Do Particular Guns Attract A "Certain" Type Of Person?

[Joe_Pike]

The reason I ask this is I have been selling a good part of my collection of firearms I have accumulated over the years (because my job sucks) on Armslist. I have had the good fortune of being able to deal with some really nice folks that have met all of my requirements.

But, there is one gun that I have listed an untold number of times that will lead to some of the most hateful emails sent to me. I will cancel the listing within a couple of hours just so I don't have to deal with the jerks. The gun in question is an SKS. It is only this gun that brings out the accusations of being a communist (because I had some requirements that irritated them) or of being a price gouger (I included ammo in the listing with the gun that was priced under the lowest retail price out there at $5.47 per box), etc.

I am starting to come to the conclusion that certain types of guns can draw a certain type of person. I'm not trying to say that everyone that owns and shoots an SKS has an attitude, but that certain guns may draw a particular type of person maybe due to the cost of the gun or a certain feature.

Then again, I may just have bad luck.

[colbad]

Yes, especially the kind that shoot

[iraiam]

Maybe some people miss the good old days when you could buy a crate of them for $100, maybe they should have bought one sooner or kept the one they had. The reason I don't have more SKS rifles is they are not worth the going rate to me. Or it could be that some of these jerks want to harass you into taking your auction down so they can sell theirs at a higher price.

There are also, what I sometimes refer to as 1911 snobs, who have special little mylar sheet things that they use when taking apart their pistols so they don't get "idiot scratches" on their shiny pistols. I really dislike 1911 pistols more and more just because of a few of their owners. Not firearm related, but this is why I refuse to own an Apple product, because of their users.

[iraiam]

Oh Yeah, if arms list is worth a hoot then you should be able to forward the abusive emails to them, possibly a violation of the terms of service.

You can also forward abusive emails to their ISP, it is usually "[email protected]" just replace "whatever" with the domain of the abuser.

[glh17]

Years ago I think you could generally associate "Saturday Night Specials" with a certain type person but not so much now with conceal carry.

I recently got into handguns when I decided to get a permit. I did avoid one manufacturer because I associated their use with gangs. Now I know alot of other people own them and alot of law enforcement agencies use them. If I knew then what I know now I'd probably have gotten one myself, although I'm satisfied with my purchases.

[Dr Big Bird PhD]

A lot of SKS and Mosin Nagant owners (or soon to be) are after them because of the cheap price tag and the LEGENDARY hail of positive feedback from the internet. Many newgunz are younger, have that attitude about them from the get go and feel entitled to cheap milsurp.

[Armed_Chicagoan]

According to this story Chicago's "most violent criminals" prefer Smith & Wesson handguns.

[L2R]

why yes, don't we all

[dakota.potts]

SKS' and other surplus firearms are popular among a younger crowd because they're cheap, easy to feed, and recommended highly on the internet. Younger people may generally be more hotheaded.

Or it could be just coincidence

[L2R]

Bundling is common business practice to confuse the consumer so maybe the combined price (with ammo) is what is getting the customer riled up. I know you are being fair but if they don't have this gun, they may not know how much ammo costs. They may think 1 box is enough.

If they are looking at an SKS, then they are looking for a steal and that is their mindset.

I would post the gun at a price and offer the ammo in the add but separately.

[Torch]

Apparently SKSs attract jerks.
22s attract parents and older people
Glocks attract perfectionists

[dajowi]

Clint Eastwood's M29 .44 magnum attracted a lot of people to purchase them.

Was it this? "...but being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off..."

Or was it just that people wanted to play Dirty Harry?

Another gun that comes to mind is the .475 Wildey made famous by Charles Bronson in his vigilante themed Death Wish movies.

[glh17]

One of my best childhood friend's dad own a sporting goods business that sold alot of hunting and fishing stuff. The store was in West TN and did more business than any such place between Memphis and Nashville.

I worked there from 1967-71 while in HS. I can't remember us ever having over one or two handguns in stock at a time over that time. The owner would special order if someone wanted one. The store was well stocked in new and used shotguns and rifles but basically no handguns. It was all hunting and trap shooting guns.

I stopped working at the store before the first Dirty Harry movie. When I went back to visit about a year or so later the gun situation had changed. Had an entire case or two of handguns. Don't know why people's preferences toward handguns changed but Dirty Harry had a big effect on handguns sales in that area of the country.

[Tom Servo]

For a bunch of folks who hate being stereotyped, we certainly do a lot of it ourselves.

[Joe_Pike]

But, unfortunately some stereotypes are spot on. I work next to a parole/probation office and I can tell you the future of 90% of the folks that walk into the place.

[Levant]

Water guns tend to attract people who want to get wet or make others wet.

Paint guns are particularly popular amongst painters and body shops.

Powder based guns, such as rifles and handguns, are very popular among those who like to shoot, hunt, or to take responsibility for their own safety and protection.

Deeper than that, I have never personally tried to assume things about what guns a person likes to own.

