Most Expensive Gun in the World (2026): Records + Luxury Guns for Sale

The most expensive gun in the world is the Colt single-action revolver that Sheriff Pat Garrett used to kill Billy the Kid in 1881 — it sold for $6.03 million at Bonhams in August 2021, the most ever paid for a firearm at auction and a Guinness World Record. But “most expensive” depends on what you mean: the record-setting relics below are auction history, while the bespoke shotguns and rare collector pieces further down are guns you can actually buy in 2026.

What Is the Most Expensive Gun in the World?

The most expensive gun in the world is Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action Army revolver — the sidearm he used to shoot the outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, New Mexico in 1881. It hammered for $6.03 million at Bonhams in August 2021, shattering the previous firearm record and earning a Guinness World Record for the most expensive gun ever sold at auction. As with nearly every gun on this list, the value comes from history and provenance — who owned it and what it did — rather than raw firepower or materials.

The Most Expensive Guns Ever Sold at Auction

Firearm	Price	Year	Auction House
Pat Garrett’s Colt that killed Billy the Kid	$6.03 million	2021	Bonhams
Henry rifle serial no. 1 (Lincoln Cabinet gun)	$5.875 million	2026	Rock Island Auction
George Washington’s saddle pistols (gift of Lafayette)	$1.99 million	2002	Christie’s
“Denmark” civilian Colt Walker revolver	$1.84 million	2018	Rock Island Auction
Simón Bolívar’s Boutet pistols	$1.80 million	2016	Christie’s
Theodore Roosevelt’s Colt Single Action Army	$1.47 million	2020	Rock Island Auction
Cased Colt Texas Paterson (genre record)	$1.41 million	2026	Heritage
Clyde Barrow’s Browning Auto-5 “Whippet” (shotgun record)	$1.00 million	2026	Rock Island Auction

These eight results show how provenance drives value. A documented link to a founding father, a revolutionary leader, or a legendary lawman can multiply a gun’s price a hundredfold over an otherwise identical example that lacks the story.

The Most Expensive Guns You Can Buy New in 2026

If you would rather own a brand-new firearm than bid on a museum piece, the world’s elite gunmakers build bespoke shotguns and rifles entirely by hand — often with multi-year waiting lists — that cost as much as a house.

Maker (New, Bespoke)	Approx. Price	Origin	Notes
Purdey bespoke side-by-side	~$300,000	England	Multi-year build
Holland & Holland Royal Over-and-Under	~$250,000	England	Made to measure
Fabbri custom shotgun	~$200,000+	Italy	~6-year waiting list

Prices for these makers routinely start near $200,000 and climb past a million dollars for fully engraved, exhibition-grade sets — a trio of Fabbri 12-gauges engraved by Manrico Torcoli sold for $402,500 in 2020. For firearms you can buy and ship today, browse our full guns & ammo coverage, or see a premium collectible like the Davidson’s Gallery of Guns Ruger Precision Rifle. The rare-but-attainable collector pieces below run from roughly $12,000 to $30,000.

The Most Expensive Guns for Sale Right Now

The auction records above are history — you cannot buy Pat Garrett’s Colt at any price. The bespoke makers take orders, but a Purdey commission is a multi-year wait. So here is the third category, and the one that changes week to week: the highest-priced firearms actually listed for sale on the open market today. All three below were verified on 26 August 2026 on GunsInternational, the largest classified marketplace for collector-grade guns, where a price filter and a high-to-low sort will show you the current top of the market at any moment.

1. Manrico Torcoli Engraved Trio of Ivo Fabbri 28-Gauge Sidelocks — $475,000

This is the most expensive firearm listed for sale anywhere we could find on 26 August 2026, and it closes a loop this guide opened a few paragraphs ago. We noted that a trio of Fabbri 12-gauges engraved by Manrico Torcoli sold for $402,500 in 2020. This is a different Torcoli-signed Fabbri trio — three 28-gauge assisted-opening pinless sidelocks, serials E781, E782 and E783, all proofed in 1995 — and the asking price is $475,000, roughly 18% above that auction result five years on. What you are paying for is the engraving. Torcoli’s bulino work is photo-realistic: the metal is cut in dots and hairlines fine enough to render tone the way a printed photograph does, and each of the three guns carries its own scene. Underneath the art it is a genuine Ivo Fabbri — 28⅛-inch ventilated-rib barrels, bifurcated lumps, automatic ejectors, single non-selective triggers, exhibition-grade wood with multi-point checkering — and the set ships in its original Fabbri oak-and-leather trunk case. A true trio, consecutively numbered and never split, is among the rarest things in the Italian gun trade. View the listing on GunsInternational

