View Full Version : Is a Barrett .50 a good investment?
jimmyheadgear
12-04-13, 06:59
I have a chance to get a new Barrett rifle. I have no use for it all, but the price is right. I'm trying to justify a way to buy it.
Help me come up with a good reason. Thanks.
bluejackets92fs
12-04-13, 07:11
Coyote hunting?
Eurodriver
12-04-13, 07:16
Coyote hunting?
Too big. Prairie dogs are much better.
If you're not going to use it, I wouldnt buy it. That just doesn't make sense to me. Or I'd buy it and flip it. If you can't flip it to be worth your while then the price you're buying it for isn't all that great.
jonconsiglio
12-04-13, 08:08
I have regular access to a ranch where we do some hunting and all types of shooting from inside a couple pits to a couple thousand yards (accessible but rarely ever shoot at those distances). Still, I sold mine. And my 98b. It was just too expensive to shoot and there was no real advantage for me over other guns I own.
Had a similar opportunity. There is pretty much nowhere that I could go to put rounds through it where I live, so I passed. It probably could have been flipped with a modest profit, but locally everyone would have the same problem I do, so I didn't see much potential in a local sale. That combined with the fact I've never wanted to bother with shipping to an FFL for an out of state buyer made it a pass after some thought.
Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to have, but kinda like owning a Ferrari and never being able to drive it...
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Since you mentioned the word 'investment', I thought I would share some thoughts. The price of a Barrett M82A1/M107A1 creeps up in price every year, beginning with dealer price. Not only that, the value of the US dollar is decreasing... Since you are undecided, and if you have the cash, I will say go ahead and by your Barrett. See if you like it and how much use you will actually get out of it. If you elect to get rid of it sooner or later, you will come out ahead whether it is a used rifle or not. Based on how the Barrett .50 is always increasing in value, and the demand always seems to be there, it is one of the safer places to put your money right now.
Too big. Prairie dogs are much better.
That's the first thing I thought of. For some reason that is a "dream" of mine.
I live in the Southeast and would have no place to stretch a .50, but it's on the bucket list. If you can afford and have other stuff covered I would go for it. And from what I have seen, correct me if I'm wrong, they really don't decrease in value.
diving dave
12-04-13, 10:48
50's are lots of fun, but the biggest issue is feeding it. Loaded ammo is pricey, and even finding surplus ammo is getting hard to swallow... I don't have a Barrett, but do have a vintage McMillan M88. I purchased a press, dies, etc. but even with reloading to be honest I hardly ever shoot it.
m1a_scoutguy
12-04-13, 11:10
I would say "Investment" should be the main reason to buy the 50,,keep for a bit & sell it !! If you don't have at least 600/800/1000 yrd to shoot it,,its hardly worth having in my book ! I have buddies that have had multiple ones,,,and while they are a Novelty,,that wears off real quick when it come to feeding them and just shooting them at 100/300 yrds !!! If ya can make a couple Hundred bucks or more,,do it,,other than that,,no big deal !
I'd buy it and enjoy it for a while so that you can say you had the experience and then flip it down the road.
If you want it and the price is right I see no reason not to. From what they were a few years back I have seen about a 2k jump in the price of an M82 on the used market, at least when they have popped up. They are very neat rifles, and even if you were to just buy it, shoot it a couple times, and sell it at a profit a little ways down the road at least you can say you owned one.
My opinion, if you can afford it, want it, and again if you want it I say buy it.
After all we all need at least one gun that we really have no use for and can't justify for any other reason than because it makes us happy. I in fact have several. :D
Failure2Stop
12-04-13, 16:01
From an investment standpoint I would say only if a few conditions are met:
The price is low enough to give a high probability of appreciable profit in the near term.
Access to ammunition and ability to purchase at least 100 rounds.
Location provides ability to use or probability of restriction (assuming that the probability of restriction would not impact the ability to transfer).
Otherwise, from an investment standpoint I would probably prefer to purchase the equivalent dollar amount of Glocks.
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Ready.Fire.Aim
12-04-13, 21:23
Yes- buy it. Items on the gun ban lists like AR high cap mags and .50BMG will steadily rise in value to future buyers who will pay any price before their restrictive state laws go into effect.
I didn't need a .50, so I bought one. Then, because the purchase was already silly and impractical, I bought a suppressor for it. Go big or go home.
jimmyheadgear
12-05-13, 07:39
A big Thank You to everyone for the great advice. It's going to be a hard decision to make.
A big Thank You to everyone for the great advice. It's going to be a hard decision to make.
I predict you do not purchase the fifty.
jimmyheadgear
12-05-13, 10:53
I predict you do not purchase the fifty.
You may be right, but what makes you think that?
I bought one just because...never fired it and have not one minute of regret.
I didn't need a .50, so I bought one. Then, because the purchase was already silly and impractical, I bought a suppressor for it. Go big or go home.
Now THIS is sound advice. I bought one, having no need...it is unfired still and I don't have a single regret.
I've fired exactly five rounds though it, and giggled after every one. Now I'm buying a tripod, and doing a T&E for it. Why? I'm not sure... but I'm having a great time.
Magic_Salad0892
12-07-13, 06:09
Yes, buy it. Wait a few years. Sell it. Profit.
You may be right, but what makes you think that?
Your original post "I have no use for it at all" is most likely the deciding factor.
I kinda remember when they were first on the market I looked at it and thought WOW it is like a huge AR15 and I thought about buying one. They were about $3500.00 or so. If I had one I would hate to sell it.
If this firearm is truelly an investment, then I would not shoot it. Keep the original box, store it in a dehumidified location and only handle it to insure that is is staying corrosion-free. Putting rounds through such a gun will only lessen the return on your investment.
LibertyNeverDies
12-07-13, 11:40
My dad's buddy bought a bunch of guns for "investment" purposes back in 2008-2009. Some of his purchases were AR15s that would have been legal to be sold and manufactured during the Clinton Ban(fixed stock and no muzzle device)(his carry gun is also a Taurus Judge). Among his purchases were 3 M82s all outfitted with Swarovski optics. This last go around he tried to get some of his investment back. He did pretty well with the AR15s which I believe he sold for over $2500 a piece. He didn't have any luck selling the M82s two of which are NIB and one that has less than 20 rounds through it. If you are buying a Barrett for investment purposes your biggest problem is going to be finding someone with the money to buy it when you are ready to unload it. They are not easily liquid and during the last gun scare the ones I saw were going for roughly 20percent more than usual while other guns had much larger markups. If you want I Barrett buy it! If you want to buy a gun for "investment" buy something that more people can afford. I think an M2 build would be a better investment if you want a semi-auto 50BMG.
Well for the Barrett itself, I do not like the gun. I have time under the M82 and M107, in comparison to others I have shot (DTA/Macmillian) I see the Barrett as crude and very unrefined. Plus it is not nearly as accurate as other 50's.
I wonder what the price is? that would be the primary question I have. I would take one if it was a steal and could turn it into a profit so I could buy one of the guns I mentioned before.
If you could buy it today and flip it tomorrow for a profit, go for it. Shoot it a bit, keep it for a while and you can always say you've owned one. It would be especially nice if you can do that and the profit margin would pay for a gun you'd actually have a good use for. :)
Is a Barrett .50 a good investment?
I would say it is a horrible investment given other places you could put you money. For example ContraFund is up 32% this year.
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