Would you ever buy a firearm from a pawn shop?

Oh yes. Bought a used Star PD in '88 from a Fort Worth pawn shop. One of my favorites. Still a primo carry piece. What difference does it make where you buy it?
 
I've bought 3 used guns from pawn shops. One was a super bargain, being something that I wanted that apparently nobody else wanted (22 target rifle). One was a good bargain, and one was a decent price but didn't shoot. I bought that last one on condition that it would shoot, so they took it back. I am of the opinion that if you know what you want and do your homework to know the market worth of what you want, a pawn shop is a fine place to look around. You should assume that they also know the market worth of the item. My favorite old shotgun came from a pawnshop. I was looking for a specific one and I knew that it should be worth about $200 (20 years ago). The guy was asking $250. I offered $200 and he said that "bird season is just about to start, so the gun is $250 until bird season is over, and the day after that, if I still have the gun I'll sell it to you for $200". Wellll damn...He knew the value of the gun and he also knew its probable value to me at that moment. I paid the $250, and I've never regretted it.

Do your homework. The best prepared negotiator almost always wins. I was a negotiator for 30 years, so trust me on that.
 
Yes I would..and have....Only if it appears in good condition....All Pawn shops are different..just like gun shops and gun shows are different....Bought a pre-64 30-30 at a pawn shop a few yrs ago $150....Great shape....Why so cheap? I honestly don't know....
 
Here in Milwaukie Oregon there is a very good pawn shop for firearms near the 'Bomber'. Not only is it a good place to buy but it's a good place to sell on consignment. I'm thinking of taking a 7mm browning a bolt down and consigning it.

That place has had some very nice stuff in it over the years and I've purchased about 9 guns there and sold two or three.
 
I routinely buy guns from a pawn shop. Of course the other half of the shop is the biggest gun shop in the area. Great service and good prices.
 
Thankyou for all the replies guys, I really appreciate it. One question regarding the PSL, would you consider about $760 being too much for this rifle? I can't seem to find anything cheaper. It appears to be in fairly good shape, some scratches and minor dings in the stocks and such, the head spacing appears to be ok, though I need to take a gauge to it to be sure. Comes with it's original furniture and optic as well.

Good deal or still a bit too pricey?
 
Well, the pawnshop I go to is owned by a gunsmith and nationally competitive pistol shooter. Yeah, I have no problem buying from him. From one who knows nothing about guns, I'd take a long time going through the gun before buying as I do with most used firearms.
 
Varies with the area and the local economy, maybe, but I figure that a pawn shop has about 50% of the asking price actually invested.

I'm quite happy to start dickering at 40%. When it comes to money and buying, I have no shame. :D
 
I buy all of the time. My first was a Ruger Blackhawk in 357mag. Since then I've gotten maybe a dozen more. My favorites are a Ruger M77T, Model 70 338, M-1 with a 23,xxx serial #. Good values are to be had you just have to be patient.
 
Local pricing aside (seems some of you frequent pricey pawn shops), yes I would buy a firearm from a pawn shop. Pretty much same buyer beware when you buy a used gun from a person who doesn't run a gun shop. If you don't know how to inspect it or want a gunsmith to back it then stick to the local gun shops.
 
Sure. Great way to make an excellent purchase and save money. Guns are often the core of a pawn shop's business. The shop owners often know a great deal about guns. Do inspect and don't be afraid to haggle the price, politely. If I were shopping for a gun right now, the pawn shops would be the FIRST places I would start looking.
 
Pawn shops are fine. You mentioned that the pawn shop you are looking at specializes in guns, so there is a decent chance that they know a thing or two about them, as well. Just make sure to haggle with them. The prices people are asking for used guns are outrageous... I recently saw a used Savage Axis .308 on a rack with a tag that said $340, and that was with no scope. You can pick up a scoped one for less than that new if you look. The moral of the story - never pay asking price on used!!!
 
Seeing that I've been a pawn broker and firearms dealer for the past 25 years I can say that easily 95-98% of all the firearms I've purchased, new and used, have come from the pawn shop.
 
It's no different than buying a used car.

You buy the seller first - if you can't deal with them, or there's no trust, the merchandise will always be suspect.

If the seller is on your list of trusted vendors, then knowledge of what you are buying is required, nobody is going to declare all the faults about it. They simply may not know. Detailed breakdown and examination of a firearm is rarely if ever done - nobody magnetic particle inspects the barrel and action, you are buying something used and need to rely on your judgement alone. If you can't, don't. Buying used guns isn't for you, yet.

Pawn shop, neighbor, a friend of a friend, Craigslist, ebay, that guy on the corner, evidence room custodian, whatever. :D You buy the seller.
 
If they had something I could identify, something I wanted, and something I knew was a sufficiently good deal, I would buy a firearm from a pawnshop.

However, an $800 Yugo SKS with a Fiberforce stock and no compliance parts is not it.
 
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