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General selling prices for Post Samples


livinitup

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I'm just getting in to the NFA game with a 07 sot 2, but I'm trying to gauge prices and figure out buying or building is the better option. I've read a lot on here and I'm seeing that the 1919 is a reasonable priced kit and there are new parts made today. so I feel it can be a good start to test my metal and skill in a build. I know some parts are being made for MG 34s and 42s. but I would like to know a good price point to start on if I were to one day come up on a 42, 34 or PKM. 

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Had to judge since prices are all over the place due to a few factors.
If the buyer needs a law letter then prices go down. If it doesn't need one then prices go up since it is sometimes hard for some 07/02 FFLs to get that letter.

I wouldn't go in business building postie MGs for resale unless you plan to sell them to police/military. If you build them for semi auto, you could command selling more of them. Just be sure to follow ATF rules on that.

 

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You would be wise to build them as a semi gun then make a conversion bolt or trigger pack. That way if you ever drop your SOT you can keep the host. My semi auto 1919a4 has a post sample bolt in it. All I have to do is swap out the bolt and it’s back to semi. Same with my HK host guns, I build them as SBR’s then have post sample trigger packs for them (and a transferable sear too) so again i can keep them if I drop the SOT. 

Having post sample belt fed guns can be fun, but due to the rising costs of kits and ammo, it’s not really worth it IMHO. If you tried to sell them as law letter guns, you’ll find that your letters will most likely be rejected or looked at really really hard for the simple fact of “why is a PD looking to buy a 1919a4, MG42, or PKM” There’s been a number of letters for guns like this getting flagged and rejected.  Unless you already have a pile of ammo, or a big pile of money to dump into ammo, the juice really isn’t worth the squeeze to build some of these post samples anymore. TBH, at some point I have a feeling ATF will start cracking down on that sort of thing too as there are more and more 07/02’s getting their papers just to make up a bunch of post samples to dump later on for big money as no law letter guns. 

Sorry yo hijack your thread, but it’s something to think about and consider. 

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What used to be walk away numbers are now the “new normal” it’s hard to really say at this point as prices are all over the place (see my previous post as to why) IMHO a post sample is really only worth 10-20% more than the parts kit it’s built from....guys paying $6k or more for a post sample no letter MP5 are STUPID!!! Then you see people asking pre sample money for post samples....you can buy, or used to be able to buy a pre sample (keeper gun) MG34 for $10-$12k. They might be up to $13.5k-$15k now so keep that in mind too. It’s not worth putting 50-75% worth of cash into a post sample when you could just buy a pre and keep it for life. 

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On 8/2/2022 at 7:15 PM, livinitup said:

I'm just getting in to the NFA game with a 07 sot 2, but I'm trying to gauge prices and figure out buying or building is the better option. I've read a lot on here and I'm seeing that the 1919 is a reasonable priced kit and there are new parts made today. so I feel it can be a good start to test my metal and skill in a build. I know some parts are being made for MG 34s and 42s. but I would like to know a good price point to start on if I were to one day come up on a 42, 34 or PKM. 

Building MGs is a money losing proposition unless you plan to sell them in a next couple years (drop you're sot).  I think it better to do conversions, they are simple and you get to keep them. If the atf puts a kabosh on it, you just have to give up a cheap reciever/bolt vs a complete gun.

AFA a price point, you need to research it as its always changing. I personally think the market is way overpriced, to many 07s that are in it just for the post samples or cheap-ish pre-sample which they cant build themelves. 

 

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12 hours ago, Got Uzi said:

What used to be walk away numbers are now the “new normal” it’s hard to really say at this point as prices are all over the place (see my previous post as to why) IMHO a post sample is really only worth 10-20% more than the parts kit it’s built from....guys paying $6k or more for a post sample no letter MP5 are STUPID!!! Then you see people asking pre sample money for post samples....you can buy, or used to be able to buy a pre sample (keeper gun) MG34 for $10-$12k. They might be up to $13.5k-$15k now so keep that in mind too. It’s not worth putting 50-75% worth of cash into a post sample when you could just buy a pre and keep it for life. 

Even at the price you mentioned, I see them selling for more. Crazy how high things got. Glad I mostly got what I want.

For post samples building is the only method to keep it reasonable price. No law letter postie are at inflated prices that doesn't make sense when kits available for way less. Though.. parts kits are now getting to stupid price levels. I do wish I got into this years ago.