2. John Rigby & Co. Sidelock .600 Nitro Express — $374,999.99

The .600 Nitro Express is the cartridge that ended arguments — a 900-grain bullet at roughly 1,950 feet per second, built to stop elephant at contract range. Rigby built very few sidelock doubles in it, and this late-1980s bespoke gun carries relief-carved engraving by Ken C. Hunt, whose work sits at the same tier in the British trade that Torcoli’s does in the Italian. Provenance is the other half of the price. The rifle is documented through both the Feldstein and Robert M. Lee collections — two of the most significant private gun collections assembled in the twentieth century — and the condition matches the pedigree: 99% original black on the 24-inch saddlelump barrels, 98% original brushed bright on the action, sharp checkering, mechanically excellent. It comes in a Vincent Rickards exhibition case, French-fitted, with T.F. Wood & Son accessories. View the listing on GunsInternational

3. James Purdey & Sons .500 Nitro Express — $299,999.99

The table above puts a bespoke Purdey at roughly $300,000 on a multi-year build. This is that gun, already finished and on the shelf: a London Best sidelock double rifle in .500 Nitro Express, completed on 20 July 2007, asking $299,999.99 — and unusually for this price bracket, the listing carries a working Buy Now button rather than a “contact us for details”. It is 24-inch chopperlump barrels with express sights, a Beesley self-opening action, automatic ejectors and an articulated front trigger, weighing 12 lbs 6¾ oz with a 14½-inch stock. The engraving is deep-relief scrollwork with African Big Five game scenes and extensive gold inlay, carried through to a carved metal buttplate and an engraved pistol grip cap. Roughly 99% of the original finishes remain. It is the shortest distance in this article between “guns that cost as much as a house” and “guns you can put in a cart.” View the listing on GunsInternational All three are offered by Mallards Shooting Supply and Apparel through GunsInternational. Prices and availability were verified on 26 August 2026 and are subject to change without notice. Guns & Gadgets Daily has no commercial relationship with that seller and earns nothing from these links.

The Rest of the Market: What the Other Marketplaces Are Asking

Those three all sit with one dealer on one marketplace. They are the ceiling, not the whole picture — so here is what the other major venues have on the shelf today, all verified 26 August 2026. The two most interesting entries there are the cheapest and the most expensive, and they make the same point from opposite ends. The Walther WA2000 is not old, not engraved and carries no famous owner. It is expensive because Walther built only a few hundred of them in the 1980s, the design was a commercial failure, and every survivor is now chased by collectors who remember it from The Living Daylights. Scarcity alone will do it. See the GunBroker listing — Buy Now at $300,000, one available, used condition, FFL required. Pancho Villa’s Remington 1897 is the provenance case in its purest form. The rifle itself — a single-shot .30-40 Krag with a 26-inch barrel — would be a few hundred dollars without the story. The lot includes a Hopkins & Allen Ranger No. 2 revolver inscribed by Álvaro Obregón, later President of Mexico, dated 4 October 1898, with eleven notches filed into the right grip; Villa’s leather whip; a display rack in Mexican wood with turquoise inlay; three period photographs; and documented provenance. See the Guns.com listing.

And the Auction Floor Is Open Right Now

Everything above is a fixed price. If you would rather bid, Rock Island Auction’s On Time Firearms Auction #5038 closes on 30 August 2026 at 12:00 pm CDT — 1,384 lots, ending fifteen seconds apart, with each new bid extending its lot by a minute. RIAC is the house behind three of the eight records in the table at the top of this page, including both set in 2026. Browse the catalogue. Below that ceiling sits the tier most collectors actually shop — five figures rather than six, and guns you can have shipped to your FFL this month. That is where the rest of this guide goes.

Most Expensive Guns for Sale in 2026: Luxury Firearms You Can Actually Buy

The most expensive guns for sale on Gunprime are no longer hidden behind museum glass or locked inside elite auction houses. In 2026, collectors and serious shooters can legally own luxury firearms that combine history, craftsmanship, and modern performance. Thanks to specialty retailers that focus on rare inventory, today’s buyers have access to some of the world’s most impressive high-end firearms. However, these guns are not about basic function alone. Instead, they represent the peak of design and engineering. From belt-fed rifles to hand-engraved revolvers, premium firearms now sit at the crossroads of performance and prestige.

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Why Some Firearms Cost More Than Cars

First, rarity drives price. Limited production runs and discontinued models immediately increase long-term value. Second, craftsmanship matters. Hand engraving, exotic materials, and custom fitting separate true luxury firearms from mass-produced guns. Finally, pedigree seals the deal. Firearms tied to military service, famous gunsmiths, or historic events consistently command premium prices. As a result, rare collectible guns often become investments as much as tools. In fact, many collectors view them the same way others view fine watches or classic cars.

