Good Gun Deals This Week

Today's could be "good deal". Morphy's Auction is running a live auction. Most of the stuff has reached insane prices. This one may or may not.

It's an early 20th century Griffin & Howe in 220 Swift built on a springfield action. Aesthetically, it looks like a perfect example to my eyes. Smaller calibers are uncommon. It has a Griffin & Howe serial number on the barrel, #1776. I believe the current pre-auction bid is at $1400 plus buyers premiums. (assume 20%)

I'd say this gun is worth $4000 to my eye. If it were a mauser or if were in a large game caliber (.243 and up) it would probably command more interest. Nonetheless, its a beatiful gun. I'd feel very comfortable bidding up to $2000 ($2500 with fees and shipping, landed) if I wanted a speculative investment that could be flipped easily for nearly double in 3-6 months. For an investment class rifle to buy and hold, I'd be comfortable at a bid up to $2700 ($3300 landed after fees) as an alternative asset class.

Others feel free to comment. Live auction happening now:


P.S. - Don't bid on the other G&H...not good.
@rookhawk
Beautiful rifle but my concern is did griffin and Howe use stainless barrels in their builds. The couple of G&H I've seen in real life were both blued steel.
Bob.
 
Hello @K-man:

I looked at the list of guns and at first glance, I wouldn't want to own or invest into a single thing in the whole auction. It reads like a textbook "this is how to leave your kids with less money in your estate than had you just bought bonds and CDs"

Reasons I'm likely right:

-Lots of production modern guns. Even if there is some amateur collector appeal to one of the brands or another, the odds that they are 100% condition, never touched, mint box, new old stock are very slim. This is the problem for people that collect modern production guns. They made a million of every model, so scarcity of guns does not exist, only scarcity of condition exists. I don't buy guns to own where a humid day damages the box reducing the value of the gun 10%, nor do I buy a gun where shooting one round from the rifle reduced the gun's value by 30% or more. I also know there will be a hundred side-liners running around bidding up pedestrian production guns to dumb prices. A sort of redneck flea market. (confession: I'm a redneck, I certainly have been to many fleamarkets)

Reasons I might be wrong:

-Never-heard-of-them auction houses are notoriously bad at appraising guns. So what they say is a factory production gun could be a best custom gun. That springfield, winchester, mauser, or other such gun listed in the roster could end being a Biesen, Niedner, Griffin, Sedgley, Ramirez, Hough, or any of a score of best makers of the 20th century. $10,000 errors in description do occasionally happen. All the guns look like ~$1000 guns, if a $20,000 gun is actually at the auction, it's unlikely the attendees will have $4000 to bid it up to 1/5th actual value.

-A couple of guns went through the hands of Champlin arms. Are those factory nothing-burger guns or did those get into JJ's hands where they had $5000+ in custom work done to them? Don't know.

My time is valuable, so I usually avoid wasting a dollar in gas to go check these types of auctions out, but a person that always carries emergency "Deal cash" on them and stumbles into these sales with an open mind and good eye will find a deal 1/10th of the time. It's a question of what your time is worth and are you ready to drop $5,000-$20,000 on the spot if you find the deal of a lifetime?

Biggest mistake I ever made: I was going into times of lean finances and I didn't have the normal cash I purposely set aside for buying guns that I did in better years. I once passed on a gun for $6500, buying only its twin for slightly less than that. The one I passed on turned out to be a quarter of a million-dollar (or more) gun. A bitter story for another time. Always have benjamins ready.

The best collectors I know are middle-class, humble people with the self-discipline to carry $10,000 in cash with them everywhere they go, yet they have the self-discipline to not blow it foolishly. Those guys are the ones with the epic collections because no man knows the day nor hour that the finest guns in the world appear for sale too cheap. The guy with the most physical cash at that moment wins the day, usually at 1/20th of fair market value to an auctioneer that couldn't care less what he's selling.
@rookhawk
I know the feeling but it was my big mouth that got me in trouble.
A gunshop had an old 20gauge since shot underlever Holland and Holland for sale for 200 dollars. I was talking to a person in the shop about it and having the providence checked. Turns out it was the seller and he withdrew it from the market and end up selling it for a bucket load my.
Me and my mouth, sometimes I only open it to change feet.
 
Well that auction has come and gone. No real bargains, there were 300+ bidders registered, at least three or four dealers there looking for inventory for their gun shops. Not much went really stupidly high, lots of guns went for more than i thought they were worth, but the whole gun/ammo market is a bit inflated now. I kept a few records of what the long guns sold for, if you have any specific requests let me know. Most of the pistols went for $1000 and up, I didn't keep track of individual pistol sales.
 
