Gun trading

Way back when you could go to gunshows and buy and sell handguns without background checks, I did an even trade with a almost new Taurus Gaucho .357. Magnum for a S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum.

It was at a regulars table, and he seemed very pleased with the trade, as was I. Never have really warmed up to single actions myself.

Actually, now that I think about it, I can't remember ever actually trading one gun for another. Not even when I was big into C&Rs.

I have sold many to pay for a different one though.

When you sell one gun an then immediately use that money to buy another, isn't that still sort of a trade?

Have only ever done one trade and it worked out great for both parties. I responded to a post where a guy was looking for a Sig P6 and had a CZ 75 SA to trade. I had a nice P6 and wanted the CZ 75 SA to use with my Kadet Kit. We both walked away happy and I have got a lot of use out of the CZ. Have never regretted the trade.

I very rarely do any trading (it's been a whole lot of years), and when I have it's only been with family members and very close friends.

Have done two significant trades over the years. In both cases it was trading for something quite hard to find that would increase in more value long term....seizing the moment where time didn't allow hesitation. What happens when you get caught off guard without a significant amount of "mad money" on hand, then compromise by using available assets on such short notice. I agree with the OP it would have been advantageous to have sold the items first, but would theses "grails" have been there later? May never know....

Traded for a Wilson Combat Supergrade with only 8 rounds thru it, and a Virgin Winchester Model 52 Sporter that has never been drilled and tapped for scope. No regrets trading for these.

Whatever it takes to get what you want.

What’s the thing where I keep both firearms?
That’s what I try to do...

Every transaction you do is a trade. If I have a gun I don't want that's worth $500 and someone who wants it has a gun I want worth $500 it's to our benefit to make a trade. Less work for both of us. There doesn't have to be a loser in a trade. In fact many times both parties win.

I traded an extra Marlin 1895CB for a Remington 7615 last year straight up. At the time, it was in the other guys favor monetarily. Probably $700 for the CB and $600 for the 7615.

Now I might have a slight edge. Last 7615 I saw on GB went for $1500. Dunno about the CBS but it most definitely is into the thousands.

I have made more trades than I can count. There have been a few times someone tried to rip me off, a few times I missed a small defect, and a few times I took a small loss -- but most I was very happy with. Generally the people I have ended up trading with have been interested in making things equal. There are a lot of people that are looking for an even trade, not a profit. They want to offer up a gun they have lost interest in for one you have lost interest in. Many/most of my trades have been for guns of different categories.

Of course, there are sharks, but it isn't hard to steer clear of them, if you read the signs and fully inspect the gun. But there are often people that are happy to give you a good deal, or throw in extras. Since I have bought most of my guns when I've found deals, I am confident I've done better than break even, learned a few lessons, and ended up with guns I prefer.

Most of my regrets are from guns i have sold.

I had a buddy who had a small shop. Id buy and sell quite often. He and I would trade pretty often just to rotate stock... Something I had that I didnt want for something he had that wasn't moving. Worked out just fine. In fact, I can't think of a trade I ever made that was a trade down.

I've made a few trades over the years, both parties are happy & get what they want.

I do don't a ton of trades but I made a good one right before Xmas. Traded my HK P30S with full Gray Guns trigger in 9mm for a P30 LEM by Bill Springfield in .40 S&W. Despite not being a huge fan of the caliber the gun itself is fantastic! About as good as an LEM trigger can get short of a USP Match-LEM hybrid. We were both pretty happy with the trade! I'll maybe get a drop in 9mm conversion barrel and he'll probably sell the P30S again but he was eager to try a GG trigger even though he, like me, isn't a big fan of manual safeties.

I think trades can be excellent! Some folks say never sell a gun, and that's great if you feel that way. Others are always on the lookout for the next gun and often enjoy horse trading to get their hands on something new-to-them. I don't have a ton of sentimentality towards guns unless there's a reason (eg my first sidearm purchased when I turned 21, etc). Another issue is that our needs can change. In the above example when I bought that P30S GG I was very much a cocked-and-locked for CCW kind of guy, and it was about the ultimate sidearm for that. Over long years I began to change my mind, deciding that a manual safety was a liability. I don't think I carried that particular gun once in the last two years so why trade it for something I'll use more?

As long as both parties are happy with the trade I think it's a good deal.

