Gun show finds

[msgt/ret]

Been wanting a lever gun since I didn’t have one could not decide on a Marlin or Winchester but two weeks ago at the Fayetteville gun show I found a Marlin 336 for $200, that just sounded too good to pass up so now it is mine. Then last weekend at the Greenville show found a Kimber Custom for $650 sounded like a good deal so I picked it up also. Took the Kimber to the range for a test drive today, ran 50 rounds of Blazer brass 230 FMJ through it with no problems, I think it may be a keeper.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[peckman28]

Those are both very nice looking. Looks like that Kimber is working quite well too. Congratulations on the great finds!

[Hiram25]

Pretty. Enjoy!

[OldVet]

I stopped going to gunshows in 2008 when the "He's gonna ban all guns!" panic started. Couldn't stand the greedy dealers and buyers willing to pay any price to "get them while you can." Perhaps the time has come to revisit that once-enjoyable venue.

That 336 is a real prize of a lever action. enjoy!

[GM]

Congrats and enjoy!

[Brady]

Congrats, good gun show finds are rare these days but great when you find them.

This was this past April, I think. EDIT: correction - it was February.

After 3 malfunctions and a trip to the factory repair shop, I decided it was time to find Mr. Taurus 85UL a new home.

So the next gun show I packed it up and headed out. Several folks were interested, both dealers and individuals, but they wanted to give me about 1/2 of what I had in it . I had started thinking about placing an add in a local "niche" paper.

I have a thing for Dan Wesson firearms. Can't really afford their 1911's but I already had one of their old revolvers and love it. I spotted another at the show which is a bit unusual because you just don't see them very often. I stopped to talk with the dealer and was checking it out. Not really what I went to look for, but...

It is a blued .357 Magnum and included 2 barrels (2" & 6"), 3 grips, a barrel tool, shim and the original Dan Wesson naugahyde soft pack which had absolutely no holes or tears (very unusual for a 25+ year old pack)! I knew I was taking it home but we haggled over the price. He had it marked for $400 which was already a pretty good price for the whole package. We were down to: me-$350, him-$360 when he spotted the Taurus box in my hand and said "what'ya got there?".

So the Taurus and Dan Wesson each got new homes for an even swap, and I was a very happy camper that day!

[msgt/ret]

It is a blued .357 Magnum and included 2 barrels (2" & 6"), 3 grips, a barrel tool, shim and the original Dan Wesson naugahyde soft pack which had absolutely no holes or tears (very unusual for a 25+ year old pack)! I knew I was taking it home but we haggled over the price. He had it marked for $400 which was already a pretty good price for the whole package. We were down to: me-$350, him-$360 when he spotted the Taurus box in my hand and said "what'ya got there?".

So the Taurus and Dan Wesson each got new homes for an even swap, and I was a very happy camper that day!

Great deal had a Dan Wesson a long time ago and still regret having to sell it (mortgage) would grab another of their pistol-pacs in a heartbeat if I find one at a reasonable price. I would say you got the best end of the deal.

[gasmitty]

The gun shows out here in the Phoenix area are huge, and the first couple I went to gave me headaches from sensory overload - just far too much to take in in one session! Plus, lots of over-priced junk, both new and used. I learned to go with certain specifics in mind, and with the attitude that I wouldn't be disappointed if I came home empty-handed. Once I started doing that, the "serendipitous" finds started cropping up. Similar to msgt, I tripped over an almost-new 336 2 years ago that could not have had more than a dozen rounds through it. There weren't even any scuff marks on the loading gate! My deal wasn't quite as good, but well under $300 for a near-new 336 put a smile on my face.

Other good finds have been a S+W M64 police turn-in, also barely used (desk gun?) for $250, and a vintage Single-Six with a chip in one of the stocks for under $200. The latter shot high no matter how low I cranked the rear sight, but $14 worth of Ruger sight parts fixed it handily.

The real fun is tripping over stuff that you just wouldn't expect to find. It dang near killed me to pass it up, but a private seller ("estate sale" table) had a signed Austin Behlert chopped Browning Hi-Power for less than the cost of a new HP. It was almost worth taking out a bank loan due to the scarcity of the gun, and the seller had no idea what he had... but, budgets are budgets and I just didn't have that kind of cash available. You can't count on finds like that, but it sure is fun when you do.

[BugDude]

Anymore, the shows in my area are over-crowded and over-priced. Not worth the hassle anymore. You got a great piece and a great trade. Let us know what you think after a little range time.

[partsscout]

That 336 would get at least $300-350 in MN now. (before deer hunting) Good find!

Great Job!