This month’s American Rifleman has a feature article on “special edition” rifles and pistols from a company called American Legacy Firearms, a company that clearly was founded on the principle that nobody ever went broke by underestimating the taste or intelligence of the average American consumer.
With spectacular unintended irony, American Rifleman’s Assistant Editor Joseph Kurtenbach quotes American Legacy founder Steve Faler’s alleged mantra: Life’s too short to shoot an ugly gun.
It would be difficult to find any guns uglier in the history of world arms-making than these two utterly tasteless and totally garish “NRA special edition” models.
Supposedly collectible “commemorative model” firearms represent, in general, a kind of industry tax on the foolish and aethetically-impaired. Typically, they rapidly depreciate in value, occupying a special category of non-collectibility all their own. What makes an out-of-print gun collectible is historical significance and associations combined with rarity. Collectible value can be significantly increased as well by a weapon’s technical interest and beauty.
Taking a garden-variety, purchasable-anywhere-off-the-shelf gun, slapping on a load of bad mechanically-applied engraving and some hideous gold-plating creates an eyesore, not something anyone will ever down the road pay a premium to own.
Special editions numbered in the 5000s, of course, are special only in name and marketing approach and never will be rare.
Priced at nearly two grand a pop, even with a chunk of money being donated to NRA, these excrescences represent as lousy an investment as shares in one of Barack Obama’s green energy companies.
The NRA ought to exercise a little rationality and taste and should decline to participate in or promote this kind of crap. The only thing American Legacy and American Rifleman this month are right about is that life really is too short to be owning ugly guns.
LibertyorWHAT
You are 100% correct. What gives a firearm satisfying to examine and admire are good design, functionality, balance and workmanship. I am an NRA member because they serve an important function, but they will drive you crazy with their incessant fundraising.
James Scott
It seems to me that this entire article is based on one person’s opinion. From this one can only concludeethat he individual had a bad experiencd.
Saddened to see that. I, however am of the opposing opinion.
Libertyforall
It’s too bad you feel that way. You wrongfully claim that these are machine engraved, when in fact they are hand engraved on the metal. The wood is laser engraved however. The reasoning for laser engraving the wood is to ensure consistency of the artwork for each rifle in the edition. 100 of these rifles are produced for each state. Also, since 2012 when you wrote this many of the state editions are either Sold Out or almost sold out (Except for in Anti-Gun states where ALF refuses to spend advertising dollars). The fact of the matter is that American Legacy Firearms is a top 10 corporate donor to the NRA (Having donated over $1 million to the NRA to defend your right to keep and bear arms) and they are also the top donor for the Second Amendment Foundation. Additionally their firearms haven’t lost any value since 2012, in fact quite the opposite is true.
My guess is that the author of this article is either A. Anti-Gun, B. Just a Troll. or C. An angry competitor or dis-satisfied customer who may have had a bad experience.
Here is a great youtube video demonstrating the quality and durability of the gold plating on the American Legacy Firearms Second Amendment Foundation 1911.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNG7w0rqG_k
JDZ
I’m certainly not anti-gun, nor am I a competitor or a customer of yours. I’m just anti-kitsch and anti-bad taste.
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