Why I like Pawn Shops!

[Cosmoline]

Found an M-28 Mosin with Finnish Guard markings, the genuine Rifle of White Death. Blue is worn in places with a few small spots of rust, but the bore is good other than some minor pitting in the grooves.

Price? $95, marked as "Russian Mosin-Nagant"

It's getting hard to find these beauties. I may keep it. The barrel is just awesome looking and quite heavy--twice as heavy as a 91-30's. I'm going to see how it shoots tomorrow.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

I have made some great purchases at pawn shops, and so has my best friend. The pawn shops often have no idea what they have. I frequent one and they ask me about what they have all the time.

-SquirrelNuts

 

[cratz2]

Sounds like a great find. I've recently become friends with a guy that works in a pawnshop. The deals he tells me about sound too incredible to be true until he shows them to me in person.

Parkerized old rollmark Colt 1991A1 in about 90% condition with three factory magazines for $210. You can sell the mags for $20 each on eBay so you're left with a Colt 1911 for $150 even if it isn't a 'choice model'.

S&W Model 10-2 heavy barrel with beautiful blue except for some cylinder wear, might call it excessive cylinder wear, but other than that, I'd call it 98%. $60.

I have him on the lookout for a laundry list of items.

Congrats. Be sure to let us know how she shoots.

 

[yankytrash]

Next weekend I'm pickin up a pair of real H&R single shot shotguns, not NEF, for $45 a piece at my local pawn.

 

[SquirrelNuts]

yankytrash,

I'll be happy to take the other one...I mean...can you really shoot two at the same time?

-SquirrelNuts

 

[yankytrash]

Hmmmmm, never thought about it, but...

Yes, umhm, I think I can. I think I can shoot two at the same time.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Dang. Pawn Shops in the DC Metro area seem to all have the same policy...

Handgun? $500 for a small one, $750 for a medium one, $1,000 for a large one.

Rifle? $700

Shotgun? $500

And that's for the TRASH.

If it's a "name gun?

Add a 1 in front of all of those numbers.

DC Metro. Where else can you walk into a pawn shop and find a AMT Backup in .380 for $650?

 

[yankytrash]

Unrelated to the original post....

Dunno if Gilbert's is considered "metro DC", but I seen one in there for $125 late last year. Seemed like a decent price for a gun store.

 

[Redlg155]

I haven't had one bit of luck in Pawn Shops. Perhaps I'm visiting the wrong ones. Oh well...maybe I'll get lucky someday.

Good Shooting
Red

 

[Steelharp]

There's a local pawn shop here in town that has a Sistema... a Sistema, mind you... for $650... what a maroon...

Mikey D...

 

[4Truck]

Amen to that Mike, they are all insane, I have stopped going to them all together

 

[telewinz]

Best deal I ever got was at a pawn shop. They had an unfired gold inlaid, Colt series 80 .45 ACP for $600 ("America Remembers"). Did research on the WEB and found they were still for sale by the distributor for $1800 Its the same outfit that advertises commemorative editions in the American Rifleman and Guns and ammo. Being still for sale, I had no problem documenting (downloading)what it was and its value. (It's still unfired).

BTW Just checked their web site and they still have some left at 1995.00, its a "limited edition" selling like hot cakes!

 

[Dan Morris]

Luck of the Irish, in Denver metro area, you just don't find sleepers! At least, I havent.
Dan

 

[jsalcedo]

There are some deals at pawnshops

I got a 1950's remington 870 wingmaster 28 inch barrel with a
dial a choke and nice furniture for $69 and I bought a pre 64
Winchester 94 30-30 for $90

The trick is you have to go to a poorer side of town but not skid row where they sell jennings and highpoints

 

[CB900F]

Fellas;
We have a lot of mililtary in town. The pawnshops here are just nuts. In many cases, the pawn price is higher than new retail. For instance, I found a Stainless Browning LH A-bolt in .338 Win magnum with a Leupold VXII 3-9 40mm. It had a bad mark/scratch in the barrel from about 1/2 inch back of the muzzle going back another 1.5 to 2 inches. It was only $1200.00!

You know, I do believe I coulda bought all new & but a better Luepold on it & a good sling for less money. Without having to shop too hard. After seeing nonsense like that a coupla times, there's no reason to waste my time going back. 900F

 

[dude]

I always scope the local pawn shops (bottom-feeders) for Dan Wesson revolvers..............usually way under priced and I seem to score a real good one about once a year

 

[Mike Irwin]

I gave up on the pawn shop up the street when they had a Colt New Service in .357 Magnum.

