Lefty resale value

[Zip]

Like some here, I'm a lefty. Been putting up with right-handed bolt guns all my shooting life. When I did buy a left-handed bolt and sold it off the dealer gave me less than he would have because he said it appealed to a smaller audience.

Does the same hold true for flinters? How hard is it to shoot southpaw with a right-handed flint?

 

[BrownBear]

I'm a lefty too, and have noticed a few things.


Ease or difficulty of shooting with righties depends on the model and your patience. You sure don't see any righties shooting lefties, no matter how loudly they claim it doesn't matter! :rotf:

And have you noticed that even though a shop wants to give you less for a lefty, the lefties in the rack sell for the same or more than the righties? I've learned to recognize the aroma of :bull: when it's waved under my nose.

Any time I get jacked around, I jack back. Just tell them you'd heard they had a rep for cutting corners and walk out on them. Let them worry about whether it's true or not. Cuzz in your case, it certainly was! :rotf:

 

Zip,
Brown Bear's got it right, I mean left. The biggest problem, if it is one, is that there are fewer leftys available. Just have to keep your eyes open, they're out there.
Mark

 

[Stumpkiller]

No difference in resale value - you just have 85% smaller of an audience.

 

[Macon Due]

Brownbear sure nailed it! I've smelled the same smell myself! BTW..........I thought it sucked trying to shoot right handed flintlocks,that's why I have a TVM being built.
Macon

 

[HOGGHEAD]

First off I think shooting a RH FL from the left side is a mistake. It is not an advisable thing to do IMO.

As far as resale value is concerned, it depends on what you have. I have bought and sold alot of left hand firearms on the internet.

It is very easy to sell a standard production left hand rifle. Something that is not custom. However when it comes to custom firearms, a left hand rifle is considerably harder to sell. And definitely more difficult to get your money back out of it.

So if you order a custom LH FL, I suggest you make sure it is exactly what you want. For it wil definintely be more difficult to sell if it is not what you want. Tom.

 

[B.Habermehl]

I can't vouch for resale value but a really nice chunk of the guns I have built were for lefties. There is definately a market niche, though small. BJH

 

[BrownBear]

That makes real sense to me. If a lefty wants something other than a 50 or 54 cal plains rifle or some variation (Lyman), he just about has to go custom. The spread is similarly limited in CF guns, as seen in the stack of rebarreled and custom guns in my safes.

I kinda laugh at the manufacturers of both modern CF and muzzleloading guns. They whine and fuss about the weak economy, yet walk away from 15% of the market. Especially with hooked breech muzzleloaders where a "new" caliber involves nothing more than a new barrel, I can just imagine what would happen to Lyman sales if they'd offer their rifles, both left and right, in new calibers. A whole lot of guys would line up for them. Heck, look at the money Lyman is leaving on the table for Green Mountain drop-ins, for that matter. Slow economy, certainly, but arcane business decisions, certainly, too.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

First off I think shooting a RH FL from the left side is a mistake. It is not an advisable thing to do IMO.

Uhhhhhhhh, are you yourself left-handed ... ?

FWIW I've been shooting RH fintlocks for quite a while now, 'best' year was 7-pounds of powdah burned in a year, average about 4 ... and ZERO issues with me being a lefty shooting righty flintlocks.

Only issue one could encounter IMHO would be the amount of 'cast' the stock may have. Too much "the wrong way" is no good, for fit and sight picture. At least by my experience.

 

[Macon Due]

Well......I shoot left handed and 'had' two flintlocks and both were right handed. That was the biggest fiasco I ever got into! It was horrible trying to shoot them left handed.I never could get used to them 'exploding' right in my face. I have a new TVM on order in Left handed and a used TVM that will be enroute shortly that is also left handed. I can hardly wait!
Macon

 

[trent/OH]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant, and have shot RH rifles left handed for about 2-3 years now due to vision problems. I shouldered and dry fired a lefty flinter at Friendship last weekend, and it surprised me a bit. It felt "wrong" not having a flint mechanism slapping around in front of my nose. Not that I couldn't get used to it, but it felt a lot different.

 

[mazo kid]

OK,since your original question was about the resale value of left hand guns, here is my opinion and experience: I think that left hand guns do NOT
lose any more value than right hand guns. You MAY have a smaller market, but the demand is there. I sold 2 left hand guns (probably shouldn't have!) for a lot more than I paid for them. Granted, I did have them for several years, but the fact is I sold them almost immediately after posting them for sale. Maybe the higher quality custom guns may take longer to sell, buy I'll wager that you can get at least your purchase price, if not more.

 

[bilder]

I am a lefty too and have noticed some dealers who will buy a lefty for peanuts and then charge more than a right handed gun of the same make and model.

"Why do you buy them for so little?"

"Because there is such a small market for them."

Same gun shop a couple weeks later....

"Why do you charge more for a left handed gun?"

"Because there are not many of them out there."

Needless to say I don't buy from those guys.

 

[nkbj]

Just saw a used lefty Lyman Flintlock Deerstalker listed for $200. Had to talk myself out of snagging that one.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

No difference in resale value - you just have 85% smaller of an audience.

This is precisely the reason. Either right or left the gun has the same retail value if they are identical. The lefty will naturally have a lesser trade in value due to the fact that it will have a smaller market.
I remember a couple of years ago a fellow ordered a gun from a prominent gunmaker and then left him holding the bag. Trying to sell that gun to a general audience with a lesser number of lefties in it was very hard. I believe he finally had to sell for less than a righty to move it out.

 

[BrownBear]

I am a lefty too and have noticed some dealers who will buy a lefty for peanuts and then charge more than a right handed gun of the same make and model.

"Why do you buy them for so little?"

"Because there is such a small market for them."

Same gun shop a couple weeks later....

"Why do you charge more for a left handed gun?"

"Because there are not many of them out there."

Needless to say I don't buy from those guys.

I bet I know ZACKLY who you're talking about! :wink:

Last time I was in there they had a fairly beat up Austin Hallek 50 cal capper, right handed no less. The price on it was $1,450!!!! :rotf:

I asked the guy about it and he proceeded to tell me how rare and special it was. I smiled and told him I wished I could afford it. At that point in time you could still buy them brand spanking new at Sportsmans Warehouse for $550.

 

[tljack]

I have a simple solution to the problem. I no longer sell guns. I just buy them, use them, enjoy them etc. Over the years I have learned I do not like the sense of remorse I get over having sold a fire arm. I no longer sell them, just buy more safes! :wink: My kids can deal with how to sell them and then they get the money.