Looking for a consensus on value of factory original preban Bushmasters IF the ban sunsets.  How will they hold their values compare to say preban FNs,Colts, HKs, etc.  Thanks.

As compared to Colt or ArmaLite or____________I expect Bushmasters will hold their values just as well.

When compared to guns no longer manufactured or no longer imported I would expect all preban AR's to decrease.

Simply my opinion.

If the ban sunsets--

Preban Bushmesters will just be used ARs.  Same for preban Olys and anything else that is made in this country and doesn't have a strong collector base.

Colts will hold some of their inflated value because there's a lot of collector interest.

Unless or until sufficient US made parts are available to get around the import ban (which will not sunset) FNs & HKs should retain their value reasonably well.  Unless they start making them here, in which case they'll be used FNs and HKs.

My .02.

sentimental value is what they will have.
GG

[b]But the subjects of New York will fight hard to overturn the bullshit laws[/b]

Christ, we can't even lease a car right now do to ancient laws!....

[pissed]

There may be a little bit of extra value as compared to `94-`04 rifles, since the prebans will likely be in AW config, but the 94-04 rifles will need a new upper/telestock.
There should be a small delay between the sunset and the demise of the 94-04 rifles, as dealers, distributors, and manufacturers clear out inventory.  During that time I expect that pre-94 rifles with matching uppers will have a little higher value than 94-04 rifles, since the owner would need to refit the features or swap out uppers.  Similiar to how shorty Prebans command higher prices than a 20" preban plus the cost of a new upper.

So, for a while, I'd expect the prebans to be worth more than postbans, but only by the cost of a new preban upper minus the sale value of the old postban upper.

Slim chance, but you might be able to get a few extra bucks for the "rare preban purple variants" that aren't made any more.   There are purple Cadillacs getting sold, so there's definetely a client base out there. [;)]

Pre-bans will probably continue to sell quite high at gun shows, since most of the lying sack of sh*t merchants will convince unsuspecting individuals that the ban is on its way back and having a pre-ban is the only way to insure you won't lose your AR next time a democrat is in office.

I base my observation on the number of 20" prebans I see selling for less than $1500, more like $1100, and the number of shorty prebans I see selling for >$2000.  I guess some people won't go to the trouble of swapping uppers.  More for me :)