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The Belt-Fed Benchmark for Expensive Guns

FN USA M249S — $8,899 (No Longer Available)

No longer available. Checked 26 August 2026: this listing now shows Out of Stock and the seller no longer publishes a price. Its last listed asking price was $8,899. Gunprime does not publish final sale figures, so we can confirm the rifle is off the market but not what it changed hands for.

View listing The FN M249S stands alone in the civilian firearms world. As a semi-automatic version of the legendary SAW platform, it delivers belt-fed capability that few owners ever experience. More importantly, it represents modern military heritage. Collectors buy this rifle not just for performance, but for what it symbolizes: ownership of a platform that reshaped modern combat doctrine.

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Historic Art in Steel

Engraved Colt Single Action Army Revolvers — $29,995

View listing These master-engraved Colt revolvers redefine rare collectible guns. Crafted by renowned engraver Robert Burt, this consecutive serial-numbered set blends Old West heritage with museum-grade artistry. Because true hand engraving is disappearing, collectors increasingly see pieces like these as irreplaceable.

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Tribute Firearms With Real History

Winchester 1873 Rawhide-Wrapped Tribute — $17,999 (No Longer Available)

No longer available. Checked 26 August 2026: this listing now shows Out of Stock with no published price. Its last listed asking price was $17,999. The final sale figure is not disclosed, and a tribute gun this specific rarely returns to the market.

View listing This rifle honors Crow Scout Curley and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Unlike standard commemoratives, this piece functions as both a working firearm and a storytelling artifact. Consequently, it appeals to collectors who value history just as much as performance.

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The Tactical Titan

Barrett M107 — $17,495

Price updated 26 August 2026: this rifle was listed at $14,795 when this guide first published and now asks $17,495.

View listing The M107 is the only rifle on this list that earned its price on a battlefield rather than a bench. Barrett’s .50 BMG semi-auto is the platform the US military adopted as the M107, and the civilian version is mechanically the same gun: a 29-inch barrel, a recoiling-barrel action that makes a 700-grain projectile survivable to shoot, and a package that ships complete rather than as a starting point. This listing includes the Leupold Mark 4 4.5-14×50 LR/T scope, monopod, sling and hard case, in new condition. At $17,495 it is the cheapest way into a category most shooters never enter — and unlike the engraved pieces above it, its value is in what it does, not what was cut into it.

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Collector Revolvers With Royal Roots

Colt Arvo Ojala Commemorative SAA — $11,999

View listing This revolver merges celebrity history with luxury presentation. Ivory grips, gold engraving, and Colt heritage place it squarely among today’s most desirable luxury firearms.

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How to Choose Among the Most Expensive Guns for Sale

Before buying any luxury firearm, it helps to define your goal. Are you collecting for long-term value, or do you want a high-end shooter you can enjoy at the range? Many buyers make the mistake of focusing only on price. Instead, consider provenance, condition, and manufacturer reputation. For example, collectors seeking rare collectible guns often prioritize historical significance. Meanwhile, competitive shooters gravitate toward high-end custom guns that deliver measurable performance advantages. Therefore, matching the firearm to your purpose ensures you get real value, not just a high price tag. In addition, storage and insurance matter. Premium firearms deserve proper safes, climate control, and documented appraisals. These steps protect your investment and preserve long-term value.

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Why Collectors Pay These Prices

High-end firearms offer more than function. They offer permanence. Unlike electronics, premium guns often appreciate over time. Production ends. Demand continues. As a result, the most expensive guns for sale today frequently become tomorrow’s prized investments.

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Final Takeaway

The most expensive guns for sale in 2026 represent the peak of firearms culture. They combine history, craftsmanship, and performance in ways few other tools can match. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, these firearms are not indulgences. Instead, they are statements of respect for the craft. For more deep dives into luxury firearms, rare collectibles, and elite gear, subscribe to Guns & Gadgets Daily and stay ahead of the curve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most expensive gun in the world?

The Colt Single Action Army revolver that Pat Garrett used to kill Billy the Kid in 1881. It sold for $6.03 million at Bonhams in August 2021 — the most ever paid for a firearm at auction and a Guinness World Record.

What is the most expensive gun ever sold at auction?

The same Billy the Kid Colt, at $6.03 million, holds the record. Other record-setters include George Washington’s saddle pistols ($1.99 million, Christie’s 2002) and the only known civilian Colt Walker ($1.84 million, Rock Island Auction 2018).

What is the most expensive gun you can buy new?

Bespoke shotguns from Purdey, Holland & Holland, and Fabbri are the most expensive new guns, starting around $200,000–$300,000 and rising past $1 million for exhibition-grade engraved sets, usually with multi-year waiting lists.

Why are some guns so expensive?

Three factors: rarity (limited or discontinued production), craftsmanship (hand engraving, exotic materials, custom fitting), and provenance (ties to historic figures or events). Provenance is the single biggest price multiplier.