August 2026 firearms market update: Submission trends, valuation activity and secondary market insights
Key Takeaways From the August 2026 Firearms Market
August set a new 2026 high with 2,047 firearm offers totaling $1.05 million. We Buy Guns completed 702 purchases and paid $383,513 to sellers, with handguns continuing to drive most activity.
Handguns drove most activity
Handguns accounted for 63.0% of August offers and 65.8% of completed purchases.
Smith & Wesson led manufacturer activity
Smith & Wesson led August with 224 submissions and 92 completed purchases.
Glock 43X led model activity
The Glock 43X led August with 16 submissions and eight completed purchases.
Low-volume categories carried outsized value
Machine guns represented 0.5% of offers but averaged $5,800; three completed purchases totaled $55,500.
Texas and Indiana led geographic activity
Texas generated the most submissions with 189, while Indiana led completed purchases with 64.
Offer volume rose while purchases eased
Offers increased 1.9% from July, while purchases declined 6.0% but remained the second-highest monthly total of 2026.
Nationwide Firearm Submission and Purchase Activity
August generated 2,047 offers totaling $1,054,408, with 702 firearms purchased through the We Buy Guns platform.
Average offer value was $515.10 and average purchase value was $546.31. These figures summarize separate offer-dated and payment-dated activity within August rather than a matched group of transactions.
- Offers Made
- 2,047
- Firearms Purchased
- 702
- Total Offer Value
- $1,054,408
- Amount Paid to Sellers
- $383,513
- Avg. Offer Value
- $515.10
- Avg. Purchase Value
- $546.31
What Types of Firearms Dominated the Market?
Handguns remained the clear volume driver in August, accounting for 63.0% of submissions and 65.8% of completed purchases.
Rifles represented more than one-quarter of submissions and purchases. Machine guns accounted for just 0.5% of offers and 0.4% of purchases, but carried the highest average values by a wide margin.
Submission Mix by Firearm Type
Share of firearms submitted for review during August 2026.
Purchase Mix by Firearm Type
Share of completed firearm purchases during August 2026.
| Category | Submissions | % of Offers | Avg. Offer | Purchases | % of Purchases | Avg. Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handguns | 1,290 | 63% | $438.64 | 462 | 65.8% | $407.00 |
| Rifles | 559 | 27.3% | $614.30 | 176 | 25.1% | $635.97 |
| Shotguns | 188 | 9.2% | $463.67 | 61 | 8.7% | $459.84 |
| Machine Guns | 10 | 0.5% | $5,800.00 | 3 | 0.4% | $18,500.00 |
Which Firearm Brands Generated the Most Market Activity?
Manufacturer-level activity provides another lens into the firearms moving through the secondary market. While category data highlights broad firearm types, brand-level trends help identify which manufacturers generated the most seller activity during August 2026.
Mainstream handgun manufacturers dominated overall submission volume, while premium and collector-oriented brands yielded substantially higher average values.
Top Manufacturers by Submission Volume
Submission counts observed during August 2026.
Average Offer Value by Manufacturer
Average firearm offer value among major manufacturers.
| Manufacturer | Submissions | Avg Offer | Purchases | Avg Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith & Wesson | 224 | $343.44 | 92 | $490.49 |
| Glock | 147 | $317.01 | 57 | $341.67 |
| SIG Sauer | 135 | $512.59 | 39 | $498.72 |
| Ruger | 134 | $418.99 | 40 | $376.75 |
| Colt | 75 | $761.67 | 21 | $616.67 |
| Springfield Armory | 66 | $542.42 | 12 | $622.92 |
| Taurus | 54 | $179.63 | 17 | $220.59 |
| Remington | 50 | $371.50 | 12 | $295.83 |
| Beretta | 48 | $586.98 | 15 | $483.33 |
| Winchester | 48 | $540.63 | 12 | $716.67 |
What Firearms Were Most Frequently Submitted in August 2026?
The Glock 43X led both submission and purchase activity during August. Modern defensive handguns dominated the model rankings, with the SIG Sauer P365, Glock 19, SIG Sauer P320 and Glock 17 also among the most frequently submitted firearms.
Most Submitted Firearms
Most Purchased Firearms
Premium and Collector Firearms Defined the Upper End of August Values
August data continued to show substantial value separation between mainstream defensive handguns and premium collector or enthusiast firearms. Select revolvers, historic rifles and premium handguns produced average values several times higher than the most frequently submitted consumer models.
Premium Handgun
Staccato P
Four submitted examples averaged $1,600, placing the model near the upper end of August offer values.
Premium Rifle
FN SCAR 17S
Two completed purchases averaged $2,250, the highest recurring purchase average in the model results.
Classic Pistol
Colt 1911
Three submitted examples averaged $1,008.33 during August.
Historic Rifle
Winchester 1873
Three submitted examples averaged $900 during August.
Observed Value Spread
Mainstream Defensive Pistols Continued to Occupy a Consistent Mid-Range Value Band
Frequently submitted carry pistols clustered within a comparatively narrow valuation range during August, while collector and enthusiast models extended the upper end of the observed market.
Note: These values represent the actual user firearms submitted in August. Item condition and accessories can greatly influence listed values.
Where Firearm Market Activity Was Strongest During August 2026
Firearm submission and purchase activity during August remained broadly distributed across the United States, with Texas leading submissions and Indiana producing the highest completed-purchase volume.
Texas, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and California led submission volume, while Nebraska produced the highest average offer value among states with at least 10 submissions.
Geographic activity
National Firearm Activity Heatmap
States are shaded by firearm activity during August 2026.
Highest Submission Volume
Highest Average Values (10+ Submissions)
How Firearm Market Activity Shifted Throughout 2026
August set a new year-to-date high for offer activity, increasing 1.9% from July to 2,047. Completed purchases declined 6.0% to 702 but remained the second-highest monthly total of 2026.
Total offer value eased from July’s peak to $1.05 million as the average offer declined to a year-to-date low of $515.10. August purchases resulted in $383,513 paid to sellers, averaging $546.31 per firearm.
Primary Trend Visualization
Submission and Purchase Activity by Month
Total Market Value
Total Offer Value by Month
What We’re Watching in the Secondary Firearms Market
Future reports will show whether August’s record offer volume persists and whether the category, value and geographic patterns observed through We Buy Guns develop into longer-term trends.
What We’re Watching
August Patterns to Watch During the Remainder of 2026
Continued concentration around modern defensive handguns suggests practical consumer firearms may remain the primary driver of overall secondary-market volume.
Premium collector and NFA inventory may continue to create substantial value outliers despite representing a comparatively small percentage of total activity.
Geographic participation remains broad, with Southern, Midwestern and coastal states all represented among August's leading markets.
During the remainder of 2026, we’ll be watching whether record offer volume continues, whether purchases return to July’s high and whether average values stabilize after August’s declines.
How This Report Was Compiled
This report summarizes anonymized, first-party firearm offer and purchase activity observed through We Buy Guns during August 2026. Offers and purchases are grouped by their respective activity dates and represent separate monthly datasets.
Values reflect We Buy Guns offer and payout amounts rather than retail or auction prices. Results may vary with firearm mix, condition, configuration and accessories; common naming variants may be consolidated, and historical totals may change slightly as records are finalized.
Secondary Market Resources & Research
If you are tracking current market activity to determine the optimal time to liquidate an item, a private collection, or an estate portfolio, explore our dedicated specialized guides:
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