Latest auction theft - 1886 Lebel rifle

mawkie said:

Thats really nice!! Looks much better than the seller's photos represented. Worth the wait, if not the anxiety. Crazy that it really took the long way home.

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MilsurpDan said:

Glad to see it arrived safe! I’ve always liked the Gras. A guy on the French forum on Gunboards had some 11mm Gras dies custom made from Lee. He might still have some but I’m not sure.

I bought a set but I don’t know if I’ll ever even bother trying to shoot mine.

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Thanks, It started moving late that night after i posted last. Then quickly went though DC and linthicum spending one day each. Im glad it showed up, its a cool little carbine and the brass really forced me to buy it.

Seems prices are coming down across the board. The bubble burst I think is here. Forum traffic is way down across the board, Facebook groups are filled with a bunch of broke individuals, many are reporting not receiving tax return or even having to pay taxes, gunshows I am hearing are dead, GunBroker is same overpriced crap and new stuff that does pop is selling for less. The selling season is almost over. Come summer there is always a drop off. People that are trying to sell now will have to drop their prices.

As for honey holes I wouldn't refer to any auction that is on proxibid as a honey hole. They are easily found by everyone. Same goes for live auctioneers and auctionzip. So if items are going cheaper on those sites it is only more evidence the bubble is bursting. A little hint don't bid through proxibid or any of the others. Call the auction house directly and phone bid. You will save a good percentage in fees and it is the closest to being at the auction.

True honey holes are pawn shops, older collectors selling off, local auctions that aren't online, etc. Recently I bought from the same honey hole an all matching 1942 duel code bcd/ar K98k, all matching FN-49 Venezuelan Low number unissued, and all matching FN-49 Lux high number all for under $1k shipped each. At those prices I feel comfortable buying even if the bubble bursts.

That is a nice Lebel. Last Lebels I bought were local about 2 years ago both matching except the bolt $100 and $200. They sold for a lot more on GunBroker (8x), but sat on the forums unsold at $350 each for two weeks before I moved them to GunBroker. Sometimes you just don't know.

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