Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Estate Sale - 44 Auto Mag

Headed out yesterday (7/12/20) to a distant "estate" sale that had several firearms included.
Including 4 that I was interested in. One was a stainless 44 Auto Mag that turns out was like new and in the original box.
In my dreams I envisioned "stealing" this kind of rare pistol for just a few hundred dollars.
Seems even WAY out in the country folks know what guns are worth.
The pistol sold for $2,150.00 (two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars!)!
Not bad for a pistol that originally sold for $217.50 (two hundred and seventeen dollars and fifty cents!) back in the early 1970's!
I did get to handle the pistol and it brought back memories of the interest (frenzy) that surrounded these guns back then.
Bought several items at the estate sale but alas all the guns went "high" and I was unsuccessful in my bids on them.
The high items included two original model Ruger 22 semi-auto pistols (pre-MK-I's) these guns were in rather poor condition (80%) and sold for $450.00 (four hundred and fifty dollars) and $475.00 (four hundred and seventy five dollars!) respectively - I don't know why?
Anyone ever own/shoot an "Auto Mag"?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Those type of sales the guns always go way way way too high. emotion kicks in and the only winner is the seller.

You forgot (July twelfth, two thousand and twenty)

Not bad considering the new ones that are being marketed now go for $3,500 + ….

I held a newly designed model at NRA convention Indianapolis 2019 and was not disappointed ( Automag had a booth ) . They made about 20 design changes and now feed 100% reliable .

Automag , click on me

Original versions were rushed to market without being proven and perfected and are nice collectors don’t get me wrong , but I’ve yet to shoot one that would cycle a full magazine stuffed with cartridges … One example was just a single shot because it was crap ..

harry use to bring over a bunch of handguns for sale to a distributor, get a check and then take it to the bank i worked at to get it cashed.
never bought one of his pistols but could of any of them at cost.
I did turn down buying an automag at the time from a friend at about 400bucks.

My brother had one with three barrels many years ago. Fun to shoot.

I have told my wife to sell my guns at auction when...

Funny thing, often I have bought more expensive guns at auctions for decent prices.
Sako, Beretta...a Remington 760 or 700, a nice Savage will bring way too much.

Also, here anyway, quality shotguns go cheaper. Except M12's. People still pay
stupid prices for one at auction.

Now ammo?
Why would you pay $5 more for 18 rounds of older ammo than a fresh full box?
See it all the time, and it's not collector stuff.

Bulkie roll: Thanks for that bit of information and experience. Yikes $3,500.00?
Thanks for the link - that will be fun to check out in depth.

EsM: I had forgotten about the extra barrel option (if I ever knew it?).
How was the recoil?

Hikerbum: I see that a lot at auctions and estate type sales. I thought that only about 1 out of 8 or 1 out of 10 items at that auction sold at a bargain price (and again NONE of the 25 or so guns that sold).
I bought about $250.00 (maybe $280.00) worth of top quality soft scoped Rifle cases (Browning, Boyt, Cabellas etc) for $70.00 - I was VERY happy to pay that for the 8 (eight) very nice Rifle cases.

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG, There's one in my LGS.

I had occasion to fiddle with a few that passed through the shop I used to work in. They all had one thing in common, they were colossal pieces of junk.

I’ve heard the new ones actually work but I see little to no market for a 5lb pistol that offers mediocre 44 mag performance.

Local dirt: What price range and in which city?
TIA
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG, Sorry. My mistake. It was a .475 Wildey.

Buy a Desert Eagle if you want one that will run. Just don't limp wrist it like Yankee Marshall. Maybe go to the newer 429 Desert Eagle. If you can spend that kind of money it is available. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

I 'bought' one at $217.50 back when they were in production (sent them the money and an ffl). The serial number they responded was 1233. The company went belly up before they shipped it.

Even the Desert Eagles got bad
They did one of throw 10,000 round tests they used to do.
Used all the spare parts and it didn’t get passed 3,600.
I fired one of the first in the country and it was great.
What happened to quality I don’t know

I haven't had one failure to go back in battery. But that is only in two fifty round boxes of ammo. I do have a few reloaded rounds to shoot. I have some unrelated tendonitis that is slowing me down right now. I would be shooting away each week on my range day otherwise. My Desert Eagle is used and came in the older black plastic box. The current ones come in a fitted box of a different color. YMMV. Be Well, Rustyzipper.