Need some help pricing a gun

I've got a buddy who owes me $700 for some car parts. He offered to trade me a Rock Island Armory Tactical 1911 with a Wilson match hammer and trigger and an aftermarket grip. I guess he polished the barrel and feed ramp.





Is this a good deal for me?

 

IMHO..... it's close....

I would ask for $100 cash along with the RIA

 

Not without some cash to boot. Those guns can be had for way less than $700.00, and the bits he has added are pretty cheap as well.

 

Used around 500 bucks in Fla..

 

That's what I was thinking. I've heard these are decent guns but there are better options.

 

Gunbroker.com new for less than $400.00.

 

Sweet gun!

 

I'd pay about $400 for it.

 

Those Hogue wraparound grips cost about $15, if it helps. Not much of an add-on.

 

budsgunshop.com for just over $400 new.

 

He still owes you $300 cash.

 

ask him if he has another 300.00 gun to make things even.

 

Yup, that's a ~$400 1911.

 

That and a boat load of ammo for the trade.

 

yeah if you want the gun +ammo for the trade. $300 worth is roughly 1000 rounds +/-50

 

If the guy who polished the ramp isn't a gunsmith, chances are he's messed it up and you'll end up taking it to a 'smith to fix it.

Ask him to sell it for $700 and give you the money.

Rip

 

Switching from valuation to advice -

I've had the experience of "hard up" friends owing me money. The fact that he's making the offer shows that he's hard up for the cash and knows he's unlikely to have it in hand anytime soon. How long has he owed you?

On the one hand, you turn it down and *maybe* he'll come up with the full amount. Maybe. On the other, you may never end up collecting anything.

Your best bet may be to take it plus some ammo or cash. Tell him you'd like to help him out but... and then show him a few realistic valuations (not this thread but maybe some of the links in this thread - making sure to allow for shipping/taxes/transfer fees you'd have to pay on any online purchase) and ask him what else he can throw in to complete the deal?

If you take the gun plus the promise of, say, 300 later, you're less likely to end up collecting that 300. In his mind, he paid you off the full value when he gave you the gun (because that's how much its worth it in his mind) and paying the "unfair" remainder of the amount will take a lower priority vs. other obligations.

It's all part and parcel of lending friends money... "Lend money to a friend only if in the end you're willing to lose one or the other."

EDIT: final thought - you didn't originally give him cash right? Car parts? How did you arrive at that value? Any chance you were personally overvaluing them as much as this your pal is overvaluing this piece?

 

I'm actually giving him a pretty sweet deal on the parts. They are Kooks long tube headers and catless mid pipes plus an AEM brute force intake from my GTO. I already gave him a slamming deal on the car and he had cash. I don't think he is too hard up, he just paid cash for the car and that cleaned him out. I already told him that I would rather have the cash and he was cool with it. Thanks for the help and advice folks.

 

The pistol stock is the lower end of the 1911 spectrum.
Adding parts helps. Unskilled installation, grinding, fitting is a crapshoot at best.
If you have a professional gunsmith around have it checked.
Nothing worse than having a messed up 1911.

 

Dealer cost is $415.00. Gunbroker has multiple listed for $475-500.

wilson match hammer runs $35.00, worthless unless you have the match sear and spring. The trigger in the picture is the stock trigger that comes with the gun. The Houge wrap around grips are like $20.00.

So at best you've got $500 at dealer costs.