joegerardi
Member
Savannah Gun Show today. Eastman's.
This was the first gun show that I've ever gone to without a plan to purchase a specific firearm. I call it "freelancing." I just wandered around and looked at everything, waiting for something to start yelling at me. I'm really a semi-auto handgun type of guy, having just bought my first-ever rifle recently, but there weren't any pistols that were blowing my skirt up. So, I decided to start looking at rifles.
The first whispers were from a Winchester 92 built in 1901 for $300.00. Aside from no bluing on the reciever at all, the rifle was in great shape, and I still have a boyhood fondness for lever guns, but it never got past the whisper stage, and seeing that my first rifle was a '94 built in 1968, and just a month old, I wasn't too sorry when I went back to the table and it was gone.
I had it in my head to buy a bolt-action, but everything (well, most everything) had a scope on it. I'm an iron-sight kinda guy. I don't hunt, and like the challenge at the range of hitting the target with iron sights. Interestingly, those without sights were in calibers that would make it prohibitively expensive for what was going to be a range gun. There was a Savage in .388 priced right, but the ammo is dear, so I passed on that, too. There was one beautiful used Remington 700, with a glossy stock in 30-06, which is kinda borderline in ammo price, but the front sight was missing the blade, and I didin't want to try and get it repaired, so I walked away from it, too.
That 700 made me start thinking about 30-06, and probably the greatest user of that cartridge, the M1 Garand. This rifle also holds a very special place for me, and there was a dealer there from Florida - whose name I won't mention, but he's in the "Indian River" area - that had any number of those, M1 Carbines, '03 Springfields, and an amazing collection of 1911's and 1911A1's. However, I won't deal with anyone who acts like he's doing you a favor talking to you, let alone deigning to sell you one of his pieces. That, and he was ridiculously overpriced: The cheapest Remington Rand 1911A1 he had was $1250.00, which I see in the same condition on Gunbroker for $750.00, and the cheapest Garand was $900.00 in average condition, so he was out of the picture rather quickly.
Anyway... I'm now looking at the M1 carbines at another table, the dealer I bought my 1991 customized-just-the-way-I-wanted-it Colt from at the last show. There's a really nice Winchester for $750.00, a good Inland for $599.99, and a couple of places down the table, a Universal, still in the box, sling still on it. Remember that old brown box that we would see at Sears when they sold these things? Now, I've read here that the Universals aren't Mil-Spec, and I'm starting to discount it completely, when the dealer says that it's new and unfired.
Wha???
Yup.
Used only because it had been sold, but unfired. The price? $369.00. I ask what the catch was. He said that there's a small crack in the stock, and he shows it to me. It's just below the sight on the right side, and extends from the top, back along the grain about 1-1/2 inches, and down maybe 3/4." A little Elmer's Wood Glue and a C Clamp will take care of this. And it gets better Inside the box, all the accessories that came with the carbine - the patches, the cleaning rod, the brushes, (all Sears brand!) and the instruction/warranty card - are in there, and unopened. The only thing holding me back is the name- Universal, but I'm thinking that this is going to be a range plinker. Who really CARES if it's Mil-Spec or not, I'm going to use it for fun... So, for the sake of my conscience, I ask if he'll take $369.00 out the door. Done, and there's my second rifle, and I couldn't be happier.
I take it out to the car, and come back, really to take a last look before I go, and hit the Georgia Arms tables for ammo for the pistols and my new Carbine...
Now, that's a mistake. Last looks can get expensive. Stocking up at Georgia arms was taxing, but expected.
One thing I was noticing while trying to avoid a hernia with all that ammo was the number of EBR's available, and their prices. They were about the same as PC rifles- in the $800.00-ish range, but had all the goodies back on them. I pass this one table, and my eye is caught by an AR. 16" barrel, M4 stock, Stag Arms lower, carry handle (I'm not too thrilled with the flattops) and $625.00. "Good price" I think, and stop to fondle...
Memo to myself: DON'T FONDLE THE FRIGGIN' FIREARMS THAT ARE PRICED WELL!
So, now I have TWO new rifles sitting at my house. I'm actually thrilled, and so - I'm sure - is Bank of America's Visa department. I had to run back to Georgia Arms (the gun show was just closing up for the day) and grab some .223, but I look forward to getting to the range and trying them out.
The only thing I can say is that I'm glad I don't like shotguns. But, there still is that bolt-action, and the next gun show is in December...
