.455_Hunter
Member
My LGS charges 20% for consignment and puts the items on GunBroker. Over the past two years, he has moved over 15 firearms for me, with only one being an "old maid". No fuss, no bother, just a check when they sell.
You guys looking to sell guns just out of the box thoughts, Rent a table at a local gun show or List the items to sale on this forum ot ones like it.
Ive had zero issues shipping firearms, brown box, brown wrapping, get FFL info straight from recipients dealer and done......thought about posting here. But do not wanna get involved in shipping.
thought about posting here. But do not wanna get involved in shipping.
Whats to shipping, you can go to some local gun shops and you can get the boxes and packing for free (Heck they will be glad to see you and keep their garbage level down)
Nice youtube to show some packing tips
From receiving several guns I would add that you place a Tennis ball on the barrel to make sure the barrel end does not poke through the box and I like the
idea of packing the bolt separately, but if the box is opened then the bolt can be lost by falling though the hole. So secure the bolt to the rifle... (The latter experience happened to me and it was not pretty)
Viddy well my little brother...Viddy well.
The Forgotten weapons guy did a video a while ago where he got a few items from Rock Island and did an "unboxing" video on them.....talk about how to ship a gun.
I have gotten a few things from them and have been more then happy on how they ship. Bolt guns ship with the bolts out and a tag that says this bolt goes with lot 123....then the gun itself has a tag lot 123, so you can match up easy....comes in handy if you buy several of the same type of gun. Scopes are also shipped apart from the gun and have the ever living crap bubble packed and taped out of them. Everything is double boxed and double taped.
I usually just buy long guns but have gotten some wheel guns from them....I know they come in bubble pack again, and want to say the holster if applicable is packed in a different bubble pack cocoon.
I thought about posting up my video but he did it so much better then I did, so why bother.
Inflation to some degree will increase prices but given that the OP wants to use the cash to build something now, price increases in common milsurps rifles will show the least appreciation--due to supply and demand. American service arms bring more and appreciate more probably due to those with military service and cultural factors. For some reason, not mine, WWII era Nazi stuff brings in bucks above and beyond the design. Personally, I think Czech's made better Mausers but the Czech Brno's will not bring the price that a Nazi marked Mauser will. You do not see near that interest in wwi era German rifles, Carcanos, Swede Mausers, Norwegian Krags, Arisakas, etc. and interest turns into prices. The Enfields were so ubiquitous that it probably limits interest as well due to familiarity. A lot of folks have at least one but fewer seriously collect them than Mausers or Lugers.
The Semi-Auto wwii or wwi stuff including handguns with the exception of U.S. carbines or Garands, I don't really pay attention to on market prices so you have better info than me. Nor do I pay attention to the semi-auto conversions of full auto weapons. A complicating factor is that new firearms laws in some states can actually limit the market for them due to mag limits, etc. However, the o/p did not list those as the ones he proposed to sell.
Ordinary Garands have a limiting factor on upward movement which is the CMP currently but when the CMP runs out, prices may jump. That is what happened to k98's when the Russian capture rifles were all sold. Original military carbines are reflecting supply and demand with only serious collectors interested in the less common makes now because of price. People that buy a Rockola aren't buying them for shooting but collecting. But then again, once you get to $1000 or more for a decent original M1 to shoot--the Universals, etc. plus the new look alikes will exhibit a downward pressure on how much ordinary carbines can go up in price. People that want to shoot a carbine are going to figure in $200 or more differential in price between replicas and originals as they do in Cowboy Shooting etc. When the gap gets large enough, you buy the replica if you want to shoot them. Once the shooters drop out of the market for an original, only collectors are left and most of them already have the common ones. Thus, prices stabilize over time--e.g. market equilibrium.
The same thing happened at the low end as new rifles are cheaper and more accurate than milsurps, the hunters drop out of the market for milsurps--if you notice, the price of even a fairly nice D&T'd sporterized milsurp is about what a new Axis/TC Center/or a Ruger American bring about $250-400. The remaining untouched shooter grade or very common bolt action type milsurps are going for about $350-600 now which is why folks just now paying attention after the last decade are now shocked that they can't buy one from J&G Sales for $100-200. The original poster pretty much indicated that he viewed the Mosin as a $200-250 rifle at best so he sure is not going to pay a lot more for one and he is not alone. Thus, in the last two-three years, the prices on shootable condition rifles has stabilized until something changes to roughly $400-600 range. Pristine as issued examples or odd variants bring a bit more due to collectors.
