Gun Show Tips

[kflach]

Does anyone have any tips on buying CAS rifles at guns shows? What do you look at/check to determine if the gun is worth buying (besides just the model and price). Obviously, the rifle needs to be clean, but what else do you look at?

[Paladin UK]

Ho pard.

IMOHO........

First up..BORE........ iffn the bore is pitted steer clear.  However that said very slight pitting and I mean VERY slight pitting will not really effect the rifle at the distances we shoot!! and it could be a bargaining pole fer ya iffn ya really like that Smokepole.

Barrel Bulges..... No matter How much ya like a Smokepole a bulge no matter how slight is a.. No Thanks Move On jobbie.

I personally would not be put off by slight dings `n` scratches, most can be remedied and lets face it yer shootin it, and tools get scrapes!!

I`m sure other pards with chip in with loads more info/help

These are jest things I`d look for

Paladin (What hopes ya have a GREAT time at the show ) UK

[Forty Rod]

Check the action to see if the dang thing works as it's supposed to.

[Noz]

I have a 66 with a dog knot about 3 inches from the muzzle that I put there. Does not effect the accuracy at all, just unsightly.
I would hesitate to buy a rifle for cowboy shooting at a gun show. These rifles that are used are really, really used. Much more so than any other type of gun you might buy.  I would rather buy from a cowboy I know or from a dealer that would stand behind the gun.
If I were to buy I'd only buy a Marlin or a Uberti 66 or 73. Unless the barrel is shot, these guns are easily "smithed".  The other guns such as 92 lemons can really look good and be worthless.

[Short Knife Johnson]

I have learned to take into consideration what the piece needs vs. what one in good condition is going for.  Also learn what you can about the reputations of the vendors.  This last weekend I found a full-length '92 round barrel in .38 WCF for $525.  The tag said "Shoots Great."  The bore said otherwise.  I could have a liner put in, but that would take time and another $350.  I might as well get a replica of some sort for the hassle it would cause.  Then I realized it was the same dealer who screwed me on a '93 Marlin in .38-55 2 years ago with a "Good Bore" which is still waiting at the gunsmith for a liner.  I'm sure I could have got it for $400, but the little man on the shoulder made me walk away, or I'd have just bought it for the action.  I have enough project guns on the go, and that jackass was not getting my money.  I'm more likely to buy something that looks like it was drug from a truck with a nice interior than something looking like it was picked from its box, fired with black and never cleaned. 

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Number One -- The bore.

Number Two -- The barrel (from the outside).

Number Three -- The action.

Number Four -- Primarily for long guns, the furniture (from a functional, not an aesthetic, perspective)

Number Five -- The price.  Is it consistent with everything else?

[Cuts Crooked]

In addition to the above comments, I always take along some dummy rounds, the kind with the plastic "bullet", and ask the owner/dealer if I can cycle a few through the action in long guns. If the answer is no, I pass, if it hangs even the slightest, I pass, if it cycles good, I'll start in ta dickerin on the price............of course ya gotta have dummy rounds in any caliber yer willin ta play with!

[St. George]

Use a strong light.

I use a 'Surefire' tactical flashlight who's beam is 'very' bright to look at fit, finish and the bore.

Failing that - strong natural sunlight works well, too.

Don't buy 'fixer-uppers' unless 'you' can do the work and know what it's going to cost - there 'are' better guns out there that don't need tinkering.

Don't buy anything you might need to 'explain' later on - the value will drop.

By the time a C&WAS piece hits the show circuit - they can be pretty sad - that Italian steel isn't all 'that' hard and they're frequently loose.

My 'best' piece of advice - READ/RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING, and know what you're supposed to be looking at.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Pettifogger]

In addition to the above comments, I always take along some dummy rounds, the kind with the plastic "bullet", and ask the owner/dealer if I can cycle a few through the action in long guns. If the answer is no, I pass, if it hangs even the slightest, I pass, if it cycles good, I'll start in ta dickerin on the price............of course ya gotta have dummy rounds in any caliber yer willin ta play with!

I don't know of any gun show that is going to allow cycling anything that even vaguely looks like real ammo through any gun.  Just this weekend at a local Crossroads show, even with all of the security and inspections, some yo-yo managed to fire off a round and hit an innocent bystander.  Every gun show I have been to for the past five years requires all actions to be inspected and tied shut with a plastic zip tie.  The dealers will often cut the tie so the barrel or action can be inspected.  However, cycling dummy rounds is a quick way to be banned from the show.

[Cuts Crooked]

I don't know of any gun show that is going to allow cycling anything that even vaguely looks like real ammo through any gun.  Just this weekend at a local Crossroads show, even with all of the security and inspections, some yo-yo managed to fire off a round and hit an innocent bystander.  Every gun show I have been to for the past five years requires all actions to be inspected and tied shut with a plastic zip tie.  The dealers will often cut the tie so the barrel or action can be inspected.  However, cycling dummy rounds is a quick way to be banned from the show.

You must go to different gun shows than I do. And these old dummies I have could not be mistaken fer anything other than what they are, yellow plastic "bullets" and yellow plastic "primers". Don't recall the maker, but I got them through a Law Enforecment catalogue at work, and they were specifically designed for cycling through actions for training purposes. (funny, when a dealer finds out I'm Law Dawg, he/she tends to treat me better too. I never make an issue of it, but it comes up sumtimes in coversations with other "gun nuts")

So some idjit got a round off huh? Sounds like mebbe "security" ain't all that tight after all?

[Pettifogger]

So some idjit got a round off huh? Sounds like mebbe "security" ain't all that tight after all?

That's the sad fact and its only going to get worse.  Even some Republicans want to close the so-called gun show "loophole."  I see you are from the Midwest.  I am astonished that the big shows in your area allow cycling dummy ammo through guns.  All it will take is a few more ADs and most cities simply won't accept the liability in their facilities.

[Old Doc]

I was at a show about two years ago where there was an AD. It really gets everyone's attention, especially the off duty police. Fortunately, the round went into the ceiling. At another show about thirty years ago, before the era of plastic ties, a friend approached a table displaying several Mini-14's. He picked one up, opened the action and a live round flew out. The dealer almost had a heart attack.

[Cuts Crooked]

Gun show tip Number One: Wear bullet proof vest!!!!!!!!!!

Ya know, as America has become an increasingly urban society, the percentage of people who understand firearms and the basic common sense rules of gun handling is becoming larger too. It's sad in many ways, not just because of the changing attitude about firearms. But...we digress! Back to tips..............