ridleyman
NES Member
I've had a C&R (Curio and Relics FFL, which allows you to buy and receive by mail guns 50 years old or older) for about 4 years now, and I'm glad I got it. I generally have had some good deals with honest people, the majority for sure, although I've also had my share of exaggerators, fabricators, and deceivers. I find that auction houses, such as Rock Island Auctioneers and Amoskeag, tend to be accurate, yet you have to pay this premium of 17.5% when you "win" an auction. I have a nice 1943 Colt 1911A1 (slide and frame have matching serial #s) that I got for a decent price, but the premium added over $100 to the bill. Still, I'm happy. I also have a 1918 1911 which I got from Gun Broker, one of those rare deals where the person is both honest and the price is very reasonable. I lucked out and there's no surcharge. It seems as though most folks on GB and Guns International are either delusional, or serious azzholes, or both, asking absurd prices. And beware, as sometimes when I get a good price, even after confirming the description, the seller has not been forthcoming or thorough.