Quiet on here

[ggggr]

Quiet --even. (curse my clumsy fingers)
I know that the forum always went a bit quiet as the weather got better and the holiday season started -------from mid May onwards . but it seems to have been very quiet recently. Being a miserable so and so, I think that the collecting and tinkering side (with older guns) is dying out as the people who are and have been interested get older/ die! . Some of them sell off their collections as they get older or maybe don't have the same interest that they did.
I think the Collectable Collectable stuff will always have a following, but the not the more mundane stuff.
It's not just here, it's the other channel as well.

With the advent of the internet , information and wrong information can get out quickly. Also as we move on, there is less chance of rare or unknown stuff turning up as most of it should have been discovered by now.

Sadly there seems to be a lot more "Happy new gun day" stuff on the net now, rather than "I picked up this not working and I'm going to try to get it working" .
Then you have that things seem to have been dumbed down with there being less tinkerers about and the likes of Buffy the barrel buffer tarting a Tempest with a touch up pen and a bit of cold blue. I don't think he has ever repaired a gun and broke his much vaunted "Junior restoration" on the bay.

That brings me onto the last parts about why I think things are dying off.

I looked on the bay last week and as well as the usual suspects obviously having broken Webley pistols, there seem to be a lot of Pre War Bsa trigger blocks for sale. Baring in mind these things are 80 to 120 years old, I think it is highly unlikely that guns that cannot be repaired have suddenly turned up.
One last thing about the bay (mainly Webley pistols). I think some people will break guns knowing that parts are not working correctly and some poor sod will buy the part hoping to get their own gun working and not be able to.

[rapidresponse1]

goes like that at times

[Mark Palmer]

I think the amount of parts being sold on is down to the lack of viable sales platforms for whole guns, I bought some spares for one of my project guns and the guy selling the bits, had several whole guns available as well, along with enough parts to make more whole guns. It makes economic sense to break a £50 project gun , that after £50 worth of parts and a lot of effort would only be worth £100 or so. Sad, but that's economics. Like many nostalgia items, the values increase as those with the nostalgia streak have the time and money to obtain what they couldnt afford when younger, consequently, values will dip as these people age/pass to the shooting grounds above. Certain rare examples will always have demand and to a degree, hold thier prices, it's the same in the classic car market

[Abasmajor]

[QUOTE=Mark Palmer;8378360]I think the amount of parts being sold on is down to the lack of viable sales platforms for whole guns, I bought some spares for one of my project guns and the guy selling the bits, had several whole guns available as well, along with enough parts to make more whole guns. It makes economic sense to break a £50 project gun , that after £50 worth of parts and a lot of effort would only be worth £100 or so. Sad, but that's economics. Like many nostalgia items, the values increase as those with the nostalgia streak have the time and money to obtain what they couldnt afford when younger, consequently, values will dip as these people age/pass to the shooting grounds above. Certain rare examples will always have demand and to a degree, hold thier prices, it's the same in the classic

A case in point.



Brian

[Sir rocco]

selling componant bits of old guns to get more cash than as a complete project is a sign of the times, it may be by folk that have enough spare time on their hands, enough to take them apart, pack, go to the post office etc all for a couple of quid, which, tbh they most likely dont need, its maybe the feeling of making a bit of profit, wheeler dealing and keeping busy/active rather than any amount made, the internet has opened up this avenue of commerce for older folk who wish to clear things whilst they can, i have a couple of boxes of mainly bsa underlever bits and bobs that one day, when i have the time i will sort and put on the web to help others to get something done whilst leaving less behind to be sorted through and either dumped or ending up at a boot sale when i am gone, atm i simply havnt got the time to sort through and work out which bits came from what gun, some i know have a bit of value thats why it has been in a box in the shed for 30+ years!, guards, sights, pistons, old tins,triggers etc, kept for 'just in case' ,
i have recently been giving away larger classic bike parts and specialist tools that had been put away and forgotten for years,

[walnutfarmmick]

I think the amount of parts being sold on is down to the lack of viable sales platforms for whole guns, I bought some spares for one of my project guns and the guy selling the bits, had several whole guns available as well, along with enough parts to make more whole guns. It makes economic sense to break a £50 project gun , that after £50 worth of parts and a lot of effort would only be worth £100 or so. Sad, but that's economics. Like many nostalgia items, the values increase as those with the nostalgia streak have the time and money to obtain what they couldnt afford when younger, consequently, values will dip as these people age/pass to the shooting grounds above. Certain rare examples will always have demand and to a degree, hold thier prices, it's the same in the classic car market

Nothing fresh there. Over 40 years ago I sold a running, ridable, MOT’d Velocette Venom to a guy that simply bought them and broke them. It seemed a shame but I got what I needed and he’d presumably have done the same. So we were all happy.

End of, Mick

[Mark Palmer]

It's often the case that an item is worth more in parts, when I was in the vehicle salvage and dismantling game, a motorcycle breaker was importing brand new Japanese sports bikes and breaking them, engines went into kit cars and the plastic bits sold for fortunes!!

