r/canadaguns • u/One-Coffee-2621 • Apr 15 '26

Misc Can someone explain why deactivated firearms cost SO much?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the historicity of particular items. I even paid a pretty penny for antiques and a Mosin-Nagant cause of its country of manufacture & individual history. However, I would think that would only go SO far for what's essentially a paper weight. I know personally I'd never bid on auction or buy from a site something I'd have to "pay for the privilege" of deactivation. I'd rather something remain in its original form then pay a premium to hold it. Am I wrong in this view? Am I a dirty poor? Both?

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u/MacintoshEddie Apr 15 '26

Some of them are specifically collector's grade. So you're paying for something that possibly hasn't gotten a scratch on it in the last 80+ years.

Plus the market on dewats can be much wider, including people who can't own the real version.

Some types of dewats get used for movie props, museum exhibits, and so on.

There's many gunsmiths who don't even offer dewats, because they don't want the liability. If they do it wrong, it's still legally a gun and they might be on the hook for selling it to someone who might not legally be allowed to possess the functional version. Plus some disagree with the principle of it.

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u/One-Coffee-2621 Apr 15 '26

I wouldn't begrudge a gunsmith on any of that or a museum buying something of quality, or movie props etc. It seems to me though usually its someone trying to off load something for exponentially more than it's probably worth

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u/MacintoshEddie Apr 15 '26

A lot of people hoped their collection would appreciate.