..Joe
This was the first gun show that I've ever gone to without a plan to purchase a specific firearm. I call it "freelancing." I just wandered around and looked at everything, waiting for something to start yelling at me. I'm really a semi-auto handgun type of guy, having just bought my first-ever rifle recently, but there weren't any pistols that were blowing my skirt up. So, I decided to start looking at rifles.
The first whispers were from a Winchester 92 built in 1901 for $300.00. Aside from no bluing on the reciever at all, the rifle was in great shape, and I still have a boyhood fondness for lever guns, but it never got past the whisper stage, and seeing that my first rifle was a '94 built in 1968, and just a month old, I wasn't too sorry when I went back to the table and it was gone.
I had it in my head to buy a bolt-action, but everything (well, most everything) had a scope on it. I'm an iron-sight kinda guy. I don't hunt, and like the challenge at the range of hitting the target with iron sights. Interestingly, those without sights were in calibers that would make it prohibitively expensive for what was going to be a range gun. There was a Savage in .388 priced right, but the ammo is dear, so I passed on that, too. There was one beautiful used Remington 700, with a glossy stock in 30-06, which is kinda borderline in ammo price, but the front sight was missing the blade, and I didin't want to try and get it repaired, so I walked away from it, too.
That 700 made me start thinking about 30-06, and probably the greatest user of that cartridge, the M1 Garand. This rifle also holds a very special place for me, and there was a dealer there from Florida - whose name I won't mention, but he's in the "Indian River" area - that had any number of those, M1 Carbines, '03 Springfields, and an amazing collection of 1911's and 1911A1's. However, I won't deal with anyone who acts like he's doing you a favor talking to you, let alone deigning to sell you one of his pieces. That, and he was ridiculously overpriced: The cheapest Remington Rand 1911A1 he had was $1250.00, which I see in the same condition on Gunbroker for $750.00, and the cheapest Garand was $900.00 in average condition, so he was out of the picture rather quickly.
Anyway... I'm now looking at the M1 carbines at another table, the dealer I bought my 1991 customized-just-the-way-I-wanted-it Colt from at the last show. There's a really nice Winchester for $750.00, a good Inland for $599.99, and a couple of places down the table, a Universal, still in the box, sling still on it. Remember that old brown box that we would see at Sears when they sold these things? Now, I've read here that the Universals aren't Mil-Spec, and I'm starting to discount it completely, when the dealer says that it's new and unfired.
Wha???
Yup.
Used only because it had been sold, but unfired. The price? $369.00. I ask what the catch was. He said that there's a small crack in the stock, and he shows it to me. It's just below the sight on the right side, and extends from the top, back along the grain about 1-1/2 inches, and down maybe 3/4." A little Elmer's Wood Glue and a C Clamp will take care of this. And it gets better Inside the box, all the accessories that came with the carbine - the patches, the cleaning rod, the brushes, (all Sears brand!) and the instruction/warranty card - are in there, and unopened. The only thing holding me back is the name- Universal, but I'm thinking that this is going to be a range plinker. Who really CARES if it's Mil-Spec or not, I'm going to use it for fun... So, for the sake of my conscience, I ask if he'll take $369.00 out the door. Done, and there's my second rifle, and I couldn't be happier.
I take it out to the car, and come back, really to take a last look before I go, and hit the Georgia Arms tables for ammo for the pistols and my new Carbine...
Now, that's a mistake. Last looks can get expensive. Stocking up at Georgia arms was taxing, but expected.
One thing I was noticing while trying to avoid a hernia with all that ammo was the number of EBR's available, and their prices. They were about the same as PC rifles- in the $800.00-ish range, but had all the goodies back on them. I pass this one table, and my eye is caught by an AR. 16" barrel, M4 stock, Stag Arms lower, carry handle (I'm not too thrilled with the flattops) and $625.00. "Good price" I think, and stop to fondle...
Memo to myself: DON'T FONDLE THE FRIGGIN' FIREARMS THAT ARE PRICED WELL!
So, now I have TWO new rifles sitting at my house. I'm actually thrilled, and so - I'm sure - is Bank of America's Visa department. I had to run back to Georgia Arms (the gun show was just closing up for the day) and grab some .223, but I look forward to getting to the range and trying them out.
The only thing I can say is that I'm glad I don't like shotguns. But, there still is that bolt-action, and the next gun show is in December...
..Joe
