I could.
However, if you are going to invest in Class III machine guns for investment purposes, I would say "don't". Look at what happened in 1986 and then again in 1996. No more manufacture of machine guns for civilians. No more "assault weapons" for civilians. The government can get rid of your "investment" with the stroke of a pen and there would be nothing you could do about it. After all, even if all 200,000 machine guns were owned by 200,000 individuals, how many votes would that be? 4000 per state?
Remember Bill Clinton talking about magazines that held more than 10 rounds? I can still hear him saying "that is just wrong".
If you want to get into it for fun. Then yes, get into it for fun.
There can even be tax advantages, with the right accountant. After all, if you get a firearm as an investment, then just like stocks, the expenses around that investment to study it, understand it, ensure that it functions are tax deductions. But then, if you sell it for a profit you have to make sure you declare it.
I remember reading an article in Small Arms Review (I think) about this. Check out their index and see if you can find the article.
If you are going to "invest" then get something that is more liquid than an HK sear.
Right now, I think an HK sear is just a piece of metal and runs 12K. And that is without any firearm attached to it.
An M16 would cost around the same and you would have a firearm in addition to the "sear". So you could have fun with your investment. Plus, it looks just like everyone else's semiauto AR15.
An Uzi would run you between 6-7K. You could get two for the price of the one sear.
M11s can be found for 3K. You could get 4 of those.
There are alot more buyers for a 3000 dollar item than there are for a 12,000 dollar item.
And with the whims of the ATF, there is always the possibility of them one day saying something like "if the sear is not in a firearm as of today, it is no longer possible to install it in a firearm" thus rendering your 12K investment worthless. Think that they can't do that? Look at the "Street Sweepers". One proclamation from Lloyd Benson and you had to register them or they became contraband.
Class III is alot of fun, and the values have consistently gone up, but don't invest in it with money that you need.
It is too risky.
Buy them for fun. Shoot the hell out of them. Enjoy them for years. And if you sell them, and make back your original price (or a little more) than you have done well. Ain't many cars that you can say that about.
Dave
My answer looks stupid now that you went all detailed on it. lol
Well I refer to HK's because I have hosts in every caliber and option I could want. Not to mention my dad also has several that will be mine one day. Therefore an HK machine gun would be a ton of fun in everything from 308 to 9mm.
I have not found many m-16's for less then 17K+ where as I can get the HK Registered Trigger Box with another host gun for $15.5.
I like the ideas of M11's and Uzi's as other fun guns. I have reservations about this as an investment just because of our wacky government, but I do feel it would be a lot of fun to shoot.
Anyway, just wanted to get some input from other C3 owners...
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