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Trust me I know the feeling on having what I want and being able to feed it. I've sold off some of the stuff I really wanted and enjoyed shooting due to prices skyrocketing.  There comes a point when its no fun to own something that you cant justify shooting anymore due to its value.  I have four keeper MG's and I could in all reality sell off one or two more.....Keep my Fleming Sear (for post SOT days) and a Thompson, because, well its a Thompson dammit LOL  I have two Thompson's, a Swedish K and my sear, with the sear being the most practial of them all.

What pisses me off is trying to buy MP5 parts or kits to build into host guns....you can't touch kits anymore for less than $2k on average and then by the time you buy the new flat, weld it and so on....you have a $3k-$3.5k host gun that most guys don't understand why it costs so much more than a PTR, Zeinth or an HK SP5....I've been saying it for awhile, so I'll say it again....at some point the market is going to take a hit and prices are going to drop.  I personally wouldn't put huge money into post samples at this point.  Hell even my M2HB is a semi auto that I bought and maybe someday I'll make a conversion bolt for it as transferable M2's are insane prices and getting letters for a postie is going to be damn near impossible, and no letter guns are going for more than the semi guns.

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  • 4 months later...

prices aren’t going to come down unless some1 dumps a bunch of parts kits on the market  but even then they ask stupid money

1919 kits are $ $2500 $400 for a plate then rivets and tools?  3k plus to build but easiest build 

you cant build a mg34  its too complex…… maybe convert a tnw but thats $2700 plus a kit $3000 6k ish?

most mg42 are butchered up pretty bad  but doable i seen a nice postie at sar for 6k and a nice kit for $2500 plus sheet metal filler rails your gonna have 3k plus easy in it and i would pay 6k before i built a out of spec gun for 3k plus

all the kits i bought over the years are worth more than i bought them for

hell a p.o.s. sten gun is a $500 build easy now days

you can convert ar for nothing maybe look at a shrike uper???

hope my 2 pennies help

 

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There is a reason why some no letter post samples are crazy in prices.. well not talking about the GB prices necessarily.

What is happening that there are many FFL that have no idea how to weld/lathe/mill, so they get their 07/02 and buy posties. 

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You mean someone working the system and then will cry when it bites them back?  Say it isn't so....and as for all those 07/02's who have no clue how to "build" a firearm other than putting together an AR15 lower, those guys are going to get a lot of others hung out to dry IMHO.  I'm waiting for ATF to start cracking down on these guys, but at the same time I question if I'd get rolled up in it too as I'm still a little guy who is slowly building as base.  That being said, I can show that I am in the business and that I'm producing guns that require actual manufacturing brain power.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/5/2022 at 11:18 PM, Ryo said:

There is a reason why some no letter post samples are crazy in prices.. well not talking about the GB prices necessarily.

What is happening that there are many FFL that have no idea how to weld/lathe/mill, so they get their 07/02 and buy posties. 

I would not be surprised if the ATF finally states that any 07/02 needs to register every year through the DDTC Department of State portal as ITAR compliant. $2270 yearly. Those who have followed the policy changes over the years, might see the possibility of the BATFE requiring ITAR compliance before renewal of a 07/02 holder. There has been much back and forth on the definition guidelines that require ITAR compliance.  Talking to 07/02 FFL/SOTs since the policy changes, most do not register with the Department of State.

If this compliance becomes mandatory, one might see the fly by night 07/02s that make dropping their SOT every few years to dump their post samples, fade away. Rules and guidelines change, you can bet on that…

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Well I can tell you that if they forced that, a lot of guys trying to get into the business of being an 07/02 won’t or would drop out too due to start nearly $3,000 in the hole right off the top each year. 
 

Said it before and I’ll say it again, the “I’ll become an SOT to buy cheap machine guns and get rich quick selling post samples” are going to screw guys who are trying to do it legit.
 

I’ve been paying for everything out of my own pocket as banks don’t want to deal with firearms manufactures or dealers. It’s hard enough to survive doing this stuff, only to have others in the same business playing the system and making it so the whole system turn against us. 

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I think that is his point.. they want to force FFLs out of business. At least the small guys.

However that would have to go against a letter they put out a while back on who they believe should or shouldn't do. Fortunately they don't have control over forcing us at the moment.

Now stopping the practice of cancelling the SOT and restarting it is a legit thing they can do to stop the practice of selling no law letter post firearms..

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