West Hurley Prices

[Sgt]

In looking over the boards, I've noticed that most W.H. prices have snuck up almost overnight. It seemed like just months ago they were sitting around $7500 to $8500 range, and now they are $10K+. Is this some freaky inflation or do you think this is where they'l stay for awhile.

[The1930sRust]

Based on the market history of these guns (since I have been monitoring it) they won't stay in the 9~10k range for long. They will rise...... There is no reason to suspect the prices on West Hurley's will top out any more than the cost of the other Thompson will, barring any government entanglements.

[full auto 45]

I think it is some dealers trying to get the newbies for all they can. Some people buy without checking things out real good. You know, buy first ,ask questions later. You see them asking $10k for a WH but they don't sell them at that price to someone who knows. A 1928 Wh should be no more, at least I wouldn't pay, than $8500 for a mint, NIB, still in grease, boxed and wrapped, gun. The M1 I haven't seen for a while but around $7k would be tops in the same condition my opinion. That may be just me and my opinion but you know what opinions are like....and everyone has one. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif

[Norm]

Sgt,

 

You are correct. Price of the WH28's are going up. Sir Mike is also has a good point- dealers are gouging newbies to full-auto hobby.

 

But putting the WH28 aside, the WH27A1 seems to going through the ceiling also. This is what I don't understand. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif I can see full-auto prices constantly going up, but current production 27A1's?!? The very,very early 27A1's are worth more (real Lyman sights, nice wood, etc.) Why would some people pay $2000 for a 27A1 when a new one is $850? http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif

 

I have a 27A1 that is in the 4XXX serial number range. It is nicley made and has a strange Lyman repro sight on it that has a "hole" instead the "notch." It also has a round cocking knob and nice wood with the 1/2 hanger instead of the 3/4 hanger. As far as 27A1's go, it is a nice gun; but it is not not "rare" or "unusual" by any means.

 

Some of the ads are misleading. People use the term "rare" far to often. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif

 

Well, that is just my $.02 worth.

 

Norm

[SecondAmend]

Back where I come from, gouging the novice to any activity is affectionately called "making them pay their initiation dues."

 

But actually, it looks like TSMG prices for virtually every make and model have gone up percentage-wise more than most other full-auto guns over the last year, particularly over the summer. Though Uzi's seem to have gone up a lot too.

 

If I knew the answer why, I'd be making big bucks as a financial advisor, not having fun on a Thompson Message Board.

 

 

[Dave Janowski]

I was at a gun show last week WOW hurley semi prices are CRAZY! Some dude bought a USED beat up M1 semi for 1000 dollars cash and carry!

 

It really looked bad too!!

 

Guess he did not know!

 

Dave

[Z3BigDaddy]

You have to look at this from the eyes of someone who is new to this.... You can blast people all you want for being idiots and paying high prices that are out of sight, I'm probably guilty as charged, but guess what, it is the long time buyers with networks and friends that get the first shot good prices.... I haven't had the "luxury" yet to turn down any tsmg for 7K yet..... I'm only into it for a short time and it seems that anything that runs is 10K+.... I've seem "one" tsmg at gun shows in this area and it was the WWII military at 15k. The two WH's for 9.5 is as cheap as I've seen em... I'm going the semi conversion route myself..... I won't have a "true" tsmg but from behind the hail of bullets "I" won't be able to tell the difference.... The Thompson seems to have well out paced the other class three stuff, and all I hear is bitching about people paying high prices and running the market up.... Well how bout selling a few for 6 or 7K and let the newbies in? Looks to me like the market spiked, and there is some profit taking going on....

 

As for someone paying to much for something in the dark at a gun show... There are only two kinds of people who frequent gun shows... Those that have overpaid for something on impulse, and those that lie about it.... atjmho

 

 

 

Blaine

akaZ3BigDaddy

 

And Norm is so correct on the "rare" as an adjective.... ebaY™ people and other "net" sellers have rendered the term useless as far as I'm concerned....

