Best deal you ever got on a used handgun
- Thread starter Elliottsdad
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223 shooter
New member
Picked up a like new in box Ruger LCP II 380 last July at a Gander Outdoors for $129.99 , the least expensive handgun I ever bought.
Early 1972 a nearly new looking Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum was in dealers case , marked used $125.00 . Dealer said a fellow bought it a few months ago , saw the movie Dirty Harry and brought the 357 magnum BH back and traded it in on a new 44 magnum S&W .
The dealer had already sold it a once so couldn't sell it again as a new firearm , hence it was listed as used and marked down. He asked if I was interested...since Dirty Harry came out nobody wanted a single action in 357 magnum...44 mag. S&W were selling like hot cakes . I only had $70.00 in my jeans and the dealer said he would take it.
So I got a nearly new three screw Ruger Blackhawk with box and papers for $70.00 , all thanks to Clint Eastwood , the movie Dirty Harry and his "this is most powerful handgun on earth and will blow your head clean off" line .
It was made in 1971 , in 1973 Ruger changed to the New Model Blackhawk, so I have one of the last of the old models...and I still have it and shoot it ...no regrets.
It was my first handgun , I had just turned 21 and had cased a paycheck so had a few dollars that day !
Gary
The dealer had already sold it a once so couldn't sell it again as a new firearm , hence it was listed as used and marked down. He asked if I was interested...since Dirty Harry came out nobody wanted a single action in 357 magnum...44 mag. S&W were selling like hot cakes . I only had $70.00 in my jeans and the dealer said he would take it.
So I got a nearly new three screw Ruger Blackhawk with box and papers for $70.00 , all thanks to Clint Eastwood , the movie Dirty Harry and his "this is most powerful handgun on earth and will blow your head clean off" line .
It was made in 1971 , in 1973 Ruger changed to the New Model Blackhawk, so I have one of the last of the old models...and I still have it and shoot it ...no regrets.
It was my first handgun , I had just turned 21 and had cased a paycheck so had a few dollars that day !
Gary
It's been a while, but I went to a gun show intending to sell a double action revolver and looking for a Ruger Blackhawk in .357. Sold my da and had given up on a Blackhawk that fit my budget. As I was leaving, an older man, dressed like he had just come in from the farm, walked in with a Blackhawk in his hand. I asked him about it. It was worn a bit but the real issue was that the rear sight was gone. There was a groove in the flat part where the adjustable sight should have been. The front sight looked very short and it was obvious it had been filed down. Everything else about the gun seemed OK - barrel and lockup were fine. He wanted $150 for the gun. I figured I could get the sight replaced and maybe have a shooter. It was clear he needed to get rid of the gun, as in needed the money, so I didn't haggle. I took the gun straight to the range and that groove was lined up perfectly. It was a straight shooter even without the proper sights. I never did replace the sights. One of my favorite guns.
shamelessinct
New member
A friend from church called me to tell me her father had passed away, and left the widow a pistol in a shoe box. She wanted to get rid of it and asked if I wanted to look at it. Turns out it's a 1966 vintage Police Positive Special and the shoe box was the original Colt box. This is the proverbial bought and put in a drawer and never been fired gun. In fact I don't think it was ever loaded. I told her I couldn't pay her what it was worth; she congratulated me for not trying to cheat the widow and said $300 would buy it. No more, no less, no arguing. Suffice it to say it's now mine.
I had a table at a local gunshow. One of the weapons that I was trying to sell was an "excelent ++ Model 19, 4 inch.
A guy came in with a model 27 six inch to trade. It had a tiny bit of muzzle and cylinder wear on the blueing from holster carry, but was otherwise perfect.
I told him that I was short of cash, and couldn't give him a fair price for the 27. He said that he would trade straight across. I told him I'd love to have that 27, but I would be really screwing him on the deal. He really wanted the Model 19, and had no problem with the deal. We traded.
