[HozayBuck]

I worry that my Cyber prepping friends are not up to speed on protection of the homestead..so.. Here ya go!!! Unsolicited stuff!! and worth every damn penny your paying for it!:

I know a lot of yawl..hell maybe most of you simply can't afford to go out and buy a new arsenal of weapons you may not "need".. right now...

So.. lets talk about some ideas that will make it cheaper or at least not so damn expensive...

I've bought a few good deals in Pawn shops the secret is knowing what your looking at and also hints of how long it's been on the shelf , which can mean a good deal awaits!!

A few years ago I went into a pawn shop in Butte MT , just looking .. I noticed two shotguns of the same model and both sporting the old cutts compensator type chokes on them , looking at one I found it was an old JC Higgins pump 12 ga... these were made back in the 40's or 50's by big name companies for a lot of different retail stores...like Western Auto, Sears , etc.. they were fully machined and all American but usually considered "cheap"... both these guns had been pawned by the same old fellow who didn't need them anymore... It was easy to see the paper / string tags were well worn... so I figured what the hell.. they had $125.00 on each..I offered $50.00 each.. they countered at $75.00 I got them for $62.50 each !.. took them home and cut them both down to 21" bbls... cleaned them up and they are outstanding guns!.. better made then newer units costing $300.00 ++.. there is no such thing as too many short bbl shotguns!..

I got a Ruger 10-22 out of one shop for 80.00..it was damn near new.. made a great Christmas gift for a young lady..

In 1999 I wondered into a shop I was known to haunt.. mostly because the cute blond hottie behind the counter was fun to BS with... well on this day I saw a 1911 pistol in the case..she handed it to me..it was a Para P-14.. which uses 14 round mags..they had $650.00 on it and before I could start "working" she said OK $600.00 no less!!.. Now this was in the middle of the Bill Clinton anti gun days and hi-cap mags over 10 rounds were not allowed to be sold " NEW"... so knowing this I told her sorry mags are to hard to find... with a loud laugh she reached under the counter and laid 9..yes..NINE!! mags and mag pouches.. the whole package in like new cond.. I grabbed it so fast it scared her...lol.. now I had a big need for this gun so it was a steal...why?... High cap mags were so hard to find in those days I saw used 17 round Glock mags sell for 150.00 !! I could have that day sold 5 mags for the cost of the whole package...

So..the reason for this long story which probably bored the crap outta most of you is that if you look, ask questions you can arm your whole family for way less then you think..

Garage sales are great "IF" you get there first!.. cash talks!

And ! pawn shops are loaning more then they are selling.. so money is tight for them too.. I usually offer 40% of their asking price.. if they won't counter I leave..there are more pawn shops then customers with cash..

Papers?... don't worry about it.. buy what you really need and can afford if the price is right papers don't mean much.. better without but not a real issue...

If you have a question and have time to send a PM I'll be glad to offer what small bit of knowledge I can...

And armed man is a citizen, the unarmed....a slave

 

[Turtle]

Good points, and thank you for sharing your experiences!

I've always been a big fan of pawn shops. I still have a really nice compound bow that I got for $20 (about fifteen years ago).

 

[TheAnt]

Not knowing much about what shape any particular gun is in I have always shy'ed away from buying used and have bought new instead. What pitfalls can you relay to me? What should I look for to determin that a particular gun is not worth the metal its made of? Is there ANYTHING I should be afraid of? Thanks for offering your expertise!

 

[Jezcruzen]

Buying used shouldn't be that much of a concern. Most people buy a gun new, shoot it a little then put it away somewhere. There isn't much chance of it being worn out.

Buy brand name firearms and stay away from lesser known names and you should be OK.

 

[ricepaddydaddy]

My budget has always been tight, so I learned that pawn shops can be your friend. I'm a gun nut from way back, and it's an advantage to know what you are looking at to know if the price is fair or not.
As mentioned above, avoid brands you have never heard of, stick with well known American names until you have built up confidence in yourself. Colt, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Winchester, Marlin, etc.
When police agencies switched to semi automatic pistols a number of years ago, trade-in revolvers flooded the market, and at good prices too. A Smith & Wesson 38 Special revolver makes an excellent all around handgun, for example. I got a couple (not at the same time) for $250 each.
And remember to negotiate - most shops will give a little on the price of a used gun.

 

[Jimmy24]

If you stay with good brands, even if one has an issue, it's not always a disaster $$$ wise.

The two gunsmiths I use are both very reasonable for labor.

I know that shows on TV make appear if you don't have deep pockets, you can't get anything....Wrong for sure..

Just be careful and look high and low. Mkae friends with the local Pawn guy. He's there to make a living...

Marlin Model 60 22 auto

Savage Model 67 12 ga pumps

Older Rem, Savage and Marlin center fire rifles

All of these are very good weapons. Cheap, work real good and they are usually out there.

Good thread..

jimmy

 

[UncleJoe]

My ex was very anti-gun. I had 3 back then that I bought new as a teenager and sold them all. When we split up 8 years ago, I began to rebuild the arsenal. I didn't buy 1 brand new gun. All came from flea markets, auctions or private sellers. They all went to the gunsmith before I took them out and only 1 had an issue that was remedied for about $40.