I’m off to the gun store tomorrow to have the Dumoulin looked over, hopefully it won’t get too expensive. Then hunting till Saturday for wild boar. A monster has been signalled on the premises…

No one any input on the best distance to sight in a 7x64 cartridge?
@VertigoBE
Mate I would leave it at 2 inches high at a hundred. Even with a 4x scope you should be fine from 0 to 300 yards on medium game.
Bob
 
I found a fair deal today, perhaps a good deal if they negotiate. This is what a proper custom Ruger #1 looks like. Made by Al Lind. Don Allen supplied a very nice wood stock blank. The custom makers got rid of the problematic factory safety and executed it well. They got rid of the unsatisfactory quarter rib and ruger rings and replaced it with a custom quarter rib and talley QD rings. Includes a $1000+ swaro DG scope. Chambered in 450-400 3". Other ACGG members associated with the work include Roger Ferrill and Jerry Fisher. Take note that they properly proportioned the head of the stock and the forestock to accommodate the recoil of a largebore cartridge. To have such a gun made today you'd spend north of $12,000.

The dealer is fair priced on all their stuff and has a good reputation.

I declare this a decent deal at present. It's a great deal if you get them to sell it for $5250 or less. (currently $6000)

 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.01 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.01 PM.png
    2.6 MB · Views: 116
  • Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.02 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.02 PM.png
    1.9 MB · Views: 112
  • Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.05 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-19 at 3.17.05 PM.png
    703 KB · Views: 122
I found a fair deal today, perhaps a good deal if they negotiate. This is what a proper custom Ruger #1 looks like. Made by Al Lind. Don Allen supplied a very nice wood stock blank. The custom makers got rid of the problematic factory safety and executed it well. They got rid of the unsatisfactory quarter rib and ruger rings and replaced it with a custom quarter rib and talley QD rings. Includes a $1000+ swaro DG scope. Chambered in 450-400 3". Other ACGG members associated with the work include Roger Ferrill and Jerry Fisher. Take note that they properly proportioned the head of the stock and the forestock to accommodate the recoil of a largebore cartridge. To have such a gun made today you'd spend north of $12,000.

The dealer is fair priced on all their stuff and has a good reputation.

I declare this a decent deal at present. It's a great deal if you get them to sell it for $5250 or less. (currently $6000)

Beautiful rifle!

Is it not counter productive to put on Tally QD’s without levers? All that work with a new quarter rib and sights.
 
Beautiful rifle!

Is it not counter productive to put on Tally QD’s without levers? All that work with a new quarter rib and sights.

Levers are $75. The may not clear the barrel tubes which is perhaps why they omitted them. I would think the levers could be shortened if that was the reason they opted against them.
 
Hello friends,

Here is what I consider to be a great deal. So good in fact, I was 99.9% ready to buy it for my son, but opted to get him a used dakota from a fellow AH member instead.

The gun is a mint, minus safe marks, BRNO CZ ZKK-602. It appears to be a late 1980s to early 1990s model. No pop-up peep sight. Has the single set trigger installed.

I like it a lot because A.) It's new old stock, B.) It has great figure walnut for an older BRNO, really good in fact, C.) It's reasonably priced at $900, D.) It is one of the very few BRNO 375s I've seen with an English-style stock rather than the euro "boar back" type.

The only reason it hasn't sold yet is that it is mismarked on Gunbroker as a ZKM-603 but I spoke to the gunshop owner and he states it is from his personal collection, unfired, and its a ZKK-602. The guy on Gunbroker selling it is not the gun dealer, just a contractor that lists their auctions for Blueline Tactical gun shop in Kentucky.

I'll wager one of you buys this thing today. Enjoy and report back who got it!

 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.36 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.36 AM.png
    2.1 MB · Views: 103
  • Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.39 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.39 AM.png
    822.6 KB · Views: 100
  • Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.43 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-23 at 9.04.43 AM.png
    2.1 MB · Views: 100
I did buy this in December of 2021 on gun broker.
Seller and me could not come to terms.
Seller wanted funds tug o be mailed to a rural as l address with no usps tracking. I called blueline tactical the did not give me proper answers. Then the seller sends me an email that the gun owner of the estate waiting for funds. His answering machine is always full. I cancelled the transaction after a long back and forth with gun broker.
very good deal if you can get the fire arm with out loosing money.
Screenshot_20220122-164302_Gallery.jpg
 
Looks like the seller made another $400 on the relisting though, just goes to show the volatility in the used gun market right now. I thought GB guarantees up to $800 on transactions.
 
Here’s a dandy of a Zkk-602 in 375HH being offered by one of the most reputable sellers on gunbroker. (They stand behind their auctions for errors, omissions, or defects)

FYI, it already has the 3-position side safety upgraded so its ready for use!