Uncommon gun, that's true.

But it looked like it had been dragged behind a truck, and then put away wet.

The guy behind the counter was trying to blow smoke up my butt, telling me how rare they were (uncommon, not rare), and how they're never found in conditions anywhere NEAR as nice as this one (he was right about that, I know people who own two, and both were a LOT nicer).

What a deal, what a deal, for the pawn shop, at only $995...

 

[Cosmoline]

Check the sleeply corners

I've been cruising the pawn shops in the Anchorage area, and I've noticed a trend. The pawn shops in the city do tend to have poorer selection and higher prices. I've found several remarkable rifles out in the hinterland pawn shops. The owners out there are far more prone to conclude the Persian Mauser or Mannlicher-Schoenauer is "some old rifle" and toss it in the bargain bin for a possible sporter project.

The down side is, many of these gems *HAVE* been used as sporter projects by locals. I found said Mannlicher-Schoenauer, an incredibly rare one from the Greek Navy, with a hacked stock and messed-up barrel. The SN on it is like "93" or something. Two fricking digits! Had it been kept in original condition, I could have easily gotten over $600 for it. It's hard to tell, since Greek Navy M-S's are so rare they're almost never put up for auction.

But I digress. I got there in time to save White Death, at least.

 

[dude]

NEVER (ever) actually listen to the bottom-feeder morons behind the counter unless your watch is BS proof..........just eye the gear and go back in on the last day of the month. Depending on his sales for the last 30 days, you just might get a good deal!! (basically use the same tactics he does)

 

[telewinz]

I was taken on a tour of my local pawn shops basement once. Their on a wall full of shelves laid all manner of rifles stacked on top of each other like firewood. The high markup he was able to get on his rifles didn't make it worthwhile for him to worry about proper storage. He felt the public would buy anything and I guess he was right. Many, many like new Remingtons and others(about100) treated and stacked like firewood waiting for their 90 days to expire so he could take them upstairs for sale. Just imagine an 1870's type basement, damp and dirty. He just didn't care, I could have cried.

 

[Bainx]

Last time I was at the pawn shop nearest me, they had one of those $39 Glock sheath knives for $90!

When I told the pawn jockey that it sold for $39 new, he just grinned.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

I don't find any drop the money now type deals here at pawn shops. Some ok deals if it was something I was looking for. And lots of pretty high priced deals. And there are so many places to check too! Aghh!

 

[foghornl]

Checked a couple of pawn shops near me, their prices seem to run from "NIB, Manufacturer's Suggested Retail, +15%" all the way up to Extortionist, for used worn out crap that wouldn't even make a decent throwing weapon...may fall apart in flight..

Example: original brand Raven Arms .25ACP [not the later Phoenix/Raven] that rattled like a bucket of marbles...$125

4" Mdl 10 Smith, that looked like it had no rifling left...$350

4-5/8" Ruger Blackhawk .357 that I thought had a bent barrel and cracked grips $325

Rock-ola M-1 Carbine..heavily dented stock, metal parts quite pitted and actively rusted $1450. Didn't even bother to look at the US Rifle Cal 30 M-1 [AKA The Garand]..could see the tag for $2,000.

For you old-time electrical/electronic folks..[like me] Simpson 260-1 multimeter $175 complete with well-worn leads and cracked case.

 

[mjustice]

I was thinking about heading to metro Philly to check out the pawnshop scene... since New York does not have one (it's against the law the pawn guns here ) Based on what I am reading in this thread, it might not be worth the trip. Can anyone in PA confirm this (or steer me in the right direction of a few good shops?)

 

[beckrodgers]

I love pawn shops too, but around the Memphis area we cant Deal on any thing,most seem unwilling to barter even when they know the customer is rite,just about stopped going to much like a Gun Show,example. A shmit rubin strait pull 6.5 I think 289 dollars plus background fee plus tax.or a mak 90 w/a 40 rd mag 599 dollars,I still like going to shops when we venture out of town. Cept those outlaws down in clevland,mississippi they are really bad. Would love to bargain somewhere soon,Back in 95 I saw a full size colt pre ban ar15 w/1 mag 3200 dollars,I have a few pawn shop stories in the log book. Thanks