Gun selling question

[jdm61]

My brother has a mint condition 1909 DWM Argentine 7.65 Mauser infantry model with matching numbers that was imported in still the cosmoline in the late 80's and has maybe had 20 factory Norma rounds fired out of it since it was imported. Where would be a good place to try to sell that without having to hand some gun shop 40% of whatever they get for it? He bought it with the idea of using the action as a basis for a customrigfel, but 25 years and 5 Winchester Model 70 classics later, that ain't gonna happen. Now that rare $200 surplus rifle is an even more rare $700-800 rifle as best as i can tell because a lot of the big pile of them that were imported have been modified, beat up or used as parts.

 

[ndmiller]

Based on where you live, Gunbroker FLL to FLL or FTF in your home state at a gunshop. May go gunbroker route ether way though to save hassle and just FLL-FLL it. I think it's a C&R which opens up who can buy (C&R FLL) and who you can ship it too, so may want to research that as well.

 

[TinyDog]

I agree with ndmiller, Gunbroker is online and easy enough to put an your add together. It also gets insane visibility. Good luck

 

[sam eib]

My brother has a mint condition 1909 DWM Argentine 7.65 Mauser infantry model with matching numbers that was imported in still the cosmoline in the late 80's and has maybe had 20 factory Norma rounds fired out of it since it was imported. Where would be a good place to try to sell that without having to hand some gun shop 40% of whatever they get for it? He bought it with the idea of using the action as a basis for a customrigfel, but 25 years and 5 Winchester Model 70 classics later, that ain't gonna happen. Now that rare $200 surplus rifle is an even more rare $700-800 rifle as best as i can tell because a lot of the big pile of them that were imported have been modified, beat up or used as parts.

Around here the gun dealers charge 10% to sell a gun. Put an add in your local newspaper, it's not illegal to sell a gun privately unless you know the buyer can't legally own a gun.

 

[jdm61]

Around here the gun dealers charge 10% to sell a gun. Put an add in your local newspaper, it's not illegal to sell a gun privately unless you know the buyer can't legally own a gun.

Sam, around here some may charge 10% to do the transfer for you, but not to sell it. He doesn't want to spend a lot of time messing with it, but a 40% consignment fee is pretty stiff. These rifles are a bit harder to sell than the typical surplus gun because they cost a lot more. That kind of makes the newspaper or gun show options a little less attractive.

 

[sam eib]

My dealer charges $15 for a transfer or 10% or $50 max to sell your gun.

 

[Jhansenak47]

gun show options a little less attractive.

I find gunshows are more miss than hit anymore. I knew a guy that had took a Japanese arisaka with chrysanthemum to a gunshow and had some guy try to pull a fast one on him by telling him it wasn't worth as much as one without it. Unscrupulous folks aside, I find that with rare collectors pieces your average Joe Schmow doesn't want to pay more and serious collectors usually are looking for deals or very specific items.
I would consider gunbroker or local online sites. Up here in Alaska I often peruse Alaska's List.
http://alaskaslist.com/1/posts/9_General/63_Guns_Hunting/
If you have something similar in your state I would recommend using it. They are usually free or fairly cheap. They do have the stupid jerks that want you to drive 90 miles to meet them, flakes that change their mind and don't tell you, or the guys with random trades. Overall they are alright.

 

[jdm61]

I find gunshows are more miss than hit anymore. I knew a guy that had took a Japanese arisaka with chrysanthemum to a gunshow and had some guy try to pull a fast one on him by telling him it wasn't worth as much as one without it. Unscrupulous folks aside, I find that with rare collectors pieces your average Joe Schmow doesn't want to pay more and serious collectors usually are looking for deals or very specific items.
I would consider gunbroker or local online sites. Up here in Alaska I often peruse Alaska's List.
http://alaskaslist.com/1/posts/9_General/63_Guns_Hunting/
If you have something similar in your state I would recommend using it. They are usually free or fairly cheap. They do have the stupid jerks that want you to drive 90 miles to meet them, flakes that change their mind and don't tell you, or the guys with random trades. Overall they are alright.

