"Firearms, Ammo, & Sportsman's Auction"

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I attended Saturday in Hawkinsville, GA.

There were about 400 guns, including some S&W revolvers and autos, some Colt revolvers and autos, a bunch of hunting long guns including Parker and LC Smith shotguns. It was advertised as guns coming from several estate liquidations, consignments, and Dodge County, GA SD seizures. The 40 or 50 guns that looked like they had been dug up from a farmer's field were probably the SO seizures.

There was a 10% buyers fee, plus 7% sales tax added to the sale price. There were a couple of dealers who I suspect weren't subject to the same buyers fee, nor the sales tax since they were buying for resale.

I was going to sneak in and buy a Model 43 Airweight in about 95% condition. (I went and looked at the guns Friday.) That gun sold for $525 plus the fees. I should have bought a Colt OP .22lr in good shape that sold for $300 plus the fees. A ragged looking, cobbled up USGI 1911 Govt Model sold for $750. A just fair looking USGI 1911A1 sold for $1000 + fees. A pretty good looking Colt Python with non original grips sold for $900 +. A Secret Service Model 19 Comm in the presentation case sold for $550 +. A Model 19-2 marked FHP sold for $350 +. A pretty nice looking Model 12 for $400 +.

I bid on a couple of shotguns my brother was interested in, but the bid passed my limit pretty quickly.

There was a good bit of ammo, mostly shotgun, but some .223 and .45acp. The .45 was in sealed plastic bags marked "factory ammo" in lots of 100. It all sold for more than I can get WWB 100 packs or UMC 250 packs at WM.

If one had been hunting a good hunting rifle or shotgun, there were probably some pretty good deals. Some bolt and lever rifles sold for what sounded like very fair prices, especially considering that deer season (gun) opens here in a couple of weeks.

I wound up paying $60 + for an old JC Higgins single shot .22, and also bought a portable deer/dove blind. Just to get my name on the mailing list, I guess.

I thought the auction was well run. The auctioneers didn't try to confuse the bidders like I have seen at some equipment auction, and when two people bid at the same time, they tried to choose fairly. All in all, it was a fun way to spend a few hours on a Saturday. I got to rub shoulders with a bunch of other S. Georgia rednecks.

 

[H Richard]

We have two auction houses in my area (W. Central IL) that have usually 2 gun + related auctions each year. You can get some decent buy's but there are also some Traveling buyers that do show up from time to time and pay big dollars. Occasionally there are some good buys to be had as the descriptions and pictures are not very good on line. It is not unusual to find some misidentified guns, and unless someone else knowledgeable is there it can be had for low $. Always a surplus of run of the mill shotguns and deer rifles which do not bring high $. I have seen some guns go for exorbitant $, up to several hundred more than value. I've been lucky a few times. They are always fun.

 

[Andy Griffith]

Auctions are hit or miss.

If they are too well known, I usually won't go.
If they are smaller, I'll chance it.

Not to say I don't show up or throw some money, but I want to get it cheap. I'm a tightwad curmudgeon.

There were a couple of good ones I used to go to, but the internet ruined (me) getting any deals.


Sure, deals can still be had, but not as easy as they used to be.