Honey Holes are drying up lately

[BigBill]

I been watching my honey holes for good buys in the past and they seem to be all drying up lately. The older S&W and older Colts seem to be getting harder to find now.

How is it in your area???

 

[Old cop]

Plenty of semi autos in the Northern VA area but very few revolvers.

 

[BigBill]

I'm seeing the handgun cases full of used auto pistols yet hardley any revolvers. Once we were flooded with revolvers to the point we had an assortment to choose from and now its slim pickens.

 

[Culina]

they show up around my area, they just don't last long. Due to stupid laws in CA, gunshops can only sell used handguns on consignment so they usually take 20% of the sale amount, and since they don't have any money invested, sometimes you can find some good deals if the party selling the firearm want the money fast (inheritance). Before the economy tanked and when I was buying lots of guns I had a least one shop trained to call me when something good came in, I got a few good deals that way on stuff I otherwise would not have even seen.

 

[TNDave]

I am seeing good round guns popping up but not as many and not as many nice ones. They are still out there. The younger guys seem to have absolutely no interest in them with the exception of airweight snubs.

 

[Dump1567]

I can still get good deals at my local shop. Rarely does anything come in with a .4 in front of it. Usually .3's.

I just had a line on a 2 1/2" 66-1 for $425 OTD. I was there when it came in. Needed a good cleaning, but mechanically it was sound. Turns out the scum bag chick that brought it in (along with 2 other guns) wasn't the legal owner. She stole it from her dad. He found the pawn slip and wanted his guns back. And the way it works in CA, he now has to do a back ground check and wait 10 days (and possibly jump through other hoops) just to get back guns he's already owned for 30 to 40 years. I doubt he reported them stolen by his daughter like he should have done.

Sorry a little OT.

 

[glowe]

Most of my purchases are now from online auctions, since there is very little locally available at gunshops or gunshows.

I do notice that, while the selection is good, prices for S&W revolvers are rising dramatically. It is very difficult to find bargains today.

 

[Biginge]

Fields aren't as fertile as even just a few months ago. I just, today, made my local run of two gun stores and four pawn shops. Found a model 19, 2 1/2" wearing goodyears. Pretty heavy wear on bbl. and high points. Some kind of "stain on the cylinder (permanent I'm afraid). Locked up tight, good bore, no cylinder play or push off. It was a consignment gun at $519.00. I really made a foolish offer of $400.00, I thought, and was told the gent would not take less than $500.00. Normally in this same run I will see 6-8 S&W's for sale. It really does seem to be tightening up. As are prices.

Regards

Bill

 

[410bore]

I have several shops I frequent and none of them are really "honey holes" for S&W's....they come about every so often....you just have to be there when they do....I have a couple shops that will call me when they get S&W's traded in

 

[rburg]

Turns out the scum bag chick that brought it in (along with 2 other guns) wasn't the legal owner. She stole it from her dad. He found the pawn slip and wanted his guns back. And the way it works in CA, he now has to do a back ground check and wait 10 days (and possibly jump through other hoops) just to get back guns he's already owned for 30 to 40 years.

With the exception of the waiting period, its how it works everywhere. Don't lose sight of the fact that he wasn't the person that pawned it. Anyone can claim it was their gun.

Back to the OP. Around here, the prime "honey hole" are gun shows and the flea market in two weeks. Its called Mt Sterling Court Days. The normally sleepy town of a few thousand suddenly gets overwhelmed by a half million bargain seekers. The part I like best is how shocking it is to big city folks that entire families have guns. Seems like every other booth has a gun or two for sale. Families walk the place, often with momma and a deer rifle over her shoulder, pop with a couple of handguns stuck in his belt. With Junior lugging a shotgun.

I'm going to guess that the state you live in plays a big role. The economy has also been a big influence, with people not earning squat on their savings. So they see a bad outcome on the horizon and sink some of their funds into guns. Its a traditional store of value, much like gold and silver. What it tells you is that old 44 hasn't doubled in price, it just costs more of the shrinking dollars (like the gasoline you burn at $4 a gallon.)

 

[keith44spl]

Ain't it the truth!

I had half a dozen or so shops that would call me when something came in that was along my line of interest.

Not get many calls now-n-days.....


Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[charlie sherrill]

I'm still finding a few here and there, just not as many as before. They are still out there even though as time passes more and more of them are destroyed by people who don't appreciate them, fires and natural disasters, and intentional government destruction.

 

[kdailey]

Here in Arkansas, I am seeing the same thing. Time after time, in Gun and Pawn stores I hear "not long ago we always had a lot of used Smith revolvers, but we hardly see them anymore".

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

For the past two to three years it has been gradually getting pretty darn sparse. Lots of double action autos and other black tupperware, but wheelguns, particularly vintage S&W and Colt's are scarce. The few I see regionally, Catskill and Adirondack areas, are generally over priced based upon their condition. I recently looked at a decent Victory, about 85% overall, non original plastic grips, missing lanyard ring. The guy wanted $650.00 for it. The other S&W in his showcase was a Model 10 no dash, rubber grips, about 90%+-, $500.00!

Even finding vintage shotguns, sporting rifles and miltary rifles seems to have dried up. I believe folks are hanging on to what they have because the economy is so volatile and/or, if they do opt to sell they expect to make a windfall profit. Judging from seeing the same guns, in the same shop showcases for years, I don't imagine anyone is selling many $500 Model 10's or $650 Victory models, at least not these days.

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[weatherby]

For Guns I don't really have any but for other things
I just found a new one with 60's- 70's pricing

 

[Old Corp]

I found, quite by accident, that it really, really helps if you work p/t at the 'honey hole'.

 

[C.S.63]

It has been hit or miss for some time here in Eastern NC
Seems to be the local shops do not have much in the way of used smiths
1 pawn shop has a couple model 10s and a few others but nothing out of the ordinary, been searching for a snub N frame, with no avail thinking of sending a Nickel 6" 29-4 off to magnaport but then to replace that would be just as difficult. maybe a 329NG is in the future>

 

[DCWilson]

Maybe the weather is a little dry right now, but I can't say there was a point any time in the last four years when more than one item of interest sat on a consignment shelf at the same time. I don't see a trend. I just see a random distribution with unpredictable peaks and valleys through time. The revolver count at my LGS was way down when I was in last week, but they had some really nice classic and modern 1911s and 1911A1s -- way more than I have seen there at one time in the past. I am tempted by a couple of seemingly unfired 1911A1s (1944 vintage, one Ithaca and one lend/lease Remington Rand with the proper proof marks).

I may not pursue those semiautos now that a different grail gun has wandered into my field of view. I'll know more about that in a week or two.

No, not another prewar Kit Gun. I'm in a recovery program on those.

 

[mikepriwer]

I've noticed that the major auction houses have very little, in the way of pre-WW2
S&W's . Amoskeag has lots and lots of antique rifles. Rock Island Auction has no end
of Winchester rifles, and Colts. James Julia has lots of Civil War era guns ( and other
related items ). But very very few vintage S&W's .

I think this kind of phenomenom runs in cycles, in terms of what is being sold. With the
auctions, it's often related to what kind of collectors have passed away. For example,
there are still a lot of registered magnums being offered for sale, from the estate of
a well-known S&WCA member. They are almost all in mint condition, and the prices
reflect that.

Keep the faith. Over time, S&W's will show up for sale.

Regards, Mike Priwer

 

[jrs70]

We have a local forum with a for sale board. I have gotten good deals from there. It seems that revolvers don't sell as well as the semi auto.