Is there no such thing as an affordable lever action anymore?

[bobsguns]

I cruised around GB earlier looking for a used lever in some sort of non-.45/70 caliber. Chit, they started at $699 & went up from there. This was used @ $699 too, not new.

I know guns in general have increased in price but is there something driving the lever action market? Younger shooters aren't into them from what I can see. So what's driving the price bump on the used end?

[FUJIMO]

I've collected levers for decades and prices for most aren't that far off. As i tell others just now discovering their price tag you better get what you want before it gets even more expensive

[DL126]

i've read speculation that it's because folks assume lever guns won't be effected by possible future bans on semi-auto or "assault weapons".

Edited December 31, 2021 by DL126

[bobsguns]

8 minutes ago, DL126 said:

i've read speculation that it's because folks assume lever guns won't be effected by possible future bans on semi-auto or "assault weapons".

Maybe, maybe not.

It's never the under-40 crowd I see playing with them at gun shows, it's almost always the over-55 crowd. The under-40 guys want the black rifle style guns, IMO. 

I can sorta understand the price on the new ones, given the current cost of steel & production, etc. But even a used Rossi is bringing somewhere in the $600ish price range. Most of those are pistol calibers too, not rifle calibers. 

I've told people in gun banning states years ago to get a lever action. A practiced shooter can make one of those jump. 

[gregintenn]

Lever rifles are no more valuable than they ever were. Your dollar is now less valuable, however. Have you tried buying anything else lately? A used car? A ribeye steak? A tank of gas?

[FUJIMO]

31 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Lever rifles are no more valuable than they ever were. Your dollar is now less valuable, however. Have you tried buying anything else lately? A used car? A ribeye steak? A tank of gas?

Who the hell can afford all three right now? You're retired a$$ flaunting again

[gregintenn]

The days of the used gun racks filled with $150 30-30s are long since oast.

[Spots]

Well, theres definitely more interest in all firearm types than ever before. And I think a lot of it is my age group, late 20's to early 40's. Most guys in that group have good jobs, are fairly settled, and guns are relatively cheap compared to some other hobbies. Priced a set of golf clubs lately? Or performance car parts? And by the time I hit 30, and most of my peers I know as well, we have all the tacticool we can stand so we start buying stuff that draws our attention. Old school steel, wood, high polish and engraving. Couple that with a restricted supply and prices start to sky rocket. 

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

Lever rifles are no more valuable than they ever were. Your dollar is now less valuable, however. Have you tried buying anything else lately? A used car? A ribeye steak? A tank of gas?

Sad but true. 

Why does that not apply when I'm selling something? LOL!

[bobsguns]

35 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

The days of the used gun racks filled with $150 30-30s are long since oast.

No doubt. But I'm hoping for one in the $400ish range. I'm ok with one with "character" as I'm gonna shoot the thing. 

[Spots]

16 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

No doubt. But I'm hoping for one in the $400ish range. I'm ok with one with "character" as I'm gonna shoot the thing. 

I bought one in the $400 range.  1975 Winchester 94 with some serious finish issues and a cracked stock that I fixed up. And when I picked it up the guy said he had 30 messages about it in 12 hours. Its a hot market right now and a sellers market. 

[Moped]

I've had both Marlins and Winchesters in 30-30 and really now regret selling both off. Even old Revelations and Ted Williams have gone through the roof.  Feel very fortunate that I got my Rossi M92 in .357, back in 2020 for around $500.  They are unobtainable now.

[papa61]

I wish I had a couple crates of lever guns right now. I wouldn't sell them, just wish I had a couple crates.

good luck with your search and be prepared to shell out more than you expect as some have tripled in price in the last 3 years. Kicking myself for thinking the price would drop on the 45/70 SSBL guide gun, that $850 tag at the gun show in 2018 is looking really fine in hindsight.

[orientalexpress]

9 hours ago, bobsguns said:

I cruised around GB earlier looking for a used lever in some sort of non-.45/70 caliber. Chit, they started at $699 & went up from there. This was used @ $699 too, not new.

I know guns in general have increased in price but is there something driving the lever action market? Younger shooters aren't into them from what I can see. So what's driving the price bump on the used end?

I don't even know what's "affordable" anymore.  I mean $699-1000 is more expensive than it used to be, but I have a $1000+ iphone thats going to be completely obsolete in 2-3 years.  I can remember when you could get a top of the line phone just for signing up for service. 

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, bobsguns said:

Sad but true. 

Why does that not apply when I'm selling something? LOL!

You should be selling lever rifles!

[Danger Rane]

2 hours ago, Spots said:

Well, theres definitely more interest in all firearm types than ever before. And I think a lot of it is my age group, late 20's to early 40's. Most guys in that group have good jobs, are fairly settled, and guns are relatively cheap compared to some other hobbies. Priced a set of golf clubs lately? Or performance car parts? And by the time I hit 30, and most of my peers I know as well, we have all the tacticool we can stand so we start buying stuff that draws our attention. Old school steel, wood, high polish and engraving. Couple that with a restricted supply and prices start to sky rocket. 

