No magazines when purchasing used?

[Moonclip]

Anyone ever come across that? I do quite a bit as I live in a no more than 10rd state so sometimes the gunshops just put gramps old Browning High Power that granny or the kids brings in after he passes in the consignment/used case w/o the mag.

But I also see this sometimes with guns like a Remington 7600 that takes a 4 shot mag. I guess a lot of times someone stores the gun separate from the mags and when it comes time to sell or the person dies the heirs can't find the mags. I also see this with guns that take convertable cylinders like a Ruger single-six that has .22mag and .22lr cylinders.

I have bought them in the past while trying to figure it in to the price I'll pay and/or how hard it is to get a replacement.

Examples include a Star 30m for $210 in 2004, mag was a little hard for that one. A Beretta 1934 in 2006,beat but functional for $80, war story of how it was captured from a Italian officer was free Luckily the Triple K mag I found worked. Ruger P85 stainless for $200 last year.

Any dealers have any input? I once put up a Romanian pump AK for a gun auction, I had no mag for it. The dealer was nice and threw one in it for me, saying it would be a harder sell w/o it.

 

[gbran]

Here in CA, nobody can sell handguns with greater than 10rd mags. So, if you take your leagal preban handgun with a hi-cap mag to a dealer for consignment or ffl transfer, he has to sell it or transfer it sans mag or you can supply a 10rd to be sold with it.

 

[GlowinPontiac]

The shops around here have all the pistols in display cases with mags inserted. rifles which take mags and are out on display racks usually have the mag removed and stored in back to prevent theft.
If a used rifle comes with a mag it will be stated on the tag that the mag is in back. if the tag says nothing about a mag then there probably isnt one.

 

[230RN]

Yeah, I was looking at a used bolt .22 in one of the upscale shops around here and was disappointed when they said they had no mag for it. Would have been a good deal until you added in the cost/effort of locating another mag.

Passed on it.

 

[evan price]

Lots of shops have the mags in the back to prevent idiots walking off with them.

 

[Moonclip]

Yes, I've been to gun auctions where all the guns that had detachable mags were removed for the preview period to prevent them from being stolen. iIt was mentioned in advertizing on the rare cases where there actually was no mag to acompany the firearm if sold.

With some guns the presence of no mags or extra mags is a huge deal. I came across a SA XD with 11 mags for sale last year! I I knew a weird guy that had like 20-30 10rd mags for a Beretta 92!

I saw a Valtro shotgun that takes detachable mags that has 6 of them accompanying it. No mags or 6 mags is a big deal as they sell for over $100 for this gun.

 

[Onmilo]

We don't keep the magazines with the new guns or the used ones because people will steal them if given the chance.
We keep a tray of store magazines up in the showroom if somebody wants to see a demonstration of the slide lock or what have you.

We also use these magazines to demonstrate new guns because quite a few buyers complain if their brand new gun comes with a magazine or two featuring drag marks.

 

[Ala Dan]

We display both, semi-auto handguns and long guns with magazines inserted.
Here in Alabama, we are not limited to a 10 round magazine limit~!

 

[Professor Gun]

Last year at one of my local gun shops, the bolt and bolt carrier disappeared from an AR-15 on a display rack. My 15 year old son discovered it and asked the owner why there was no bolt in the gun. Owner was very unhappy. Fortunately we have dealt with him for years, he knows us well, so we were not suspects.

 

[waterhouse]

I guess a lot of times someone stores the gun separate from the mags and when it comes time to sell or the person dies the heirs can't find the mags.

I think you nailed it. I've seen a collection of 20+ guns where every bolt action had it's bolt missing, pistols had no mags in them, etc. I get a call or an email a couple times a year from a friend who inherited a gun but needs me to help them find a bolt because when their aunt gave it to them it didn't have one.

 

[AirForceShooter]

I wouldn't buy a gun that didn't come with at least one magazine.
My last gun the FFL sold me the gun with 3 mags. 2 of them brand new.

AFS

 

[Moonclip]

Oh come on, you wouldn't have bought that $80 Beretta I got?

 

[jakemccoy]

If I were selling a used gun, I'd thrown in just one mag, even if I had more. I don't think the mags would increase the price. With my utilitarian guns, people know what they'll pay, and that's that. I'd be better off selling the mags separately in a different deal or keeping them in case I get a compatible gun.

 

[Moonclip]

You are correct generally unless we are talking a lot of mags or expensive mags, I have sometimes held back mags too but usually because I had other guns that took them when I sold it.

But I've never took in a gun for sale with 0 magazines. I have sometimes decided to buy a pistol because it came with extra mags that made the deal more worth doing. No mag has turned me off too if I figured it wouldn't be worth the hassle and time to order one.