[mr_goodbomb]

I put down a bit of money on a good, clean Nagant 1895 at a local shop. We agreed on $170. I am purchasing a few items from him, so I assume he'll be fine if I cancel and use that cash on something. I found the same gun, I believe, on J&G sales for $79, or hand-selected for $89. Add $22 for shipping and $10 FFL, and i've still got the same gun, I think, for $121, no tax.

Should I do J&G, or is there any reason, other than being able to inspect it in person (and being a newbie, I'm not all too sure what I'm looking for aside from "play" and wear), to buy it at the local shop? Yes, I intend you use it, in either case.

[eight433]

go for the cheaper one. I enjoy mine! lots of fun and a conversation piece. 170 is wayyyyy too high. although, 10 dollar transfers is REALLY cheap.

[mr_goodbomb]

Did you get yours from J&G? Is their quality usually good? I'm going to have it "hand picked," pay the extra 10 bucks (89 vs 79 for "whatevers on the shelf), but I just wanna be sure there aren't any real benefits to paying more and buying in person.

[eight433]

no I bought mine from a gun show, but I suspect HE bought it from J&G or something similar. They are all old, most of them "refinished" at some point, and they will hurl the projectile sideways at 15 yards or so. I've heard good things about hand picked guns from them, so...

[Fat Boy]

I haven't purchased a gun (or anything else, for that matter) from J&G, so I can't comment on their operation. However, in looking at their gunsite occasionally I have noticed that they have been selling this model for a while and would likely be pretty good at "hand-picking". I would, as a matter of general practice, want to check their return policy, if one exists, or see if they have a "non-firing" inspection period during which the gun could be returned under certain conditions. I would just be trying to hedge all the bets-

I have shot a couple of those old guns and they seem pretty "over-built", without a great deal of attention to high-end finish. For the money, if you want one, it seems like a pretty good deal to me. But then, it isn't my money- :)

Good Luck!

[mr_goodbomb]

I bit the bullet and sent a money order, so it'll be a week or two. But I'll report here if anyone's interested. I'm looking to use .32 S&W Longs with it, mostly blanks, because I'm using it as a prop for a film.

[Cosmoline]

I've owned a bunch of these and the BEST Nagant is not really that different from the WORST one ;-)

I'm assuming you know all the rules about safety on the set and how blanks can still be lethal.

[ccsniper]

just remember ammo is not cheap. I love mine, built in 1929 or 1931, I can't remember and don't want to run to my brothers to look. But you cannot break them things ever.

[tinygnat219]

First,
$170 for a Nagant is way high, unless it hasn't been re-arsenalled or lacks import marks, or is some uber-rare model. For example, I have a model 1895 made in 1898 in Liege Belgium that's chambered in 7.5 Swiss. I paid 300 for it. My advice, unless you need this one right away, shop around. You'll find them cheaper. Expect to pay between 100-130 for one you find in a store. This will tend to match what you would get from J&G with shipping and transfer fees.

Second,
What you are seeing at J&G Sales, AIM Surplus, etc. is the DEALER cost. This only really applies if you have a C&R FFL, or have a dealer who is willing to accept the transfer from one of these distributors. So, don't just assume you can get them at this cost. Most dealers these days are not accepting transfers from distributors.


Good luck! I have 6 of the bloody revolvers.

[mr_goodbomb]

Why won't they accept transfers from distributors? Isn't it the same as getting any firearm online, or otherwise shipped to you when you don't have an FFL?

[evan price]

The shops that already stock them- they won't accept transfers because the way it is supposed to work, J&G and AIM et al are supposed to be selling at wholesale to the shop who sells it at retail to the consumer (you). Why should they (the gun shop) go to all the trouble of receiving and logging the gun that they already stock just to save YOU some money.

[Stainz]

Of course, a C&R ffl isn't all that difficult to obtain - mine was renewed several years ago - same $35 as the issuance price. Most gun parts/supplies sources, if you keep one on file with them, will give you dealer cost on their products, too. I used my C&R ffl once and had a pair of my Nagants delivered to the house, the others went to the range's ffl, where they didn't charge me for xfr since I worked their at the time - and the ffl holder was 'amused' by the Nagants' trigger!

