What gunstore/gunshow scams have you seen?

[firestar]

I know there are a lot of scams and a lot of crooks in the gun world so what are some scams that have Pi$$ed you off?

Here are some I have seen recently:

1: Putting cheap ammo in premium ammo boxes and selling them. My dumb friend thought he was paying top dollar for Cor-Bon .40S&W ammo but when he got it home, they were not even hollow points!

2. Selling the cheap Springfield TRP as a "TRP Operater" and charging Operator prices.

3. Gun store "garenteeing to beat anyone's price" but when called on it they backed down. My brother was in the market for a Glock 36 and the dealer that I had been going through claimed he could sell for less than anyone else in town. I saw a new G-36 for $499 at a chain store and asked if he could beat it. He told me that I was mistaken and it couldn't be a G36 for that price as his cost on that gun was $550. Some garentee. What good is a garentee if they don't really stand behind it? I never stepped foot in that store again.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

I had a preban non-drop free mag for a G19, but I bought a G17 instead. I tried to sell it to a local shop that deals with preban mags. The man told me that a non-drop free mag was only worth $25 to him because he could only sell it for a few dollars more than that. I was in there the other day and he wants $100 for a G17 preban NON-drop free mag...

So much for that mag costing around $40.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[swingset]

I have seen is a "troll" out front of a dealer's table that was stopping people asking about their rifles for sale, being an "expert" on them, then offering some stupid-low price within earshot of the table. Then his buddy, the "honest" dealer, says to them "how much did that guy offer you? Heck, that's way too low. I can give you $50 more than that right now!"

I saw this played out 2 times in the half hour I was standing near these guys waiting on a friend.

 

[Tamara]

I saw a new G-36 for $499 at a chain store and asked if he could beat it.

Hmmm... You sure that gun was new?

2. Selling the cheap Springfield TRP as a "TRP Operater" and charging Operator prices.

You'd think folks might notice the missing accessory rail... (However, I'm not sure I'd refer to the TRP, with its nearly $1,400 MSRP, as "cheap"... )

 

[Slabside]

Seeing an advertised "Customer Appreciation Sale" for the shop...special prices on "most items". Then getting there and finding the same prices as usual or even a little bit higher! More like bait and switch.

Caveat Emptor

 

[SquirrelNuts]

My mother used to work for a large chain in Chicago when she was in high school similar to K-mart. They would advertise a sale on their towels, mark them up 25 cents, and people would come in and buy them just because they said "sale."

Happens all over.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[Mike Irwin]

One I've seen a couple of times is dealers selling an S&W Model 12, a pretty common Airweight revolver, as a United States Air Force M13 Aircrewman.

Interesting thing is that these are clearly commercial guns. A couple I've seen have even had the steel cylinder.

All in all, worth $350 max.

But on these tables?

A misleading tag and price of $1,200 and up.

 

[Kaylee]

not a scam per se, but I once had a feller try to convince me to buy the synthetic handled woodsy knife he had in stock instead of the leather one I was looking for 'case "they stopped making those last year.." feh.


-K

 

[twoblink]

The store local to me use to advertise some rediculously low price for ammo, and when you walked in, they would be out, but they had more expensive ammo that was even better..

Of course, I caught them once, clearing out the ammo the night before the "sale"..

 

[Giant]

Many here, I'm sure have seen the "new never issued" M1 Garand at gun shows. Prices on these Garands can be five thousand dollars or more, they sport new stocks, new stock markings and new parkerizing. One can ask the seller if the Garand is really genuine new unissued, the reply usually goes something to the effect of; "sure does look like it could be one to me." Of course most know these Garands are rebuilt, with new stocks, but every now and then one will be sold to the unwary buyer who thinks he or she got the buy of the century -- What they really got was the scam of the century, one of many!

Giant

 

[winwun]

The seedy looking characters with a minimum of crappy pieces on their table and a large pickle jar or something there baited with a handful of crushed singles and a half pound of loose change and a sign to the effect of "Donate to the RKBA". Yeah, RIGHT ! ! !

