Biy msr trade-in value

[Mopardoctor]

Overheard my local sporting good/gunshop manager talking to a customer the other day and he said that he will not take any self built ARs in on trade or consignment. He will only take in known brand name built rifles. Home gunsmith liability is the issue.

Mopar Doctor
Got Ammo?

[explorecaves]

With the current market, I don't blame them. They can hardly move the name brand with manufacturer warranties....

[LRRPF52]

I've seen some abortions out there. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, someone finds a new low in Dremology and bad ideas, resulting in some interesting modern art masterpieces.

[pinzgauer]

When you can get Colt 6920's in the $700 range, OEM version for $650, and lesser but known brands for $500, selling even a well built franken gun is tough.

A buddy has a shop, had several no-name/clone/franken guns $300-400 used. Which means he was probably in them for $100-200 max.

People don't take that into account when they build clones to save a bit.

The right components can change that equation a bit, but unless it's verifiable quality parts (barrel & lower rollmarks, laser markings on the trigger, etc) a generic clone is a just a generic clone.

[LRRPF52]

The OEM rifles from Colt and Aero are hard to beat for cost, and really the way to go for most buyers in my opinion.

The parts in the Colt alone are mostly without peer.

Wish we could get Colt Canada guns with good bolts for 5.56 NATO. Their processes are much better controlled, resulting in very tough bolts that don't break, even in the carbines. HPT is one of the worst things I think you can do to a bolt, and is required by the US Mil-Std for M4s.

[Texas]

How would you know a 100% factory gun if you are not well versed in ARs. Just because it has all Colt parts does not mean it is a factory built Colt, etc.

[pinzgauer]

Colt, LMT, DD and similar do not sell stripped lowers. Barrels, bolts, etc are roll marked. Not that you could not disassemble one and change out to clone parts, but why would you bother?

Anderson & spikes lowers? Even AP (though I like them), will never have the resell/trade that Colt/LMT/KAC/DD have.

My read is the liability issue is just an excuse instead of giving the hard news that the customer's conglomeration of bottom of the barrel generic parts are not worth what he paid for them.

I used to build lowers and buy uppers, Now I do the opposite. I usually buy complete LMT lowers, Used to be able to get them out the door for $270. Last one was $330 out the door.

[LRRPF52]

I like to stop by pawn shops every now and then to see if they have SP-1s, rare guns, and things like that.

A local one to me has some AR pistol that someone made with a cheap lower, and a complete Colt 11.5" upper.

I checked it over from muzzle to the rear sight, proof marks, stamps, BCG markings on the carrier and bolt-100% Colt upper.

They want over $900 for it, but it isn't worth that with the abortion lower on it, which has a Sig brace that isn't clocked correctly, and a Magpul end plate not retained.

These shops know that the can pay you a fraction of what you have in it in parts, then turn around and sell them at a mark up, which is just business. They usually have to fix a lot of things with the builds if they care to and know how to diagnose and correct what's wrong.

Mis-aligned gas blocks is one of the biggest mistakes I see a lot of kids and even older dudes making nowadays, followed by improper installation of the hammer spring inside the lower, resulting in FTFire and no reset.

Incorrectly installed RETs and detents are other common things you see. Backwards gas tubes are another.

Common trends I see are:

Cheapest possible LPKs, barrels, BCGs, receivers, springs, aluminum gas blocks, assembled by someone who watched a youtube video or two.

I wouldn't pay anywhere near market price for the parts assembled incorrectly like that because of the labor time and cost to fix and replace a lot of the gun.

I tell new guys often who come to me with "great deals" they have found, "Only $700 huh, and it's got a free-floated quad rail? You don't say. Avoid it like the plague man."

Many have not listened, and every time, they come back asking me to diagnose and fix several problems, which requires replacement of many critical parts, costing them more than what I suggested in the beginning.

[Texas]

A major retailer had Colt 223\5.56 complete rifles on sale this month for $549.

[Drift]

If the election had gone the other way, we would all be singing a different song. One that ended "and I was lucky to get it for that price'.

[Texas]

Time to stock up is now

[85_Ranger4x4]

I don't care, I have fun building. I do kind of have a scrapbook going with receipts and printouts of parts I have in them for future reference though. Kinda fun to flip thru. I am more mechanically inclined than the average bear but I am 2 for 2 for having no real issues with my own builds. No intention for them to be anything other than heirlooms.

I did see what looked like a homebrew Aero 16" .300BLK at Cabela's a few weeks ago for $8xx which I found comical. Upper, lower and handguard were all Aero but the upper and lower colors were way off which didn't seem right for Aero. Basic Magpul stock, no sights/optic, I didn't see anything really special about it. It was all trigger locked and ziptied up and I didn't want to mess with a salesman to actually look at it.