[Sir rocco]

Storage and time has a cost if its done for a living and i would suspect that a bike breaker would find 100x more buyers for front wheels than rears, only a % of parts sell, a new ped/ scooter front light is a tenner inc delivery from alibaba etc,
I think nowadays as vehicle dismantlers they are not allowed to operate out of a tin shed with the obligatory chained alsation as they did in the olden days. Lots of paperwork re disposing of fluids and plastics is involved, regular inspections are carried out by saleried government agency officials,
I know two vehicle dismantlers that have stopped selling to the public directly and its all now done online with the parts being stripped off the car by itinerant labour,
The change from the yards being the old 'pick your own' stylee was when the owners retired and their tech savy kids started running the show,
Its all changing fast and possibly, not for the good,

[lodmoor]

Depressing post but true.

Re age and selling collections, that is me. At 83 (-1 month) with a wife 18 years younger and not air pistol savvy I am starting to try and sell off my collection.
Plenty of interest in Webleys and no doubt some of my other 'exotic' wonders (Wesley Richards, Pope, Hanel 28R, etc) but others, no go.
It looks like the lot may go to auction when I snuff it and sell for peanuts, 60 years of collecting, it was fun so I've had my pleasure but I hate to see valuable collectors items go for only part of their value.
Sold a couple of 'new' Webleys here awhile back for what I would call stupid money to young 'collectors' but a classic oldy, no chance.

Ho hum.

[rapidresponse1]

lots of people break guns for spares these days

[lodmoor]

lots of people break guns for spares these days

You are not suggesting I should dismantle 100+ guns for spares surely?

[cooksey13]

Quiet --even. (curse my clumsy fingers)
I know that the forum always went a bit quiet as the weather got better and the holiday season started -------from mid May onwards . but it seems to have been very quiet recently. Being a miserable so and so, I think that the collecting and tinkering side (with older guns) is dying out as the people who are and have been interested get older/ die! . Some of them sell off their collections as they get older or maybe don't have the same interest that they did.
I think the Collectable Collectable stuff will always have a following, but the not the more mundane stuff.
It's not just here, it's the other channel as well.

With the advent of the internet , information and wrong information can get out quickly. Also as we move on, there is less chance of rare or unknown stuff turning up as most of it should have been discovered by now.

Sadly there seems to be a lot more "Happy new gun day" stuff on the net now, rather than "I picked up this not working and I'm going to try to get it working" .
Then you have that things seem to have been dumbed down with there being less tinkerers about and the likes of Buffy the barrel buffer tarting a Tempest with a touch up pen and a bit of cold blue. I don't think he has ever repaired a gun and broke his much vaunted "Junior restoration" on the bay.

That brings me onto the last parts about why I think things are dying off.

I looked on the bay last week and as well as the usual suspects obviously having broken Webley pistols, there seem to be a lot of Pre War Bsa trigger blocks for sale. Baring in mind these things are 80 to 120 years old, I think it is highly unlikely that guns that cannot be repaired have suddenly turned up.
One last thing about the bay (mainly Webley pistols). I think some people will break guns knowing that parts are not working correctly and some poor sod will buy the part hoping to get their own gun working and not be able to.

Part of it is people want the coolest latest guns and want all that tactical stuff no one wants classic wood and metal rifles! It's sad I enjoy tinkering with a few bits but finding projects is getting harder too! Used to ask in gunshops and get a couple but they seem less common!

[Re01312]

I know lots of old collectors I buy from regularly. At 63 I use database to track my collection. Value paid and date acquired are some of the data included. Airguns are my focus lately but I have collected all sorts weapons my enitre life.

I assume an auction house will use my database to list example: I recently obtained a [1 of 20] of the first HW70 produced. It is serialized RNB #1, as it was presented to Dr Beeman by HW. No tinkering required with that bit of RB HW kit.

Routinely, any Hy-score [HS] airgun will receive countless hours of restoration work before being displayed. Just bought a FWB65 w/o grips and a section of the backstraps' frame ground away. Fixing high quality vintage airgun is one of my greatest joys and sometimes greatest frustration too.

[wobbly bob]

It's often the case that an item is worth more in parts, when I was in the vehicle salvage and dismantling game, a motorcycle breaker was importing brand new Japanese sports bikes and breaking them, engines went into kit cars and the plastic bits sold for fortunes!!

It was ever thus. If you look at the cost of buying one by one the individual parts required to build a car then it will be thousands of times more expensive than buying the whole car in the first place.

[Re01312]

I know lots of old collectors I buy from regularly. At 63 I use database to track my collection. Value paid and date acquired are some of the data included. Airguns are my focus lately but I have collected all sorts weapons my enitre life.

I assume an auction house will use my database to list example: I recently obtained a [1 of 20] of the first HW70 produced. It is serialized RNB #1, as it was presented to Dr Beeman by HW. No tinkering required with that bit of RB HW kit.

Routinely, any Hy-score [HS] airgun will receive countless hours of restoration work before being displayed. Just bought a FWB65 w/o grips and a section of the backstraps' frame ground away. Fixing high quality vintage airgun is one of my greatest joys and sometimes greatest frustration too.