Gun purchases thread.

[Nyles]

Good luck finding one for under $700 here if it isn't sporterised here. Sort of makes sense though, Canucks are naturally going to want Enfields more than Yanks!

[Jcordell]

Now Milspec Mausers are getting some high prices. 1903 Springfields, 1917 Enfields , M1 Garands and M1 carbines are ridiculously high.

[Nyles]

I actually just had a long discussion on another forum about how milsurp prices have gone nuts - not only has the more desirable stuff (US, UK, German, K31s and non-M91 Finns here) just about doubled in price over a few years, the less desirable stuff (French, Italian, Austrian, other countries) has just about disappeared from the market. You can still get Russian and Chinese SKSs and refurbished M91/30s and SVT-40s relatively cheaply here but I hardly ever see anything that tempts me anymore. No matter how nice it is I just don't need to spend $1000 on a SMLE when I already have several.

Honestly money's been a little tight over the last year but even if it wasn't the decline of the milsurp market has me getting away from buying guns with any frequency. I got into scale modelling earlier this year and honestly it's just a better return on investment for my leisure money these days. $50 buys me a model tank and paints that'll keep me busy for a week vs a box of ammo that'll last 20 minutes at the range.

[Excalibur]

I really wish Garands are not stupid expensive. If they were M1 Carbine level of price, I'd buy one. Cheapest Garand I've ever seen was $1000. Cheapest M1 Carbine I've ever seen was 400

[Nyles]

I bought my Garand for $400 I think in 2002 and at the time thought that was a crazy price. Now they're going over $2000 up here for originals and ever ones built from parts kits are over $1500. Largely because they're exempt from capacity limits up here but I will never be able to wrap my head around that kind of money for a put-together. Original M1 carbines are one of the few milsurps here where I think the prices aren't totally stupid and that's just because you can only shoot them on a range up here.

[Excalibur]

Still though, I've always wanted the Garand because more so than any WWII weapon, it's that kind of iconic.

Recently, there's rumors of a company, that makes HK clones, bringing a production level MP5/10 and I want that

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by Nyles

I actually just had a long discussion on another forum about how milsurp prices have gone nuts - not only has the more desirable stuff (US, UK, German, K31s and non-M91 Finns here) just about doubled in price over a few years, the less desirable stuff (French, Italian, Austrian, other countries) has just about disappeared from the market. You can still get Russian and Chinese SKSs and refurbished M91/30s and SVT-40s relatively cheaply here but I hardly ever see anything that tempts me anymore. No matter how nice it is I just don't need to spend $1000 on a SMLE when I already have several.

As you know I'm a revolver nut. Seven/six years ago the second hand market was awash in nice used revolvers. I think the economy had a lot to do with it. I especially found 38 Special revolvers to be in excellent shape and reasonably priced. But in the past few years the economy has improved and there seems to be an ever growing interest in revolvers. It's my opinion that it's a combination of the attention that revolvers are receiving on the Internet (from guys like me), the popularity of historical crime dramas such as "Boardwalk Empire" and "Peaky Blinders" and the effect of laws in states like New York which makes it (relatively) easier to own revolvers. I'm still buying revolvers, but I've slowed down and they're harder to find. I'm also spending more of my "disposable" funds on books and movies. Similar situation to yours. I spend $50 on a great book like "U.S. Handguns of World War II" by Charles Pate and it is with me for years. I spend $50.00 on ammo and it's gone in twenty minutes as well - if not sooner.

[Nyles]

Originally Posted by Jcordell

As you know I'm a revolver nut. Seven/six years ago the second hand market was awash in nice used revolvers. I think the economy had a lot to do with it. I especially found 38 Special revolvers to be in excellent shape and reasonably priced. But in the past few years the economy has improved and there seems to be an ever growing interest in revolvers. It's my opinion that it's a combination of the attention that revolvers are receiving on the Internet (from guys like me), the popularity of historical crime dramas such as "Boardwalk Empire" and "Peaky Blinders" and the effect of laws in states like New York which makes it (relatively) easier to own revolvers. I'm still buying revolvers, but I've slowed down and they're harder to find. I'm also spending more of my "disposable" funds on books and movies. Similar situation to yours. I spend $50 on a great book like "U.S. Handguns of World War II" by Charles Pate and it is with me for years. I spend $50.00 on ammo and it's gone in twenty minutes as well - if not sooner.

I've been out of the industry for a few years now but 3 years ago at least I found old .38s were definitely not getting any love - I'd hardly ever even sell the ammo and when I did it was usually to guys with .357s. They're just not that common up here thanks to our weird barrel length laws but they do seem to be selling for a little bit more when I see them - although still way less than I'd think the quality should command. Honestly stuff like Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders was what got me into them, except I was a little ahead of the curve so it was the 90s Untouchables series and Millers Crossing.

In other news my M28 showed up in the mail yesterday and is in pretty nice shape. The real interesting thing is because the Civil Guard used issue numbers as well as serial numbers, I was able to trace that it was issued in Viipuri district, which was where the Soviet invasion in 1939 was centered. So this rifle was almost certainly on the Mannerheim Line! If you've ever seen Talvisota, and if you haven't you should, that was the battle.

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by Nyles

I've been out of the industry for a few years now but 3 years ago at least I found old .38s were definitely not getting any love - I'd hardly ever even sell the ammo and when I did it was usually to guys with .357s. They're just not that common up here thanks to our weird barrel length laws but they do seem to be selling for a little bit more when I see them - although still way less than I'd think the quality should command. Honestly stuff like Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders was what got me into them, except I was a little ahead of the curve so it was the 90s Untouchables series and Millers Crossing.

In other news my M28 showed up in the mail yesterday and is in pretty nice shape. The real interesting thing is because the Civil Guard used issue numbers as well as serial numbers, I was able to trace that it was issued in Viipuri district, which was where the Soviet invasion in 1939 was centered. So this rifle was almost certainly on the Mannerheim Line! If you've ever seen Talvisota, and if you haven't you should, that was the battle.

I love the old warhorses with a possible connection to history. If only they could talk. My old Mauser Bolo is stamped Hispania on the barrel. No Chinese markings and no proof marks beyond the ones that Mauser put on it at the factory. So was it shipped to Spain by the Germans as aid to Franco? Possibly? Who knows, but it's fun to think about.

The feature film "The Untouchables" is one of my favorites incidentally.

[Jcordell]

Well I was worried that my sole Ruger GP100 was getting lonely so when I found this 3" GP100 I had to take it home for company. Incidentally I don't have large hands and the smaller grips that used to be standard on the 3" model fits the full-size model as well. Fits my smallish hands very nicely. Reminds me of the Pachmayr Compac grip. I've had the 3" GP100 on my "Nice to have" (in contrast to my "Must Have" list and my "One Day I'll be super rich and own it" list) list for many many years. They aren't real easy to find. I guess Ruger makes like fifty of them every other year. I paid $500 for this one. The price was not negotiable and I wanted it. Made in 1990 it's in excellent shape. That's retail for you. If I had waited somebody else would have bought it. It had only been in the shop for a day and the owner (whom I've known for many years) said that many folks had looked at it already. It was on consignment so the owner couldn't cut me a deal.