A day full of 'Murica! Gun show tales

[French G.]

I had a pretty great day at the gunshow. Can't say I made money, but got money I badly needed for a car insurance deductible and then some. Got rid of things I wasn't using. Gone are a Smith MDL 10, Leupold scope, and a crap ton of ammo I own no gun for. Came home with a bit of new ammo, a bunch of first aid goods, another damn mora knife, a pre cross-bolt Marlin in .44mag, and near a grand in the safe. Only straight deal was the ammo, sold it to a dealer. Everything else was some sort of horse trade. A busy two hours to be sure.

Last month I bought a table at a show and sold maybe $300 of stuff in two days.

Both shows I noticed traffic and urgency were down. I sat next to a political candidate last month and for the most part everyone is tired of politics. Nobody wants to talk in what is usually a very political place.

All the codgers wanted to talk because I was trolling my near mint 03A3 just in case someone had to have it. Thankfully it, my Valmet and and a K-31 made it back home safely, but they are all expendable if I need money.

The .44 is something I have wanted for years, a really perfect house, truck or inexperienced shooter defensive gun. My first lever rifle ever. Time for a reflex sight, a light, and a .44 pistol. :D

[RoadKingLarry]

I really like my Marlin 1894. Mine is .357 magnum.

[MechAg94]

Agreed.  44 Mag lever guns are great.  I have a newer JM Marlin in stainless.  Not sure they are making those again yet.  An older Marlin sounds awesome. 

[French G.]

All I could find in ammo was 44spl, got some Hornady defense loads and some fun plink ammo. Action needs a fluffing and buffing. Shoots nice though, seems perfect for recoil sensitive people. Going to be hell on deer with some gold dots too.

[K Frame]

I'm waiting for awhile to start going back to see if prices start to come down sooner rather than later.

Hopefully, when they do, I'll have saved enough "smoking money" to get something nice.

[mtnbkr]

If I were to get a 44mag rifle, I'd try to find a Ruger 77/44 bolt rifle.  Those things are nifty. 

Chris

[K Frame]

I always wanted one of the Ruger 77/22 Hornets.

I kept hoping that they'd bring it out in 77/25-20, but they never did.

[mtnbkr]

That's probably a pretty limited market, folks who want a 25-20 bolt rifle.  Sheesh, and I thought I had gun hipster tendencies.

Chris

[RoadKingLarry]

So how was the beef jerky and beanie babies market?

[K Frame]

"That's probably a pretty limited market, folks who want a 25-20 bolt rifle."

About as limited as many of the other offerings that have been made by rifle companies in various semi-obsolete cartridges over the years, I'd think. Niche to the max.

Marlin's .218 Bee, .32-20 and other lever actions, for instance. Or the nearly mythical .25-20 version. I've yet to find one for sale, although I have seen .32-20 and .218s for sale... for a LOT of money.

Granted, the .32-20 and likely .25-20 were aimed primarily at the Cowboy shooting people, but that doesn't explain the .218.

Let's not forget Remington's classic rifles.

And the .22 Hornet isn't exactly a sales barn burner, either.

I don't know why I want a Ruger 77 in .25-20; I've already got a Savage B in .25-20.

[K Frame]

And you don't even want to know what Winchester 43s in .25-20 or .32-20 are being advertised for right now...

 

[Ben]

Love my Marlin 1894 .44. I have the XS aperture sight on it. I also have a Winchester 1894 in .45 Colt. Kinda wish I had gotten that one as a Marlin as I like the Marlin build better.

Both are super fun to plink with though, using reduced loads. I can't believe how much they're going for now. Both mine were Big 5 plain stock specials and I'm pretty sure they were both under $300.

French - did you get any offers on your K31? Curious what the "street price" on them is nowadays. I have five of them that I bought on deals from AIM and Century back when I had a C&R for $90 a pop. Three of them have the buttplate tag.

[French G.]

So how was the beef jerky and beanie babies market?

Pretty good, we have a local meat shop that is at all the shows selling summer sausage, bacon, jerky, etc. I stayed away, last time I bought the dog a bag of smoked pig ears which the ungrateful prick ignored. The memorabilia guy had a table but was absent and had it covered. Really wish there was a way to get rid of the nazi flag merchants.

[French G.]

Love my Marlin 1894 .44. I have the XS aperture sight on it. I also have a Winchester 1894 in .45 Colt. Kinda wish I had gotten that one as a Marlin as I like the Marlin build better.

Both are super fun to plink with though, using reduced loads. I can't believe how much they're going for now. Both mine were Big 5 plain stock specials and I'm pretty sure they were both under $300.

French - did you get any offers on your K31? Curious what the "street price" on them is nowadays. I have five of them that I bought on deals from AIM and Century back when I had a C&R for $90 a pop. Three of them have the buttplate tag.

I was a bit late on the K-31 game, but mine were often $129 with a 60rd block of ammo. Gander mountain is trying to sell them for $499. I put mine out there for $700 with a bayonet and a case of GP-11. Fair I think, but not going to lowball myself since I like all four of my K-31s almost as much as I like my pile of GP-11. Gunshow problem is lack of education. It is rednecks and real life K-tards. So if it isn't a Mosin or Simonov they don't know what it is. To include my cherry 03A3. I wouldn't sell a gun alone for less than $400. They aren't going to get cheaper. And with four guns, bags of new brass, piles of GP-11 and 5k berdan primers it can be safely said I can support the platform independent of future availability.

[Ben]

I put mine out there for $700 with a bayonet and a case of GP-11.

Holy crap, I'm rich! That a bajillion times better than the stock market. I should have bought a few hundred of them.

I wish I would have bought way more GP-11 back in the day than I have, but I have a bunch of unfired brass and dies.

I need to check Mosin prices. I have several of the "armory new" ones in different configurations that I got just because they were $40 per, but I don't really like them, even as safe queens. Might be worth taking them to a CA gun show where they might go for a premium.

[French G.]

I saw a crap Mosin in a tacticool folding stock for $700. You may be able to retire.

[HankB]

I paid $99 for my 1939 Izhevsk Mosin just a couple of years ago, with bayonet, bandolier, oil bottle, etc. It was reconditioned by a Soviet facility in the Ukraine, with all that implies about its condition. (Hint: it's not "armory new") But I figure it's a piece of history, almost certainly was used against the Nazis in WWII, and it IS serviceable - I've shot it, and function has been perfect.

I've seen asking prices on similar "common" rifles over $300 at local gun shows. 

[Ben]

It was reconditioned by a Soviet facility in the Ukraine, with all that implies about its condition.

Hence why I put "armory new" in quotes. :)

I've got a couple of Yugo M48s that were reworked as well. Those are actually pretty nicely done. One of them shot nice enough, that after installing a Mojo sight, I was using it as a truck gun for a while.

[MechAg94]

I haven't looked for much surplus stuff lately at shows.  There just isn't a great deal of it at most of them in the Houston area.

I did pick up a Ruger GP100 22 LR a few weeks ago.  The cash price was pretty far below the MSRP.  I was a bit surprised. 

I am still waiting to find a CZ P10C I can put my hands on.