Pawn Shop Gods Smile on Me Again

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Eddietruett

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AED464D9-A76D-444C-B2C2-B14DB8154C47.jpeg DF5DE2E1-18BB-4B66-B183-B4505348AE38.jpeg Checked out a small shop that had produced a few treasures in the past and couldn’t force myself to leave this beauty behind. Model 24-3 with 6.6” Barrel. Almost perfect. Had a ugly set of rubber grips but since this set had no place thought it would look better with wood until I pick up a set of correct target grips.
 
Nice find. I am on the hunt for a treasure at the moment but not anything I can't do without. Just waiting for that perfect deal on a perfect revolver. I really like the S&Ws.
 
I have one those that I bought new back in the mid 1980's. My favorite revolver of all time. Extremely accurate and fun to shoot.
 
Pawn shops are akin to fishing. You have to go often to catch that special big one!
Having worked in the pawn industry for over 30 years the question that always amuses me is "Do you get these in often?" My answer is always "The next guy in the door might sell me three, then again, might not see another for six months.
Pawn shops, thrift shops, heck, used anything shops are dependent on what comes in the door. You need to swing by once in awhile as Catpop says to get that "find".
We do order in some guns new, but the bulk of what we sell is bought off the street, run through Pawntracker (police stolen item checking program that the local LEO's use to help ID stolen items) and put out for sale. Some are items that were trade ins for trade ups. Every item has a story, some are boring some are interesting but the biz always is.
Quick story..... I sort of had an itch for an old .22 gallery gun. Not bad enough to go looking, but if one came in, it was going to have my name on it. Guy comes in and lo and behold, pulls a slide action .22 from a case. I am looking at the left side of an early Remington. Bit of rust, but nothing horrible. I ask what he wants and says $50. Uh-oh, something malodorous is rearing it's head, those guns fetch $500 and up. Something queer about this deal. Rolling the gun over in my hands I look in the ejection port and there's no guts. No bolt, nothing. Sighed, handed him back the corpse and I'm still waiting on someone bringing in a COMPLETE gallery gun to tempt me to make a purchase request. Still itching.
 
Pawn shops are akin to fishing. You have to go often to catch that special big one!

You are correct. I probably go in at least 5-6 different Pawn Shops a week. I have some that will call me and some that will not call anyone. Its completely hit and miss. I had one shop that every time I walked in, I bought a gun. I probably bought 7-8 guns in a 2 month period. I thought I had found the honey hole of all honey holes. Then just as fast, it dried up and I think I have bought 1 gun there in the last 18 months. You never know and as FISwampRat above posted, neither do the Shop Owners. They may know whats in the back, but have no clue if it will be picked up or put on the shelf.
 
Having worked in the pawn industry for over 30 years the question that always amuses me is "Do you get these in often?" My answer is always "The next guy in the door might sell me three, then again, might not see another for six months.
Pawn shops, thrift shops, heck, used anything shops are dependent on what comes in the door. You need to swing by once in awhile as Catpop says to get that "find"...

Reminds me how annoyed I try not to get when asked the default customer service question the boss has required Big Lots, the thrift stores, even some pawn shops to say when I am checking out "Did you find everything you were looking for?" Dude, no. And also, three things I wasn't looking for. It's not a normal stocking store. Stop asking.
 
Boo!! Hiss!! Grumble.... OK, now the the jealousy is under control. Beautiful gun. You did great!! Enjoy it.
 
You are correct. I probably go in at least 5-6 different Pawn Shops a week. I have some that will call me and some that will not call anyone. Its completely hit and miss. I had one shop that every time I walked in, I bought a gun. I probably bought 7-8 guns in a 2 month period. I thought I had found the honey hole of all honey holes. Then just as fast, it dried up and I think I have bought 1 gun there in the last 18 months. You never know and as FISwampRat above posted, neither do the Shop Owners. They may know whats in the back, but have no clue if it will be picked up or put on the shelf.
I have also had good luck at pawn shops over the years, finding some amazing guns, some of which I had never even heard of before.
Some of my pawn shop scores-
index-20.jpg index-9.jpg index-12.jpg index-7.jpg 20190202_195413.jpg 20190202_192335.jpg index-17.jpg index-24.jpg :D
 
Those are some nice Pawn finds. I've seen it all in Pawn Shops. Actually today, pawn shop owners are for the most part more knowledgeable than 10 years ago and Im guessing due to the internet. I don't hit as many in larger cities as I do in rural towns, mainly due to the fact that their customer base is smaller. A lot of collectors hit the bigger cities and don't want to waste the drive to the rural areas. Since I travel for a living, it is not hard to swing 10-15 miles out of my way to check something out. Most of the Pawn Shop owners are aware that there is a good following on older guns and most I find are priced pretty close to what I would call retail. Most I run into price based on what they see on Gunbroker, but I don't mind telling them not to look at what people are asking, go to the ended auctions and see what people are paying. Some you can negotiate with and some you have to walk. If I find what I feel is a promising shop that I will be coming back to regularly, I have been known to pay more than I normally would just to show that I'm a serious buyer. Not crazy money, but maybe $25-50 more than I want to. It depends on if it is a gun I want to keep or something I plan to flip or trade for something else. I'll roll the dice if I feel certain I can at least get my money back. Of course this can and has backfired, but that's all part of the chase.
 
There is one pawn shop 45 min away in another town that is very reasonable on S&W's. I drop by whenever I'm that way. This past summer I bought from them a 3 1/2'' model 27-2 for $650 and last week a very nice 3" model 65-5 for $435 out the door.
 
Appreciate this thread, Just bought a used 64-3 at a local pawn shop in a big city. It was the only gun in the case worth looking at Paid too much, but it looks like new and was exactly what I was looking for. Didn't care that I paid too much, $675. It was too easy. Been looking out for a Ruger, Security Six also, but no luck. Pick it up in 3 days. Hope it shoots as good as it looks.
 
NIGHTLORD40K. All good pawn shop finds, I’ve rarely run across interesting guns and even more rare to find one that I want at a reasonable price.

That Dreyse M 1907 .32 ACP is interesting, have you fired it?
C0E03F66-7F48-4322-B1F2-CB387FB0976D.jpeg
 
NIGHTLORD40K. All good pawn shop finds, I’ve rarely run across interesting guns and even more rare to find one that I want at a reasonable price.

That Dreyse M 1907 .32 ACP is interesting, have you fired it?
View attachment 833429
Yep, it feeds fine if you put a little tension on the bottom of the magazine floorplate with your pinky- the tip of the catch is snapped off. :(
 
Appreciate this thread, Just bought a used 64-3 at a local pawn shop in a big city. It was the only gun in the case worth looking at Paid too much, but it looks like new and was exactly what I was looking for. Didn't care that I paid too much, $675. It was too easy. Been looking out for a Ruger, Security Six also, but no luck. Pick it up in 3 days. Hope it shoots as good as it looks.

No such thing as paying too much. Just buying too early.
 
The pawnshops I've been in, at least since the Jewel Box in Phoenix closed years ago, are similar to those 1KPerDay mentions. Over priced, beat up guns. The occasional quality gun, that might have been of interest before it was dragged through the desert for a few miles, then stored under a Mexican jail, are priced at what high condition examples would cost. I don't even go in pawnshops anymore, and am content to look at pictures of all the neat, reasonably priced, pawnshop finds you guys have;)
 
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