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Surplus Rifles Hand Pick

babooniebaboonie Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
edited February 2008 in Ask the Experts
I know a lot of distributors and importers offer the "hand pick" option when selling a surplus firearm. Is this just a scam for more money? Opinions anyone? Thanks!
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Comments

  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Whats the difference between the 25 cent and the 2 dollar lay? from the movie chicken ranch, its all in their head. just my 2 cents.
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  • Henry0ReillyHenry0Reilly Member Posts: 10,892 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Welcome to the forums.

    I've heard it both ways, "Get the hand picked." and "It doesn't matter."

    The way it was explained to me is if handpicked is specified that order gets filled with the best looking one out of the next three available; you might get one just as good by taking your chances.

    Buy your milsurp here at GunBroker and you can see pictures before you pay! (Auction and forum registration are separate.)
    I used to recruit for the NRA until they sold us down the river (again!) in Heller v. DC. See my auctions (if any) under username henryreilly
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  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
    edited November -1
    The order picker picks the next 5 (or 3) rifles on the rack, and chooses the best of that lot.

    How to beat the system: Order 5 rifles, one for you and four for your buddies. You take first pick, and they get the rest.
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  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,892 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The above reflects my experience.

    But, be cautious when buying multiples of the same gun. I know a few slick fellas who take advantage of the bulk price, pick the best of the rifles to keep, then get a table at a local gun show & sell the rest. This further offsets their cost. The problem is, if you have a table with "3 of these" & "4 of those", & it sure looks to an ATF agent like "dealing without a license".

    Neal

    "Arrest now, litigate later." --- ATF motto
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  • babooniebaboonie Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    cary) may not know what to look for. I suppose the only people who could really answer this question even close to adequately would be the one's doing the picking.

    I like the "order 5" suggestion. I've applied for my 03 C&R FFL. I've got buddies that want some of these older rifles for themselves. According to BATF rules that I've ready, as long as I'm not selling them for a living I should be okay, but there's got to be a limit! I think I read five at a time somewhere? Anyway, I'm actually a little leery about buying for my buddies. I'll probably just save the $10 and cross my fingers on some of these.

    As far as buying from Gunbroker: A lot of the distributors and importers I've found have significantly lower prices. Is it worth the gamble of not being able to see the rifle first? I'll let you all know...
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  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Baboonie- if you heard "5" somewhere, you heard wrong. The 03 C&R is not a license to engage in the business of selling any firearm. Says that right on the bottom of my 03 license. The key is "engaged in the business" and that is defined as "devoting time and attention to making a livelihood." At renewal time, you will need to advise the ATF on number purchased, and number sold. Yes, you can make a sale- but if you are buying 5 at once, selling 4, well, as Ricky said, "Lucy- you got some 'splaining to do!". Be careful, bro. If I sell, it will be to "improve my collection." I had an M-1, bought a better specimen, sold my first one. This has been VERY loosely defined, and the BATF has been known to push THEIR interpretation of it.
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  • 1022man1022man Member Posts: 512 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Handpicking can be a crapshoot. I think it depends more on who you buy it from and what you want (bore, ect?) Also buying rifles from dist depends on who you buy from. Some don't care what it is they are selling, others will put a little more thought into it. One of my fav is aimsurplus one that I will not buy from again and who I have heard numerous complaints about is centerfiresystems. Centry is another big one, who imported most of the guns anyway, but they realy don't care much about what they are selling, just that they sell alot of it. A smaller site that always has quality guns and friendly service is empirearms, I've had soem good/some bad and have heard both from sog or southernohiogun. One of the best c&r boards I have found out there is parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/bparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums
    long name, but friendly guys that know most of everything.
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  • babooniebaboonie Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yeah, I have to agree with you about ordering multiples. It seems almost like a trap because the BATF wording is so loose. It's all about their interpretation. In order to make a living at this, a person would have to order more than five rifles at a time! I got the number "5" from somewhere on the BATF website, I think. I'll see if I can find it.
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  • babooniebaboonie Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    11b6r:

    Yeah, I brainfarted. It's been a long day and I was thinking of: ? 178.126a Reporting multiple sales or other disposition of pistols and revolvers. Anyway, like I told my buddies: Either get your or 03 or have it sent to the local dealer!
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  • babooniebaboonie Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    1022man:

    I've been dealing with AIM for a while. In fact, they're the ones that got me started on this post. I just wanted to see if I could any objective opinions form people that have gone both ways with them. But, really there is no way. I suppose it's just a matter of trust and I've heard nothing but good things about AIM so far.
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