3rd Gen guns at a gun show

[GaryS]

I went to a gun show last weekend. My friend was looking for a .380 and after a month of driving him around to various shops, I told him he had to go so he could see a bunch of them in one venue.

At it turned out, his back was bothering him, so he spent more time sitting than walking.

Which gave me time to wander around and see if there were any deals on 3rd gen guns. Here is what I saw.

A 908 for about $525.00
A very clean 4516-1 for $645.00. Nice gun, but not what I'm looking for.
A 4586, for $539.00. I should have bought it, if for no other reason than I could resell it. Maybe. The problem being I had no idea what the market is for that gun.
A beat up 6906 for way too much money.
I saw some nice DAO guns, but they were all .40 S&W, so no sale to me.
I saw some 2nd Gen guns, but they were as much as the 3rd Gen guns.
I even saw two 39-2, but I think they were north of $600.00
One vendor had some 3904 magazines that had no price tag on them. I think they weren't sure what they were for because all of the other S&W mags were priced.

No 39xx compacts at all. Still hoping to see a 3953/54 one day, but definitely not holding my breath.
No 4513's or 457's to be seen.

Such is life for a 3rd Gen addict in MA.

Oh, my friend ended up with an M&P 380 (no laser). He bougt it at a LGS that was on the way home. $289.00 plus tax.

I field stripped it when we got back to his house. I can't say I'm overly impressed, but for what he needs it's a good choice.

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Whoa, those are some crazy prices!

At the last four shows here I've only seen a clean 6906 no box and only one mag for $500 and a 1006 with two mags for $750. Thankfully I can at least buy online.

 

[RSBH44]

Those prices sound right about what I would expect to see here at our gun shows.
Some priced better than others and some priced way too high. I did get a smoking deal on an excellent condition 6" 2206 about 2yrs. ago at the fall gun show here. They also had a 622 on the table that I still kick myself for not buying.

 

[GaryS]

Gun show prices are crazy in general. I got to see if there are any magazines floating around at decent prices and for small parts.

I got three AR15 gas tube pins for $1.00 each. That was my big purchase of the day.

I've found exactly two bargain guns in ten years. One was a Model 10-5 that was at a club show. It was like new, no box or anything else. Apparently it was someone's "sock drawer gun" and was part of an estate sale. $190.00 plus tax out the door, in 2005. A few years later I found a very nice stainless 10/22 that was like new. No box or papers, $180.00 out the door. Oh, one more. A 1954 production Lee Enfield No 4. Mk2, arsenal refurbished. I paid $175.00 for that 6 or so years ago. Saw one that was in not as good condition at this show for $475.00.

M1 Carbines were going for between $995.00 and $1,500.00. I should have bought one of the CMP ones 7 or so years back, but passed.

Whoa, those are some crazy prices!

At the last four shows here I've only seen a clean 6906 no box and only one mag for $500 and a 1006 with two mags for $750. Thankfully I can at least buy online.

 

[ccw915]

IMO, gun shows NEVER have bargins. I picked up a S&W 915 for $300 out the door. It was not a police trade in and the finish IMO is at least 98%, it has 2 small scratches on the frame.

 

[ericlw]

IMO, gun shows NEVER have bargins.

not here in houston even in the land of tons of gun shops. gun shows almost always have the best prices here.

 

[flyrobb]

IMO, gun shows NEVER have bargins. I picked up a S&W 915 for $300 out the door. It was not a police trade in and the finish IMO is at least 98%, it has 2 small scratches on the frame.

Same here. Last three I have been to walked out with nothing. Last week stopped at a LGS and noticed a pretty nice 6906 with 2 mags, no box for $399. Sounds like I should grab that one based on what I'm reading here.

 

[1775usmarine]

I kick myself for not buying a 645 with box and two mags for 500 a few weeks back at a show. I'm sure I could of got him down to 475, but you live and learn.

 

[Miami_JBT]

I found the Miami-Dade gun show to be pretty good if you go in with the idea of simply browsing. I go with cash in my pocket and if I see a deal I snag it.