 

[Sisco]

Saw a dealer at a gunshow taking blued single actions and coloring in the roll marks with a gold crayon.
"Gold inlay guns sell for more"

 

[buzz_knox]

Korean postban DR-200 equipped with an ACE folding stock and sold as preban.

Same guy was also selling an HK Tactical with LEO mags and was telling anyone who would ask "it's okay to own these as long as you are not a dealer." Yeah, right.

Then there was the guy who was selling postban M1As as preban at preban prices.

 

[Bonker]

Mostly I just see people selling worn out crap for almost new prices.

Last weekend a guy had the saddest looking old Python I've ever seen. It was soooo beat up and worn out! Price...1200 bucks! LOL


I have no problem with crap, as long as it's sold as crap. Last week I bought a very pretty sword for 15 bucks to display and the dealer was honest and told me not to hit anything with it because it's a hunk of crap.
He wasn't screwing anyone over and I would bet he made a lot more money than guys who are trying to scam people. The honest guys get a steady stream of customers all day while the scam artist makes maybe a sale per day.
Same profit for both but only one gets to keep his honor.


More words to live by:

"Honor is the only gift a man can give himself that no man can ever take away" - from the movie Rob Roy

 

[Tamara]

Korean postban DR-200 equipped with an ACE folding stock and sold as preban.

...and the fact that it's proudly been displayed on his table for three or four months running tells me he either has the luck of the Irish or is an ATF stool pigeon. Sucks, too, because he always has some tasty older 1911 customs in his cases. He gives me the creeping willies, though.

 

[buzz_knox]

I'm glad someone else thought he was a possible ATF plant.

 

[Ian]

I've seen an handful of pre/post ban hybrid ARs and FALs. The most blatant was a "preban Rock River Arms". Some were definitely sneaky dealers, some could have been individuals who simply didn't know they were breaking the law (or ATF stooges).

 

[Poodleshooter]

I saw a new G-36 for $499 at a chain store and asked if he could beat it.

I bought my Glock 30 for $489 new. Figure $10 increase for 2% inflation or so. They're cheap sans the Glock night sights. The dealer said that that was only $20 or so above his cost.

 

[TarpleyG]

I would imagine if the ATF were "baiting" buyers it would be considered entrapment or coercion. I seriously doubt they could get away with that.

GT

 

[Captain Scarlet]

dealers not including the extra magazine that came with the gun

I noticed some stores take the extra magazine that originally
came with the new gun and they sell it seperately at inflated
prices, My Chinese Tokarev was supposed to come with a spare
mag that is serial numbered to the pistol, but when I go to pick
it up it only comes with one magazine! they take it to gunshows
or sell it in the store seperately, even though you paid for it when
you buy the gun, it's like getting short changed!

 

[TechBrute]

It's not really a scam, but a local dealer has the worst prices I've even seen, and when you make the mistake of walking in the store, they rant non-stop about people on the internet cheating them and putting them out of business.

Glock 17 FS: $650.00
Used Glock 17 FS: $580.00
My favorite was the Pre-ban Colt SP1 that was beat to heck, probably 70% finish, that someone had stuck a cheap collapsable stock on (for the record, 20" barrels with collapsable stocks kind of defeat the purpose): $1900.00

 

[Redlg155]

I would imagine if the ATF were "baiting" buyers it would be considered entrapment or coercion. I seriously doubt they could get away with that.

Law Enforcement agencies use this tactic all the time for all manner of crimes. A good number of folks they catch are in "sting" operations.

Good Shooting
Red

 

[4v50 Gary]

reparkerized or reblued old parts being sold off as surplus or new.

 

[Tamara]

TarpleyG,

I would imagine if the ATF were "baiting" buyers it would be considered entrapment or coercion. I seriously doubt they could get away with that.

That's just what Randy Weaver said...

 

[MountainPeak]

Just last week a gun dealer in Santa Fe, NM had a Springfield XD with a crossed out tag of $549.00 on sale for $529.00. Don't get me wrong, I believe they can ask anything they want for a gun. I just thought acting like it was marked down when full MSRP is $489.00 is misleading. When I asked the guy, "isn't full MSRP $489.00" he glared at me and walked down to the other end of the counter without saying a word.