Author Topic: Sanity Check (Read 2791 times)

Northwoods · « **on:** July 20, 2013, 01:14:50 AM »

My FIL has a Browning semi-auto .22. It is the only gun of his SWMBO wants to have. He promised it to her many times over the years, but now he seems determined to sell it rather than give it to her. I'll buy it just to make her happy, but I nreed a reasonable estimate of what it is really worth. Assumme heavilly used but well cared for. Probably 1960's vintage.

zxcvbob · « **Reply #1 on:** July 20, 2013, 01:26:00 AM »

Do you know what grade it is? Browning makes about 3 or 4 levels. Was it made in Belgium?

(I have no idea what the value is, but the grade can make a big difference)

Northwoods · « **Reply #2 on:** July 20, 2013, 01:30:18 AM »

No idea on the grade. Probaby Belgian.

AJ Dual · « **Reply #3 on:** July 20, 2013, 01:38:48 AM »

They flipped to Japan/Miroku right around '73/'74 IIRC...

So it's Belgian.

charby · « **Reply #4 on:** July 20, 2013, 08:20:30 AM »

from the intertubes

Depends on what grade the rifle is. Grade I, II or III? Grade I = Standard Grade, Grade II has engraved prarie dogs and squirrels, Grade III has dogs flushing some ducks and a dog with a duck in its mouth on the top of the receiver. You can tell what year the rifle is by the serial number.

Find out what grade it is, the check on Gunbroker what they have sold for. (not what they are asking)

Northwoods · « **Reply #5 on:** July 20, 2013, 06:03:16 PM »

I'm pretty sure there were engravings, but I have no memory of what they were. SWMBO has no recollection either. She just remembers the beautiful wood and checkering.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #6 on:** July 20, 2013, 06:54:16 PM »

Uh, this is his daughter, right? And he's going to make you buy it for her?

Brad

Northwoods · « **Reply #7 on:** July 20, 2013, 07:12:31 PM »

Quote from: Brad Johnson on July 20, 2013, 06:54:16 PM

Uh, this is his daughter, right? And he's going to make you buy it for her?

Brad

90% of the time he's a decent enough guy. The other 10% of the time I want to kick him in the nuts.

BlueStarLizzard · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2013, 08:41:31 PM »

Quote from: sumpnz on July 20, 2013, 07:12:31 PM

90% of the time he's a decent enough guy. The other 10% of the time I want to kick him in the nuts.

Kick him in the nuts.

Jim147 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2013, 08:44:05 PM »

Quote from: bluestarlizzard on July 20, 2013, 08:41:31 PM

Kick him in the nuts.

Twice.

jim

Tallpine · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2013, 09:40:26 PM »

Quote from: Jim147 on July 20, 2013, 08:44:05 PM

Twice.

jim

Trade him two acres for the gun

Northwoods · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2013, 10:03:36 PM »

In his defense, I should at least note that he has given us an Auto-5 20 ga. It would be a great collectors piece if he hadn't engraved his SSN in the bottom metal 40-some years ago.

zxcvbob · « **Reply #12 on:** July 20, 2013, 10:09:15 PM »

You don't really care if you give him a fair price do you? You can't go too wrong paying $500 for it (even if it's a grade 1.) It could easily be worth well over $1000. Offer him $300 and see what he says. It's worth that to make your wife happy even if the gun itself was worthless.

Northwoods · « **Reply #13 on:** July 21, 2013, 02:25:05 AM »

Apparently it's at a gunsmith right now. He wanted to get all the lead out of the bore to see how much rifling was left. He's going to get a price opinion from the smith. I know damn well, unless the barrel is truely shot out $300 won't even come close.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #14 on:** July 21, 2013, 02:44:18 AM »

I say go get her a new one that's nicer than the one in question. Don't say a word to daddy-o. Let it be a surprise when she pulls it out of the gun case to show it off to him.. Then you can put on your biggest, proudest kiss-my-behind grin for the SOB.

Brad

Chuck Dye · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2013, 04:13:51 AM »

Quote from: Brad Johnson on July 20, 2013, 06:54:16 PM

Uh, this is his daughter, right? And he's going to make you buy it for her?

