Yes, you really can get a fantastic deal on your dream clay gun if you follow the advice of professional auctioneer Gavin Gardiner

Gavin Gardiner

I have been selling guns at auction for over thirty years, and I am always surprised at just how few people will trust their own judgement and buy a gun at auction. There are many genuine bargains to be had, and many great guns to found in great condition at every auction. There are also a few in poor condition, with problems that should be avoided at all costs. In this article I will give you a few hints and tips to help you bag that dream gun.

This is especially true with the modern over-and-under. Most sporting guns consigned at auction are classic English side-by-side shotguns, and relatively few modern over-and-under guns appear in a typical sale. As time is passing however, this is changing as more modern over-andunder guns enter the auction market.

Competition shots can be fickle and will often own a gun for a short while, before trading for a newer model. Trends and fashions with stock style, barrel length, choke and weight change rapidly and as manufacturers constantly update their model ranges with new products, the older model soon becomes obsolete. These now obsolete models can often appear at a fraction of their original cost, and can represent fantastic value.

One commonly held misconception about auctions is that they are full of the guns that the trade does not want – guns that have problems and are being dumped on to the market. While there may be an element of this, my own experience is that the vast majority of guns offered come from private individuals, and have been well kept and looked after. There are many older Browning and Beretta models out there that remain in excellent condition, and some will be little used.