i went to pick up my Mauser at lunch today from the pawn shop/ffl, and decided to take a look at their shotguns and pistols. i could see a few decent shotguns, like a mossberg persuader and winchester 1300. but they wanted retail prices for VERY used hardware. the persuader didnt have a front sight, the heat shield was scuffed up, and they didnt have the pistol grip to go with it. $285 was their price tag. I can go to walmart and buy it brand new for just a few dollars more.
their winchester 1300 is the one that has 'alaska' and a picture screenprinted on the side of the stock, and walmart has that for $300, without the screen printing, $270. the pawn shop is asking $350 for the one with the screen printing on it.
looked at some of their colts and springfields, and decided to put them down when i discovered gooey substances oozing from betwen the frame/slide.
oh, and the guy at the counter, he said "Anything bigger than a .40 will persuade my attention."
i asked "so, a 9mm doesnt get much response from you?"
"nope. too many people walk away after getting shot with a 9mm. the boys in Vietnam found that out quickly."
they had a glock .40, first generation, i mentioned something about how i didnt realize just how big the frame is on it, he says "yeah it has to be, to accomodate that large .40 caliber bullet."
in my mind i go "hmmmmmmmm"
then he goes to show it to me, and says "prison guards love this glock. cops too." he pulled out the HK in .40; once again, "hmmmmm"....
btw, the Mauser, from CDNN, very nice! a few scrapes and dings on the stock, but the wood has a nice feel, and is in far greater condition than anything i've seen locally.