Buying Revolver Through Online Broker?

[Mike97124]

I'm considering buying another revolver and have narrowed my consideration down to two Smith & Wesson models, the Model 19 and Model 66 in .357 with a 4" to 5" barrel, I'm not looking to collect, just find a well cared for shooter. I've not seen a lot locally so I've started looking at some of the online broker web sites, mainly GunBroker since that seems to be the one mentioned a lot and they do have a lot of choices.

I've never bought something like a gun online before and I'm not sure how I feel about buying sight unseen but it may be the only way I'll find one in my price range sooner rather than later. I've read some of the information on the web site and also in the forums, but I'm wondering just how the process works? I know that they have to ship to a person that is licensed to receive guns and that they ask for all kinds of information from the license holder to prove that they are lawfully licensed. To buy a gun and have it shipped, do I just call up different gun stores and ask if I can have a gun shipped through them? Am I paying both to have it shipped as part of the sell and for the person to receive it and sign it over to me?

I assume that if I find someone that does this a lot, they will know what to do and how to get their information to the seller's shipper and if I find a seller that does this a lot they will also know what to do but what do I need to provide to start the process. I've not bought a weapon since well before all the laws and background checks and other hoops to jump through were put in place, so buying anything now is all new to me.

So who has done enough online purchasing to have the process down and how complicated is it? Is there a dependable gun shop or person in the Hillsboro area that is used a lot and known to be dependable? I figure finding someone to have it sent to would be the first thing to do rather than wait until I've bought something.

And is GunBroker a good choice to go through or are their others as good as or better them then? Any insight is sure appreciated.

Mike

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[SUPER X]

I'm considering buying another revolver and have narrowed my consideration down to two Smith & Wesson models, the Model 19 and Model 66 in .357 with a 4" to 5" barrel, I'm not looking to collect, just find a well cared for shooter. I've not seen a lot locally so I've started looking at some of the online broker web sites, mainly GunBroker since that seems to be the one mentioned a lot and they do have a lot of choices.

I've never bought something like a gun online before and I'm not sure how I feel about buying sight unseen but it may be the only way I'll find one in my price range sooner rather than later. I've read some of the information on the web site and also in the forums, but I'm wondering just how the process works? I know that they have to ship to a person that is licensed to receive guns and that they ask for all kinds of information from the license holder to prove that they are lawfully licensed. To buy a gun and have it shipped, do I just call up different gun stores and ask if I can have a gun shipped through them? Am I paying both to have it shipped as part of the sell and for the person to receive it and sign it over to me?

I assume that if I find someone that does this a lot, they will know what to do and how to get their information to the seller's shipper and if I find a seller that does this a lot they will also know what to do but what do I need to provide to start the process. I've not bought a weapon since well before all the laws and background checks and other hoops to jump through were put in place, so buying anything now is all new to me.

So who has done enough online purchasing to have the process down and how complicated is it? Is there a dependable gun shop or person in the Hillsboro area that is used a lot and known to be dependable? I figure finding someone to have it sent to would be the first thing to do rather than wait until I've bought something.

And is GunBroker a good choice to go through or are their others as good as or better them then? Any insight is sure appreciated.

Mike

The revolver will be shipped to a ffl and you will have to go thru the back ground check .The fees very .luckys sporting goods in banks is a great one to deal with and I think it's a total of 30 bucks for everything including back ground check or a cut above pawn in aloha is about the same .

 

[joken]

Care to tell me your price range for a 4" 19-5 in awesome condition?

 

[Mike97124]

Thanks, Thanatos and UsaUsaUsa, it's good to know there are a few choices online. I have seen mention of Cut Above Pawn shop as being used and since they are just down TV Hwy from me I plan to drop in and talk to them about it and look to see what they have.

