What's your best yard or garage sale find that's gun related?

[jmr40]

My wife and I enjoy going to yard and estate sales. We followed the hwy 127 yard sale earlier this month from Gadsden AL to Crossville TN.

127 Yard Sale - The World's Longest Yard Sale

Most everything gun related is way overpriced. The best I've done was a decent spotting scope and tripod for $35. Picked up a brand-new pair of camo pants and matching Browning shirt for $25. That's about it.

 

[Howland937]

8 or 9 years ago went to one of the "community yard sales" in a subdivision. Out of 300 houses there may have been 10 yard sales. At one, I spied a couple of shotguns leaning against the shelving behind the cashier folks. They looked out of place, so I asked if they were for sale. Yes they were. How much? $80. I hadn't even looked at them but asked if $60 would buy them. Man said "well..." Wife chimes in "yes!!"

So I hand her $120, she hands me back $60 and informs me it was $60 for both. An old Noble 16ga with poly choke and an H&R Topper 12ga.

Not feeling right about carrying shotguns through a subdivision in a town I wasn't from, I put them in the stroller and let the kid ride piggy back til we got to the car.

I also got my RC2, lube pad, trickler, RCBS 5-0-5 scale, RCBS powder measure, Lee hand primer, and about 10 sets of dies for $40. That one was more like 15 years ago.

My dad picked up a Pacific progressive (or turret...been awhile) shotshells press at the same sale for $30. About 2 hours later he turned it into a like new MKII Target that he still has.

 

[theotherwaldo]

A box of reloading components, a powder measure, a couple of die sets and such for $20.
I've had better luck at pawn shops and auctions.

 

[bangswitch]

I was at one of our landscaping customers' house a couple of years ago, her husband had passed a few months before and she was selling off all his gun stuff from her garage. He had a couple of pallets of .223 ammo, and craploads of reloading pieces and parts, several rifles and shotguns and a few handguns. I bought a couple of RCBS loading die sets that were unused, gave $15 each. Bought a couple of ammo boxes, and started looking through his guns. He had some really nice stuff, but the only thing I saw that really interested me was a 1970's manufacture Browning A5 Light 12, and a early 1970's S&W M29-2, 6-1/2" barrel, nickel plated. She wanted $500 for the Browning, and it looked brand new, not a mark on it. The revolver was just as nice. While I was looking at the revolver, she mentioned it was the only gun not for sale. My luck, I wanted it in the worst way. She mentioned that her husband bought it the week they got married and it had too much sentimental value. I offered her $1500 for it, a reasonable price (no box or accessories), but she wouldn't budge. So, I took the shotgun, and turned it a couple of weeks later for double what I paid. I still think about that M29, the one that got away.

 

[Old Dog]

I scored several boxes of the old green and yellow boxed Remington Core-Lokt .30-06 (150 and 180 grain) at a local yard sale a couple years back for $10 a box. Even pre-pandemic, I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. This was the only time I felt like I really made out at a yard sale for anything.

We did a garage sale before we moved from our last house to our current house (that we had built); I had my wife advertise in the paper that there'd be some "man-stuff" available and I sold several holsters and magazine pouches (mostly all for Glock 19s/22s and a few for 1911s) that I no longer needed or for guns I no longer owned, so the wife got a couple hundred bucks out of it for all that stuff and was very happy (she had no clue how much I'd originally paid for the gear, of course).

 

[FL-NC]

I have gotten very lucky on ammunition deals several times by people who just wanted it gone. I have also bought things like ladder tree stands for $20-$30. In cases like this, my best guess is that a person's stuff who was no longer living was being disposed of by NOK.

 

[rdnktrkr]

I was at an estate auction and gave a $20 starting bid on a banana box of 20rnd AR mags some still in paper and plastic wrap everyone thought I over bid, the box of 30s went for a couple hundred, then I showed them all the Colt mags that were bringing about 15- $20. I picked up a table deal with bags of lead shot, hulls, wads and 2 1/2 k of 209 primers for $50, same sale 4 50cal ammo cans full of lead for $20, a dual wheeled wheel barrow and filled it up with raw lead sheets and buckets of WW for $25.
Recently I've found good prices are harder and harder to find, I've noticed that there are people going by a day early and buying a lot of stuff to resale on eBay or Marketplace.

