madanthony goes to a gun auction, returns damp, gun-less...

A few days ago I snuck out at lunchtime at work to go to an auction of an isoldit ebay store that went out of business. The only thing I bought was 5 plastic storage tubs (for $2.50 a piece), but I also returned with a flier for a gun auction that was taking place today. I gave it to a coworker of mine who is a weapons enthusiast, and we decided to go.

We parked where we thought the auction was, next to the grandstands at the Timonium fairgrounds. Then we discovered that the actual auction was in another building on the other side of the grandstands.

They had quite a few guns. I've toyed with the idea of buying a gun of my own, even though I've only shot a few times and am not terribly good at it. What I'm after is a 22-caliber pistol, like a Sig Mosquito - cheap ammo, easy to handle. The bulk of the guns there were rifles. They only had two .22's - a Smith and Wesson revolver that went for $300 (more than I was willing to pay) and a target pistol that went for ~$400. I only bid on one lot - some saturday night special .32 that started out at $10 - but dropped out, and it sold for ~$40 - probably not a horrible price, but by the time I pay the $30 FFL fee, for a gun I didn't really want, it didn't make sense.

There were a number of sales where my coworker (who also bid on a couple lots, but didn't win any) went "wow, they got a good deal". I don't know enough about guns or gun pricing to really make any judgments of my own. Buying a gun at auction probably makes more sense if you are someone with a big gun collection than if you are a first-time buyer than me, and this auction was great if you like rifles, not so much if you like pistols.

I would go again - and I'm hoping that the next one includes the estate of someone with a big handgun collection.

I did buy one thing - a soft rifle case that went for a buck. I'm hoping it has some eBay value. It's still sitting in my truck, so I haven't had a chance to look it up.

As far as being damp, we discovered the problem of parking far away - it started pouring during the auction, and by the time we walked back to my coworker's Mustang, I had water in places I didn't know you could get water in.