Fortunately, it is pretty common knowledge that even though a lot of the 09 Argies made their way over here up until the late 80's and early 90's, a super clean Berlin made one with matching numbers, the crest and no mods, armory or otherwise are actually getting kind of rare. Finding someone willng to pay for one is not all that easy.

 

[Jhansenak47]

Fortunately, it is pretty common knowledge that even though a lot of the 09 Argies made their way over here up until the late 80's and early 90's, a super clean Berlin made one with matching numbers, the crest and no mods, armory or otherwise are actually getting kind of rare. Finding someone willng to pay for one is not all that easy.

I used to be all about surplus rifles. Honestly, I would not even consider that caliber. For 700-800$ you are looking for an advanced collector. BTW I don't think in depth knowledge of Argentines is common amongst most casual gun collectors. I have certainly heard and seen them, but most collectors want WW2 guns or the current cheap surplus and don't know much about Argentines. I even had a sporterized 308 by Loewe in Berlin of the model before the 1909 and still don't know much about them.

 

[leghog]

You'll never see $700 for a M1909 Mauser in these parts unless it's a cavalry carbine in excellent condition. Might be able to get $400 for the infantry rifle. They just aren't as rare as you may think they are.. Not by a long shot.

 

[leghog]

Around here the gun dealers charge 10% to sell a gun. Put an add in your local newspaper, it's not illegal to sell a gun privately unless you know the buyer can't legally own a gun.

Depends on the jurisdiction. In many, privates sales (no FFL/no background check involved) are illegal. I saw no mention in which state the rifle is in or where the transfer would occur.

 

[jdm61]

You'll never see $700 for a M1909 Mauser in these parts unless it's a cavalry carbine in excellent condition. Might be able to get $400 for the infantry rifle. They just aren't as rare as you may think they are.. Not by a long shot.

From what I have seen, the cavalry carbines with the "ears" don't bring that much more. It is the engineer/"mountain" carbines, the ones that look like shorter Kar 98's, that seem to bring the BIG bucks. I saw one listed on Gunbroker for over $1700. I have also seen at least one minty unbarreled action listed for $300. I know that they are not rare as a bunch were "dumped" in the US 30 or so years ago, many stallion cosmoline. My brothers looks like but was just degreased. A gun dealer that he showed it to said that he had never seen one that clean.

 

[jdm61]

Depends on the jurisdiction. In many, privates sales (no FFL/no background check involved) are illegal. I saw no mention in which state the rifle is in or where the transfer would occur.

Florida, but where we are, most of the gun shows are dealer showcases and jerky markets.

 

[jdm61]

I used to be all about surplus rifles. Honestly, I would not even consider that caliber. For 700-800$ you are looking for an advanced collector. BTW I don't think in depth knowledge of Argentines is common amongst most casual gun collectors. I have certainly heard and seen them, but most collectors want WW2 guns or the current cheap surplus and don't know much about Argentines. I even had a sporterized 308 by Loewe in Berlin of the model before the 1909 and still don't know much about them.

The 1909 is considered by many to be the ultimate base G98 variant as it was supposedly built to sporting gun specs. I have no idea how many were used as the basis for true higher end custom guns, but i have seen quite a few over the last 25 years or so. I read a few years back that if you tried to reproduce the action today using the tools and techniques that they used in the Loewe factory in 1909-10, it might cost you as much as $4000.

 

[Jhansenak47]

The 1909 is considered by many to be the ultimate base G98 variant as it was supposedly built to sporting gun specs. I have no idea how many were used as the basis for true higher end custom guns, but i have seen quite a few over the last 25 years or so. I read a few years back that if you tried to reproduce the action today using the tools and techniques that they used in the Loewe factory in 1909-10, it might cost you as much as $4000.