[Crankgrinder]

Thank you Tom. I guess this thread is more about pidgeonholing people based on their firearms preferances, but the way i see it a preferance is a choice not a genetic disposition. Some make these choices for style, others for economic reasons for me its both. My dad is a revolver man he is old school. Id say some of that came off on me i like both semis and revos. Why anyone would want an sks at their going rate is beyond me seeing as how an ak variant just as good can be had for not that much more. When they were $60 i could see it but $400 +?

[Joe_Pike]

So, I guess none of you "pidgeonhole" anyone at the old gunshop? I guess none of you would look at the person buying that gold, tiger stripe Desert Eagle with a little smile forming at the corner of your mouth? Or, how about the guy buying the Mac 10? Everyone here has their little judgemental voice whispering in their ear on occasion. Geez, there is always a thread going about stupid people in the gun shop it seems. Everyone will put people into categories even if those categories change over time.

[motorhead0922]

I think L2R has it right. Drop the ammo and see what happens. Use the ammo for haggling if the deal gets that far.

[Justice06RR]

I don't think certain guns attract a certain stereotype. Its just a case by case basis. If you have bad luck selling a certain gun, its probably just a coincidence.

I could be wrong though. Do thugs get attacted to blinged-out pistols or AK47's? Or Ex-Military servicemen get drawn to the M4? I dunno...

[Unspoken]

I admit it, I tend to pigeonhole folks on some firearms. If you made me play word-association, I'd answer "old guys" to revolvers, "boy scouts" to .22s, and "middle class 18-30 yr. old male mall ninjas" to AR15.

I also admit, Joe Pike, I am an SKS owner, and I do have an attitude, so perhaps I live up to the stereotype. When I see someone selling a $900 Yugo SKS on armslist or GB, I just can't refrain from poking them in the bum with a snarky message. But I'll also do the same for the $500 10/22s, $300 Mosin Nagant 91/30s, and $75 bricks of 22. I also just got kicked out of a gun shop because I told a potential customer that the Universal M1 Carbine marked "USGI, WWII relic" was definitely neither USGI or a WW weapon. The owner took exception.

I also get called a communist, in person, at least once a month at the range...so don't feel bad about that one.

So I have to ask.. what kind of SKS were you catching grief about? What were you asking for it?

[fragtagninja]

There are people out there that are flat out bigots when it comes to guns. There is a guy in my area that owns a gun shop. He talks about how he hates foreign guns a lot. He will just about bite your head off for mentioning an AK style rifle, while trying to sell you one, but he is also one of those guys that states "A Glock will go off no matter what" often. See what I mean? Certain guns are just evil therefore anyone who owns one is evil. You may be suffering at the hands of gun racists. I think you may have grounds for a racial discrimination case.

I am obviously making light of this, but the story is 100% true. Also I think you may be over generalizing just a wee bit, I think the above does a good job at pointing out the holes in the logic you are using. However a study on such a thing could probably reveal a lot in regards to personality types and firearms preferences. It is scary how accurate psychology has gotten in terms of personality types. Sluff it off and try not to over generalize. It is the internet after all, and here there be trolls. Might just be as simple as that. There is just something about the interwebz that brings out the worst in people.

[Bezoar]

yes they do.

cowboy enthusiasts have more preference to SAA and lever guns. and other period correct stuff.

civil war reenactors get week knees for percussion muskets.

for some reason whenever i get to talking to someone buying a semi auto version of a military weapon, its like talking to the narrator from Halo 2. or call of duty.

duh shiny,,,,shoot fast. can i make it go full auto?

[Joe_Pike]

Unspoken, it is a Norinco in exceptionally good condition and even has the bayonet. I was asking $315 for the gun (what I have in it) and $5.47 a box for the Wolf ammo. I did have it listed as a package and broke it down for them in the ad. You see, I am a communist price gouger.

And, generally, I don't think anything about what people buy and don't care. I just thought it odd that this particular gun has been the only problem on a regular basis.

[Levant]

I don't think you can pigeon-hole. I never owned an AR-15 until Obama was elected. I bought a couple because I could. Once I had them, I found that I really like them and now I want a lot more. I was not 18-30; I was 54 when I bought them.

In the early 90's I bought a couple of Tec-9's. I'm not a thug but Clinton said I couldn't buy them any more so I bought them while I could. I regret that I sold them several years later.

I like 1911's because of, I suppose, using them in the service. I like guns made of steel but I also have several plastic guns. I counted the days until Taraus' 24/7 OSS was released so I could get my hands on a desert sand colored one. I like revolvers, cowboy guns, lever guns, rifles with awesome stocks. I love my .22 rifles and own them in tube fed, magazine fed, and even an S&W 1522 black .22

I think the reason that thugs buy gold-plated guns is that gold-plated guns were the mark of very wealthy people - at least in movies. It's a status symbol and they're trying to buy that status of being wealthy and successful. I'd bet that more such guns are sold to honest successful or wealthy folks than to thugs.

People buy what they want and there's no accounting for folks' tastes.