Gunshow shopping?

[Tom-ADC]

Gunshow next week end I want to shop for a Buffalo Classic in either 38-55 or 45-70, what price range can I expect for a nice one or new?
Did a little looking on Gunbroker worse comes to worse I'll use them as a guide.

[Dragoon 45]

Gunshow next week end I want to shop for a Buffalo Classic in either 38-55 or 45-70, what price range can I expect for a nice one or new?
Did a little looking on Gunbroker worse comes to worse I'll use them as a guide.

Here in NE Oklahoma, a NIB Buffalo Classic in .45-70 is going for around $380. I have not seen the target model in .38-55 in some time, so don't have a price range for it.

As I understand it from various posts on this forum and others, the .38-55 Target version has problems with incorrect chamber dimensions. From what I have read most of them are chambered for 375 Win but are sold as .38-55's. Never owned one but after reading about other folks problems with them, not sure I would ever buy one.

[Tom-ADC]

I seem to remember that, also on the list is a flintlock rifle maybe a Lyman Great Plains.

[onceabull]

Young fella carried a Lyman Great Plains to and fro through our local show 9/12-13.with hang tag. $250 OBO..my pard finally put him out of his misery for $200.. Sold it 20 minutes later for $250,despite goodly effort from the rest of us insisting that $350 was "fair"...another youngster had picked it up before I got involved,laid it back down sans comment, returning from the ATM with cash in hand to find the "revised" sticker...pard is a good guy and a believer in the modern theory of making his fortune on "turnover".. wish I had laid the $250 down myself,as I had just completed my only sale of the day,and had cash in hand..Next day was better ,though... same pard bought a Buffalo Classic at local stand-up auction for $250 just last month & it went away ,too.. Onceabull

[lathesmith]

Yes, seems like those 38/55 barrels were chambered for 375 Winchester, but with 38/55-like bores--upwards of .380+ ,and shallow rifling too. They can be made to shoot well, but may require a bit of fiddling, and bullet size in this case really matters--.001 too small, the slugs tumble; .001 too big,they won't chamber; and sometimes, it's near-impossible to get that just-right slug to chamber properly. Like I said, from personal experience, it can be done, but most of the time there isn't much margin for error. I had best results using re-formed 30/30 brass, this is a little thinner than standard 38/55 brass, and gave me just enough room to chamber that "just big enough" slug.

lathesmith

[Gunaria]

I don't think your going to have much luck finding that at the Del Mar show, but then I could be wrong. Try to look past the jerky and cheap Chinese AR junk and you might find a gem and somebody that's wants to wheel & deal. Good luck.

[Tom-ADC]

I don't think your going to have much luck finding that at the Del Mar show, but then I could be wrong. Try to look past the jerky and cheap Chinese AR junk and you might find a gem and somebody that's wants to wheel & deal. Good luck.

I agree not much there any more, my brother is here for a visit wants to go, about the only thing I buy anymore is jerky and sometimes ammo, could use a brick of 17 HMR.

[9.3X62AL]

You could do a LOT worse than a Lyman Great Plains rifle for a muzzle-loader.

[Buckshot]

..............You never know about gunshows, but I think it also has something to do with divine providence, or being in the right place at the right time, or maybe it boils down to it simply being 'Your turn" :-) Sometimes it hurts to pay round trip gas, parking and entrance fees, but ya never know.

For awile they'd have this piddly little gunshow at the Nat'l OrangeShow Grounds in San Bernardino several years ago. One buiding and if you leisurely strolled through you'd be in and out in 15 minutes. The wife and I walked in through the doors and I stood there doing a quick scan. Way over in one corner I saw what I figured had to be rifle barrels sticking up. The kind I like, being fat and with barrel bands :-) I ended up buying a Remington M1879 contract Argentine rolling block for $165, with a bright shiney bore, and overall V-G to Exc condition.

At one of the big LA gunshows toward the end of the show on Sunday I was on my way out and stopped by a table of Trapdoors. I asked if I could pick up the H&R carbine repro he had. He said sure, and I'd been looking it over a bit when he came back and asked if I was interested and said he'd take $400 for it. I thought I might have it and was thumbing through my wallet but all I could come up with was $300.

The guy had turned away to answer someone's question, and when he turned back to me I stuck the carbine back at him, and said I thought I had it but all I had was the 3 bills. He'd reached for it but stopped and stood there a second. Then he said "Ah heck, gimme the $300 I'm gonna sell SOMETHING!".

http://www.fototime.com/5910E3F3A49AD40/standard.jpg http://www.fototime.com/DD20159DEB531E2/standard.jpg

But those big LA shows were fun to go to all by themselves anyway, and it might not be a gun but there were deals to be found.

..............Buckshot

[Tom-ADC]

I'm going with fingers crossed, might get lucky.
Remember the Great Western Shows? My brother would come out from Michigan to sell his stuff at those shows they were huge.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Tom,
I don't know anything about the Buffalo Classic.
But I can say, time and time again, Gunbroker commands the highest prices.
Jon

[Doc Highwall]

One thing I do know about gun shows is if you don't go you will not find any thing! I have been to more then one where after I left that I said to myself that I should have picked such and such up. A couple of years ago a person was selling a Marlin 336 in 30-30 Win for $150.00 in good condition and I was thinking that I have two 30-30 Win already why do I need a third one and left it there and then a couple of days later I thought you idiot you could have turned it into a 38-55 with a pistol grip and no hammer block safety DUH. I guess hind sight is always 20-20.

[felix]

No, Doc, in your case your hindsight is not 20-20, but 30-30 (the same sighting value, but a more meaningful significance). ... felix

[Doc Highwall]

felix, I like that.

[daddywpb]

It may or may not be typical, I can only speaak for the gun shows around here, but if you don't know what you want and what it's worth, gun shows are the worst place to buy a gun. Filled with people trying to take advantage of anyone who may look like they don't know what they're doing. I was going to go with a friend of mine to one, but he cancelled the day of the show. I went on with my day and he decided later that he was going to the show. He ended up paying $100 more than he should have for a Ruger LCR.

[Tom-ADC]

Gun Show starts in an hour, will be looking ofr a single shot rifle or muzzleloader.
Lots of good advice, I do have a shopping list with prices I think are good. We'll see.

[Tom-ADC]

Prices for most everything were out of sight, did get some LRP Winchester at $22 a 1000 some misc small items & a Traditions Flinlock Rifle 50 cal Frontier model, 28" barrel, set triggers NIB $275. Need to buy some flits now, but this may end up a wall hanger in a glass faced case.
But all the Trapdoors etc were priced like they were the last one available. Nice C Sharps hi wall cal 45-90 $1900 was nice but not that nice,

[redneckdan]

Wish I had known you were looking for a BC, I just liquidated one.

[Tom-ADC]

Wish I had known you were looking for a BC, I just liquidated one.

Makes two of us.