I think you hit the nail on the head with this Spots. I’m 41 myself, and as you described I started expanding my firearms pallete a bit once I hit my 30s and had a bit of fun money to throw around. The best thing about the modern day firearms industry is that there is literally something for every taste, and some of the manufacturers are blending old with new, as noted in several of the new lever gun offerings, which has broadened interest for some of the “old timer” guns. Not sure how many of you are on instagram or watch firearms channels on YouTube, but I’ve been seeing almost as many leverguns as anything else lately.

[No_0ne]

5 minutes ago, orientalexpress said:

I don't even know what's "affordable" anymore.  I mean $699-1000 is more expensive than it used to be, but I have a $1000+ iphone thats going to be completely obsolete in 2-3 years.  I can remember when you could get a top of the line phone just for signing up for service. 

This.  Although most of us who on the backside of the 30-40 age range can remember days when guns were more "affordable" than today, prices on most everything have been rising forever.  We did go through a short period of deflation in guns, ammo, parts, etc. after the last bout of panic buying subsided, but that period is over.  Statistics show that there are millions of new gun owners who have entered the market in the last few years, many of these are relatively young and have good paying jobs and can afford to indulge their hobbies.  In addition, the massive amounts of government stimulus in the last decade worldwide has too many dollars chasing too few goods, a recipe for inflation.  Couple that to the current shipping/logistics problems going on, then add in the fact that the entire gun and ammunition industry's production capabilities are relatively small, and you have sufficient explanation for why prices have been, are now, and will continue to rise on all things gun related ...

[gregintenn]

When I could buy a $150 30-30, I could also buy a nice pickup truck for $5-10k. It’s all relative.

[pop pop]

I had a Marlin 336 30 30 with a scope and gave it to my grandson. I looked for years trying to find a good used 38/357 lever gun and finally about 8 years ago just bit the bullet and purchased a new Henry Big Boy. My Rifle has the brass chamber on it with the hex heavy brl. I think I had to pay 695.00 + tax for it and have never looked back. That was high at the time. I never found that used one in any shape. I looked for 10 years around Cookville, Nashville, Laverne, Smyrna, and M "Boro". 

Good luck with your hunting.  

[gregintenn]

What are these “lever rifles” you guys speak of?

[Spots]

5 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

What are these “lever rifles” you guys speak of?

Looks like this one 

[Grayfox54]

Y'all know my love of lever guns. I honestly don't know why, but lever actions have become very popular and much more expensive in the last few years. 

I'd love to add a Winchester 73 clone to my collection. But every one I see is priced well over $1000. There's currently two levers on the Memphis Armslist.  A Winchester 94 Wrangler in .30-30 @ $1000 and a NIB Marlin .357 SS @ $1290. . I'd like to have the Winchester, but that's more than I can spend for it.  

[xtriggerman]

 Thank You Federal Government for a declining dollar built into the fabric of "their" promissory notes that are in fact owned by a private company called The Federal Reserve. Who here works in a job that has built in cost of living wages that are not negotiated by their Union or company owners for joe 6 pack? Most al Federal jobs are joined at the hip with annual cola's. Being the leading world currency, the US could have done a better job of stabilizing the dollar's value. Instead, they gave that trump card to China as a favored trade nation decades ago turning our economy into a house of cards.  Now, with the Feds using private bank owned green banks as free confetti, you aint seen nothin yet in the way of inflation! Some 30 years ago when I had a full service shop, a big GS near by had a sale on blued Ruger mini 14's. $199.99 each. That was about 20 bucks cheaper than any of my wholesale distributors. So I went over there and bought 5 off the bat. Marked em up to $260 and they were gone in 2 weeks, I went and bought 5 more, Again gone in a couple more weeks. Back in those days a bunch of rough cast parts with a Ruger label wasnt worth a hard case to hide it in IMO.  Today, I dont know whats so great about these Henry's at their asking prices. Fit & finished is OK but certainly not what was built here 50 years ago. I shake my head every time I see one of those Henry's sporting their non tapered barrels. Every single American Lever gun had tapered barrels untill Henry decided its not worth the extra profit give up. My hats off to the Italians and Japanese. They never basterdized an American classic with a rebar straight barrel where it wasnt supposed to be. I typicaly dont buy new guns, period, aside from that 1873 Pietta recently pictured here. If you want to save as much money as you can on a gun of sorts and happen to have a good Gunsmith you can trust, troll GB using "Gunsmith special" hit words. Sometimes a sleeper will roll threw there that is a simple fix, but a gamble no less. Its like a loto ticket.... A winner will be your ability to weigh the odds into your favor.

[derf]

I just finished building one for just over $400 from parts off gunbroker. It really wasn’t that hard and it runs like a dream. 

[FUJIMO]

11 hours ago, derf said:

I just finished building one for just over $400 from parts off gunbroker. It really wasn’t that hard and it runs like a dream. 

A lever action ? Or was this meant for the AR build thread ? Cause if its a lever I want pics and details