Any new firearm purchases?

[Gunfighter97]

Elk for dinner...

I'm watching!

It may not be this year but I'll try!

 

[sgtsandman]

With firearm sales slowing, maybe prices will drop some.

 

[Shran]

I have my eye on a few but just haven't pulled the trigger yet, so to speak...

#1 is a Romanian M44 (Mosin Nagant variant.) It is in NICE shape and kind of rare... a bit much at $600 though.
#2 is a Springfield SA-35... I can get it brand new for $630, I have wanted one for a while but I want to haggle a bit and the pawn shop that has it won't budge.
#3 is a real Browning Hi-power that I can buy for $640 but I really don't like the pearl grips.

I probably need to sell a couple before I buy more because I can't fit anything else in the safe.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have my eye on a few but just haven't pulled the trigger yet, so to speak...

#1 is a Romanian M44 (Mosin Nagant variant.) It is in NICE shape and kind of rare... a bit much at $600 though.
#2 is a Springfield SA-35... I can get it brand new for $630, I have wanted one for a while but I want to haggle a bit and the pawn shop that has it won't budge.
#3 is a real Browning Hi-power that I can buy for $640 but I really don't like the pearl grips.

I probably need to buy another safe before I buy more because I can't fit anything else in the safe I have.

FIFY

The price on Mosin-Nagants has gone absolutely nuts. Plain old 91-30's were like $500 at Bass-Pro a couple weeks ago. The kind that used to be $70-100 everywhere a couple years ago.

 

[sgtsandman]

FIFY

The price on Mosin-Nagants has gone absolutely nuts. Plain old 91-30's were like $500 at Bass-Pro a couple weeks ago. The kind that used to be $70-100 everywhere a couple years ago.

The same with an SKS. It seems like their prices sky rocketed over night.

 

[Shran]

FIFY

The price on Mosin-Nagants has gone absolutely nuts. Plain old 91-30's were like $500 at Bass-Pro a couple weeks ago. The kind that used to be $70-100 everywhere a couple years ago.

If only… I built a safe size cubby into a wall so I can’t go bigger. I’d have to get a second one (not opposed to that) but the only place I have room is in the basement and it gets dangerously humid down there.

And yes, prices are crazy. I sold a couple Moist Nuggets at gun shows for way more than I paid for them. The last one was an average condition 1930’s hex receiver Izhevsk 91/30… think I got $500 for that one within minutes of walking in the door. I personally will never buy at that price… but it’s a great time to sell off and upgrade a collection if you have a bunch.

Funny though, there was a guy selling a bunch of Finnish Mosin Nagants for $350-450 at the last show and they were not moving at all. Very weird.

 

[RobbieD]

I probably need to sell a couple before I buy more because I can't fit anything else in the safe.

Just buy another safe.

 

[RobbieD]

If only… I built a safe size cubby into a wall so I can’t go bigger. I’d have to get a second one (not opposed to that) but the only place I have room is in the basement and it gets dangerously humid down there.

Put the refrigerator in the basement, and the new gun safe where the fridge was.

Added bonus- all of magnetic crap on the fridge now, will also stick to the safe. That way, nobody will notice the difference.

 

[Gunfighter97]

#3 is a real Browning Hi-power that I can buy for $640 but I really don't like the pearl grips.

Thats not bad, so change the grips and sell the pearl ones. I bought one that was low wear but badly neglected and rust freckled. My original intent was to chop it up and modernize it. I boiled it out and carded and it came out 99% mint. That Belgian rust bluing is gorgeous.
Before:

Post boil:

Post carding and kerosene bath (dry):

 

[Shran]

Thats not bad, so change the grips and sell the pearl ones. I bought one that was low wear but badly neglected and rust freckled. My original intent was to chop it up and modernize it. I boiled it out and carded and it came out 99% mint. That Belgian rust bluing is gorgeous.
Before:
View attachment 133256
Post boil:
View attachment 133257
Post carding and kerosene bath (dry):
View attachment 133258

Good work! I need to look at it again and do some research on it. I don't know much about Hi Powers except for (1) they are cool as hell, (2) I have a FEG clone that I love shooting and (3) the SA-35 is REAL purdy. I figured it was a decent deal though. Grips would for sure have to go... the original wood style is my preference... guess I am just not really into pearl.

