testtest

How important is price?

Price is very important to me when buying a new gun. I generally give my LGS a 10% advantage because I prefer to shop locally whenever possible. I also take the transfer fee into account (assuming there is no transfer fee for guns purchased at the store). Mathematically speaking, it ends up being a 10% + $25 advantage to my LGS.

For example: My LGS is asking $550 for a gun. I subtract 10% of the price ($55) and $25 for a transfer fee. $550 - $55 - $25 = $470. If the gun is $499 from an online seller(or any price over $470), I'll still purchase it at my LGS. If the gun is $449 online (or any price under $470), then I'll buy it from the online retailer.

This only applies to new guns. I will only buy used guns from individuals I personally know, or from an LGS that I trust.
 
Despite living in the big city it’s very hard to beat online prices. Almost all the LGS’ are almost always pricier and there are no Mom and Pop LGS’, they are all chains or as in the case of the Gucci range I belong to expensive because they can be. This is the same place that hosts super car meets in its parking lot several times a year. That being said, if I am buying a four-figure gun I’ll buy it at the Gucci range because they tend to be very competitive on high-end guns. But everything else I competitively price - which I also do because I don’t typically buy inexpensive guns. I can say that throughout the pandemic I never overpaid on a gun. Even when guns were stupid expensive deals could be had if one was patient.
 
Lots of interesting comments here. I research a gun very thoroughly before I pull the trigger (forgive the pun) on a purchase. It could take me weeks sometime until I’m satisfied the gun is worthy of my cash. Then I go in to buy it and end up with a unfamiliar second gun I see there just for the aesthetics of it or how it feels in my hand. No research whatsoever. Go figure! I guess I consider myself a sophisticated impulse buyer 😄. Been looking at Canik lately … that would have to be an impulse buy for sure. No haters please.
 
Price like anything is subjective,yes you may get a gun online for say $800 but take into account the waiting time etc,but if its in your local gun store at maybe $900 it's the actually going into a store talking to and getting to know people,being remembered and supporting a local store,too much shopping is online these days and missing half the enjoyment of going into a store and actually talking to staff,more you shop in 1 store the more deals you might get in the future
 
I think we have all been in a position at some point in our lives that cost vs available funds was a concern. I was financially limited for many years in my younger days. I enjoy what I have while I have it. I may not always be able to be this carefree with my money. I just try to keep my guns in excellent shape. I handle them with a lot of care. If a day comes where I have to liquidate them, I won’t lose my rear end on them.

Even now, I am pretty frugal. Last year, if you had asked me if I’d have spent $1400 on a 1911, I probably would have laughed at you. I didn’t even buy that Raptor new, got it around $1050 neighborhood, great quality used gun. I have a high bar for what I think is acceptable, just means I have to be patient to get what I want for what I want to pay. A specific gun may stay on my wish list for a couple years before those two conditions meet and I’m in the right place at the right time.

I just paid $598 shipped for that American Classic I bought in the wee hours of the morning and I can assure you, I’ll be just as happy shooting it as I will the expensive ones.

There are good guns, great guns and good enough for me guns. No offense to anyone who requires the best, but I can easily afford a $3000 Wilson or a $4000 Night Hawk, several of them if I wanted, but I have no desire to spend that kind of cash on a single gun when I’ll enjoy one at a fraction of the cost just as much.
 
Philmo11 said:
IThere are good guns, great guns and good enough for me guns. No offense to anyone who requires the best, but I can easily afford a $3000 Wilson or a $4000 Night Hawk, several of them if I wanted, but I have no desire to spend that kind of cash on a single gun when I’ll enjoy one at a fraction of the cost just as much.
Click to expand...
 
Philmo11 said:
I think we have all been in a position at some point in our lives that cost vs available funds was a concern. I was financially limited for many years in my younger days. I enjoy what I have while I have it. I may not always be able to be this carefree with my money. I just try to keep my guns in excellent shape. I handle them with a lot of care. If a day comes where I have to liquidate them, I won’t lose my rear end on them.

Even now, I am pretty frugal. Last year, if you had asked me if I’d have spent $1400 on a 1911, I probably would have laughed at you. I didn’t even buy that Raptor new, got it around $1050 neighborhood, great quality used gun. I have a high bar for what I think is acceptable, just means I have to be patient to get what I want for what I want to pay. A specific gun may stay on my wish list for a couple years before those two conditions meet and I’m in the right place at the right time.

I just paid $598 shipped for that American Classic I bought in the wee hours of the morning and I can assure you, I’ll be just as happy shooting it as I will the expensive ones.

There are good guns, great guns and good enough for me guns. No offense to anyone who requires the best, but I can easily afford a $3000 Wilson or a $4000 Night Hawk, several of them if I wanted, but I have no desire to spend that kind of cash on a single gun when I’ll enjoy one at a fraction of the cost just as much.
Click to expand...
Re: High end guns

How much trigger time have you had with, say, full custom 1911’s?

Because in my experience, they really do have more to offer.
 
I used to buy it when I see it at whatever the price back in younger and stupid days! I don't mind waiting or just build it myself! For the ones I don't have the parts or tools for if it is reasonable then I'll buy it. When I know I can get it for 3 to 500 dollars less then that's what I'll do. Some guns are just gunna cost more. 50 to 100 dollars over some other price is acceptable for me.
 
Price to me doesn’t deter me in a purchase unless it’s outlandish, if I want it bad enough, I am willing to pay a little extra, I don’t do online buying, I buy local as my shop will match any price, my shop is 1 of 11, so they got good prices, I want to see, handle the gun before I buy, just me
 
HansGruber said:
Re: High end guns

How much trigger time have you had with, say, full custom 1911’s?

Because in my experience, they really do have more to offer.
Click to expand...
I agree with your final sentence. My Professional (9mm) and Custom (45acp) both make me a better shooter. I will also say my recent Garrison purchases have been very pleasing and have caused no complaints. Excellent 1911's
 
I am on Social Security so I don't do a lot of buying anymore. The last gun I bought was the S&W 642 PC . Only reason I bought it was because my ex-wife didn't like it after firing less then 50 rounds through it. Yes , I tried to tell her she wouldn't like the recoil from it.

She told me she wanted to sell it and I made an offer.

There are a couple guns I would like to have and when PCH awards me the $5,000.00 a week prize for life I will start buying them.
 
Some things I'll splurge on and pay whatever the price as long as it's within my means and other times I'll pass if I feel the deal isn't right. It's just a matter of how much I want something and the availability of the firearm. I've paid above MSRP for certain firearms and others I only bought because of a great sale price.

Price is important for most firearms I buy. There is a limit of the amount I'll pay above MSRP no matter how much I have to spend. Most of the firearms I have were opportunity buys as I have a real hard time passing on a deal.

I've really scaled back my firearms purchasing last year because I ran out of storage so I've mostly been buying ammo, parts, & accessories to upgrade what I currently own though I still do occasionally buy new firearms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top