Mossy Creek Custom

If you are looking to find something that your local shop doesn’t carry whether new or used, check out Gunbroker.  Here are the steps you should take to buy items.

1. Sign up for an account.  (See seller’s tutorial for info).
2. Before you bid on anything you will need to find a Licensed Dealer who will complete the firearms transfer for you.  If you wait until after the auction is over it may delay things in the transaction resulting in negative feedback.
3. Watch the auction you are interested in by using the My Auctions feature.  This allows you to create a watch list for any potential purchases.
4. Don’t bid too early.  If you do, you will be driving the price up needlessly.
5. Don’t get buyers fever.  You need to be able to walk away.  There will probably be another auction for the same item.
6. Before you bid take into consideration the final value of the auction, your FFL transfer fee, any background check fees your state may assess, and shipping.  It may not be wise to buy a new gun from gunbroker once you see what you are actually going to pay.
7. If you win, contact the seller and identify yourself as the winner with specific details of the auction you have won.
8. Use a money order or certified check from your bank.  It will speed up the time of shipment.
9. Send your money order, copy of your dealer’s license and printout of the auction to the seller.
10. Always leave feedback as soon as everything is completed.  Feedback is your reputation on gunbroker.  You don’t need to say much, one line will do.  But make sure you do it.

Hope this will help you get started buying all of the needless stuff your wife never wanted you to have.  Aren’t hobbies great?

Do you have some guns or accessories you would like to sell, but don’t really feel comfortable putting an add in the paper?  You should give Gunbroker a try.  We have been using gunbroker for years to buy and sell, and have had great experiences with the people in the community  Gunbroker is an auction site similar to ebay.  If you live in a rural area where there are not a lot of shops around it can be a great way to acquire those hard to find guns you have been looking for or sell guns you no longer use.  Here are the basic steps for selling on gunbroker.

1. Sign for an account.  Do not use your real name.  Make up something cool like 1911guy, judgedread, or just something simple like ajb221.  It really doesn’t matter.
2. If you want to list your guns for sale, take good pictures.  You may want to set the file size on your camera to a smaller setting so they will load faster.
3. Decide what you need to make  from the sale and list the item.  Before you list, look at similar items to see how much they are bringing.  There are two schools of thought; the 1st says you set the item at $0.00 and let it go either with or without reserve.  I will tell you that most people don’t like reserves because they feel like you are wasting their time.  If you set a reserve, make it the lowest price you are willing to accept for that gun.  The 2nd says start the auction at the lowest price you are willing to accept.  If you feel like your 1911 is worth $500, start it there without a reserve.  This gives everyone a true picture of your intentions.  One feature not to use if you can help it is the auction’s buy now feature.  What is the point of an auction that starts at $0.00 with a reserve and a buy now option?
4. Give the best description that you can of the firearm’s manufacture, condition, and caliber.  You absolutely must be honest.  If you say it is 99% condition it better not have a scratch on it.  Remember people are trusting you to give them a fair assessment.
5. Use set shipping fees when possible.  People want to know what you are going to charge them to ship before they bid.
6. If you are going to take personal checks, make sure they clear your bank, normally about 7 business days, before you ship the item.  I have never been hosed on gunbroker, but it could happen.  Make sure you package the items well and always buy insurance with your carrier.  If you need gun boxes, check out Cameron Packing.
7. Communicate well with the buyer about when and how you are shipping.  Tell them the carrier, tracking number etc.  All of these things will help you keep positive ratings which show how much people trust you.
8. Ship and respond promptly.  People love it when you are on the ball.  Don’t list your stuff right before your Grand Canyon float trip where you won’t have email access or the ability to communicate with the winners of your auctions.
9. ONLY SHIP GUNS TO LICENSED FFL’S.  Your buyer should send you a signed copy of a Federal Firearms License.  Do not ship guns to anyone else, no matter what they say.  This, my friends, could win you a felony charge and stiped wardrobe.
10. When the auction is complete and everything is shipped, go back and leave feedback for you buyer.  Feedback is like gold for gunbroker.  If everything went smootly from your buyer, and you don’t leave feedback people will be put out to say the least.

I hope this helps you sell those items that you have been looking to get rid of.

One of the services that we offer to clients is a VIP service that allows the customer to maintain a level of comfort and anonymity.  It was set up specifically for entertainers in Nashville who don’t always want their private lives being made public by people who ask for autographs and pictures to hang on the walls of their establishment.

We start off with a private consultation for your hunting, shooting sports, or self-defense needs at your home or office.  We take the time to explain the differences in accessories you may need and those you won’t need.  If you need gunsmithing services, we will pick up and drop off your gun.  Bascially we cater to your schedule because we realize that you are busy enough.

Former clients include:  well if we told you that it wouldn’t be a VIP service would it?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

We wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone that has been keeping us so busy lately.  We are working hard to maintain the quick turnaround time that you have become accustomed to from everyone here at MCC.  We also wanted to let you know our current turnaround time for our two most popular packages; The Glock Carry Package and the SM-1.