Brad

When Dad said he was going to dispose of his guns, I may have misspoken when I asked about prices. As a result, I paid $1k for the Browning Superposed, the 1953 Model 70 (subMOA,) the Ithaca Model 37, and the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless. $1k was fair market value for the Browning. Had I spoken what Dad wanted to hear, I might have been given the lot. On the balance sheet of money flow between Dad and me, the $1k was not even a drop in a bucket. Buy the gun, celebrate it, and keep it in the family, if possible, even if the price asked is a bit high.

Hutch · « **Reply #16 on:** July 21, 2013, 07:21:41 AM »

Quote from: sumpnz on July 21, 2013, 02:25:05 AM

Apparently it's at a gunsmith right now. He wanted to get all the lead out of the bore to see how much rifling was left. He's going to get a price opinion from the smith. I know damn well, unless the barrel is truely shot out $300 won't even come close.

It's difficult to imagine that someone could, in normal use, a) lead up the barrel of a modern .22 rifle or handgun b) wear out the rifling of same. Please share with us what the gunsmith has to report on the .22, if you get the story?

You can lead up a barrel of a center fire handgun easily enough. You can "shoot out" the barrel of a rile, which generally caused by erosion of the first few inches of rifling. That occurs looooong before appreciable wear in the rest of the rifling.

charby · « **Reply #17 on:** July 21, 2013, 09:07:44 AM »

I have my grandma's K-22, its from 1948 and I would image it probably has over a 500,000 rounds of .33lr shot through it. I probably shot 50k through it before I was a teenager, because I was shooting at least a brick a weekend with my dad. The rifling is still very crisp in it.

Tallpine · « **Reply #18 on:** July 21, 2013, 11:23:08 AM »

Quote

over a 500,000 rounds of .33lr

Wow, that's stuff is even harder to find these days than .22 LR

HankB · « **Reply #19 on:** July 21, 2013, 11:39:02 AM »

Quote from: sumpnz on July 20, 2013, 01:14:50 AM

. . . He promised it to her many times over the years, but now he seems determined to sell it rather than give it to her . . .

Guy sounds like the south end of a northbound horse. Having him pull something like that would really sour the gun for me, and rather than buy it from him, I'd be REAL tempted to simply tell him to stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

Quote from: Brad Johnson on July 21, 2013, 02:44:18 AM

I say go get her a new one that's nicer than the one in question. Don't say a word to daddy-o. Let it be a surprise when she pulls it out of the gun case to show it off to him.. Then you can put on your biggest, proudest kiss-my-behind grin for the SOB.

I really, really, LIKE this suggestion!

zxcvbob · « **Reply #20 on:** July 21, 2013, 02:46:52 PM »

Wife wants that one, so it doesn't hurt anything to make him a lowball offer -- you never know he might take it. When he doesn't, you can tell her he wouldn't sell so you bought her a nice one.

Northwoods · « **Reply #21 on:** July 21, 2013, 03:13:32 PM »

Gun smith apparently said the barrel is good (shocka!! kinda scratched my head over that when he told me). It's a Grade 1. He's thinking $500 for the gun, plus $250 for the Baby Redfield scope.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #22 on:** July 21, 2013, 03:41:21 PM »

Quote from: sumpnz on July 21, 2013, 03:13:32 PM

Gun smith apparently said the barrel is good (shocka!! kinda scratched my head over that when he told me). It's a Grade 1. He's thinking $500 for the gun, plus $250 for the Baby Redfield scope.

Good prices. Not great, but good. His "daughter discount", I take it?

Brad

Northwoods · « **Reply #23 on:** July 21, 2013, 04:04:17 PM »

More or less.

I have 4-5 cords of firewood to sell this fall. Thinking I'll tell him I only got $650-700 for all of it and offer that much for the gun. Chances are he'd take it, unless he thought he could get a whole lot more (like over a grand) elsewhere.

zxcvbob · « **Reply #24 on:** July 21, 2013, 04:26:01 PM »

Does that include the funky Browning scope mount and rings? Otherwise the scope won't do you much good. (At least I *think* it requires a weird mount.)

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Author Topic: Sanity Check (Read 2791 times)