Got a craving for a gun fix lately so took the day off and went poking around to some shops - some I had been to before, some I have not. Some of what I saw:

-NIB Colt Frontier .22/.22mag. Lovely and like new, the box, paperwork, etc were perfect. I figured it was circa 1970'ish. $800!

-3 screw Ruger BH (not flat top), not converted, 7.5" barrel: $900!

-SW Mod.36-1 with the box (numbered to it). Had paperwork, but nothing else. Wasn't beaten up, but clearly used: $700!!

-SW Mod17. Far, far from perfect, no box or docs: $1,200!!

ALL of these prices seemed extraordinarily high to me, like in the 35-40% high. Also, these were scattered across several different shops and no big-box shops.

A few that were tempting that almost seemed "OK" price wise:

-SW 442 (no lock) Performance Center: $515 (which almost didn't seem tooo bad. Close to NIB

-SW 642-2 (no lock), also PC: $525 (really nice grips on this one: $525 (which again, almost didn't seem bad. I'd call this one NIB.


So tell me guys and gals, have I finally lost touch, have the aliens come, is this somehow COVID related or have prices just plain gotten nutty while I wasn't looking??

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

Well I'll tell you: Those prices ARE high, you've lost touch with reality, the aliens came but left because of COVID, and the prices are unnaturally high due to panic buying during COVID. Don't worry about it just buy here from the classifieds.

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Support Israel!

Excellent advice from a fellow NC'er.

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

Gun shops or Pawn Shops that sell guns??
Depends on location as well, some parts of the Country prices are different than others. We have a almost brand new state of the art gun shop and range, They sell everything and some high ends guns. I will not even go in there anymore due to absurd prices on a few used guns they have,

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Still Running Against the Wind

I quit going to pawn shops years ago due to the kind of prices you report. And if a pawn shop did have a gun that might be desirable, or even collectible if in high condition, it would generally be very well used to beater condition. But of course, the price would be consistent with the very highest condition collectible examples of the same gun.

I salute those who report the great deals they get at pawn shops, But alas, the pawn shops I've been in were apparently not in business to give me any of those great deals

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Prices are high here too. The panic last month had a lot to do with it. The shops still haven't restocked their inventory of reasonably priced used guns. They are getting in new guns but prices are high.
Thankfully, ammo is getting restocked now and prices seem to be what they were before the panic.

Fairness in reporting: These are from 3 gun shops and one pawn shop.

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

I've seen a few guns out of the ballpark the last few months.
If its priced stupid, I just move along. Dont even look at it. Maybe in a few months, sanity sets back in and at at least worth my time to check it.
It's a **** shoot though, the lgs is retail, or praying on the more money than brains group I'm 4th edition and read here and gb.
I leave em sit.
If, in a few months the gun I like is still there, I might test the waters on buying.
It's a give and take, they want it all, I'm only giving so much. Lol.
Heres a perfect example, a gun on these classifieds. Wants a lot of money and it's got hacked on grips and obviously used a lot. Plus the last transaction that seller had, didnt go very well. Even though it's a gun I'd like to buy,
Stupid price for what it is.
Theres others.

Pricing seems to be out of line in my area also. I saw a well used model 10-5, maybe an 80% gun, priced at $750. I was told it "may have been a police gun". I have stopped looking until this virus craziness stop.

That one doesn't seem too far off base, considering LNIB with both cylinders, etc. There is an element of gun buyers who go ga-ga over anything with the Colt name on it.

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You're shy a few manners.

It's a matter of supply and demand.

Less supply, greater the prices.

In the case of S&W, no matter what
the production figures have been, the
number of guns is still finite.

One fix, for instance, would be for all
the members of the S&W Collectors'
Assn. to greatly reduce their holdings and at
fair market prices of say those that
existed 30 years ago.

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Ubi Est Mea

you were at the wrong shop

I’ve seen evidence that high unemployment is beginning to put some guns on the market with good prices. But just a little. Sadly, I expect that to be a coming trend. Well, sad for those selling anyway.

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Reg. Magnum wants/Rossi wallet

Guilty as charged, your honor...

In fact, when I read Mod34's original post, my first thought was that that Frontier was a bargain...

Yes, prices are crazy. Darn shame, too. Tax season has always been one of my favorite times to peruse the consignment case.

