I went to a local Pawn shop in Plano, TX today. On the shelf they had a Colt Match Target, HBAR, post ban, A2 stock, standard A2 grip, no flash hider, no bayonet lug, had aaccessories: delta-style cheek piece and a CHEAP scope.

I ask the kid if I can see the AR. He says which (there was only ONE there), I say the Match Target. I ask how much: $1595.00 is on the tag! I explained that Colt post ban guns are about 1/2 that for NEW ones... The kid agreed with me and knew it was marked way too high.

This other guy working there (I think the owner) comes up and starts aguing with me saying that its a genuine Colt Delta, and tells me for sure that its a pre-ban, since it has the cheekpiece and scope. He claims that the book says that's what it is. I asked him to check the serial number and call Colt to confirm. He said he did confirm it with his book! He did not believe me at all, and wouldn't even consider calling Colt. (I even pointed out that there were no pre-ban features.)

This guy was full of it, and I feel sorry for some unsuspecting soul who will get suckered by this idiot into paying twice as much for a USED post-ban.

I wonder if I can sell him another "Delta" by selling him another used match target with cheezy scope and cheekpiece!

This isn't the first time I have seen this happen at a Pawn shop. In fact, a very similar story happened at a Pawn shop a couple blocks from this one, about a year or so ago... Guy was selling a used Colt Match Target with pinned on muzzle break (like Olympic Arms) as a pre-ban, marked around $1200-$1300....


I've also seen the same thing at local gun shows. I cannot believe they can get away with such fraud!

Makes me wonder what it says on the receipt: if it says pre-ban, and has a post-ban serial number, at least there might be some kind of defense or recourse should anything happen... but I doubt he will indicate it as pre-ban, since there are absolutely NO pre-ban features...

Just remember that when you are going to Pawn shops, you are dealing with people that have no idea what they are looking at (for the most part).  They have to look in a book and compare pictures.  Go in, knowing what you know and don't let them try to con you.  Let your friends that may not know as much as you know that you would be glad to go with them if they are interested in making a purchase to keep them from making a mistake.  And most of all, those guys that will overcharge on one thing by misreading a book, will also let a diamond get by thinking it is only compressed coal...

Yeah, and do you ever notice that they always overcharge for used beat up tools?

I checked several of their prices, and I can go to Home Depo, Lowes, etc. and get the same things new for the same price or less...

thats like the pawn shop down the street that had some Mossberg with a cheap folder for 350 and the guy was trying to say its a police/military issue worth lots of cash.

its probably still sitting there.

It works the other way at pawn shops too. I have bought stuff for way less than it was worth when I knew the product better than they did. I bought an sks's for about 1/3 it's true value at a pawn shop not to long ago.

Yeah.  Pawnshops price guns at a formula based on what they loaned using it as collateral.  

For a hacked up bubba job on a 1903, the counterdweeb probably saw "NRA Sporter" in the bluebook.  Sure he will lend out 300 bucks on a 1500 dollar gun.  

Misgrading a gun is the flip side.  A 90% gun may look like 70% to him.  Or, "gosh that gun just has iron sights, no scope....  I bought sights with a rifle attached before.  Or, buying a Leopold Mk 3 6x18 for a good price WITH a rifle attached.  Dog of a 1903 with one hell of a scope on it.  

You have to cruise the shops on a regular interval.  It is fun talking to other customers who have the same frame of mind.  

:)  Talking to other guys about looking for gunrack dogs to do smithing work on.

There used to be a pawn shop across the street from a gun store I used to shop at . I picked up a colt mt6601 from the gun store . Just for the hell of it I took it across to the pawn shop . The asshole guy working there tells me the best he could do was 90 bucks. Then he kept saying "you don't even want to know how cheap I can buy those for" he said it like 3 times before I left laghing my ass off at his total bullshit.