Cabela's Gun Library fluke!

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commygun

commygun

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Lewis County, WA
I've been looking for a reasonably priced FN 1900 pistol for years with no success at all. Either I've seen very nice ones at stratospheric collector's prices or pitted, grotty, incomplete ones priced in the $300-400 range. No thanks. Now, Cabela's gun library isn't exactly renowned for great deals, so imagine my shock when I went into the local one and they had a 1900 in the case for $159! Almost no bluing left but no pitting or gouges, some very light frosting on the frame, strong rifling, apparently mechanically sound, screw heads unbuggered, grips sound, magazine in very good condition. Of course, I snapped it up.

I put 50 rds. of FMJ through it and it performed flawlessly, though it does have the heaviest single action trigger I've encountered. So off it's gone to my gunsmith for re-bluing. I know some will say I should have left it as is but I'm not a collecter and I'd rather have an attractive shooter. Anyway, it was a good day gunwise, especially since this happened right after attending the most pathetic gunshow of my life.
 
commygun

I was the same way with a Browning Model 1910 and a Baby Browning. Looked for years but they were either priced too high or else they were so worn that they would have cost more money to fix up than they were worth.

Eventually I found both of them within a very short period of time. The Model 1910 was like new, no pouch, and looked to be unfired. I got it for $300. The Baby Browning was a nickel plated lightweight model and was unfired; it also came with the original factory box and manual. It was priced at $400 and I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. Both guns were incredibly well crafted and such great examples of the legendary quality that Browning has been known for.

Hope your Model 1900 comes back looking great after it's been reblued.

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Great find,the majority of their used inventory is retail price
+15 % or more. Seems to become more inflated as time passes.
Curious about their business model,some items there for years!
 
Fremmer

Thanks for the compliment! The Baby Browning has always fascinated me by how tiny it is while being so well designed and manufactured.
 
I've seen guns in their Gun Library at hundreds over MSRP, for current production models, and the same gun in their showcase, new, for MSRP. That I don't get. I can see them marketing to the collector market though.
 
Nice find. I often wonder how they sell any firearms new or used. I have bought from them. But new it was because they were the only ones that had it and price was below MSRP. From the Gun Library is a situation much like the OP's. Couldn't believe the price on a Savage 99 in the case. Hundreds less and in a lot better shape than the ones on the rack. Their pricing is always high. Even more so when you find out how little they give if you're selling one to them.
 
I often wonder how they sell any firearms new or used.
Click to expand...

They sell them to people to ignorant or lazy to bother to research the fair market price of the firearms for sale.
 
I was told by one of Cabelas gun counter employees that the inventory in the gun library
Is marked down every couple of weeks until it sells. That may explain why there are some way over priced pieces but an occasional good deal. I was able to take advantage of a good deal on a Para 9mm that had just been marked down, but did see a bunch of overpriced ones.
 
Just recently purchased a mossberg 46M(b) 22lr tube fed magazine bolt action in a walnut mannlicher stock for 120$, no missing parts.
I'd never trade that gun for anything in the world now.
 
I was told by one of Cabelas gun counter employees that the inventory in the gun library Is marked down every couple of weeks until it sells.
Click to expand...

That policy is certainly not used in the Ft. Worth Cabelas Gun Library. I still see guns there that have been there for 2 or 3 years, all priced significantly over their book value. The only guns I have seen that have had the price reduced was 2 Turnbull produced 1911's. They had 2 of them there for at least 2 years or so at $1800 and when the new model was introduced not long age they reduced them to $1600. One of them sold and the other one is still sitting there at $1600.
 
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Looks like a good shooter. Those are the early production grips, and they seem to be in decent shape. The 1900 was an extremely ingenious design; it was the best of it's kind in Europe until...the Browning 1910, I guess. (The Browning 1903 would have been better, but FN decided to scale it up to 9mm Long for potential military sales that, for the most part, never happened.)
 
commygun

Very nice refinishing; sort of looks like a frosted blue. You got a great deal on that Model 1900!
 
Just as a side note on Cabela's Gun Library. They can be flexible on some guns, you have nothing to lose by asking if they can do any better on a price. Also, on any gun purchase Cabela's offers veterans a 5% discount. That is on top of any other discounts. While I assume this is true of all Gun Libraries I know it is true of the Columbus, Ohio store. Also, if you browse gun libraries for other stores and see something you may want you can have that gun shipped to your local store to look over up close and personal. So for example if I see this S&W Pre Model 27 5 Screw in Wheeling West Virginia I can call them and ask them to please send the gun to the Columbus, Ohio store and they will, the Columbus store will notify me when the gun arrives.

Ron
 
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