Most shops are selling all of the sub $500 guns they can get their hands on as well as tons of ammo. I've found some of the Pawn and Gun Shops I frequent are not nearly as motivated on other guns as during normal times. If you were ever going to make money with a LGS, now is the time.

True, but a lot of shops went under during the best 8 years that ever were for owning a gun store.

Lots of people selling guns to pay bills but lots of panic buyers sucking 'em up, too.

Hopefully the trainers will be doing land office business in the coming months teaching the n00bs how to not accidentally shoot themselves or others.

Buying a gun during a panic is like trying to buy a life preserver after the ship you are on hits a iceberg. It is easy to foresee guns remaining in high demand until the elections in November. If you find a gun you want that is close to what you are wanting to pay the best advice is buy it then and there.

I've seen some fun on BrokeGunner over the last couple of days. Two very unusual, new old stock, European pistols came up. The first sold for over $900. The other one sold today for $125 LESS. Where was the loser from the first auction, I wonder.

Oh, and it was me who got the second gun.

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Release the Kraken

..I'd give a fair offer and I they wouldn't take it I'd walk.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

You're not alone.

When all the panic buying started I noticed all the email "Sale" pricing was way up.

Thankfully, mine are "wants" and not needs.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I too thought the Colt was at least close......….still haggling over this one a bit...…..especially given that another shop had a really rough one in the case - a Buntline, for $699.

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

Sooo... What did you buy?

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Expect the unexpected

I'm almost exclusively a used "classic" gun buyer these days, so my knowledge of new gun street price trends is very close to nil. What I am seeing is that there is no shortage of buyers right now and an awful lot of them are first time buyers. Price does not seem as important to them as being able to obtain the gun they want. And yes, part of that is related to the fact that gun shops were closed down in my moonbat state for many weeks and only now beginning to get back to pre-shutdown sales levels again.

Asking prices for desirable top condition used guns seem high to me right now. I also don't see many of them moving. Seems like the dealers are happy to push out new guns like crazy and let the used ones sit and wait for the right "must have it" buyer to come along and pay the tagged price.

I'm at that (old) age right now where used gun condition trumps price, but I hate like Hell to feel that I'm getting zinged. I still want the right gun at the right (fair) price. Finding that combination is the trick and it often happens at shops and elsewhere where you least suspect it.

I am WEAK!!! I know this isn't a Colt forum, but I managed to get the Colt for $700. I am likely still over paying, but I'll let you guys and gals decide that as pics will follow a bit later.

To add: In evaluating my priorities, I realized that I don't always need both milk AND butter to make blue-box Kraft Mac-n-Cheese!

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

Having access to cash at the time helps a lot. Money talks, baloney walks.

Correct. Baloney usually gets you very little these days.

The truth is that I'm not crazy hurting for cash at the moment. The state's now-expired lockdown on gun shops and the cancellation of MA gun shows has a lot to do with that. Funny how that works.

I couldn't even bid anything on GB until mid-May for fear that I had no open MA gun shop to have it sent to if I won.

But I'll be "gun broke" again soon enough. It is my curse, even with nothing currently on my Want List or pending on my radar screen. Something will come along. It always does.

It's not easy being the world's poorest gun collector... but I don't know anything else.

Prices kind of depend on where you are are and a bit of luck. I buy a lot of guns from Buds but they are up on prices. I found a Ruger Wrangler at my local pawn shop cheaper than Buds which was not possible at one time. Plus the guys at the pawn shop are nice people and I get to handle the guns before I buy. So even if Buds go down on prices in the future I think I will keep doing business local even if I have to pay a bit more.

Not sure if the following makes me weak or smart, but here she is...…. and yes, I did discover the 5 old .22 cartridges in the cylinder which was in its little box. I am such a sucker for nice color case hardened frames!!!

Attached Images

	Colt_1.jpg (154.2 KB, 23 views)
	Colt_2.jpg (137.8 KB, 24 views)
	Colt_3.jpg (113.1 KB, 31 views)
	Colt_4.jpg (111.9 KB, 27 views)

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

It certainly does look like new. Was it made in W. Germany?

I'm surprised they came down that much. Good deal.

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You're shy a few manners.

It will appear in the "Other firearms" forum in due course.

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Release the Kraken

Prophetic you are...…...…..and so it is

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"You're messin' up my Zen"