16ga.com ~ View topic - 16ga A5 Safe Queen (How Much Should I Offer?)

I was wearing my new 16ga Society hat with pride the other day at the local mega hardware store and a guy asked me if I liked Browning Auto-5's. I knew where the conversation was going and I said they were ..... OK Cool

. He said he has a 26" barreled Sweet Sixteen still in the box that he bought brand new in '94/95' that has only had about 2 boxes of target loads through it on a trap range, never hunted, with SK/IC/M/F invector plus chokes. Asked me if I was interested in buying it for $1000.00. I got his card and told him not to sell it over the next week and I would think about it.

Its obviously not a Belgium but those guys in the far east did a pretty good job of duplicating his Holy Genius-ship Saint John Moses Brownings design almost as good as the Europeans.

I'd be buying it to chase avian critters with. There are no virgin collectibles in my gun-safe so I'm not really concerned about re-sale. I don't have a 16ga autoloader and don't see one coming out in the near future. As you can see from my signature below, I do have a few A-5's in the hanger and this would almost be a twin sister to my Japanese Light 12.

What do you think about the price? Should I buy it or hold out for one that is Belgium made and deposit the money in my 2 year-olds college fund so he can grow up, work all the time, make lots of money, buy lots of guns, and let his retired old man shoot them all the time Wink

?

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

If the condition is that high you could probably move it for more than $1000.

So if you were looking for a NIB it would be a no brainer.

But, if you want one to take out and shoot regularly why pay any premium at all for condition that you'll just go undo in the first year?

The logical option is buy it, resell it and net a few bucks for the effort. Put that $ toward your shooter quality A5.

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

Ralph: For God's sake you have children to get through college! You can't be pissing away money on some old clunker A5.

Here's the thing to do. Give me the contact info for the seller and I will send you a $20.00 "finders fee" if I decide to go for it.

Now that Britgun's figured out how to adjust the rings on his SS there's no chance I can get that one! Razz

Matt

For what it's worth.
I have an identical 99% sweet sixteen without the box that I have been approached about selling and the interested party and I both came up with $1000.00 as a fair market value.

Brad

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

For my money it's stupid, but that damn box is worth a lot to some.

I know John Moses would shake his head in disbelief...

Member Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 161 Location: New Mexico

S&W Boxes have been hot for some time.

It was the $1200 pre-war sight adjusting screwdriver that really impressed me. Smile

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Ralph----start the buying at $700 Wink

I called the guy and offered him $850.00 as a starting point for negotiation and he got a little nasty with me for trying to hose him out of $250.00. I pulled the ripcord on the deal and told him that he had my number. I don't need the headache of dealing with someone that is that volatile for a gun that started out as a spontaneous purchase anyway. I'm starting to really like those double guns and I have a pretty good start on humpbacks in my safe anyway.

Thanks for all the help though!

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Ralph,

It's a shame that he responded in a harsh manner but if does just a little research or markets the gun right....He will get at least a couple hundred more than his asking price and he'll feel even more justified in his indignation.

On the other hand, if he tries to sell it to a dealer, he'll have to work hard to just get $1000. Different buyers have different requirements, the dealer requires room for a mark up...

Running a procurement organization I learned that some sellers cannot understand that a buyers best offer is the most that the item is worth to that particular buyer. It might be worth more to a different buyer, but there is no reason to be offended by any buyers offer. It's not personal.

Jeff

Jeff,

Exactly right. I called him this morning to make sure that he wasn't still hacked off at me and to try to explain to him that I wasn't insulting him because the gun wasn't worth $1000, it just wasn't worth $1000 to me. Obviously I lost more sleep over our "exchange" than he. He told me that he wasn't mad, he seriously considered my offer but was glad that he didn't take it because he traded the gun for a Citori Lightening Feather in 20ga a few hours after our conversation. He feels like he got a $1500 or $1600 gun in trade. He certainly didn't waste time waiting for me to eat crow and come back and counter(which I probably would have). He must have been pretty pi$$ed.

I've seen those Lightening Feathers for about $1100 at gun shows up in Wisconsin quite often. Another case of the buyer seeing a different value as you mentioned, irregardless of what the "Blue Book" says.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

The best deals are the ones where both parties feel they got a good value.

So now he's gotten himself a good deal and your thoughtful follow up call to him showed your a decent and reasonable guy to do business with. Short of you getting the gun it ended pretty well.

Jeff

Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 52 Location: Saint Paul, MN

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

That gun is over priced

It's easy to spend a lot.......but if you put in the effort you just don't have to lay out that kind of cash.....unless your buying a true NIB or near NIB.

I watched a nice Sweet, with only one significant fault (recoil pad) go for $650 this week, and it was not in some obscure pawn shop. It was on the net in an auction.

I'm not going to broadcast the places I watch but you don't need to give up your single malt scotch to have one of these Sweet Sixteens. Just keep your eyes open.

Dave, you know the gun I'm talkin about, chime in!

Jeff