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Posted: 3/25/2008 2:35:19 PM EDT
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I was looking at autoweapons.com ... which seems like a FFL/SOT business. They have a HUGE assortment of pre and post sampe MGs and other cool toys. How do they amass such a collection of firearms. Does anyone know anything about them or how they operate? It almost looks like some random guy in his back porch taking photos! |
| hello. there was quite a negative thread about them on subdums about a year ago. they sold a guy some jap machinegun and mis-represented the condition and parts were missing. they refused to do anything for him or give him a refund. they were also higher than anyone else on that same gun, but the guy felt it was worth it because they were on bauers recommended dealers list. i tried to trade with them when i was getting my m-16. they offered 50% of value! to me, their prices continue to be way over-priced! i think if you shop around, you will find a better deal. kirk |
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They have very high prices. I check their web site to see what top retail is. That said, they do get some very rare guns in. Wish I knew who they were buying from.  And while they have on one or two occasions sold items that were not as advertised, the MGs were rare items, and IMHO they were not aware at the time of sale that it was not what their seller told them. And yes, they handled it very, very poorly. IMHO, they still owe the buyers. That said, if you are looking for a very rare NFA item, and you spend the time studying to really know your stuff, you can find items at autoweapons that you just will not find anywhere else. That might require a trip up to personally inspect the item ... but when you want one and they are the only place with one for sale .... I've bought from autoweapons and been pleased, and I'll prolly buy from them again. It's not the place to pick up an M11/9 or Vector Uzi, and they definitely are not newbie-friendly. But they are a valuable source to the NFA community. As always, YMMV. |
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So, if you want a rare machinegun that nobody else has, you can buy from them at top dollar, they won't necessarily know squat about the weapon and might misrepresent important information about it, and if you have a problem with your new "toy" they will leave you high and dry. There are other NFA dealers in business that have better prices and customer service than these guys. Please show your support by patronizing the ones who are not trying to rip you off. Part of the reason that autoweapons' inventory is so large might have something to do with their outrageous prices, and the effect that has on inventory turnover... |
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is this Autoweapons in Pa ? i can't say a bad thing about them. always treated me right. has an Awesome inventory. im sure they pay a good buck for some of that stuff, that's why they have it. and its no ones fault but the buyer, if you plunk down 30,000 and not take a quick plane ride to see something in person. ive heard of way worse NFA Dealer horror stories. like guys not even getting the gun. Plus 1 for Autoweapons. |
oh, get a grip.  If no one from ar15.com ever buys a single item from autoweapons, it will not change their bottom line one cent. They do not advertise here, and we are not their market. They sell to well-heeled collectors, and we just happen to also have access to their web site. I agree 100% (and posted such above) -- if another dealer has what you want, buy it from them, not from autoweapons. If no one else has what you want and autoweapons does, then do your homework beforehand, make sure it's what it's represented as, and buy it. Or you can bask in the smug gunless glow of knowing you didn't patronize them ... while someone else owns that one-of-five-in-the-Registry MG. I treat them they way I would treat a private seller -- if I'm going to pay top dollar for something rare, it's my responsibility to know what I'm buying. Provenance of a rare item -- be it a Picasso, a Yenko Camaro, a signed first-edition book or a Kreighoff Luger or an FG42 -- does not exist unless it is a sworn document from an acknowledged expert in the field. Doesn't matter who the seller is, this is a legal documentation standard. Buy an M11/9mm from them and if it turns out to be a post-'86 sample, they are going to return your money. All of it, and yes, it will be at top retail value. Buy a seventy-year-old war Japanese trophy from them without a personal inspection that they describe as excellent condition, after you've looked at the six clear photos on their web site, and yeah, you're gonna have trouble when you take delivery and decide that instead it is in good/very good condition, and you are owed $$$. That's one of the cases cited above, and I happen to agree with it, but war-trophy conditions are subjective. The other case I'm aware of was a rare variation of M16 that, when the owner of the M16 filed an FOIA request with BATFE, turned up a Form 1 that did not meet the variation's spex (though still a rare gun). It could have been autoweapons' error, it could have been Colt's error, it could have been BATFE's error. Autoweapons did not offer an FOIA letter, and sold it on the previous owner's word for what it was ... and it may actually be what they sold it at. All the FOIA letter establishes is that there is no proof from BATFE, which is far from conclusive. I might have caught the M16 problem. I would only have disputed the Japanese MG problem if I had seen it in person and even then, only because my definition of "excellent" varies from someone else's. Then again, I probably know less about obscure Japanese MGs than autoweapons does. As I said, autoweapons can function just fine without you and me. They sell to an established circle of customers who spend more on MGs than I make every year. Inventory turnover is not a problem to them. Their prices are high, but their regular customers do not care. As I said above, don't go to them for something you can buy anywhere else. But IMHO, it's flat wrong to go beyond saying "they charge top dollar" and accuse them of ripping anyone off. I'm not an expert on every machine gun. I don't know anyone who is, and I don't expect a retail store to be. I apply "buyer beware" to everything I spend my hard-earned $$$ on. It's multiplied when the item is old and/or used. |
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I was never able to deal with them - prices too high and they would not give near what I considered a fair amount for my trade ..... in fact, I pissed them off and they will no longer deal with me at all ..... probably good in that I was willing to pay top dollar for one of their rarer items later on ............ I really would love to have had that ERMA BAR that they had on sale a couple of years ago .................... Saying that, they do have one hell of an inventory ....... If you have deep pockets and are in the position to buy one of their rarer weapons and don't care what the cost it - go for it ..... If you want a more common MG - UZI/MAC/M16/.... - I would go elsewhere ...... In any case make a trip and check the provenance ........... THOROUGHLY ....... As Tony says .... YMMV/IMHO |
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stay away from this company. they often brag about getting rare guns from collectors for sale on their site. i feel very sorry for those collectors that sell to them because they pay far below fair price for guns. I picture in my mind some poor widow selling her husbands prizes to them for 60% market value, and it makes me sad. I have tried to deal with them a couple of times, wanting to trade some MGs for a MG that they were selling. They wanted to pay me 60% of what it was worth and sell me the gun that they had at 150% of what it was worth. Look for a dealer that will buy MGs at 10-15% below market and that will sell at martet to 10% above martet. Hey, they have the right to run their business the way they want. BUT i have the right to express my opinion also and say STAY AWAY. |
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