Is $199.99 the magic number for used /beat up guns and LE trade-ins ?

Agree, it is odd where the "bottom" is these days. That said, I think it will start to move lower if they want to sell things. Ruger American NEW was $249 the other day and some of the S&W after rebate are getting near $225 or so. I think it will be a buyer's market soon unless they simply want to sit on inventory. Downside is that I see people being forced out of business which I don't like to have happen.

My FEG PA-63s were a hundred each, but that's been a few years ago. You're right nowadays-- all my surplus handguns were two hundred, or just about that.

Yeah I think your right. That's about rock bottom now. I wish I had bought a few of those 159 bulgy maks

LE trade-ins ?

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Depends on which law enforcement agency you're talking about...and when they were actually traded out. I saw on gunbroker yesterday that CDI sales in KY, which gets surplus guns from central Europe, had some CZ 70's for as low as 170-180 bucks. I can't think that central European LEO's were using these guns up until recently, but maybe they were. Or they're surplus that's been around for a while and are just now being sold.

I got my CZ 50 surplus (same gun, basically) from CDI a while back for $185. A good reliable gun...but only .32 acp...not optimum for defense.

Competitive product pricing sets the floor price for used pistols. It makes it difficult to get any pistol under $200, simply because it does basically everything a new pistol does, just without the new pistol smell, and clean paint job. Other than a few "rot gut" models like the Jennings/Jimenez 22LR pocket pistols, Cobra Derringers, High Point pistols, and these ilk, you just don't see pistol prices south of $200. Pretty rare to find a truck in running condition priced south of $1000 too, simply because they still carry that inherent value.

Of course, concurrently, any time I see a pistol marked south of $200 on a shelf, I tend to expect something is wrong.

It also feels very wrong to pay more for Ruger P Series pistols today USED than I used to pay for them NEW - I certainly don't feel like I'm old enough to be able to make those, "back in my day, things didn't cost so much..." since I'm not yet out of "my day."

Varminterror said:

It also feels very wrong to pay more for Ruger P Series pistols today USED than I used to pay for them NEW

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I can sympathize with this. Not a huge Ruger fan, but I appreciate the metal DA/SA guns, and at some point I think I will add a Ruger P 85 to the mix. But then, I check the prices, and I'm getting S&W, CZ and Sig at around $300 (and yes, I have done this, it isn't impossible). Rugers just don't run in the same ballpark, in my opinion.

Varminterror said:

It also feels very wrong to pay more for Ruger P Series pistols today USED than I used to pay for them NEW

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And S&W Sigmas, too. I bought a used but nice condition Sigma .40 ten round for $185 about the time (or shortly after) they were phasing out the new guns. I've looked for that same deal, but haven't found anything close to it. They were asking over 300 bucks for used Sigmas last time I checked, though that's probably changed with the current political climate. Also, Sigma mags were outrageous, believe it or not. Like 60 bucks or more. HUH?

C0untZer0 said:

It seems that no matter how old or worn a gun is, or even what caliber, the starting price almost never dips below $199.99

I was looking at a pretty worn Ruger P89 on GunDeals and its going for $199.99

Even used Croatian IMP PHP MV9 go for $199.99 and I'm not even sure they're worth that new.

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Try buying a used S&W Model 10 for that.

Water-Man said:

Try buying a used S&W Model 10 for that.

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Dare I say it... just watch and wait???

Like I said in my post, it's hard to sell a Ruger for $200 when you can buy a Sig for $300.

I've been bitten by the collecting bug due to decent surplus prices, and after getting a CZ 75 and Beretta 92FS for just over 3 hundred, I later got a Star 30MI and a 3rd Gen S&W for at/under $300.

I did pick up a CZ99 for $195, but things then cooled off for about a year maybe... I didn't see another pistol in the same price value as the guns I got, and didn't want to start spending more on guns I didn't have to have.

Then I happened upon a couple of Sigs at the right price- cosmetically challenged, but there was a P226 with the bid still under $300 with 2 days left, and a P228 at a 'buy now' for $325. I rolled the dice on the P226 at $315, and I won. The P228 sold after sitting a day, but I have since seen several others at that same price, a few right at $300... buy now price. If I was truly in the market one of those would have been a no-brainer.
My P226 is a fair deal, IMO: slide has lost most of the blue, there was rust along the edges, but was a complete matching West German, serials for the slide, frame and barrel match. Internals were in good shape, and it shoots great. I bought another grip screw (was missing one), cleaned the rust off, and cold-blued it. For basically $10, it went from ugly to a solid "fair" condition. I'm now talking to a guy who runs an auto body shop, he has a setup to do cerakoting on the side, and he thinks we can completely rescue this gun back to as-new appearance with just a little bead blasting and a coat of paint... and for not a lot more.

I guess the point here- while the bottom of the market might have creeped up to $200 (I used to see CZ 50s and 70's for just over $100), the middle of the market (worn shooters but desirable make/models) have come down.

I am notoriously cheap. $250 or below for a good service pistol is my cutoff. I prefer $200 or below, but will pay up to $250 if it is in really good shape. You might be surprised at how many reliable and effective handguns you can get for that price if you are patient.

There is quite a bit of difference in what $250 will do depending on what region of the country you are in.


I am frugal also, but I see $350 as a good number. Really opens up some options.

Whatever the price is, it always seems suspiciously close to the new gun price.

So much so that I'm often more interested in buying the new gun instead.

Picked up an AMT Backup 380 w/holster for $170 at the local gun store a few months ago.