Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Where to sell AR?

Tried trading a Diamondback AR, don't remember the model but it was made for 3gun, at the shop I bought it from was told they no longer take ARs in trade. The largest gunshop in the state says the same. What's up with this? What do I do with it? Wife says we compete in enough so no 3gun for us, so it needs a new home. Just not sure how. I lost my butt the last time I used gunbroker so I don't know where else to turn. Shipping rifles is hard too, ups store freaks out if you ask them to make a box.

Market is saturated with the AR platform.....

As to shipping, IF it's a RIFLE, box and US Mail it yourself, break it down so that it fits in a shorter box, doesn't look like a 'rifle' box.......... it's a bunch cheaper than the box haulers....

JMHO

Market is slow around here anyway; just not much interest.

With so many ARs around, many that have been built by those not very knowledgable, shops may not be willing to spend the time to check them out for so little margin. Guy at my LGS called them Frankenrifles.

If the election go badly, you may have a hot itemon your hands, so waiting may keep your loss to a minimum.

Clean it well and put it up, you can never have too many...Joe

If it's set up for 3 gun &you had plans to shoot 3 gun you must know folks that do it or a club/s that have that type of matches. Put the word out to the crowd that uses that type configuration, that's your market.

Even if a gun shop were take it in trade they wouldn't likely recognize it for anymore than just a standard AR & you probably wouldn't like their offer.

I have always thought a deal could be made no matter what, it was only the price that was the question. Not so now.

Thanks fellows, you gave me some ideas to try.

To be honest, I think that many are struggling just to keep food on the table, their asses covered up, and gas in the tank. Discretionary spending is limited to splurging for genuine Kraft Mac & Cheese over store-brand. Kids just went back to school; I shudder to think what that costs now. Some of the old farts I shoot clays with have bought guns lately, including me, but we’re sheltered from a lot of the inflation by our situations.

Christmas is coming soon too.

Then too, you’re up against decent, usable new rifles at low prices from a number of makers. Honest Outlaw mentions those just about every time he reviews one of the high-end guns.

Good luck in the current environment. Larue was just selling complete lowers with their MBT2s trigger for $200.00.

If you're not absolutely desperate for the cash why not just sit on it until the next seller's market? Something else to consider is trading it on a local venue like Armslist for something you need that may be similarly depressed in price at the moment.

Some of you guys buy and sell guns like you change underwear.

You are right, and I have to quit doing it. Problem is I no longer have a use for this or several others, and if you are not using them they are just clutter. None of the living relatives want any of my firearms or those of my late father, and if you can't sell them, what do you do with them? If it wasn't for the legal liability I would likely take them to my gunclub and give them away. I like to help young people get started.

Dang I can't possibly imagine why a reliable, accurate semi-automatic rifle with widely available ammunition would ever be a good thing to stick in the back of a closet

🙂

I have been selling my uppers. I keep the lowers because you never know when a new upper needs to fill a niche you haven't even dreamed up yet.

kwg

Once again the market is flooded with AR15s, history repeats itself.......

That's a pretty darn noble thought, BlackBF. I've built a collection myself over the years. I have two males in the family who would probably take the guns. Whether they would care for them and shoot them, I don't know. Might do well giving a good portion of them to my niece and her husband, a rural TN boy.

I don't really know what a '3-gun' AR consists of, but you could always rebuild the upper into something else with a barrel swap and maybe a different bolt.

Or maybe just sell the upper to someone at the 3-gun shoots, or online or something. I'd keep the lower.

My guns don't eat much, holding them costs nothing, and I don't need the money.
One day, I might.
If the guns are turned into cash, the cash would likely be gone,
but now...they sit there. In case of need.

Pretty darn good barter in a time of social unrest, too.

Yep. Could be various types of need.

Another weird plus is having a hoard helps me avoid buying more.
Net savings!

When you have every common caliber but 25 and 27, up to 338, a slew of 30s, several 7mms, a 264 and a Swede, longs, shorts.......when a PRC come out, it's just so much easier to not go down another gun, dies, scope, brass rabbit hole.


Unless you are at an auction, and a nice Mauser sporter actioned 308 just isn't bringing any money!😉 Now you want a stock, trigger, maybe a safety....
Because, "I think this might be it, it'll be the perfect deer rifle. The ONE that's perfect!"
🤣🤣🤣🤣



And the Dear Wife just smiles.

My thinking aligns with DB and LD on this. If money was tight when you bought it , you should not have bought it, don't compound the error by getting rid of it cheap at a loss..mb

It's not the money issue at all, I just don't want the clutter. I am covered up in stuff with no way to move it.

I have stuff standing in corners myself; stuff that I didn’t like as much as I thought or didn’t really think through before buying. Advertising locally has mostly been a bust due I think, to the economy. I’ve also been making some adjustments based on my age and the types shooting I’m doing. I just discovered a local shop in a good location that consigns for 10%, so I took a couple down there to try them out. There’s a risk in that however, unless I avert my eyes from the racks and shelves………

I have passed some nice ones on to my sons, but they’re pretty full now too.

I may end up doing the same thing. The only really good store we have is about 2 hours away from me, so I don't go there often. I might need to though. They could likely sell small things like Glocks and ARs, but I am worried that the higher priced items like a Kimber Super America might be a lost cause. Don't want it to sit on the rack for years.

Maybe you guys would have a better idea of specific prices. My diamondback has a medium weight 18 inch barrel, I thought it was a match barrel but it may not be. It has a compensator, Magpul stock and grip, and free float handguard. Comes with sights and scope base. It originally had a CMC 3 lb trigger, but that was replaced with a mil spec. What is it worth? I have it priced at 500$, but not takers. I gave 1000$ for it about six months ago.

BBF, your AR15 isnt eating anything, so I would just sit it aside and more than likely the prices will go crazy in a year or two

There is some wisdom in the that post. Remember when off brand AR's and Wasr 10/63 AK's were $3k during the magic negro's time?

You can always tape a sign to it and walk around a gunshot.
Just don't take more than $50 cash or any plastic!
And leave immediately on selling!

I cannot believe that you cannot sell it for $500 in NEW Condition. The economy must be worse that I thought.
I work part time in the local hardware store. We can see a slowdown in sales the last week of the month.
My advice is to keep it. Sooner or later you will either have need for it again, or find a home for it.
I have been shooting Trap off and on for 50 years. Twenty some years ago I picked up the wife and I a pair of Remington 870 Trap Shotguns. I quit shooting now and again, but I keep the Trap Guns. I even added a Browning Pump to the herd.

Bob R

The gun stores I frequent are absolutely saturated with used ARs and used Glocks people are getting rid of. It's often stuff that was panic-bought so purchased at elevated prices. Even if yours wasn't, that's the market you're trying to sell into. When the market is saturated, supply is very high, demand very low, you're going to lose your butt selling. You might be ahead to hold onto that gun for a while and see if the market improves .. that, or just accept that you are going to take it in the shorts again.

I'm sure that isn't what you want to hear but it is truth.

Tom

If you are actually serious about giving them away, why are you worried about taking it in the shorts via Gunbroker? Those perspectives seem .. inconsistent.

Tom

You could donate the rifle to the gun club for a raffle item - or other event - NWTF, Hunters for the Hungry, Ducks Unlimited, etc.

The other option is to separate the upper and lower - selling the upper is not a transfer item in most areas, you might do all right if it was set up well for 3-gun matches.

The lower can be dealt with when you have a buyer.