I heard the Swiss K31 would cost 2500$. Nowadays we use cnc machines. Where the old guns really shine is taking the time to put all the parts together by hand. Manufacturers these days just assemble parts and only fit certain things.

 

[UffDa]

The 1909 is considered by many to be the ultimate base G98 variant as it was supposedly built to sporting gun specs. I have no idea how many were used as the basis for true higher end custom guns, but i have seen quite a few over the last 25 years or so. I read a few years back that if you tried to reproduce the action today using the tools and techniques that they used in the Loewe factory in 1909-10, it might cost you as much as $4000.

Keep in mind that the value of firearms go up and down. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I just checked gunbroker. I tried to by an almost mint Argentine 1909 in around 2000 for $600. It was 99.5% except for a deep ding on the left side of the butt stock. The seller backed out when I tried to hand him the $600 in cash.

BTW, I sent you PM with few suggestions.

 

[jdm61]

Keep in mind that the value of firearms go up and down. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I just checked gunbroker. I tried to by an almost mint Argentine 1909 in around 2000 for $600. It was 99.5% except for a deep ding on the left side of the butt stock. The seller backed out when I tried to hand him the $600 in cash.

BTW, I sent you PM with few suggestions.

My brother has already "placed" it with a localdealerthat is a customer.I know what you mean. I gave this one to him in like1999 so he could eventually use it as the basis for a custom gun,but he eventually discovered the reintroduced Pre 64 model 70's, so it stayed the same. It is in about the same condition as yours was but no bayonet. I bought it for like $225 when the brought that big batch in around 1988. No you are gong to reach through the screen and punch me, but a few months after that, I had the chance to buy a REAL engineer/mountain carbine for like $250, from that same straight out of the cosmoline batch, but i didn't have the cash because I had just bought one of the first Portuguese built "tactical" Hi Powers.

 

[u812]

What about a gun show. Sense FB killed about all the gun groups the gun shows are getting more crowded around here. Made a good trade deal for a Colt Defender Sunday.

 

[UffDa]

My brother has already "placed" it with a localdealerthat is a customer.I know what you mean. I gave this one to him in like1999 so he could eventually use it as the basis for a custom gun,but he eventually discovered the reintroduced Pre 64 model 70's, so it stayed the same. It is in about the same condition as yours was but no bayonet. I bought it for like $225 when the brought that big batch in around 1988. No you are gong to reach through the screen and punch me, but a few months after that, I had the chance to buy a REAL engineer/mountain carbine for like $250, from that same straight out of the cosmoline batch, but i didn't have the cash because I had just bought one of the first Portuguese built "tactical" Hi Powers.

Yeah, where's that time machine? I think it was in that time period that the Swedes sold off all their 96 Mausers. I went to a gun show in Ventura CA and there was a dealer with 3 tables full of dead mint Swedish M96 rifles. IIRC, he was asking $187.50. I didn't have $187.50.

Later, I bought a lot of nice milsurps at giveaway prices. I did pretty well when I eventually sold them, but some are not worth 10 times what I paid for them. The thing that people never though about was that a lot of these surplus rifles were made in fairly small numbers. Total production of all Swedish Mausers was only about 750,000.

 

[leghog]

Between 1995-1998, I bought a No 1 Mk III SMLE, Gewehr 1898, Remington M1891 Mosin Nagant, Eddystone M1917, Breda M1903/13, Swede M1896, and a Steyr M1895 for $100 or less each excepting the Swede. I paid $125 for the Swede. The SMLE I gave away. Later I was gifted another. Bought them from a dealer in Copperas Cove, TX and had them shipped to Hawaii. Back then those were good prices but nothing special. Fair to both the buyer and seller.

Gewehr M1898

Greek M1903/14

Steyr M1895

Swede M1896

US M1917

Remington M1891

No. 1 Mk III* SMLE