Joken, what I have been looking at are those that are under the cost of a new Classic, which is around $800 from what I've seen at some of the big name stores. I haven't ruled out buying a Classic yet but since I'm looking for a shooter rather than specifically a collectable, I don't see a reason to pay more than new for used. Now if I won the lottery it would be a different story.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Alexx1401]

Any dealer can do the part you need. Most will. If you have a favorite local shop start there. As for the buy it's a crap shoot. You are buying off pictures and someone's word. There is a rating system on GB of course to help mitigate the risk. I have bought a few new guns off them only because I could not find them locally. My Ruger PCC came from them but it was from a large dealer advertising on GB. So bottom line you would have to weigh the risk involved with how good the price you are finding is. You may well get a great gun. You also may end up with something you wish you had not. All in how much risk you want to take.

 

[Mike97124]

Yea, I've bought a lot of stuff off of ebay back when there were more individuals selling and not virtual store fronts like it is now and it was just as iffy buying that way as well. I know the cost will probably be a bit higher, but I'd rather buy from an established seller in a situation like buying online. It doesn't guarantee anything, is going to be more accurate but I think it improves the chances a bit. I'm still hoping I'll find something local before I start trying at one of the online places.

Mike

 

[Mikej]

Yea, I've bought a lot of stuff off of ebay back when there were more individuals selling and not virtual store fronts like it is now and it was just as iffy buying that way as well. I know the cost will probably be a bit higher, but I'd rather buy from an established seller in a situation like buying online. It doesn't guarantee anything, is going to be more accurate but I think it improves the chances a bit. I'm still hoping I'll find something local before I start trying at one of the online places.

Mike

I was nervous when I bought the first time from Gun Broker. After looking at Swedish Mausers for weeks I finally bid and won. No one else bid. What made a difference were the pictures the seller took. A lot of them. Very good close-ups that I could magnify by hovering over. There were a lot of guns sellers that had few, blurry, dark pictures. The seller was very nice when I contacted him and provided easy directions to make HIM happy. I go through Tigard Pawn 4 More for transfers and shipping for $25.00. I'd suggest before bidding contact you transfer shop. Sometimes the seller isn't an FFL and that can make a difference. Tigard will accept guns from non FFLs, you just need to ask what the particulars are.

When no one else bid on that mauser I was kinda freaked because I thought that I was missing something and it was a dog! The guys pics were such good quality that when I unwrapped the packaged rifle at Tigard the gun looked better than in the sellers pics!

 

[Mike97124]

Mike, I know what you mean about looking at the pictures and wondering if I'm missing something. I've looked at some that look pretty good, have a good explanation by the seller and is less than some of the others I'm looking at on GunBrokers but yet there are no bids on it. Without having the years of knowledge that others have, I wonder if I'm missing that this model is a known dog or the seller has a bad reputation or if there are just so many choices that people are over looking it or if my tastes are just that off from everyone else I've got little competition.

I've been busy over the last week so haven't had a chance to visit and talk to some of the possible FFL shops around me or checking out a couple of gun shops for what's local, but hope to over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I keep researching, reading the forums and listening to what others are saying. It seems like I'm learning something every day.

Mike

 

[bbbass]

Yep, just like others said I have bought a few firearms thru Gunbroker. Never had a bad experience. Bought primarily thru established dealers except for once... when i bought my Glock34. For that deal I had a good convo with the seller and rx'd good pics. I was still nervous that the gun wouldn't arrive, or would arrive in poor condition. Didn't enjoy that, so I'm back to only established sellers.

BTW, I just bought a revolver from a NWFA member... we met up at my LGS, had a great conversation, and enjoyed meeting each other. Lots of good deals available here too!

 

[Alexx1401]

Yea, I've bought a lot of stuff off of ebay back when there were more individuals selling and not virtual store fronts like it is now and it was just as iffy buying that way as well. I know the cost will probably be a bit higher, but I'd rather buy from an established seller in a situation like buying online. It doesn't guarantee anything, is going to be more accurate but I think it improves the chances a bit. I'm still hoping I'll find something local before I start trying at one of the online places.

Mike

For a gun I personally would do the same. Spending that kind of money I am not willing to send money sight unseen to some guy I never see. Now many do. If it was an established dealer I would try it but leery of some guy I never get to meet. For almost any gun some dealer is going to have one. If some person has it at a price substantially lower than any dealer I would be worried about why is he selling it so cheap. Again many do this and swear they seldom if ever get a bad deal. I guess I am just kind of jaded.