I like Cosmoline's remark - there really is very little difference between the best and worst example I've bought. I do prefer the importer's mark under the barrel rather than on the frame side aft, where it looks like a billboard.

Stainz

[tju1973]

C&R--the best $30 you will ever spend..IMHO...

I bought two Nagants-- A 32 and a 36 Tula-- one with wood grips, one with bakelite--

They look new and unfired, not sure if they are, but they look nice as heck and were $69 from SOG last year...

[chuckusaret]

I've owned a bunch of these and the BEST Nagant is not really that different from the WORST one ;-)

I have a 1900 & 1945 Tula 7.62X38. I bought bought off the net, paid $49.95 for one and $69.95 for the second one. I can find no difference in their condition or accurcy. IMO they are worth no more than what I paid plus shipping and I would not buy one off the net if I did not have a C&R license.

[Fiv3r]

Well I had some Gander Mountain gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, so I picked up (actually hand selected from the ones they had) a 1936 Tula. I'm looking forward to giving it a run through after the holiday. Looks like fun:)

[mr_goodbomb]

The FFL I sent to certainly doesn't have any in stock. I contacted him through GunBroker a few months back when I was going to purchase some items from that site, but decided not to. He was still the cheapest FFL around, so I went through him. He doesn't seem to have any objections, it's $10 for opening a box and handing over the contents for me.

I don't plan on purchasing too many reliced firearms, so I'm not sure how much good a C&R will do for me, and I don't want an FFL because it gives the government the right to search my collection any time. That makes me uncomfortable.

I didn't know Gander Mountain sold used guns. Good to know, I'll have to check them out.

[Fiv3r]

GM does in fact sell a lot of used guns...well mine does. Just be prepared to be raked over the coals a bit more than if you bought online and had it shipped to your FFL.

My local gun shop kinda acts like they don't want to order in used/milsurp stuff. I would buy from them even at a bit of a premium as I try to support local business first, plus they have always been good to me.

That said, they missed out on the sale of an Mosin Nagant 91/30, P-64, and now the Nagant revolver from me. Nothing big enough to close up early over, but a bucks a buck, right?:scrutiny:

[chuckusaret]

That said, they missed out on the sale of an Mosin Nagant 91/30, P-64, and now the Nagant revolver from me. Nothing big enough to close up early over, but a bucks a buck, right?
Century International has 91/30's in excellent shape for +/-$100 but no nagant pistols

[TehK1w1]

Why wouldn't a dealer accept transfers from a distributer? I've never encountered that problem.

[cz85cmbt]

Cabela's and the rest of the big and small guys around here in Maine will just ask for the transfer fee. Have you felt the trigger pull on those 95's, out of all the pistols to from ww1/ww2 it was the roughest, hard to reload for, .32 s&W will shoot in it but not very accurate, and really hard triggers, but if you want one go with the ones online, they are usually eaual in fit and finish and if the bores are little rough from corrosive ammo it won't effect your accuracy anything close to noticeable. If you look around for a deal you can fin a webley in .38 s&w for a little more than 200 bucks.

[Fiv3r]

Honestly, I don't have much issue with the DA. I don't have hulk hands or anything either. Is it a very LONG and hard pull? Sure. It's not like my 686. However, it's no where near as bad as the DA on my P-64. As a matter of fact, the Nagant has the slightest audible click before engaging so even staging the trigger is not bad. SA is not bad either compared to some. Once again, not a S&W, but not as bad as some would make it out to be.

It's a curious ol' gun. They don't make them anymore and they won't be around forever. For 100 bones you get a functional piece of wartime history. If you reload, then even the price of ammo isn't that bad. For gun stashed in the glove box or stuffed in a pack for a hike, it's not bad. Not my first choice (or even my fifth), but certainly better than nothing at a price most everyone can afford.