Probably the best deal I ever made on a weapon.
A guy came in with a model 27 six inch to trade. It had a tiny bit of muzzle and cylinder wear on the blueing from holster carry, but was otherwise perfect.
I told him that I was short of cash, and couldn't give him a fair price for the 27. He said that he would trade straight across. I told him I'd love to have that 27, but I would be really screwing him on the deal. He really wanted the Model 19, and had no problem with the deal. We traded.
Probably the best deal I ever made on a weapon.
Never bought a used gun.(not that I wouldn't)
Closest I've ever come was buying a New, old stock stainless Ruger MKIII 22-45 target model at a gun show last year. I paid $300 for it. At the time, I was planning to purchase a Browning buckmark that would have cost me that much+. The only regret I have was trying to modify the Ruger to eliminate some of the "nanny" features.
I know this wasn't any kind of remarkable deal, but I'm sure I didn't over pay for what I got. I've since bought 2 more mags, a loader, and a 2MOA red dot and I love this pistol for it's amazing accuracy.
Closest I've ever come was buying a New, old stock stainless Ruger MKIII 22-45 target model at a gun show last year. I paid $300 for it. At the time, I was planning to purchase a Browning buckmark that would have cost me that much+. The only regret I have was trying to modify the Ruger to eliminate some of the "nanny" features.
I know this wasn't any kind of remarkable deal, but I'm sure I didn't over pay for what I got. I've since bought 2 more mags, a loader, and a 2MOA red dot and I love this pistol for it's amazing accuracy.
25 dollars for a mint S&W model 19 4 inch barreled 357 Mag back in 1975 from a newspaper ad in Honolulu, Hawaii including full boxes of ammo.
Two weeks earlier, the USN ship I was stationed on there had a better deal. Ship's store manager told me he had a brand new rifle someone ordered but was transferred before it arrived. I could have it for $50.00. We went below decks to the armory where it was kept. He handed me a Winchester Model 70 match grade in 308 Winchester. Best 50 bucks I've ever spent.
Two weeks earlier, the USN ship I was stationed on there had a better deal. Ship's store manager told me he had a brand new rifle someone ordered but was transferred before it arrived. I could have it for $50.00. We went below decks to the armory where it was kept. He handed me a Winchester Model 70 match grade in 308 Winchester. Best 50 bucks I've ever spent.
44caliberkid
New member
I have two friends who know I like guns, one is a car mechanic and the other is a lawyer. When the chips are down and people need money, or need to pay an important bill to keep life going, the guns go first. A lot of people offer them guns as payment. They don't care what the real value of the piece is, just want their cash and call me.
I get a lot of guns off people I’m working for. Mostly used but nice run of the mill shotguns and rifles. Once in a while get WW2 bring homes. Last really good deal I got was a nice Luger for $100 off the bill. I saw it in attic when I had to move junk to put in attic vent fan.
Ask about it and took the deal.
Ask about it and took the deal.
In the late 1980's I bought a NiB Russian "commercial" Makarov in 380acp for $89. I still have it and it still shoots great. I don't recall it ever malfunctioning. That may have only been a modestly good deal back in those days, but it was a good long-term investment for all of the use I've gotten out of it.
More recently, maybe two years ago, a place on Gunbroker was selling Beretta Model 96's (40 caliber) that were probably LE trade-ins. That company would get a batch of something in stock and sell them off a couple per week, nicest ones first. Towards the end of the Beretta 96 run they had a "Frankenstein gun". It was a US DAO slide on a regular Italian frame. No one was very interested in bidding on it. I won it for a bid of around $150, I think it was $147. It shoots just as nicely as any of my other Berettas, and the finish on both parts is pretty good. It doesn't have a safety, but I don't like them anyway. It didn't look like either the slide or frame had been used much.
I've gotten some good deals on used handguns, but the Beretta was probably the best.