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

Outside of the words "genuine" and "authentic", "rare" is the most abused and misused word in the English lexicon. If a West Hurley ever sells for a five digit figure, that would surely peg the needle for their value. The West Hurley auctioned off by JC Devine two months ago could only squeak out $6,500. There are those in every collector field who do not do their homework, and therefore might be put together on a West Hurley sale. However, when they try to turn that gun around, they would be in for a rude awakening.

[fifthmdec]

Hey Guys,

 

I sold my WH 1928 that had a barrel done by Doug Richardson in the 1921 configuration that was suppose to attach to a PD 1921AC that had two rounds stuck in the barrel, but that did not pan out so I put it on the WH. The sale included an upper receiver cleaned up by my gunsmith, Lyman rear sight, early model selector paddle levers, WH L type drum, 3 XX mags, Savage bolt, Remington actuator, and an early reproduction FBI case, all for 9K delivered back in June. I figure $7,500 for the TSMG and $1,500 for the rest including shipping. I fired the weapon at the TCA Western shoot last April and had lots of compliments on how well it shot for a WH. In fact, I sort of miss it, as it shoots as well as any 21AC that I've ever shot. Now have a Savage made M1 produced in 9/42 with matching SN's, I can imagine the asking price for that one!

[Walter63a]

It is simply a matter of supply and demand. Our Federal Government's regulation of the private automatic weapons industry in the U.S. has guaranteed that no new automatic weapons will ever be produced by the domestic firearms industry, for the civilian market, unless certain unconstitutional laws are repealed (the 1986 automatic weapons ban and the 1994 assault weapons and large capacity magazine ban), or allowed to sunset, in the case of the 1994 law. Also, by federal regulation, automatic weapons and large capacity magazines can't be imported to the U.S. for civilian ownership. Just as in the real estate market, what we have is all we are ever going to have, because they 'ain't' making any more of it (them)!! http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif In fact, it is even worse than the real estate market (from the buyer's point of view), because the supply is constantly drying up, since every year certain weapons are lost due to being confiscated and others become unusable due to age or mechanical failure. I am aware that there is still a large supply of automatic weapons parts out there on the market, but the transferable receivers are very limited. And, as we all know, without a legally transferable receiver, those parts may as well not even exist for we law-abiding citizens. This does not concern the criminals, who import automatic weapons all the time, across our very porous southern border and through surreptitious import in the bottom of shipping containers by sea and air routes. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/mad.gif Regards, Walter

 

P.S. I would not be at all surprised to see WH 1928's routinely selling for $10,000, or even $20,000, in five to ten years, unless certain laws are changed.

[hawksnest]

Walter63a: You are absolutely right. As the internet and chat rooms such as this make more and more people aware that you can legally own a machinegun the demand will continue to increase while the supply will remain remain the same. To paraphrase Frank or Nick "It is not that you paid to much, only too soon."

[fifthmdec]

Hey Guys,

 

Nicely put in the words of free men! For those who have been able to acqiure transferables throughout the years we are truely in a postion of comfort, as with the housing market in most areas of the US, someone will pay the price to own one and so on. I do believe that most TSMG owners will hold on to their possessions, as there is more than money involved...

[SecondAmend]

Walter63a said "P.S. I would not be at all surprised to see WH 1928's routinely selling for $10,000, or even $20,000, in five to ten years, unless certain laws are changed."

 

Less than five years, for sure.

 

The asking price on WH full-auto commemoratives is already $12-15,000. At $9,500 asking for "plain Jane" WH 28's today, less than five years for routinely selling in the over $10,000 range.

[21 smoker]

All the above posts make some very astute observations and counter points. IMO another important fact is that certain newer movies like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAND OF BROTHERS etc. pay honor to the generation before mine.This makes owning and using TSMGs, BARs,GARANDS,etc. very disirable...at least for myself.I feel akinship to that generation and those that served this country when I spend sometime shooting and sharing and cleaning.This feeling has definitely raised my spending ceiling over the last few years.I guess I have done my share of contributing to rising prices and probably continue to do so.KEEPEM`SMOKIN`, out.

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