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Value of Optics...Increase or Decrease? |
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mlv2k5
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/18/2008 Status: Offline Points: 313 |
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Posted: July/31/2010 at 15:16 |
I recently had the opportunity to purchase a firearm/scope combo as an investment, but I am a little unclear whether the scope would likely go up in value, remain similar or go down over time? The scope in question was a nice condition schmidt and bender...I know these scopes are very expensive new, but how does their value, or that of any scope actually, fair over time? Firearms, if well maintained tend to almost always increase or at least remain constant over time, but do scopes work similarly. Tens years from now the rifle might be worth half again as much, but if the scope is worth half again less it sort of defeats the purpose. Any thoughts?
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-Michael
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powderburn
Optics Journeyman Joined: April/09/2010 Status: Offline Points: 345 |
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This is just my $.02 but generally scopes don't hold their value very well or not like a firearm anyway. I mean yes you can get $40 for an old weaver K -4 which is probably slightly more it cost 50 years ago but back then $40 was a lot of $$. In my horse trading around with guns I have learned to always pull the scope on any gun I plan to trade as gun shops rarely give you more than a token amount more than for the rifle alone. If I had to say there was an exception it would be Leupold because of their warranty and familiarity but still you never got but maybe 30 cents on the dollar in a trade. Now with ebay the leupolds seem to do a bit better and I suspect some of the other scopes such as the conquest and vortex will too once they get some history behind them and build their reputation for CS. Remember Leupold has been around for 50+ years. I don't believe that any of the others have been around long enough to honor a lifetime warranty unless your 15 years old. ( before you start I know zeiss has been around for a long time but not really as a readily available alternative in this country) As to the new Weavers and Bushnells plus most of the others I sort of doubt it as most have too much of a history of being sold or switching importers etc. Finally the technology has been changing pretty quickly in the scope trade so that is also a consideration. While there are a bunch of us old schoolers that have been pretty happy with our old 4x and 3-9x for the past 30 years and still manage to bag our bucks with them we seem to be fading and there are a lot of people that are jumping on the technology wagon and can't believe you can see anything with out a scope that looks like the hubble telescope mounted on their rifle and I suspect that's where the industry is headed. The problem with the tech chasers is they tend to use and discard as soon as something else comes along so sooner or later having a CS group that stands behind a 30 year old scope will not be that feasible for manufactures. If you are buying a used scope and can get it for half or less than it was new then it probably won't depreciate much more in the future. Again just my .02
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Offline Points: 14560 |
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I think the higher end scopes hold their value pretty well, at least that's what I've experienced doing trade-in's, etc.
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
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Don't buy optics if you plan to sell them later at a profit. Unless you get into Premier or S&B (or whomever gets the USMC scope contract next), you won't see an appreciation in their value.
But, that said, the good stuff holds value for awhile. |
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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really?? wth is the deal with leupolds then??? Edited by pyro6999 - July/31/2010 at 22:29 |
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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mlv2k5
Optics Journeyman Joined: September/18/2008 Status: Offline Points: 313 |
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The scope in question was a 2.5x10x56 schmidt and bender. Very pricey scope new, I was just curious how others thought the value of something like that might hold up. I suppose since there is no real collectibility to it the value will drop significantly as soon as it becomes out-dated or the market trends shift towards a different style. Unfortunate since it seems almost all types of firearms, many of which are often mated with equally expensive scopes, tend to hold their value very well.
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-Michael
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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s&b scopes do pretty well over time.
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Offline Points: 14560 |
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Optics like S&B, Swaro, Zeiss, etc. should all do well, trust me, been there, done that.
Call SWFA and ask for Dave if your interested in a trade-in or want "ball park value". |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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most used scopes need to have a story behind them or be associated with a specific gun model or era. Top level tactical scopes can sell up to 90% of the retail if they are advertised in the correct place. Most scopes will be lucky to get 50% of retail in quick cash or slightly more on a new gun trade. Ordinary guns rarely will increase (against the market) as investment. They must be unusual, a special order (and never used). Why pay top dollar for a used S$B used scope when you can get the new one for just a little more?
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