 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.21 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.21 AM.png
    2 MB · Views: 109
  • Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.26 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.26 AM.png
    861.4 KB · Views: 104
  • Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.30 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.30 AM.png
    580.6 KB · Views: 88
  • Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.32 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-05 at 10.25.32 AM.png
    715.1 KB · Views: 91
Was bidding on that Brno until the bid was more than I wanted to spend for a donor for a bigger caliber, I opted for a CRF Winchester offered by the same seller
 
I post another one, for any French members on this forum:

A no-frills, in need of some TLC .375H&H Dumoulin Mauser action rifle, with a Zeiss Diavari-Z 1.5-6x42 T* optic on German Claw mounts, for 1000€.

No engraving, no quarter rib, no special wood, but a decent alternative to a new CZ550 or Sako, with some more pedigree. Will need some work though.

00007_CARABINE-H.-DUMOULIN-375-HH-avec-lunette-Zeiss.jpg
00008_CARABINE-H.-DUMOULIN-375-HH-avec-lunette-Zeiss.jpg
00012_CARABINE-H.-DUMOULIN-375-HH-avec-lunette-Zeiss.jpg


Not sure if I can post a link, but here goes:

I will not buy this rifle! :E Rofl:

V.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 9.05.40 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 9.05.40 AM.png
    1.1 MB · Views: 79
  • Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 9.05.42 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 9.05.42 AM.png
    1.3 MB · Views: 76
Last edited by a moderator:
I post another one, for any French members on this forum:

A no-frills, in need of some TLC .375H&H Dumoulin Mauser action rifle, with a Zeiss Diavari-Z 1.5-6x42 T* optic on German Claw mounts, for 1000€.

No engraving, no quarter rib, no special wood, but a decent alternative to a new CZ550 or Sako, with some more pedigree. Will need some work though.

View attachment 453247View attachment 453248View attachment 453249

Not sure if I can post a link, but here goes:

I will not buy this rifle! :E Rofl:

V.


@VertigoBE

Thanks for posting.

I see good and bad in this rifle. The good is that a dumoulin will be a functional Mauser and it’s in a good caliber. Also, the price of €1000 seems affordable.

The cons as I see them are as follows. The scope is too high for the stock and as such, it will kick like a donkey and will take awhile to find your target “searching” for the scope. It also has the classic, cheesy timney lever upgrade to a two position Mauser flag safety. ($25)

To get such a gun ready for a safari, a 3-position side safety is needed for good function and to get a more trustworthy design and lower scope options. But then it has claw mounts, a straight tube scope placed into the original claw bases is surely a €2000 job plus optic. If you orphan the claw mounts it will look horrible and it’s a lot of work to remove the claw from the saddle to get a standard scope base put in its place.

If the gun had merely iron sights, bone stock, with a flag safety, I’d be a bigger fan. In that hypothetical, you’d need €1000 for the gun, €300 for improved safety, €300 for Talley QD rings and bases, and maybe €700 for a 1-4x straight tube Kahles scope. All-in, €2300 for a Belgian Mauser ready for a safari would sound just fine. But again, it’s sort of hypothetical because it has upgrades on it that are hard and expensive to unravel.

Just my opinion as an American, a Euro might be delighted with it as-is for low light running boar hunting if it comes to their eye reliably as set up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It is with my ffl with other rifles. One more due this friday. Probably pick them up this week end or next.
Krishh

Can’t wait for your rifle report, @krish. I suspect there may be more hidden improvements to the zkk rifle you bought than what was seen or advertised. Once somebody goes through the trouble to put a Winchester style 3-pos safety on a ZKK there is no telling what other things they did that could have cost thousands. Glass bed? Recoil reducer? Polished rails and raceways? Pillar bed?

You got a great rifle, we just haven’t played the bonus round yet.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
54,596
Messages
1,158,765
Members
94,485
Latest member
KendraMcKe
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

ghay wrote on gearguywb's profile.
Is this rifle sold? If not what is the weight of it and do you know if there is enough difference in diameter between the 35W and the 9.3 to allow for a rebore to a 9.3x62 which is what I am after?
Thanks,
Gary (Just down the road in Springfield)
Woods wrote on Hunter-Habib's profile.
Forgive me if this is the incorrect area, I signed up to this forum just now because I wanted to be on the list to purchase a copy of your autobiography. Please feel free to pass my information along to whomever is selling. Thank you so much. I look forward to it!
I like the Tillie in my picture. They are supposed to fit loose (2 fingers inside hat band), have mesh for cooling, and hold their shape after washing.
SSG Joe wrote on piratensafaris's profile.
From one newbie to another, Welcome aboard!
BLAAUWKRANTZ safaris wrote on Greylin's profile.
We have just completed a group hunt with guys from North Carolina, please feel free to contact the organizers of the group, Auburn at auburn@opextechnologies.com or Courtney at courtney@opextechnologies.com Please visit our website www.blaauwkrantz.com and email me at zanidixie@gmail.com
Zani
 
Top