 

[Mikej]

For a gun I personally would do the same. Spending that kind of money I am not willing to send money sight unseen to some guy I never see. Now many do. If it was an established dealer I would try it but leery of some guy I never get to meet. For almost any gun some dealer is going to have one. If some person has it at a price substantially lower than any dealer I would be worried about why is he selling it so cheap. Again many do this and swear they seldom if ever get a bad deal. I guess I am just kind of jaded.

I tend to agree with this. And the gun the OP is looking for is a pretty common gun. I bought two nice S&W revolvers during a year period from members here. A no-dash 6" 686, and a 6" Model 19. Both in excellent shape with ultra low mileage. But when it came time for the Swede Mauser, not a lot of those locally.

 

[Alexx1401]

Yep, just like others said I have bought a few firearms thru Gunbroker. Never had a bad experience. Bought primarily thru established dealers except for once... when i bought my Glock34. For that deal I had a good convo with the seller and rx'd good pics. I was still nervous that the gun wouldn't arrive, or would arrive in poor condition. Didn't enjoy that, so I'm back to only established sellers.

BTW, I just bought a revolver from a NWFA member... we met up at my LGS, had a great conversation, and enjoyed meeting each other. Lots of good deals available here too!

That is a far safer way to do it. If you can find someone who will meet you at a shop at least then you get to handle to gun and really see what you are buying first. I have sold a couple guns here and the dreaded Armslist. All went fine. Only problem with the one sold on Armslist was it was like Craigslist. I don't know how many e-mails and texts I went through until one guy finally actually showed. Then poor guy got a delayed on his BGC, but he was a good sport about it and came back days later to buy.

 

[bbbass]

That is a far safer way to do it. If you can find someone who will meet you at a shop at least then you get to handle to gun and really see what you are buying first. I have sold a couple guns here and the dreaded Armslist. All went fine. Only problem with the one sold on Armslist was it was like Craigslist. I don't know how many e-mails and texts I went through until one guy finally actually showed. Then poor guy got a delayed on his BGC, but he was a good sport about it and came back days later to buy.

Most of the Gunbroker buys were new firearms or uppers so it always had a pretty good chance since I checked out the seller.

The used Glock 34 I bought arrived at my FFL and yep, I got delayed too. I thought what am I going to do now... will the gun be sent back... will it be kept forever? I was delayed for a full year!!! Fortunately the LGS knows me personally and released my Glock after the legal hold period. Many FFLs will not do the release... it has become problematic with the crappy NICS system that we have. Imagine if they change the law like they wanted, no releases at all... might be good in some cases, a real burden in others like mine. Just bought a revolver and the BGC went thru in 5min... go figure.

 

[mcfoto]

I appreciate you wanting to save some dough by buying used but my one one experience buying used ended up with multiple trips to the gunsmith. So now I buy my guns like I buy vehicles: virgins instead of divorcées are less drama. Btw, as a choice for gun, I bought my 66 new two years ago. After breaking it in and a tune, it's been flawless. K frames are the bomb. One caution, if you shoot a lot of .357 mag, you might want to bump up to an L frame. Particularly if you get an older one. Even Smith recommends.38 special for range use and .357 for carry.

 

[stick655]

I'm considering buying another revolver and have narrowed my consideration down to two Smith & Wesson models, the Model 19 and Model 66 in .357 with a 4" to 5" barrel, I'm not looking to collect, just find a well cared for shooter. I've not seen a lot locally so I've started looking at some of the online broker web sites, mainly GunBroker since that seems to be the one mentioned a lot and they do have a lot of choices.

I've never bought something like a gun online before and I'm not sure how I feel about buying sight unseen but it may be the only way I'll find one in my price range sooner rather than later. I've read some of the information on the web site and also in the forums, but I'm wondering just how the process works? I know that they have to ship to a person that is licensed to receive guns and that they ask for all kinds of information from the license holder to prove that they are lawfully licensed. To buy a gun and have it shipped, do I just call up different gun stores and ask if I can have a gun shipped through them? Am I paying both to have it shipped as part of the sell and for the person to receive it and sign it over to me?