 

[RevWC]

Not knowing much about what shape any particular gun is in I have always shy'ed away from buying used and have bought new instead. What pitfalls can you relay to me? What should I look for to determin that a particular gun is not worth the metal its made of? Is there ANYTHING I should be afraid of? Thanks for offering your expertise!

I bought a used Browning 20 gauge pump shotgun at a gun show and shot about 50 shots before it wouldnt eject the shells. Sold it for $20.00.

 

[HozayBuck]

Buy a new gun and don't like it, yer screwed.. a used gun will almost always have a 30 window to return it..all Pawn Shops I've dealt with will allow a return..
Name brands are good but most of you young pups ain't familiar with names like JC Higgins , Western Field, Sears etc... all the big makers back in the day made special runs for all kinds of chain stores..I seem to remember the Western Field brand was sold thru "Western Auto" stores.. so don't be afaid of that.... as for knowing if it's a good one.. there are as many 100 years old guns in service today as there are new ones.. now I will admit buying a Bolt action or lever action is maybe safer then an auto loader.. or a pump or double bbl...but if it's has a 30 day return go for it.. if you buy one from a private party you'll need to talk about it.. but generally speaking I think there is little to worry about.. if you buy it right a replacement part isn't a bad thing

I will say that sticking with pump shotguns is smart.. autos can and will fail at the worst time..

Just my thoughts

 

[TimB]

Good thread, HB. :2thumb: I've never bought a weapon from a pawn shop but have bought other items at excellent prices. :congrat:

My ex was very anti-gun. I had 3 back then that I bought new as a teenager and sold them all. When we split up 8 years ago, I began to rebuild the arsenal. I didn't buy 1 brand new gun. All came from flea markets, auctions or private sellers. They all went to the gunsmith before I took them out and only 1 had an issue that was remedied for about $40.

Sounds like my wife almost 31 years ago. When we were first married, she didn't want any guns in the house. At the time I had 3 rifles, 2 shotguns, and a Colt Peacemaker .22 I had bought new (dang but I miss that pistol ). I sold them all just to please her. It was 4 years before I went back to hunting and she allowed me to buy a deer rifle. Fast forward to now- several rifles, shotguns, and pistols and plenty of ammo. Most times when we go to the store she asks if I need any ammo.

Tim

 

[Jimmy24]

Buy a new gun and don't like it, yer screwed.. a used gun will almost always have a 30 window to return it..all Pawn Shops I've dealt with will allow a return..
Name brands are good but most of you young pups ain't familiar with names like JC Higgins , Western Field, Sears etc... all the big makers back in the day made special runs for all kinds of chain stores..I seem to remember the Western Field brand was sold thru "Western Auto" stores.. so don't be afaid of that.... as for knowing if it's a good one.. there are as many 100 years old guns in service today as there are new ones.. now I will admit buying a Bolt action or lever action is maybe safer then an auto loader.. or a pump or double bbl...but if it's has a 30 day return go for it.. if you buy one from a private party you'll need to talk about it.. but generally speaking I think there is little to worry about.. if you buy it right a replacement part isn't a bad thing

I will say that sticking with pump shotguns is smart.. autos can and will fail at the worst time..

Just my thoughts

Though I do agree that pawn shops are a great source of used weapons, the one I trade at, also happens to be one of the largest retailers of new guns in the state, including all the big box stores. Been in business for over 30 years. I have purchased most of my arsenal there. All new. They offer a Lifetime Warranty on all guns they sell, including used. My 10/22, which I bought from them over 20 years ago, had an issue. Their gunsmith had it repaired and back to me the next day. NO CHARGE.

http://dadssuperpawn.net/

Look around, others do the same. For the price of most used guns I see, new ones are not that far off.

Jimmy

 

[RevWC]

:2thumb: Just picked up a Mossberg 22LR semi auto rifle at Wally World for $107.00 comes with a 10 shot clip. I got an extra clip and 1200 rounds of ammo too. That will add up to a lot of squirrel stew.

 

[HozayBuck]

:2thumb: Just picked up a Mossberg 22LR semi auto rifle at Wally World for $107.00 comes with a 10 shot clip. I got an extra clip and 1200 rounds of ammo too. That will add up to a lot of squirrel stew.

Yes it will! pintos and some wild meat and your in business... so many don't see that... keep prepping!!

 

[UncleJoe]

:2thumb: Just picked up a Mossberg 22LR semi auto rifle at Wally World for $107.00 comes with a 10 shot clip.

Is it the 702 "plinkster"?

 

[RevWC]

Is it the 702 "plinkster"?

Yes it is.

 

[BillS]

I know very little about guns. I can't tell if an old one is safe to fire. That's why I bought new ones. We got a couple of Mossberg Bantam 500 20 gauge shotguns. We tried them out. They work fine.

The pawn shops around here want so much for everything that I don't think I could get a good deal on a used gun. I'm also betting my life on the thing working when I need it to work. That's another reason we bought new guns.