Conrad Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 This is the only Navy I have seen recently. Ouch. Julia auction has a nice one - it went for 60k. http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9842-thompson-1928-us-navy-os/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Conrad...The gun is in Las Vegas at a shop with a range.I don't know where you are but maybe you can get a cheap vegas flight and go check it out probably shoot it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giantpanda4 Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Colt Navy now is approaching $40K.... $32 would be a steal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBill Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 If anyone has a honest Colt Navy for sale @ 32K please PM me. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Petroleum1 - saw that. Hard for me to get out there. I was in Western Europe last week and am working 6 days a week for thr next 2-3 weeks. I agree it would be wise; but may not be practical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Petroleum1 - saw that. Hard for me to get out there. I was in Western Europe last week and am working 6 days a week for thr next 2-3 weeks. I agree it would be wise; but may not be practical.Ya i get it work is work. The gun is in nice shape it probably runs fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_brock Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 Wow really guys? By decent, Im not taking a 90% fully matched gun, just not a pieced together PoS. Likely had a replaced part or two. Probably a GI actuator. Also bare gun no accessories. I was basing that I what I thought a new collector might want to spend on a first Colt. What was average price of St. Lo guns? Certainly an unmolested 21A is worth more than a Navy, in my dumb mind. Or you can join the folks at RIA and pay 55k plus 20%. Whatever floats your boat. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 maybe someone on this forum lives near Vegas and can check it for you... ask the seller if he gives a guarantee that it runs...ask if he gives a 3 day return-no questions asked....most of the big dealers will fix it or accept a return...if it doesnt run you wasted months of your life....but you didnt lose any $$..and most will pay to fix it i like the cheap gun....make an offer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted April 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Thats really good advice Huggy. I called about a 21/28 listed on gunbroker with a starting bid of 40 and no pictures. Later in the afternoon the bid price was raised to 45. Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 you dont want a colt for a shooter....i looked into a couple in the $32-35k range when i was in the market 1.5+ years ago....they were all mismatched junk....to make them correct would have cost more than they were worth for a shooter $25k should get you what you want...a forum member got a really nice M1 for i think $21k a few months ago...your on the right track with the $22k Vegas gun....the upper looks heavily sanded and perfect (except for the pits)....all depends on what you can accept for your shooter...id look for one w/o pits...but that could be 6+ months....and cost more.....a thompson is not a Mac 11...you cant just pick one up tomorrow.....its a long term search for the quality you want....most lately are lower quality...Ruben used to have nice original finish guns...seems like every thompson he has now is a redo....for the same $$ of course (and going up thousands every time he has a new batch to list) best option is to fly to vegas, shoot the gun, see it in person...bring a suitcase of cash and try to get a bargain......odds are it will run...most ww2 thompsons do...if not all or take your time...learn, read all the books....watch and post new guns as they come up....something new every week or 2 to look at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Ploughboy Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Wow really guys? By decent, Im not taking a 90% fully matched gun, just not a pieced together PoS. Likely had a replaced part or two. Probably a GI actuator. Also bare gun no accessories. I was basing that I what I thought a new collector might want to spend on a first Colt. What was average price of St. Lo guns? Certainly an unmolested 21A is worth more than a Navy, in my dumb mind. Or you can join the folks at RIA and pay 55k plus 20%. Whatever floats your boat. Ron For the average buyer, I don't believe that either the St. Louis PD mass wholesale disposal or the RIA and Julia Auction pricing represent accurate pricing. The St. Louis PD selling was likely a one-time ever event where the single entity that bought the relatively large quantity of Colt Thompsons from the PD was probably motivated to get cash back quickly; thus, was willing to sell at a lower price than what might have been realized by slowly stringing out the sales over several years. At the other end, RIA and Julia Auction pricing probably represents purchasers who have a significant level of disposable income. All of the machine gun prices, not just Colt Thompsons, tend to run high at the auction house events. MHO, YMMV, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Dudley Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10176-m1-thompson-bridgeport-cr-matching/ https://dealernfa.com/shop/cr-thompson-1928ac-bridgeport-a0150238x/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Were the St.Louis guns already sold off individually yet?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Were the St.Louis guns already sold off individually yet?? That is my understanding, all sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delorean Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 (edited) Were the St.Louis guns already sold off individually yet?? That is my understanding, all sold.Yes, within a week of getting delivered to the dealer. Most of the ACs sold for 35. The 27s and real early 21's sold for more; couple of the bulged barrels sold for less. Got to see them all in the same safe at once.....wow. Edited April 12, 2018 by delorean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Where was the sale at?