I assume that if I find someone that does this a lot, they will know what to do and how to get their information to the seller's shipper and if I find a seller that does this a lot they will also know what to do but what do I need to provide to start the process. I've not bought a weapon since well before all the laws and background checks and other hoops to jump through were put in place, so buying anything now is all new to me.

So who has done enough online purchasing to have the process down and how complicated is it? Is there a dependable gun shop or person in the Hillsboro area that is used a lot and known to be dependable? I figure finding someone to have it sent to would be the first thing to do rather than wait until I've bought something.

And is GunBroker a good choice to go through or are their others as good as or better them then? Any insight is sure appreciated.

Mike

Before I started buying from the good folks on this site, I did a lot of online purchasing. I go through my due diligence with the seller, of course. But what you have to look at is the shipping from their end plus the transfer fee on your end, is it worth it after all the math? But, it's pretty easy, you should just have to send the seller your FFL info and they contact them directly. I now stay local with purchases to avoid fees on both ends, unless it's a killer deal or there's free shipping.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I'm considering buying another revolver and have narrowed my consideration down to two Smith & Wesson models, the Model 19 and Model 66 in .357 with a 4" to 5" barrel, I'm not looking to collect, just find a well cared for shooter. I've not seen a lot locally so I've started looking at some of the online broker web sites, mainly GunBroker since that seems to be the one mentioned a lot and they do have a lot of choices.

I've never bought something like a gun online before and I'm not sure how I feel about buying sight unseen but it may be the only way I'll find one in my price range sooner rather than later. I've read some of the information on the web site and also in the forums, but I'm wondering just how the process works? I know that they have to ship to a person that is licensed to receive guns and that they ask for all kinds of information from the license holder to prove that they are lawfully licensed. To buy a gun and have it shipped, do I just call up different gun stores and ask if I can have a gun shipped through them? Am I paying both to have it shipped as part of the sell and for the person to receive it and sign it over to me?

I assume that if I find someone that does this a lot, they will know what to do and how to get their information to the seller's shipper and if I find a seller that does this a lot they will also know what to do but what do I need to provide to start the process. I've not bought a weapon since well before all the laws and background checks and other hoops to jump through were put in place, so buying anything now is all new to me.

So who has done enough online purchasing to have the process down and how complicated is it? Is there a dependable gun shop or person in the Hillsboro area that is used a lot and known to be dependable? I figure finding someone to have it sent to would be the first thing to do rather than wait until I've bought something.

And is GunBroker a good choice to go through or are their others as good as or better them then? Any insight is sure appreciated.

Mike

So, is this what you're looking for?

 

[Mike97124]

Mcfoto, it's not so much about saving money and I mentioned in another post that since I'm just looking for a good shooter rather than a collectable, if the cost is the same or more as new, I'd just buy new. There are a number of reasons I want to buy an older gun (not ancient, just older) and that is almost all, if not all, have gone into cost saving methods in manufacturing and though there are newer materials today than 10, 20, 30 or more years ago that doesn't necessarily equate to better made. Most things, yes, I would buy new, car, appliances, electronic, etc., but for some things, like revolvers, I find buying a couple that were made before Y2K more desirable. But, you never know. I might find something that is new that I can't live without and end up buying new before I buy used. I can't say it won't happen as I surely understand what you are saying.

Mike

 

[Mike97124]

So, is this what you're looking for?
View attachment 497566

Yes, that looks like what I am considering. That is definitely a nice looking gun.

 

[Mike97124]

Looking at the picture, it doesn't have the S&W emblem on the side but I don't see the pin for the barrel either. Is that a newer Model 19?

 

[Rem700..300]

Check TJ' guns in McMinnville. He just had a couple of big collections put on consignment . Stay away from the S&W 17-6. Its a real clunker and you will have a very upset wife in my house. Actually its a very nice .22 but speaking the truth about upset wife.