To go to a gun show actually looking for something is a recipe of fail.

 

[kaveman]

I don't see nearly as many 3rd Gens at the local shows as I'd like to, but I find enough to keep me out of the LGS. Two deals in the last year,......a nice 5926 for $325 otd and a very nice 3954 for $275 plus tax. That's much better than anything I would expect to find online and half what I'd expect to pay at the LGS(disregarding the fact that I'd never find either at the LGS).

Other than those two I've seen nothing priced competitively with what I can find online even when adding shipping and transfer fees, but I'm going to kill a day wandering around a gunshow whenever I can anyway so I might as well keep looking.

BTW, what's the big turnoff concerning those DAO .40's you refuse to buy? Those are right now a glut on the market with police trade-ins and priced very well,........no doubt the best deal going for a 3rd Gen. They're identical to the same guns model for model in 9mm. What's the big deal? I've got as many .40s as I have 9mm and don't really prefer one over the other.

 

[BAM-BAM]

IMO, gun shows NEVER have bargins. I picked up a S&W 915 for $300 out the door. It was not a police trade in and the finish IMO is at least 98%, it has 2 small scratches on the frame.

Seems like a "bargain" to me......maybe not a "great bargain" but still a good deal on a great gun.... I would have gone home pleased at that score.

Kaveman......some of us were invested in, and happy with 9mms and 45s before the .40 ever came along...... jump ahead a few years (90s) new more effective ammo designs ..... no real gain with .40S&W (AKA: ".40 short and weak" LOL) that justified stocking another round.

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

We very seldom see third gens at the gun shows around here.

However I have managed to snag a 1006 LNIB with two mags for 450$ and a 4506-1-3 in like new condition for 400$. Both within the last year at the same place near me.

 

[kaveman]

Kaveman......some of us were invested in, and happy with 9mms and 45s before the .40 ever came along...... jump ahead a few years (90s) new more effective ammo designs ..... no real gain with .40S&W (AKA: ".40 short and weak" LOL) that justified stocking another round.

I've been around for a good long while too, having 9s and .45s that have been in hand since the 80's but I consider the .40S&W to be a vital part of the collection. I think it's a better round that either the 9mm or the .45ACP, although it's not really a necessary addition if you have BOTH 9mms and .45s.

It might be a logistical handicap having to stock another caliber, but in some cases it may be a benefit. At least in my area, .40 ammo has been relatively available during the last few lean years; .45ACP much less so and until very recently 9mm has been entirely unavailable. If I was a big shooter of factory ammo my .40s would have allowed me to keep shooting whereas the 9mms and .45s would have had very little range time. I'm a reloader and a hoarder so I never ran short of anything in any caliber.

The big benefit to the .40S&W right now is that the guns(used)are CHEAP! Lots of police trade-ins in that caliber. I recently went through a period of accumulating duty style autos in both 9mm and .40S&W. The 4046s are going for about $150 less than 5946s in similar condition. I've only been saving about $100 with the compacts, comparing 4053 TSWs to 6946s and 4053s to 3953 single-stacks. Before discovering the 3rd Gen guns I was clearing the shelves of Sigmas and the .40s were generally about $50 cheaper than the 9s and seemingly much easier to find. I bought a bunch of Beretta Cougars in .40 for half of what I can find in 9mm.

I've saved several thousand dollars over the last couple of years when comparing my .40 pistols to my 9mm pistols. It just doesn't make any sense to avoid the best deals available. The .40 brass is also very cheap now and the .40S&W is a very good cast bullet caliber,.......equal to the .45ACP and a hundred times better than the 9mm.

I have followed some of the recent chatter surrounding the .40S&W/9mm debate and frankly I don't agree with it. Yes, top tier 9mm SD ammo is very good but it's still not the equivalent of top tier .40S&W ammo. Whether or not it's worth the tradeoff for the higher capacity 9mm is up to you(I can go either way), but at best it's an even swap. The only place that I strongly prefer the 9mm over the .40 is in the ultra compacts where I believe that feed reliability favors the 9mm due to the tapered case and limited slide inertia. They're also easier to shoot in the 'lighter' caliber. None of that is a factor for me when comparing the two calibers in full size pistols.

