It's all relative, to me, plus I don't sweat too much about a few dollars loss on a rifle, especially if I am tired of it or if I got to shoot it a lot (in most cases no, the ones I shoot alot I get attached to and keep)

Most of the ones I sell were impulse buys that I either never shot out of lack of interest or I acquired better examples of and don't need numerous types of the same rifle.I sold one of my M95 carbines for probably less than I paid, because I just don't need it as I have two M95 long rifles in 8x56r that I hardly shoot. It was worth it to me to get cash in hand for something I don't need anymore, than to have it laying around for another 5 years in my basement. I recently sold my 1941 Johnson rifle for about even with what I paid.........sure I could have held on to it and made more in the future, but I turned the cash from the Johnson into an 1873 45-70 Trapdoor, an 1868 50-70 Trapdoor and and Austrian Werndl rifle all in fine shootable condition. I have had more fun with the 45-70 already than I ever did with the 1941.


I recently sold a bunch of my S&W pocket revolvers, some for more than I paid, some probably for a bit less but it all came out in the wash, and I was able to put the cash toward a few more modern guns like a Smith .38 8" target revolver and a Ruger GP100 .357.

A prime example is a Jap T-23 (?) revolver I bought for maybe $600, a pre-98 antique. I bought it to add to my service revolver collection but I just plain didn't like it, 9mm Jap Revolver ammo is expensive and I don't handload, and in general don't like Japanese stuff, just doesn't appeal to me. I brought it to Valley Forge gun show and sold it, after some dickering for $300 cash to a guy at the show who liked the pre-98 status of it. Sure, I lost money on it, but 10 minutes later I got a steal of a deal on a used-but like new in box Springfield Armory 1911A1 "GI"( for, you guessed it, $300 total) that turned out to be one of my favorite pistols, I have had a great deal of fun shooting this .45 in the past and still have lots of fun with it and will for years to come. So, a "loss" on the Jap revolver turned into a "win" on the 1911A1 because I had no cash at this particular show and without the sale of the revolver would not have walked away with the .45. Again, it's all relative, a new SA 1911A1 would have cost me $5-600 and I was able to get one that was "used" but looked like it had maybe a few mags through it, for $300 less than a new one. So I feel I came out ahead.