 

[Speedo66]

Not a garage sale, but a spur of the moment type deal, I've related it here before. Walked into a pizza store I frequently visited, the owner knew I was in LE. Says his uncle is moving to FL, wants to get rid of some guns before he leaves. I'm good I say, then my curiosity gets the better of me.

Okay, whataya' got? Takes me down to a dimly lighted basement under the store, three guns leaning up against a wall. A lever action, a single shotgun, and a scoped bolt action.

What does he want for them? $100 each, $150 for the scoped gun. Was really dark, I couldn't see crap down there, but figured any lever action is worth a hundred. I could barely make out Winchester on the shotgun, that's got to be worth a C note, the bolt action looked like a poorly sporterized K98 with a cheap scope, no interest. Okay, I'll take those two, bring you the money tomorrow. He wraps the two up in old carpeting to take to my car.

Drive home, curiosity is killing me, very anxious to see what I got. Shot gun is a .410 Winchester model 37 with red paint in the bottom logo, look it up, seems it's a collectable. Nicely made with a steel receiver rather than pot metal like cheap singles. The lever action turns out to be an original '73 in .38-40.

Sold the shotgun and got my money back within a day or two to a brother officer for his kid. Kept the '73 for probably 15 years, decent shooter, sold it recently for $1500.

Ya' never know....

 

[jak67429]

My friends wife who hits every yard sale within 50 miles calls me one day and says their neighbor is setting up a sale and has lots of fishing stuff, if I come over right now I will get fist chance. So I go there and older lady is getting rid of her recently deceased husband. I spoted a m8 bayonet on the table picked it up and asked how much, $5. Ok I ll take it. Then she says I have something else I think its a toy but look real. She hands me a berretta 380 with the tip up barrel. I check and its fully loaded! So I ask how much she says $20. I ended up with the berretta a old savage pump shotgun and some fishing stuff. FYI all the guns were loaded.

 

[N555]

I got a bunch of powder right before the plandemic kicked off from a yard sale, all stuff I already was using. It was enough h322, hp38 and h110 to see me through to today.

 

[tark]

Do flea markets count? In 1986 I had just grabbed one of my holy grail guns, a Ross M-10 Sporter in .280 Ross. I tried in vain for months to find some dies so I could reload for it. I found them sitting on a table at the San Jose flea market. A beautiful RCBS two die set, for $5.

 

[12Bravo20]

I haven't found any great deals in quite some time. But I don't go to garage sales much anymore either. I did score an old Mossberg bolt action 20 gauge shotgun as a teenager for $20. It was a goose gun with a 30 or 32 inch barrel and came with all of the chokes. They guy said to go get my dad and then he would sell it to me. I couldn't pedal fast enough down the street. The only down side is that old shotgun kicked like a mule.

I ended up selling it to my uncle for $85 and used the money towards a brand new 410 Mossberg 500, Which was $150 brand new at the time. It didn't take long mowing yards to come up with the other $65 for the Mossberg 500. I still have the 500 and it has had a lot of shells fired through it over the years.

 

[jmr40]

I didn't buy anything, but I'll post this as my best yard sale "find". On the 127 yard sale I referenced earlier we stopped at a house, I won't say where. The homeowner had all their stuff in, or around a large workshop. The inside of the shop was full of guns and ammo. Not your typical yard sale stuff, but Colt Pythons and many, many high-end classic firearms. The walls were covered with dozens of mounts. This guy had money and liked to hunt.

I started talking guns with the owner and after about 15 minutes he said, "come here I want to show you something". He had a false wall in one end of his shop. He opened the hidden door and we walked into another room. It was like a museum. It was full of military memorabilia and firearms from the Civil War to present. There must have been 50 Civil war era rifles in a rack. There were dozens of Garands and M1 Carbines in crates. It was full of various flags, knives, photos, swords, saddles, helmets, medals, anything you can think of. Much of it had belonged to his family. He had framed photos of his dad, uncles and grandparents in their military uniforms going back to WW-1.

I looked at my wife and commented, "and you thought I had a lot of guns." He said, "Oh, this isn't the gun room." We spent 2 full days hitting yard sales over a couple hundred miles, but the 30 minutes there was the highlight of the trip.