We currently have a 1 week turnaround time on all of our Glock work.  Our goal is to ship the gun back to you one week after we receive it from you, and while we are busy, we can still do this.

Our turnaround for the SM-1 is about 2 weeks.

Obviously this can change quickly depending on what we get in, but we will give you an honest assessment when you email us.  Thanks again for letting MCC serve your needs.

If you like the full auto stuff, this one might be for you.  I will say that it at least sparks my interest, but I don’t know if it’s worth the tax stamp.

From time to time we have some auctions that will come up for sale on Gunbroker.  Right now we are listing some parts sets that will be available for auction.  You can check out the links below if you are interested.  All of these sets are used and come only with the pictured items, and we do not have lowers available for anything listed.  If you are looking for a 1911 Slide, you really need to check out or Springfield kit.  It would make a great build.

Springfield Armory Kit

EAA Witness 9mm Kit

Star Model PD-45 Kit

Browning Challenger 22 Kit

LLAMA 45 Kit

Colt Pocket 32 Kit

Tokarev Kit

Rossi 44 Special Kit

H&R 999 Kit

Auctions end in a week so make sure you bid if you need any of these parts.  All of them start at $25 except the Springfield kit which started at $50.

If you are reading this post I assume that you are an average shooter who does not have access to a parts washer to help you clean your guns.  If you want to get the fouling out of your trigger mechanisms without total disassembly you have a few options to help you get the job done.

One is Powder Blast from the Break Free line of products.  This a good product that works well and quickly dries on your parts without much residue.  It smells like oranges and is not flammable.  Another plus is that it doesn’t require a lot of ventilation because the fumes are not that bad.

Gun Scrubber, from Birchwood-Casey, is another product that is similar to Powder Blast.  It uses a “jet” action to remove fouling from hard to access areas on your gun.  Like Powder Blast, it is non-flammable, but, it cautions about harmful fumes and encourages you to use the product outside or in a well-ventilated areas.  While most of these warnings are normally there for legal protection, this is for real.  This product is extremely strong.

Both of these products work great, but if you don’t have access to excellent ventilation, go with the Break Free product.  All things being equal, it is easier to work with in your home.

I recently saw someone running with an ASP, presumably for protection from 4 legged predators in our neighborhood.  It got me to thinking about some of your options when you are exercising.  I live in a very calm urban environment for the most part, but in other places I live there have been real threats to exercise like bears and wild dogs that were turned loose by their owners at the end of hunting season.  A person is often most vulnerable while exercising because they don’t carry much, and they are normally very focused on the activity at hand which leaves them open to harm.

The man with the ASP in my neighborhood had a good idea.  Having carried one for several years in the L/E world I can tell you that you don’t want to be on the receiving end of that stick.  They are light weight, easily deployable, and will work to keep most dogs and other unwanted things/people away from you.  Before you go out and buy one of these from the tactical wholesalers on the net, you better check with your locality to make sure civilians can carry them.

Another good option is Mace.  Unlike the baton, you don’t actually have to contact someone physically, and the effects are not permanent so Fido will be ok in a little while.  If you really don’t think you could ever harm anyone, this is probably for you.  It will give you an opportunity to get away.  The thing to remember is that you will often catch a little yourself.  Wind direction may make it bad for you as well.  However, not a bad idea, especially for the canine you want to keep away, but not hurt.

The final option to be mentioned is a small pistol or revolver.  I have carried one running for years in a variety of different ways.  One of the best ways is in a fanny pack.  This is the only time it is cool to wear a fanny pack!  If you have one with your blue socks, shorts and sandals you should be ashamed.  Don’t do that!  It SCREAMS dork.  The Bulldog pack is a good value and secures the weapon comfortably for long distances.  You can also put your keys, i-pod and other stuff in there as well.  One thing to remember; this is the hardest option to deploy.  If you decide to carry, you must be aware that you can’t use this all the time.  It is a last resort when nothing else will do.

So what is the rememdy?  The best option may be a combonation of these three depending on your environment.  Make a good decision and then train with it.  You should know what pepper spray does in the wind.  You should practice with your ASP.  You should practice drawing your snubbie and shooting it.  Make sure you are ready no matter what comes your way.

From time to time I get a gun in the shop that someone has inherited or been given, and they won’t to know if it is safe to shoot, or if it can be fixed.  In the life of every gun there is a chance that it will have an owner that doesn’t maintain it.  When that happens the damage can be disastrous.

You have to ask yourself whether or not the gun is salvageable.  If it is badly rusted, it is going to be tough to get right again without a serious time and money investment.  If the bore is bad, you will have to rebarrel the gun which is also very costly.  Can I find parts for it?  How much do they cost?  There are times when it is worth it to the customer because it has great sentimental value, but other times it is just something that they have and don’t really know what to do.

If you find yourself in this position ask yourself if you are willing to make a substantial investment in the gun.  If the repairs cost more than the gun is worth monetarily or sentimentally, don’t do it.  A gun that isn’t worth $100 in top condition is surely not worth $150 in reblueing.  Better to retire the gun and get something that you can really enjoy.