Gun question for the hunting folk...

[Fisherpete]

My grandfather was as much a hunter as a fisherman, and my family has 7 or 8 rifles/shotguns in storage from him. I have a list of what they are, and their serial numbers. My mom had them appraised back in the early 90's, and was told that a few of them were quite valuable - two Belgian made Brownings in particular, but she has since misplaced the list of their appraised values.

 

Here's a list and some details:

 

1) Parker Hale .243 Win, Cal. Bolt action rifle equipped with a Leopold 2.5x/7 Scope, Sling and swivels

2) Browning 30-06 Semi-Automatic Rifle complete with scope, sling and swivel. Belgian made - Collectors class?

3) Parker Hale (Midland) Bolt action 30-06 rifle with scope and sling

4) Hungarian 12G single trigger over and under shotgun with sling and recoil pad

5) Browning 12G Semi-Automatic shotgun, MADE IN BELGIUM with sling and recoil pad. Collectors class?

6) Marlin .22 cal semi-automatic rifle with Safari 4x32mm scope and sling

7) Mossberg .22 cal Mag Bolt action rifle with Weaver 2.5x7 scope mounted

 

Does anyone know if it is possible to look up the details of these guns using their serial numbers? At least find out when they were made etc? Anyone know some approximate values or somewhere I could go to find it out?

 

I highly doubt that I will ever start hunting, so there is a very good possibility that these will be on the market at some point in the near future.

 

thanks

Pete

[BillM]

I'm guessing the 12g is a Browning A5 ie the 'humpback'.. Not worth a million bucks, but if it's in good condition and depending on the date stamp you could probably get 500-600 for it. One of the softest shooting 12g ever made.

 

I've got one and use it all the time, absolutely love that gun.

Edited April 30, 2014 by BillM

[dracokaos]

Just a shot in the dark, lol, but I see your in Whitby. Have you talked to the guys at Gagnons? I'm sure they could point you in the right direction.

 

good luck

[Fisherpete]

Thanks Bill, could be - I should have added that my grandfather passed in 1985, so these guns were obviously bought well before that. Was the A5 from that era?

 

Good idea dracokaos, I might try that.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Fisherpete

[misfish]

I emailed my pop on these Pete.

 

I would be interested in this one when you plan to sell.

 

7) Mossberg .22 cal Mag Bolt action rifle with Weaver 2.5x7 scope mounted

[Fisherpete]

Gotcha B!

[Sinker]

Doug will chime in here im sure. He's about the biggest gun nut I know. Those brownings are great guns for sure, well sought after.

 

You aint gonna get rich, but there is some value there for sure.

 

S.

[BillM]

Pete, A5 started in 1905 and went through till 1975. Belgium made guns stopped being produced at the start of WWII (It was actually made by FN). I'd be interested to see a pic of the butt stock and the serial number. If you could post that up we could easily date it for you. Serial should be located on the bottom of the receiver.

[Fisherpete]

Serial number of the 30-06 Browning is 92237M69

Serial number of the 12G Browning is 7G73437

 

thanks guys!

Pete

[BillM]

It's a 'Light' 12 for sure, just trying to nail down the year, although 1957 is looking about right.

Edited April 30, 2014 by BillM

[bare foot wader]

is that a marlin 60?

I just bought an older used one for 50...new models are about 150-175 retail...haven't traced how old mine is yet, they are not worth much, but one of the first reliable 22 semi's from my understanding and pretty fun little gun, rabbit and grouse beware

[misfish]

Doug will chime in here im sure. He's about the biggest gun nut I know. Those brownings are great guns for sure, well sought after.

 

You aint gonna get rich, but there is some value there for sure.

 

S.

 

Ya there is some value. I hit the wolfs den here to have a look at times. All the old guns seem to have give away prices. 22,s he gives away like candy.

 

Not to damper yer hopes Pete.

[Fisherpete]

Not sure what model that Marlin is, but I do recall seeing rabbits hanging in his garage lol.

 

That list I posted is all the info I have, other than a few more serial numbers. I'm going to go to the storage place later this week and take some pictures and find out some of the missing info (ie no serial listed for the Marlin). The money is going to my mom as it was her dad's collection. Not looking to get rich haha, just get fair market value for them. My grandfather was pretty meticulous with his gear, so I'm sure these are in great condition.

 

Pete

[Ralph Field]

I would look for similar guns at www.gunnutz.com to get a rough idea of their value.

[craigdritchie]

Nice collection of artillery, but I'm afraid none of those guns are currently worth a whole lot of money. The biggest problem is that they're all popular, well made, decent quality guns. They last forever and, as a result, there is already a ton of them out there on the used market. That depresses prices faster than anything else.

 

Condition obviously counts too. If they've been in storage for a long time, you'll want to hope they were put away properly in the first place, and there's no pitting inside the barrels. Too much/too little humidity is a problem for guns of any make.

 

The Blue Book (see http://bluebookofgunvalues.com/ ) is a decent reference for used gun values. In outstanding condition, it puts the Parker-Hales in the $200 - $400 range, the Brownings in the $350 - $600 range, and the .22s at about $75 apiece. Bear in mind these are retail selling prices. A dealer will give you much less (more like half these amounts).

 

Need more info on the 12 gauge O/U. There were all kinds of shotguns imported into Canada from Europe in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Depending on make, model and specs (i.e. barrel length, chokes, boxlock or sidelock action, etc) prices are all over the map, but most seem to fall into the $300 to $700 range. Could be more or less than that, depending again on specifics and condition.

 

Vague answers, I realize, but what they're worth on a given day really comes down to what someone is willing to pay for them.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Craig_Ritchie

[Fisherpete]

Wow Craig, thanks for all the info! Vague? Hardly!

 

From what I know, my grandfather's hunting buddies gave the guns all a good cleaning and oiling before they went into storage, so hopefully they should still be in good condition. I will find out tomorrow - I am going to check them out and take piles of pics.

 

Pete

[misfish]

Great post Craig.

 

Looking forward to some pics Pete.

[aplumma]

The checking and metal working details do make for added value so close ups would help. If you get them appraised pay to have this done by an appraiser. Taking them into a gunshop and you will get lowball values in hopes of them buying them at that price.

 

 

Art

[DRIFTER_016]

I'd like to see the OU.

Got a love of OU's and double barrel scatter guns.

[Fisherpete]

Pics will be added on Sunday, I am heading in for a birthday party and will take the pics then.

 

Thanks again for all the input fellas - keep it coming!

[Sinker]

Send AkaShag a pm. He is a gun guru.

 

S.

[Fisherpete]

OK, so I now have pics. There are actually 8, there was a Winchester/Cooey .22 in addition to the original 7 on my list. The guns are in excellent condition, and were stored very well. First they were cleaned and then coated in some sort of oil/grease, wrapped in paper, then plastic. Done by one of my grandfathers buddies from his gun club. Stored in a good environment humidity wise. The grease wipes off pretty easily, you can see it in the following two pics:

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

[Fisherpete]

1) Parker Hale .243 Win. Cal. Bolt Action Rifle, equipped with Leopold 2.5x/7 Scope, sling, swivels, bipod, case

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fisherpete]

2) Browning 30-06 Semi-Automatic Rifle with case, scope, sling & swivel. Made in Belgium. Beautiful engraving on this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2014 by Fisherpete

[Fisherpete]

3) Parker-Hale Midland Bolt Action 30-06 Rifle with scope, swivel, bipod & case. Made in England.