Thread: $5k plus rigs, what do you have? Favour?

I’ve only bought 2 rifles new, an early T3 in 708 and a 17HMR. Including scopes neither went near $2k, let alone $5k. But that’s quite a few years back now.
All other rifles & optics I’ve bought have been 2nd hand, sometimes as donor actions to be re-barrel into semi-customs. All of these including optics (Swaros 3 &Z5, VX5 & VX6, plus a few Zeiss) never got much above $3.5 - $4k. Today you’d spend more for sure, but you can pickup some very good 2nd hand gear at good prices if you’re patient.
The only set up that topped $5k was a near new Christensen Arms Mesa in N28 plus Zeiss Z6 5-30x50 (also 2nd hand). All up that probably came in at $5500.
Now for a different kind of price point I have a story about a Sporting Goods shop I found while wandering around Vienna one weekend. Street level in the shop nothing was was under $10,000 euros and most were in 25 - 40,000 euro range. Got talking to the shop attendant who was very interested to know about hunting in NZ. When I asked him about the fancy rifles, he said you better go down stairs & check out some of the fancier stuff. Fark me that was $50,000 to 90,000 euros. Then he said now go up to the mezzanine level, well that was all $100,000 euro plus!!! Nearly all the rifles were handmade & exquisite pieces of craftsmanship. Often they were double rifles u/o like 500 NE over a7x57, or 3006 over 243, or 12 gauge over 6.5x55. In some parts of Germany or Austria you’re only allowed 1 fire arm hence the 2 caliber doubles or shottie/centrefire. I asked him who bought the really pricey stuff. He said mostly Russian oligarchs. Buy one just for one African safari hunt, or one hunt in Siberia. A very different world aye.