You get ordinary Garands up to $1400-1500, someone is going to make a replica of it probably using a cast receiver (like I believe Springfield Armory (pvt. company) did for a brief while) which tends to stall upward movement of prices as does the price and availability of ammo to shoot them.
The only reason that I pay attention to the prices is that I rebuild/restore old milsurps and I keep up with prices to decide whether or not do actually undertake one including the value of their parts necessary to restore. Ultimately, the ugly rifles are only worth the sum of their parts or their value in shooting except possibly to a starting collector.
This is a cool thread.
Reminds me I need to find a nice Krag.
Its probably the last "surplus" i want.
M1A can be had new as well as FAL.
Now that is a bit of a tease , you got me hot and bothers for an unpacking video and no link... I would not mind seeing the link.. por favor
I will second double boxing, if you can double box heavy items you are gold in the shipping world. Also boxing with in the box...
There are quite a few sporterized Krags out there looking for a home for a reasonable price with cut stocks, d&Ted, and cut barrels. Some will actually have retrofitted Springfield 03 barrels as those were dirt cheap interwar and handier than the old musket length barrels that were the most common Krags. It has been said and I agree that the Krag is one of the most smooth actions that you will ever work and can have excellent accuracy and putdown power using cast rn220gr bullet at decent hunting distances. But, the triggers are somewhat mediocre and not easily improved but Huber concepts makes an improved trigger. They are not easy to scope properly either. New Criterion replacement barrels of good quality are available for them in carbine and long rifle length but if I remember correctly, these are not properly tapped for the obsolete fine thread of Krag sights so you have to use aftermarket screws to attach them if you want Krag iron sights.
Speaking of sights, the Krag has some of the most variation of any U.S. military rifles on iron sight models so you have your choice between open sights (94, 96, 98), Buffington sights with windage adjustments (1901), an open sight like the 98 with a peep sight foldable leaf (1902), etc. There are carbine and long rifle versions. Avoid the 94 sights as these were an Army messup on zeroing the original models. You will see these on some mixmaster Krags because the Army took them off of issued rifles and sold the sights as surplus. The 1901 and 1902 sights are collectible in and of themselves. Some will not feed spire points very well from the mag, and Krag factory ammo goes in and out of production as does its brass so grab it before the next shortage occurs. That being said, I love them and have restored several of them.
The shooter grade ones in full military trim start at $600-700 and keep going up in in excellent condition or if a genuine carbine and/or a rare 94 model with an untampered with stock. Sporterized versions are about half that from $350-500 depending on stocks, accessories, scopes, etc. Cartouched stocks (probably because these are pretty fragile stocks compared with Mausers and Springfield) bring a hefty price by themselves if complete and unmonkeyed with. Cut stocks, no so much. Sporter stocks designed for the Krag do bring a decent price and several places used to make Krag sporter stocks.
Good luck with your quest.
It may be off topic but what am i looking for in a shooter Krag?I have told this story before....
Back in the 1950's in rural Tenn. the FiL and his brother bought a Krag rifle out of a bucket at a general store....they bought that Krag because they could not afford the $25 for the 1903. They used this rifle for hunting and they did "pretty it up". He went into heart failure and total denial when he saw Krag prices not long ago.....who would pay that for that old gun.....what does a new hunting rifle cost on the cheap side.....why the hell would you buy that.
I think it is a little like the 91/30 of a few years ago....A little...they are so darn cheap why not. Well back in 1950 you did not have not many choices in the inexpensive area, and turning an old $15 Krag into a lighter sporting gun was an option.....today and even back when the MW was $100 it is just flat fing stupid.
I really think this is why we see so many Krag rifles that are sportered and done from good old country boy to darn good examples. It was something that was smart to do, a new sporting gun was going to cost you at least a couple hundred new.
Krags are a real mess on their configurations, all the sights and all the different types. And it goes into what I was saying before you need to know what you are buying.....like with the M1, they did make them without a lug....just like Krag carbines did get made with no saddle ring or other horse soldier type stuffs on it. Know what you are buying.
Most of the time the book that you learn this stuff from is cheaper then the rifle.....most of the time the book is cheaper.
It may be off topic but what am i looking for in a shooter Krag?
I am okay with sporters.
Id want to put some rounds through it, maybe take it to a 3 gun match
It may be off topic but what am i looking for in a shooter Krag?
I am okay with sporters.
Id want to put some rounds through it, maybe take it to a 3 gun match