Guns That Became Worth More When Their Production Stopped

Above, a vintage Savage Model 99 advertisement.

Guns have come and gone over the years. Production stopped completely after a number of years or manufacturers replaced them with newer and, supposedly, better models.

The Avid Outdoorsman takes a look at 15 guns that became worth more after people stopped making them.

They begin with:

A gun doesn’t always get its full respect while it’s still in production. When buyers can order one, find one used, or assume another batch will show up, it’s easy to treat it like just another option. Then production stops, the racks dry up, and the same gun suddenly looks a whole lot smarter.

That’s when people realize availability was part of what made it seem ordinary. Once a firearm is no longer being made, clean examples start standing out. The good ones become harder to replace, and prices often start telling the story. These guns became worth more after people stopped making them.

To read more, go here. 

Winchester Plant In New Haven, Connecticut

Above, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in the 1950s.

The Winchester Repeating Arms Company factory buildings in New Haven, Connecticut were demolished last year. 

Here's a video of the demolition of the last buildings: 

During its heyday, the Winchester company was a big firearm manufacturer in the area. 

Here's some historical photos of the plant:

How To Determine A Gun's Year of Manufacture

Above, the Winchester 1894 made in 1962. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ever wonder when your gun, that was purchased new or used, was made?

Fortunately, with today's Internet, many gun manufacturers have online databases what will give you that information. Mostly, all one has to do is to enter the model number and serial number. 

To date, I have used such sites to date my Winchester 1894 and 62A rifles and my Ruger 10/22 carbine. I first looked up the Winchester 1894's year of manufacture while at the gun shop before purchasing. The price tag said it was a pre-1964 rifle made in 1962. I looked it up with my cell phone and verified it. I bought the rifle. I did the same with the Winchester 62A rifle I inherited from my grandfather and found that it was made in 1947. Their site can be reached by going here.

On the Ruger 10/22, I knew I bought it new in the 1980s, but couldn't remember the year. I looked it up through Ruger's website and found it was made in 1983. I had to have bought it within a year or so of that. Ruger's site can be reached here.

Most likely, other gun manufacturers have similar databases for gun owners to use. 

Gov. Grisham Pushes Lawsuits Against Gun Makers

If there were any doubt as to how bad New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is when it concerns our Second Amendment rights, the following ought to lay to rest those doubts.

Breitbart has posted an article on what we're up against during the upcoming legislative session in Santa Fe.

They begin with:

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) introduced a gun control package Friday, which includes an “assault weapons” ban, the ability for New Mexicans to sue gun manufacturers, and a two-week waiting period for gun purchases, among other things.

The Los Alamos Daily Post noted that Grisham’s push will ban “guns in parks and playgrounds,” which will “make it illegal to carry a firearm in county or municipal parks, playgrounds, and their accompanying parking lots.” This would give the force of law to a ban that Grisham issued via executive order on September 8, 2023.

To read more, go here. 

RV Travel Readers RV Defects and Service Issues

Above, at the Needles, California KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have to consider myself pretty lucky by buying a motorhome that has not given me any problems in the eight years I've had it. The only "defect" I had was a glued shut roof vent that was replaced under warranty by Winnebago. A dash air conditioning problem was caused by rodents.

Others haven't been so lucky and have voiced their displeasure at the RVs they bought. Some are the "usual suspects" that have been vilified over the years in various RV forums. They should be avoided if one is in the market to buy an RV.

RV Travel posted a number of emails of people who have suffered major problems with their new rigs.

They begin it with:

In this column, we summarize some of your emails and comments regarding RV service centers and repairs (we asked you to submit your stories here). We’ll tell you all: the best, the good, the bad and the ugly. At the end of this article, you’ll find a place to submit your own comments. I encourage you to do so.

Keep in mind, we typically only present one side of the story in most of these. Also, any remarks about service centers and mobile techs mentioned are the opinions of our readers and not necessarily RVtravel.com. 

This week there were a lot of messages about the RV manufacturers, poor-quality RVs and service, and a lack of documentation.

As the old saying goes, "buyer beware!"

To read the emails, go here. 

RV Travel: Are RVers Responsible For Poor Quality RVs?

Above, The Beast on the dealer's lot.

One of the things new RV owners are finding out is that quite often new units sold have a myriad of problems due to shoddy workmanship. I was lucky. I only had one first-year problem, a glued shut roof vent that was repaired under warranty.

Obviously, the blame goes to the manufacturer for shoddy workmanship and the dealer for not catching any problems (or catching them and not saying anything) before making the sale. 

A new article in RV Travel lays some blame on buyers.

They start it with:

Over the years we’ve heard from countless frustrated RVers. The story goes something like, “I bought a brand-new RV and hardly got to use it the first year. It spent most of the time getting repairs made, right from the start!” The rants about nearly every RV manufacturer are myriad. Yes, even RV dealers admit the quality of RVs they’re selling is often lousy, and they point the finger back at the manufacturers. But hang on, are RVers responsible, in part, for the junk being dumped on the market today?

To read more, go here. 

"RVs: Who Makes What?" Directory

In the market to buy an RV but don't know what you want or what brands are out there? 

You're in luck! RV Travel has a free download of a comprehensive guide to RV brands and manufacturers.

From RV Travel:

“RVs: Who Makes What” is the result of hundreds of hours of research and fact-checking by our associate Bradford Geer. It’s the most comprehensive guide to RV manufacturers and their brands ever assembled. We offer this publication for free as a public service.

Please share this 73-page report freely with your RVer friends. Attach it to an email. Post a link to it ( https://www.rvtravel.com/WhoMakesWhat ) on your social media pages. If you have a website or blog, tell your readers about it – they will thank you. Print copies for your RV club’s library.

So, here it is!