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delorean Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Where was the sale at??There wasn't one. They announced in June 2014 they were going to auction them off......but then Ferguson happened and the PR of them selling machine guns to the public was going to be nasty. Then they started trying to work a deal with Sig, but the police union blocked it because they wanted Glocks. Finally, this time last year, they worked a deal through private distributors to buy all the Beretta pistols and another to buy the Thompsons and a few old M16s they had. The Thompsons were delivered to the dealer in Cincinnati in mid-August and that's when bn I saw them. By now, most of the F4 stamps should be approved or pretty close to getting approved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 Where was the sale at??There wasn't one. They announced in June 2014 they were going to auction them off......but then Ferguson happened and the PR of them selling machine guns to the public was going to be nasty. Then they started trying to work a deal with Sig, but the police union blocked it because they wanted Glocks. Finally, this time last year, they worked a deal through private distributors to buy all the Beretta pistols and another to buy the Thompsons and a few old M16s they had. The Thompsons were delivered to the dealer in Cincinnati in mid-August and that's when bn I saw them. By now, most of the F4 stamps should be approved or pretty close to getting approved.So they all went on private sales, word of mouth type stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_brock Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 (edited) PS they were on display and spoken about at both Show and Shoots and shortly after nearly all were spoken for. I would not call a wholesale price, but others feel so. I guess a shooter Colt is over 40k now after reading all the posts. Ive said a million times, but gunbroker aint where all the nice guns are for sale and it pays to have others looking for you as fellow collectors. Ron Oh yeah and it was a TATA display at NRA that started the whole St. Louis thing. Another 20+ guns save from the chopping block Edited April 12, 2018 by ron_brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10176-m1-thompson-bridgeport-cr-matching/ https://dealernfa.com/shop/cr-thompson-1928ac-bridgeport-a0150238x/refinished AC for $30,000.....1.5 years ago an original finish one was $23k-25k...now refinished is $30k......shocking.....his last one was $27k 3 months ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Ploughboy Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 PS they were on display and spoken about at both Show and Shoots and shortly after nearly all were spoken for. I would not call a wholesale price, but others feel so. I guess a shooter Colt is over 40k now after reading all the posts. Ive said a million times, but gunbroker aint where all the nice guns are for sale and it pays to have others looking for you as fellow collectors. Ron Oh yeah and it was a TATA display at NRA that started the whole St. Louis thing. Another 20+ guns save from the chopping block Ron, To be clear, my comment above to a wholesale price was directed to the $22,000 per gun paid by Midwest Distributors to the St. Louis PD, not to the retail prices paid to Midwest by their purchasers. And I think it was a pretty gutsy move on their part to make the deal with the St. Louis PD. They earned whatever profit they got. In any case, I agree 100% with your assessment as to where and how to buy. MP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_brock Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 (edited) PS they were on display and spoken about at both Show and Shoots and shortly after nearly all were spoken for. I would not call a wholesale price, but others feel so. I guess a shooter Colt is over 40k now after reading all the posts. Ive said a million times, but gunbroker aint where all the nice guns are for sale and it pays to have others looking for you as fellow collectors. Ron Oh yeah and it was a TATA display at NRA that started the whole St. Louis thing. Another 20+ guns save from the chopping block Ron, To be clear, my comment above to a wholesale price was directed to the $22,000 per gun paid by Midwest Distributors to the St. Louis PD, not to the retail prices paid to Midwest by their purchasers. And I think it was a pretty gutsy move on their part to make the deal with the St. Louis PD. They earned whatever profit they got. In any case, I agree 100% with your assessment as to where and how to buy. MPUnderstood. No they sold the Colts very reasonable, but Im sure intent was to move them along instead of holding for a year to get top dollar. My only point is that if someone is really interested, they should take time to learn, meet some folks and search out the right one. However in this instant gratification day and age, many want to bid up the first one they see on Gunbroker, gobble up the first one MGCentral has etc etc. I know you know that MP, youre partly responsible for corrupting me many years ago. Im just trying to help out the newer guys. Thanks again for the great Thompson library a ton of years ago. Still have it and wished I could have bought your Navy back then. Of course $18k, I think it was, was a ton of money for a poor college kid. Several Colts were sold at a reasonable price last year and Im lookkng forward to seeing them all together this summer. Ron Edited April 12, 2018 by ron_brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgvince Posted April 13, 2018 Report Share Posted April 13, 2018 I agree with Ron and others, that it's worth looking and waiting on the gun for you. My search was about two years. Many photos and questions to TD got me the gun I was waiting for. It can be frustrating trying to find a nice gun and the temptation to buy "the first one you see" is strong. I'm really glad this forum exists. There is no other place to get the knowledge and experience that the members have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted April 13, 2018 Report Share Posted April 13, 2018 can always buy now and upgrade...looking for a shooter grade at $22k isnt a bad idea....if you want a shooter and not something in between if your in that in between category then yes i would wait for sure..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted April 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2018 (edited) Thanks for all this advice. Im looking for a time to see the Vegas gun in person - the pitting makes me nervous what else isnt being shown. That said Im not entirely sure how much it is going to matter, Im not curating a museum of TSMGs, Im looking for something to shoot and enjoy. Hence the last thing i want is something priceless that Id be scared to shoot. Im half way though American Thunder btw. Great read. It makes me wish the Savage commercial models were more reasonably priced, they seem to be a sweet spot of getting the 28 footprint, nice finish, and drum comparability without concern that you may ruin an original 21 by doing mag dumps and be done. The guns Ruben has dont really appeal to me presently. They seem to lack exceptional finish and all priced high. Im opening my schedule to go to the August TATA event. Looking forward to meeting many of you and learning about this. I really cant say enough about the community aspect making this more appealing. Edited April 13, 2018 by Conrad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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