 

[TTSH]

A 4586, for $539.00. I should have bought it, if for no other reason than I could resell it. Maybe. The problem being I had no idea what the market is for that gun.

Actually, if that is the same 4586 I'm aware of, the tagged price was $569. I've bargained with the shop owner twice in the past and got him down to just a hair over $500 cash out the door so don't let him zing you for anything more!

Still a little too rich for me, but not a bad gun. If I weren't so determined to keep my limited budget open for a possible someday 4506-1 buy, I might have gone for it.

 

[GaryS]

BTW, what's the big turnoff concerning those DAO .40's you refuse to buy? Those are right now a glut on the market with police trade-ins and priced very well,........no doubt the best deal going for a 3rd Gen. They're identical to the same guns model for model in 9mm. What's the big deal? I've got as many .40s as I have 9mm and don't really prefer one over the other.

I had a .40 (Glock) and didn't really enjoy shooting it. I do much better with 9mm and .45ACP. I also don't want to have to start buying another caliber. In handguns alone I have 9mm, .38 Spcl, 45ACP, and .380. That's not counting the .22 pistols and a Model 13 which I only plan to shoot .38 through.

Since I own some MilSurp rifles, I have a number of rifle calibers. Plus a 30-30 lever gun. And of course an AR, so there's 5.56.

Did I mention the shotguns. All 12 gauge, but it's another round to stock.

You are correct though in that there are a lot of what appear to be police trade in 40 caliber guns around, especially 3rd gens.

Nothing wrong with them at all, but I'm not going to buy any.

 

[GaryS]

You may well be right, I didn't take notes. I don't even know who the dealer was. If I were going to buy it, I wouldn't spend more than $450.00 plus tax. For a gun I'd use only at the range, that's about the limit. Now, if it were a compact gun that I'd consider carrying, I'd be more interested.

Like you, there are one or two guns I'm holding out for, although I have little hope of actually finding them.

Like they say on the Jimmy Fund cans, "I can dream can't I?"

Of course if you're not from MA and not of a certain age, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

Actually, if that is the same 4586 I'm aware of, the tagged price was $569. I've bargained with the shop owner twice in the past and got him down to just a hair over $500 cash out the door so don't let him zing you for anything more!

Still a little too rich for me, but not a bad gun. If I weren't so determined to keep my limited budget open for a possible someday 4506-1 buy, I might have gone for it.

 

[TTSH]

You may well be right, I didn't take notes. I don't even know who the dealer was. If I were going to buy it, I wouldn't spend more than $450.00 plus tax. For a gun I'd use only at the range, that's about the limit. Now, if it were a compact gun that I'd consider carrying, I'd be more interested.

Like you, there are one or two guns I'm holding out for, although I have little hope of actually finding them.

Like they say on the Jimmy Fund cans, "I can dream can't I?"

Of course if you're not from MA and not of a certain age, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

You nailed it exactly. It's a $450 gun IMHO. Decent used shape (a few light scratches - nothing really bad) but just one magazine, no original box and no original grips (just the Hogues).

I was really interested at one point but I've lost interest. Doesn't help that two serious attempts to buy it fell flat.

 

[camsdaddy]

If a 908 is $525 I cant imagine what my 3913 would bring.

 

[pharmer]

I'm going to the O-Show tomorrow. Last one (January) Shoot Straight had trades (well worn but functional for $275 take your pic. I might need one unless they still have the $275 Model 15's. No, I'm not buying both. Joe

 

[DanP7]

If a 908 is $525 I cant imagine what my 3913 would bring.

Nothing. Unless you move to MA and then sell them.

These guys are in MA and the short story is that they have two lists of guns they can buy or bring into the state, unless the guns are already in MA (or move there with new resident). Artificial supply and increasing demand means higher prices in their market.