MosinT53Hunter said:

Way back when you could go to gunshows and buy and sell handguns without background checks,

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Don't know where you are but you can still do that in most states.

I've done a few trades over the years, although I don't make a habit of it. Tough to find just the right person who wants what I have and has what I want.

Rembrandt said:

View attachment 967773

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Beautiful rifle.

bearcreek said:

Don't know where you are but you can still do that in most states.

I've done a few trades over the years, although I don't make a habit of it. Tough to find just the right person who wants what I have and has what I want.

Beautiful rifle.

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I live in "blessed" Washington State (yah, so blessed)

I have done a bunch of trades. I almost always wound up on top. If I weren’t coming out ahead I was not considering the deal. The few times I swapped even money it was for something that I knew was more marketable than what I had (easier to sell or trade than what I had), or something that I wanted to play with a bit and then turn loose of. What I always did was a bit of a hustle, set up a potential trade that was even or close to even, get a couple days to consider it, and ask for something to sweeten the deal and help me to make up my mind. It worked a lot. I got a lot of ammo, a few cheap guns, cases, once I got a mason jar of clear liquid...

I see trades as one of the best firearms transactions we can do, privately in the free states. You have something you don't want and someone has something they don't want. You both like what the other has, and trade. I had a Ruger SR9c. Had it for awhile and started to not like it as much as I did when I bought it. I "downgraded" to a Taurus 738/TCP in 380. Little gun that was easier for me to carry and became a nice BUG for me. Even the guy making the trade was leary of getting a much better gun for a crappy one, by comparison. We were near a range and I waited in the parking lot while he went in to test fire it. If he didn't like it, we could go swap back no questions asked. He liked it and we went separate ways.

My most recent trade was in November. I had a bolt action Savage 308 I worked on, but hadn't even fired yet. Cheap scope I put on it to free up some safe shelf room. I traded it, and 2 boxes of ammo for an AR pistol upper with a budget red dot. I already had a lower built for a pistol, so I just needed the upper and didn't need a bolt gun. Guy it went to was looking for a rifle to go deer hunting with his son. Straight up trade, both of us were happy.

If you have a gun someone else wants and they have a gun you want then it's a win/win. If you're evaluating transactions purely by the objective dollar value of both items then you're thinking like a dealer and not a hobbyist. Plus, a $1000 gun is really only that if you can find a guy with $1000 free who wants it. Otherwise it's just $1000 tied up in inventory.

I think you are talking about private seller to private buyer, type trade but I have 'traded' many guns for other guns at a couple of LGS..as in 'trade-in' and yes, a clear way to lose $ but when ya gotta have 'it', ya gotta have 'it'..

I have been pretty lucky in most of my trades, it comes down to having what someone wants and cannot get for a better price than you are offering. Timing can be very important, buying guns, ammo and accessories when prices are low gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the fluctuations in the market.
I traded a NIB S&W M&P9 for an AR10 lower and a used S&W Shield9 about 2 years ago, because I wanted the lower, I already had a Shield9. Just this past year, a fellow on another forum posted a trade looking for a Shield9, he was offering a mix or surplus 5.56 and new .223 ammo that he bought at very good prices. I traded him the Shield for 1500 rounds of ammo, believe it or not. Since I am pretty flush with ammo, I recently sold the 1500 rounds for $775. That's a good deal for all.

I think that @KY DAN defines trading correctly. I also think that most of the time when people mention having "traded" one gun for another they might actually mean selling one and buying another, and the net dollar amount isn't mentioned. There's no way to achieve a better gun through a one for one trade unless due to extraordinary circumstances or by taking unfair advantage. That being said, if both parties are willing and knowledgeable about the exchange of value involved, and if both parties consider themselves to be getting a fair deal, then there is no "unfair advantage" involved.

I have never traded one firearm for another in well over 100 firearm transactions.
It just never came up.

A trade is just a sale without cash. I generally sell a gun because I want something else or because I'm looking to downsize a bit. I don't think I've ever been offered in trade something I really wanted, so I have traded only when I thought I could flip the incoming gun for more than I could sell my original for ... and that is a rare occurrence indeed. So I generally don't consider trading for anything but cash.

Legionnaire said:

So I generally don't consider trading for anything but cash

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I was usually pretty particular about what I wanted. I like nicer guns in good shape and most guys have run of the mill stuff that’s beat up, or used to be that way.

My gun buying days are pretty much done.