More recently, maybe two years ago, a place on Gunbroker was selling Beretta Model 96's (40 caliber) that were probably LE trade-ins. That company would get a batch of something in stock and sell them off a couple per week, nicest ones first. Towards the end of the Beretta 96 run they had a "Frankenstein gun". It was a US DAO slide on a regular Italian frame. No one was very interested in bidding on it. I won it for a bid of around $150, I think it was $147. It shoots just as nicely as any of my other Berettas, and the finish on both parts is pretty good. It doesn't have a safety, but I don't like them anyway. It didn't look like either the slide or frame had been used much.
I've gotten some good deals on used handguns, but the Beretta was probably the best.
I have three that come to my mind
1956 Sig P210-2 army, $ 520 in 1995 from a colleague retiring from the army as a quartermaster. He was going to hand it back to the arsenal (in Switzerland retiring soldiers have the option to keep their service weapon)
1952 FN GP 35, $ 360 in 2014, opening bid at an auction
1943 S&W Victory $ 120 in 2015, opening bid at an auction
1956 Sig P210-2 army, $ 520 in 1995 from a colleague retiring from the army as a quartermaster. He was going to hand it back to the arsenal (in Switzerland retiring soldiers have the option to keep their service weapon)
1952 FN GP 35, $ 360 in 2014, opening bid at an auction
1943 S&W Victory $ 120 in 2015, opening bid at an auction
That's easy for me. Others may have found better deals but the best for me was a pristine East German Makarov for $132.00 total including shipping...From SOG Surplus I think around 15 or more years ago.
Around the same time AIM Surplus was having a close-out sale on EG Maks for $99 !
Around the same time AIM Surplus was having a close-out sale on EG Maks for $99 !
Bought a Remington model 95 double derringer. Had no clue what I was buying and thought it might have been refinished. Started studying on the thing and noticed my gun was a little different than the ones I was seeing in pictures. Turned out to be one of the “monoblocs” of which only ~500 were made. Also turned out to be the last year of production AND has not been refinished and FINALLY, the only one known to exist in it’s configuration in the world. I will not reveal what I paid for it but I can assure you I did just fine.
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larryf1952
New member
The best "deal" that I ever got on a used handgun...actually on 2 handguns...was this 1978 Python and a 629-1 S&W.
A coworker's wife was a lawyer's secretary. The lawyer was handling the estate of a gentleman that had passed away. The gentleman had a nice collection of handguns and rifles that the lawyer wished to sell prior to the estate auction, so my friend's wife told us about it. Myself, my friend and his son agreed to meet with the lawyer one evening after work.
There were some great guns in the collection. I bought the Python and the 629-1 for $650. The Python was virtually mint and looked to be almost untouched. The Smith wasn't in quite as good of shape, and I soon sold it at a gunshow. But, I bought one in much better shape a few years later and still own it.
A coworker's wife was a lawyer's secretary. The lawyer was handling the estate of a gentleman that had passed away. The gentleman had a nice collection of handguns and rifles that the lawyer wished to sell prior to the estate auction, so my friend's wife told us about it. Myself, my friend and his son agreed to meet with the lawyer one evening after work.
There were some great guns in the collection. I bought the Python and the 629-1 for $650. The Python was virtually mint and looked to be almost untouched. The Smith wasn't in quite as good of shape, and I soon sold it at a gunshow. But, I bought one in much better shape a few years later and still own it.
wachtelhund1
New member
In 1985, I returned from a tour in Sicily. I cleared customs in Newark, NJ with a briefcase containing seven pistols and ATF permits, purchased in the Navy Rod and Gun club. Two Beretta 70s, one .22 and one 380 ACP, paid $150.00 for each. One P38 in 9mm, paid $150.00. Three CZ75s in 9mm, paid $175.00 each; and one CZ75 9mm custom, oversized walnut grips, engraved and gold plated trigger and levers, paid $475.00. The customs agents were disappointed that all my paper work was in order. 