Are used traditionals common in your area?

[RedFeather]

Here in Northern Virginia, yes. Always some at the gun shows and in pawn shops. Prices can be all over the place.

 

[Shifty]

Grahm, I see about the same around here, not much in 6 yrs or so,about 6-7 yrs back I found a Pawn Shop that was going out of business,I bought 5 perc guns for $200.00 all 50cal CVA & Traditions, 4 of them were still loaded ,1 had 1-66 twist others 1-48 all cleaned up and shot very good even without peerfect bores.

 

[XXX]

We have Kittery Trading Post in Maine. They do a lot of trade-in business for archery and firearms and that includes muzzleloaders. There is a fair amount of used trad guns in the racks on the floor and you can usually find a nice bargain. They appear to be willing to take almost any condition for a trade in or cash and the sticker price usually reflects that. They also do not seem to put any effort into reconditioning the used guns and you can find plenty of rust, dirt, and ruined barrels in the selection as well as the customizations of the previous owner. I have seen some very nice White Mountain Carbines in the past in near new condition for $100- $150 or so. Whenever I see such a nice traditional hunting muzzleloader that is short, lightweight, accurate,and pops right onto the shoulder, I just have to shake my head knowing that it was probably traded in for the "newest" and "greatest" zip gun.

 

[palladius]

About a month ago on a whim I down and called every single gun shop within 50-70 miles of me that I could find a number for..Not one, not a single one had a traditional muzzleloader of any kind..I mean anything that was not an inline..

I did the same thing last year, asking specifically about flintlocks. I called most of the shops I could find numbers for in VT and NH (except the two dealers in Indian made flintlocks, Middlesex and Flintlock Repair, who obviously have them) and found only one flintlock--a TVM lefthanded rifle.

 

[galamb]

That MAY indicate that the market is small and getting smaller - certainly too small for most gun shops to even deal with.

We need another Mountain Man movie to re-spark interest or you may find in a few more years, when a bunch more of us have died off, that the "value" of your sidelock will be equal to the spot price for scrap steel...

 

[larry wv]

Used side locks are common and flinters rare in Western Wv. Larry

 

[Rod Lassey]

..About a month ago on a whim I down and called every single gun shop within 50-70 miles of me that I could find a number for...

You're lucky you've got more than one gunshop in a 50-70 mile radius. More than we've got here in western North Dakota, and what there is are only selling modern stuff. I do see some used traditional ML's at gunshows, but they're usually overpriced.

Rod

 

[longshot47]

Not likely........
Jersey gun shops are being choked off and the bizarre pawn shops carry only cell phone/computer chargers and used Lexus catalytic converters

 

[Brian6396]

Not seeing any in gun shops.
sporting goods stores all I see are traditions kits or overpriced revolvers
armslist, etc. Mostly inline and a few overpriced collectible
I got curious and did some searching after I read the original post.

 

[izzyjoe]

The traditional type rifles are an endangered species around here, most pawnshops wont take them in cause they don't know anything about them. There's one shop in town that will take in side locks, but he don't give nothing for them, and he parts them out on eBay, he said thats the only way he can make money from those type rifles.

 

[stinkyfeet]

You might find one or two floating around here and there but usually when a gun goes up for sale locally (around here), its within a circle of likeminded muzzleloading people and is typically bought up that way.

 

[Snakebite]

I haven't seen a traditional in a gunshop around here for years, unless you call a sidelock stainless steel with a plastic stock traditional. Even at gun shows they are rare, there may be one or two and usually they are TC or the like.

I think a lot of the old muzzleloader shooters have gone over to the cowboy shooting.

 

[XXX]

I think a lot of the old muzzleloader shooters have gone over to the cowboy shooting.

I suspect that there are 1000's of low end sidelocks sitting in peoples closets all across the country that are no longer used. Most of these are probably badly rusted from being left uncleaned after being fired (which probably kills any idea of trying to sell them). I have a friend who dipped into muzzleloading one season 15 years ago. He put the gun up uncleaned and says the barrel is a hopeless mess. He can't bring himself to throw it out and he has not followed through on turning it over to me to be reclaimed. He is a classic case of a centerfire hunter who tried muzzleloading once, didn't "get it", ruined his gun, and never thought about ML season again. Barrels from guns like this make nice forged pipe tomohawks.

 

[cynthialee]

There are some that pop up on occasion in the local shops but not often.
The shop I go to the most often has a Traditions Hawken and a CVA Spiller and Burr that have sat in the case for a couple years at least.
He wants too much for either of them and will not hear a lower price. Seems he thinks writing a high price on the ticket, then crossing it out and writing a "sale price" on it before it goes into the cabinet constitutes it being on sale....
:slap:

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Only a few factory made production guns every now and then Nothing I would care to buy.