I was at a local sporting goods store and an older guy walked in with a rifle case and told the salesman he had a gun for sale. He opened the case and I was staring at a spotless Remington R-25 in .308. The man says he wants $1000 for it! I stayed close while they spoke and when the salesman left I had to confirm what I had heard. I was treading lightly as I didn't want to conduct any business on this locally owned store, if it was cabelas I'd had told him to meet me in the aparking lot. I didn't tell the guy what he could get on armslist for the rifle but simply told him that if they could not come to an agreement then I'd give him his asking price. Of course the manager came out and gave him the grand no problem. Kinda' kicking myself in the b-hole for not offering him more money or telling him the value of that gun right now.

I would have let it go if it was a mom and pop store as long as they didn't try to haggle with him. In the end, he got exactly what he wanted, so I guess everyone is happy.... except you.

Those guns were $1200.00 new and $1000.00 used before the panic. Since i'm not in the business of buying and selling guns for a profit, I would have said, "Nice gun", and moved on. I think he got a fair price. Before the panic, he would have only got $600-$800 at a gun store.

Very true, but right now its a $2000 gun.

Maybe to a dealer, but not to me. To me, it's only worth $1000.00, and that's all would ever pay for one. In 12 months, they will be back to $1200 new, and $1000 used. Like I said, selling it to a dealer, I think $1000.00 was fair. You never know, he may have bought it for less 6 months ago.

At that price I probably wouldn't have said anything. Now might have been a different story if he had offered $500.

I was at an out of town antique store once when a guy offered 20 bucks for an old tobacco sign worth $300-400 someone brought in. I said something then because it was a blatant ripoff.

I woulda offered him $1050 and kept it for myself.

Call me heartless but the fact that it's a mom and pop is irrelevant unless I particularly like that place. And even if I did, I don't think I'd have any remorse because if I liked a place that usually means I bring them my business.

What do you do for a living?

Even if it's a mom and pop shop they have to compete. And yes I would have bid against the store in a heartbeat.

Friendship is great but capitalism is cutthroat.

And losing one deal out of 20 wont put mom and pop out of business.

Please tell us where you can find R-25's for $1200 new because they have never been that low anywhere.

It wouldn't have been a big deal to tell him you would offer a little more than $1000 and just let him decide.

My local mom and pop is making a killing.

I think it's better to not piss off the local gun shot. You also risk the chance of getting stuck with a gun you can't sell if you don't want to keep it.

My local guy knows I know what I've got so tells me straight up on trades, "Now you know I'm gonna have to screw you so get ready." And he means it.....

So I don't trade with him.

But I have bought a few used guns VERY reasonably from him and I know why.

Looking at it from the consumer's side it's a beating. But looking at it from his side he doesn't know how long he'll have to hold it-especially in a small town. Cabelas is no better-I took a couple guns to one of their gun buying events and they offered about half of what I could sell them for in the THF classifieds.

So the R25 story is typical in my experience. I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been $750.

As soon as the clerk walked away I would have offered more and tried to get a hand shake to seal the deal!

Like I said, they were $1200.00 new and $1000.00 used before the panic.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=706372

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=322181582

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=327226926

Give it 12 months, and they will again be in that price range.

Well, I'll be damned, I have never seen them for that price and I looked for like 4 months before I bought one. Cheapest I could ever find was $1399. I stand corrected.

I see that 2 of those are asking $1900. Asking that price ($1900)and getting that price ($1900) are 2 totally different things.

Sounds like some of you feel it is ok to stake out a spot at your local new truck dealer and make offers on sellers used trucks by offering $100 over the trade allowance. Most privately owned stores would have shown you the door and told you to never return.

If you feel good about what you did then you did the right thing. I think what you did was right.

I got one new for $1299 plus tax the other weekend at academy and traded it on here for a midlength spikes

I line of thought if your in someone elses place of business they have the first right no matter what. I should not be our place to try to buy it out from under them. No matter what the price. Like the guy above said, the gentleman go what he wanted for it.

If it was a Larue, LWRC, or LMT i would have jumped. Remington.....meh