 

[Gunfighter97]

The FEG guns are great quality pieces and oft overlooked. I have experience with a P9RK and it was a fenominal experience. It had a weird issue to do with failure to extract brass. Ran steel without issue. Was to do with extractor fitment and easily corrected.

Regarding Hi powers, theres not a lot to go wrong, if they will allow you, take the barrel out and make sure nobody's messed with the chamber and that it looks concentricly round with the bore, not oblonged toward the feed ramp. Check the front end of the rails for peening due to weak springs. These guns are proof fired and hold up to pressure well. The do not if material is removed at the camber, it creates a thin spot that can cause a crack to develope at the edge of the chamber. They like jacketed round nose. They dont like flying ash trays. Mec-gar hi-power mags are pretty good iirc.

 

[Gunfighter97]

In thinking back more about the SA-35; my take on it behind the eyes of an industry guy/salesman was that it carried the same solid (not great like the days of old, but solid) and consistent fitment, good price and mediocre/fragile parkerized finish as their "Milspec" 1911A1s. I have a friend who has one and hes run it quite a lot more than most ever do. Hasn't reported any issues thus far; though one of the first things he did was refinish it with cerakote. They're great starting points and I'll probably buy a beat up used one to build my ideal modernized combat version at some point.

 

[JoshT]

I probably need to buy another safe before I buy more because I can't fit anything else in the safe I have.

FIFY

I agree with your fix. I'm in similar boat of more "items" than "safe space", especially once I add the inheritance to the collection.

Potential move in the next few years. Currently my brain has latched onto a piece of property that I might be able to get at a very favorable price, recently discovered my sister and BIL were also considering the same property. FWIW it belongs to a lady that is basically like an aunt to us and has no kids of her own. It's about 88 acres, about 10-12 cleared and easily accessible, the rest mostly wooded and across railroad tracks going into a sand quarry. Have to go through the quarry to access the wooded part.

Idea that's popped into my head is acquiring the property as joint family land in a trust or something, cutting each of us off an acre or two of cleared to build a house on, keeping the rest for hunting, shooting, and garden or what ever on the cleared portion. Together, but not right on top of each other. My dream is to build a family workshop and project space as part of the joint property. Something with a few garage workshop bays, a craft/hobby room, and I'd love to build a basement with storm shelter and vault under the craft/hobby room portion.

I don't know how I'd possibly swing all of that financially, but first step is to see if we can acquire the property as a favorable price and I can get moved onto it. If that works out and they agree, then maybe between all of us we can do the rest.

Thats not bad, so change the grips and sell the pearl ones. I bought one that was low wear but badly neglected and rust freckled. My original intent was to chop it up and modernize it. I boiled it out and carded and it came out 99% mint. That Belgian rust bluing is gorgeous.
Before:
View attachment 133256
Post boil:
View attachment 133257
Post carding and kerosene bath (dry):
View attachment 133258

Ok, I'm going to need a high level for-dummies explanation of what you did here, so I know what I'm searching for. I've got some stuff similar to before that I'd like to make look like after.

The same with an SKS. It seems like their prices sky rocketed over night.

That's another that I'd like to get for some dumb reason. We had one. That was among the several guns that was stolen with dad's 44s. Honestly he got it cheap and it sucked to shoot. I'd actually bought the firing pin modification for it because it sat in the closet unused for years after I slam fired on dad once. He never got around to installing the kit before it was stolen, and I'm pretty sure I saw it still sitting on a shelf somewhere.

If I wanted something like that in a 7.62x39, an AK would make a lot more sense. Or a CMMG Mutant (or similar) since I'm equipped for and familiar with the AR platform. Don't really see a need to add another caliber, it's hard enough to feel all I have now.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Springfield and Browning make some great stuff. Typically super accurate right out of the box. They are pretty good at making things right even if there’s a problem, I know someone that bought a Springfield Loaded 1911 and didn’t shoot it for a couple years only to find it would only feed ball ammo. Contacted Springfield, they said send it to them and tell them what ammo you wanted to use and they put some work into it and made sure it was reliable before sending it back, no charge. That’s service.

 

[Gunfighter97]

Oooooo AKs are my jam! AOA has some good quality (albeit battlefield condition) romanian kits. A bit more coin for a polish. I've been itching to build one or three for myself for a good minute.