Any good stores in the area for old guns?

[Anonymous]

My son is a huge history buff and wants to get into re-enacting old battles... not civil war stuff but apparently there are local groups that do re-enactments of WWI and WWII battles. He needs to get properly outfitted. We've been able to order all the equipment and clothing (mostly repro stuff) through online sources but also need to buy some older military rifles, like German and Japanese ones. What local gun stores sell these kinds of rifles? I searched for gun stores near me on my phone and the ones I visited only had new items, and absolutely no interest there.

Suggestions welcomed. This is not an invitation to a political debate either. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I suspect the reenactors use replicas and not actual antiques. He should contact the groups he's interested in and simply ask how to obtain the right equipment. There's a good chance the group(s) have their own buy/sell listings for group members to change up their collections.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to suggest something very obvious - ask the local groups that do the re-enactments. I would assume they know far more about this niche activity than people here.

[Anonymous]

They definitely use real rifles and fire blanks. The only recommendation we've gotten from them is to go to gun shows or look online. But the prices are insane, and I was hoping there might be a hole in the wall in the area that's more reasonably priced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They definitely use real rifles and fire blanks. The only recommendation we've gotten from them is to go to gun shows or look online. But the prices are insane, and I was hoping there might be a hole in the wall in the area that's more reasonably priced.

If your son is under 18, DO NOT buy him a working gun. It's illegal, even if it's old. (And he can't have a handgun until he's 21.) Antique guns are not cheap costume pieces. They are going to be expensive because they are in high demand and have limited supply. You son is not the first person to find out they have a very expensive hobby. I recommend he buy or make a non-working replica until he can earn the money to buy the piece he really wants.

[Anonymous]

Why is this in sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this in sports

Just a guess it's because there isn't a forum here for hobbies. I can see how reenacting could be considered a type of sport just as shooting is considered a sport.

[Anonymous]

Firearms are relatively fungible so the likelihood that you’ll find meaningful disparity between stores is fairly low, although prices will vary by condition, provenance, rarity, etc.

The suggestion to go try hanging out with reenactors first is good. The “character” a person decides to inhabit influences the equipment. Regular infantry are equipped differently than Airborne for example.

Those people will also know the best places to buy, which are the most accurate replicas, etc.