Bass Pro Shops fine gun rooms offers masterpieces from around the world and can appraise your family heirlooms, too.
Yes, Bass Pro Shops carries firearms that are valued at $90,000, and sometimes offers even pricier ones. You can find these amazing works of art at Bass Pro Shops fine gun rooms, which are located at the headquarters superstore in Springfield, Mo., and the Denver, Colo. Outdoor World.
So what is it that makes a sporting arm worth that much money?
Fine gun values, which start at $1,000 and can go as high as six figures, are based on reputation of the maker and the master craftsman involved in creating them. When you have the best, most in-demand artisans in the world coming together to create the perfect fit, feel and finish, you have a masterpiece.
While American firearms are technically advanced due to state-of-the-art production methods, many believe that historically the finest handcrafted guns come from Europe. Names such as the UK’s Holland & Holland and James Purdey & Sons, are regarded as the world’s best. Italy also produces luxury firearms known for their artistic flair while Austria, Switzerland and Russia are known for excellent workmanship as well.
Who buys these amazing sporting arms? Hunters are the most common purchasers of fine guns. These are not sporting arms that gather dust in a safe either. They are custom built for pursuing game, based on the users’ preference for fur or feathers. Collectors are another important part of the fine gun market. Like those who collect antiques, coins or stamps, fine gun aficionados are passionate about particular periods in history, themes or stories, and types of firearms. Lastly, investors purchase fine guns as well, though they have less regard for the firearms and are mainly interested in their market value.
In addition to finding the cream of the crop at Bass Pro Shops fine gun rooms, you’ll also see relics from bygone times. While the oldest firearm carried in Bass Pro Shops fine gun room was a flintlock muzzleloader from the late 1700s, the most common older firearms date back to the early- to mid-1800s.
Do you have a family firearm that you’d like to know more about? Bass Pro Shops fine guns rooms offer appraisal services and you can even trade in your heirloom for a new sporting arm. To contact Springfield, MO, email FGR_Springfield_MO@basspro.com, or call (417) 891-5374. To contact Denver, CO, email FGR_Denver_CO@basspro.com, or call (720) 385-3661.
If you’d like to learn more about fine guns, check out this Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World radio interview with Mike Loder, manager of the fine gun room at Bass Pro Shops Springfield, Mo., store.
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, a radio show broadcast throughout the U.S. and Canada. Tune into the show every Saturday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time on RURAL RADIO, found exclusively on SiriusXM channel 80.
If you’re interested in historically significant firearms, don’t forget to visit the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum, located at the Bass Pro Shops Springfield, Mo., store. You'll be able to see more than a thousand incredible sporting artifacts that celebrate the history of hunting, conservation and freedom. Those who visit the museum can trace the development and evolution of hunting arms in America from pre-colonial times to the present. Museum goers can expect to see firearms and artwork from the Remington Arms Company factory collection, engraved Colt revolvers of the Old West, the guns of Annie Oakley, treasure guns from the NRA Museum Collection, Hollywood guns, firearms of U.S. presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower, the flintlock fowlers of English kings, and guns of Wild West outlaws including Jesse James. The museum is open every day of the week and admission is free.
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