Dealing with Gunbroker / Auctions????

[NY65912]

I’ll be looking to purchase some spoons. Myself, son and daughter as previously discussed in another thread are entering the shooting sports.

I’ve been talking to a few guys at work who are big into guns and they mentioned buying used firearms such as Gunbroker and other auction sites.

I know the procedure and the shipping to an FFL. I’ve located aan FFL a few miles from my shop that does transfers for $35.00, not bad.


So the questions,

1 - How have you found dealing with such sites
2 - Any qualms about buying used over new?
3 – Any tips as what to look for?

I’m looking for the following,

Ruger MK II .22 Pistol
(because they are no longer made and are supposed to be better than the MK III’s)

M1911 that I can convert to .22 ….. Preference unknown at this time…….Colt, Kimber, Sig, SA, Dan Wesson?

Opinions welcome.

[Tim Hancock]

I have bought a few things off of Gunbroker.com, but the shipping costs (most sellers demand $20-$30) plus the $20 (cheap) my local FFL charges usually make gun purchases more expensive compared to buying one locally at a gun shop.

I too am looking for another target .22 pistol for my daughter. I checked the local Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shop last night. FWIW a Buckmark Camper 5.5" barrel is $329 at Gander and $299 at Bass Pro. So for under $325 out the door, I can buy one at Bass Pro vs probably about $350-$375 were I to buy a NIB one from someone on Gunbroker after paying the overpriced shipping along with FFL fees.

I have a Ruger Mark II govt target and love it, but the Mark III's are fine also. Some don't like the additional safety crap they put on the Mark III, but for target shooting it really will not dtract from the performance of the firearm. For the money, you really can't go wrong with a Buckmark either and stock, they have a slightly nicer trigger than the Rugers.

[Jeff Higgins]

What Tim said. I'll add that unless you are looking for something somewhat unusual, that can not be found at a local gun shop or gun show, there is no reason to shop online. The stuff you are looking for is all readily available accross the land, so I would stick to buying locally, where you can actually look at and handle whatever it is you are considering buying.

All standard 1911 pattern pistols will convert to 22 LR. There are two kits readily available, the Ceiner and the Kimber. Neither is cheap, easily running about what a good used MKII would set you back. They will drop into any standard 1911 from any manufacturer. Be careful in whose 1911 you purchase, though - some companies have incorporated "improvements" (that may or may not be...) that will preclude the use of one of these drop-in conversion kits.

[NY65912]

Thanks

Jeff, any recommendations on the 1911?

[Joeaksa]

Try a Kimber Custom, then try the rest. There are others that are good but that I have found none for the same money.

[Tim Hancock]

FWIW, Budsgunshop.com has typically low prices on new guns along with category of used guns and they have free shipping to you're FFL. I recently bought a new Glock 34 (which was kind of hard to find) from them for $50.00 less than the cheapest one I could find on Gunbroker.com or Gunamerica.com..... $75+ dollars savings when you factor in typical gunbroker shipping charges. The price was low enough that even with my $20 FFL charge, it was still cheaper than had I had a local gunshop order me in one.

[Rick Lee]

Don't foget CDNN in TX. They have ridiculously low prices. Sometimes you have to call for them, but it's worth it. I've never had a bad deal on GB. Gun-dealing folks are usually as honest as the day is long.

[Tim Hancock]

Joe mentions Kimber, but most any name brand 1911 will likely be a decent somewhat reliable shooter. I guess it all depends on whether you want to spend under a grand, over a grand or well over a grand. If you want a high dollar 1911, Kimber is not the only fish in the sea.

I would be proud to own a nice Kimber if I cared to shoot .45 ACP (the ammo is too expensive for my blood compared to 9mm when shooting thousands of rounds a year practicing for IDPA competitions), but my wife's boss is about smash his with a sledge hammer after several jams that have happened to him at a couple big IDPA meets this fall. I think he has sent it back to Kimber once already and he is not too happy about it.

[Rick Lee]

Kimber makes a quality gun and for a reasonable price, because they put a lot of mods on at the factory that most folks do to other 1911's that end up costing a ton more than a Kimber does out of the box. They had a QC issue a while back, but I have heard they were great about fixing any gun that was sent back to them and I haven't heard of any QC issues since. I'm not into external extractors on 1911's, but I don't know that Kimber even does that anymore and SIG and S&W actually do.

[legion]

One of these days I will start looking for a "super-long-distance" spoon. I see them all the time on Gunbroker for $1,000 or more less than new, often with large amounts of ammo thrown in. I can also avoid the substantial sales tax this way.

But for common stuff, I just buy locally or have a local dealer order for me. For most stuff, the shipping and transfer fees are higher than the sales tax.

[gtc]

In my experience, gunbroker is sometimes cheaper and sometimes more expensive than local shops or gun shows.
I treat it like ebay by purchasing cautiously from people who write detailed descriptions and provide good photos of the actual item. I haven't had any bad deals yet (only a few so far though).