Posted: 12/8/2004 4:18:58 AM EDT
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Hi Y'all! I've found myself in a bit of a bind for cash due to an unexpected (aren't they all?) car repair bill. I hated like hell to do it, but I finally made up my mind to pawn a rifle (or two if I have to). Yesterday, I went to my local pawn shop (Mr. Money in Liberty) with my Smith Corona 03-A3 and my Springfield M1 Garand. I decided to just take the 03 in at first and see what I could get for it, and then decide if I wanted to pawn the Garand too. Well, this little high school chicky was working the counter, and I handed her my rifle. She looks it over a little and I can tell she doesn't have a clue. She asks me how much I want, and I tell her $500. Now, I know I'm not gonna get a $500 loan on this rifle, but I wanted to see just how much I could get. Well, she gets out her blue book and starts trying to look up Smith-Corona and can't find it. She asks if she can take it in the back, I say ok. She's gone awhile (conferring w/ the asst. mgr), comes back and offers me $100! I look the rifle up while she's gone (under Springfield) and show her. She then proceeds to tell me that the problem is that all the parts aren't original. Now, if you know anything about US military rifles, you know that there just ain't one that's as it was when it left the factory. I asked her which parts weren't original. She showed me in the book where it said that the rifle will have a stamped floorplate, I agree, and she swivels the butt around toward me and says (pointing to the buttplate)"see, there's no stamps"  .....uuuuhhh.... I said "That's the buttplate" She gives me this look like I'm the dumbest asshole she's dealt with this week and says in a very condecending (sp?)"It's the same thing isn't it"? Oh Geez, here we go. By now, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna get anywhere, but I decide to get my Garand and see if somebody knows Garands at all. Pretty much the same story--offers me another $100. I was fairly polite about telling her we couldn't do business, thanked her and left. I went to Dayton Pawn later, but they were already closed--I'll try them again today after work. Anybody got a better plan? Anybody wanna loan me 400 bones and hold my Garand and/ or my 03A3 for a couple months? I sure don't wanna hock my CMP Bushy, but I guess it's come to that... 
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FWIW, most pawnshop owners/operators are only going to allow you to pawn a firearm (in excellent condition and preferably newer handguns) for 1/2 of the value of the weapon. For instance a 1911 or Glock Model 21 in good shape will be pawned for an average of $250-300 bucks. Very few Texas pawn shops I'm aware of will offer more than $350. A G17 or 19 will average around 250, possibly 300 (if ya got boo-coo mags) Older '03s or M1s, which MOST pawnshop personel don't know squat about get the type of responses you witnessed. Ya also have the fact that with older weapons such as your referring to, pawnshoppers are leary of their operation, as many old rifles are sold that look good but don't operate properly (not that yours are defective) and they fear getting stuck with a lemon. A revolver gets ya less than a semi-auto in most cases, unless it's a Python or M29 S&W. Cash Pawn America is a big chain and IF ya find one w/ a knowledgeable person they may beat some of the individual shops, but all of them are one step above criminals in my opinion, as I have known a few PS owners, none I'd trust further than I could toss.....  Mike |
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Thanks for the quick replies! Yep, I guess that's how they keep the doors open on those damn places--screw the seller and the buyer! Kinda like a left handed rifle (I'm a lefty shooter) if you want top buy one, they're rare and expensive as a new one, but if you want to sell one, you can't get squat because left handed shooters are rare... I'm gonna try Dayton Pawn. They usually have some milsurp firearms in inventory (I've seen FAL's, P17's etc)--maybe he knows something about 03's & Garands... |
| Pawn shops never give you much. I tried to pawn a laptop over the summer to pay some medical bills. No shop would give my more then $300-$350 on my laptop. Ended up just borrorwing money from a friend and let him hold onto the laptop untill I could pay him back 2 months later. You should try to do something similar with your rifles but being this close to christmas alot of people are broke. |