 

[Artg56]

Went to a few yard sales but never seen any gun related items for sale. Closest thing was when I was called to a home business by a woman who’s husband had passed away and she wanted my company to take over some projects that he had started. After we talked about the jobs she asked me if I was a shooter, she explained that she was preparing for a yard sale and had found a crate of ammo that she wanted out of her house. The crate had 18 bricks of .22lr which at the time was about $150.00 value. She insisted that I would be doing her a favor and refused any money but she wanted the wooden crate. As we unloaded the box, in the bottom was a Walther PP .22 non-functional, which I never repaired but did take a small credit for at lgs.

 

[Howland937]

On the 127 yard sale I referenced earlier

If I'd known you were going I'd have asked you to look for my trolling motor, but you didn't make it into Ky I guess. Years ago I was down that way when the 127 yard sales were going on. Stopped at one in a field that was more or less set up like a flea market. Bought 2 10 hp Evinrude outboards and a 12/24 Evinrude trolling motor. $50 for all of it. Carried an outboard in each hand all the way back to the truck, then left without going back and getting my trolling motor. Oops.

I bought an old Ruger P97 off a guy down there too. $175 IIRC. Back in about 2002.

 

[lightman]

A few years ago I found a Pachmayr pistol dos like Bullseye shooters used to use for $5. Have found various rolls and partial rolls of solder over the years.

 

[Terry G]

Years ago my DIL called me up and said She was at a garage sale and they had "An old gun". there. I asked rifle, pistol, shotgun? She said it was an old pistol. What the heck? I drove the 35 miles and thought I would take her and the Grandkids to lunch so it wasn't a wasted trop. Lo and behold, a .38 Webley "War Finish" on I would say, Very Good condition. $165.00 bought it and I didn't even try to beat the seller down. Mossberg 53(a) same deal but this time a Friend called. $20.00 nailed it.

 

[kennedy]

$70 mossberg 500 12 ga at a yard sale, refinished the stock, put a 18 inch barrel on it and it sits behind the front door loaded with buckshot

 

[Seedy Character]

Son was on his bicycle, headed to the city pool; sees a garage sale and comes back to tell me.

I go and look. The older gentleman is selling an OLD Pacific 155 16ga loader. I look it over and the guy says, "it is a 16ga, not many use that gauge anymore, $10, if you want it." I grab it. He has 40 5 round boxes of 20ga 3" buckshot and slugs. $1 a box. Give him the $50 and turn to leave. He says, "this goes with the reloader." Pulls out a box of 1000 AA hulls, 2k primers, 2 bags of wads.


Seen a sale, looked like there was some powders, so I stopped. He has 4-5 canisters of Trail Boss. I picked one up and he tells me his Dad had passed, it was his stuff, thought it was for Dad's Cowboy loads. His interest was long range rifle and he kept the powders he could use. I talk some with him and found out I had shot some with his Dad. Said I would take the powder. He asked how much I wanted? He had 22 canisters. Gave him $160 for all. Started to leave and he says, "you may as well take this, too. Dad would like it." He gives me an unopened pound of Bullseye and 4# jug of 700X.

 

[lewwallace]

Years ago my DIL called me up and said She was at a garage sale and they had "An old gun". there. I asked rifle, pistol, shotgun? She said it was an old pistol. What the heck? I drove the 35 miles and thought I would take her and the Grandkids to lunch so it wasn't a wasted trop. Lo and behold, a .38 Webley "War Finish" on I would say, Very Good condition. $165.00 bought it and I didn't even try to beat the seller down. Mossberg 53(a) same deal but this time a Friend called. $20.00 nailed it.View attachment 1098058 View attachment 1098060

These have now gone thru the roof....I've seen asking prices as high as $800 and have seen buyers paying as much as $600
I recall 0eople laughing at me when I gave$150 for some of mine!!!

 

[armedwalleye]

Bought a 3 barreled Rossi set, single shot .22, 30 ga and .243 at a garage sale for $100, the rifle barrels were still wrapped in plastic.
Bought a takedown browning .22 semiauto rifle used, but in the box with the paperwork for $150.
Bought a Glenfield pump for $40 years ago, guy in a bar said he needed to get drunk. He had done s nice job leaving the pressed checkering dark while stripping the receiver to blond.I was the bouncer.
Bought a blued 6” Colt Trooper III in immaculate shape from a guy I used to work with for $200, and a 6” black/blue Dan Wesson for $150 when he got laid off. Both .357s.