Making a risky trade, and having it pay off!

[A62335]

I scored big time today. A fella contacted me about wanting to make a trade for a gun I had listed on GunBroker. I was advertising a Kimber Classic Stainless for $850. A guy sent me an email asking about maybe swapping my Kimber Stainless for his 2 Kimber's plus a little cash. Both of his Kimbers had the Clackamas, OR rollmark. The first 7500 guns Kimber made were rollmarked Clackamas, OR, even though they were actually made in Yonkers, NY. The Clackamas guns have an almost "cult-like" following with Kimber enthusiasts, and will generally bring $200-$300 more than a Yonkers stamped gun in the same condition. The owner sent me pictures of the two guns, one of the guns looked pretty nice, but the other gun looked absolutely horrible. The owner was honest about the wear, and said the gun had seen a lot of rounds. I was able to work out a deal with him, my Kimber Stainless and a completed AR lower for his two Kimbers straight up. I took a big risk trading for a 1911 that did not look good in the pictures, but the owner assured me it was merely cosmetic, and that the gun was tight. Well, both the guns showed up today, and he was right! Besides the finish wear, the gun is awesome. The barrel locks up TIGHT, and the trigger is very nice. I plan on using the gun as a base for a build I have been thinking about for a while, so the gun will get refinished eventually. All in all, I figure I traded away about $1000 in guns, and got about $1800 in return. Not a bad deal.

[Paul Santiago]