Carcano stripper clips

[A. F Medic]

I will be going to an auction Thursday and when I was looking at the web site, I noticed a box full of Carcano stripper clips (61) loaded with possibily 7.35 clean ammo. If you were to bid on something like that, what do you think is fair?

I only have a 6.5 Carcano.

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[Aragorn243]

They say that a clip is worth $5. I've seen them sell for less and more. If you figure $1.00 per cartridge and they hold six, that would be $11 per loaded clip. As that would amount to $671.00 for the entire box and it is doubtful anyone will bid anywhere near that, you should be able to get a great deal on this lot. Even at a quarter a round it's almost $400. I rarely see box lots of ammo go for over $200, especially surplus ammo. They could potentially make a lot more money by breaking it down and selling it in smaller lots. It just becomes a matter of large cost.

[WarPig1976]

I would set a limit around $200.00 if it gets bid higher oh well. That's the thing with auctions, it all depends on who's there, we've all seen it, people bidding stuff way to high. The way I look at it, it's not what's fair but how little I can pay and because its an auction I despise paying market value or over.

[Aragorn243]

It does depend on who is there, that's for sure. I was at a tiny auction at a farmers market last year. Always a variation of odds and ends and rarely anything of real interest to me. I had just purchased a Carcano 7.35 and low and behold there was a box of it for sale at this auction. Three clips, 18 rounds, but no box to identify it. I told the wife, I should be able to get that cheap. I figured $15 would be my max but told her I'd get it for $7 or so. $40 some odd dollars later, it went home with someone else. I never even put in a bid. There were 7 guys there bidding on this.

That's why if you break it up, you can get a lot more for it. But shelling out the big buck for a large lot is harder for a lot of guys to do.

[Patrick Chadwick]

But shelling out the big buck for a large lot is harder for a lot of guys to do.

Because they are probably unaware (or don't want to know) how much money they spend on ammo over the years. For a rifle that is used regularly for competition shooting, ammo costs will soon exceed the cost of the rifle. In the case you quoted, 40 for one box means that two or three competition targets will cost you more than the typical value of a 7.35 Carcano. Likewise, I have seen people pay daft prices for a single empty clip, when they could have bought, say, five for the price of two singles.

If you want to use your 7.35 even occasionally over the coming years, consider the offer of suitable bullets. Not overwhelming, is it? I would assume that the ammo will be "iffy", because of its age and incorrect storage, and so value the box as (depending on condition) 366 original bullets and 61 clips. Work out what that is worth to you and bid accordingly. If the ammo actually works, you have been lucky.

The barmy prices apply to single items, not to bulk. Buy the bulk - or someone else will, and divide it up and sell the loaded clips individually.

[jmoore]

Since A.F Medic has a 6,5 then the only thing of value to him directly currently(!) are the clips IF the ammo is indeed 7,35. Could sell the ammo, but there's some bother in that. New bullets are roughly US$24/100. While thay last, as Hornady isn't like to produce any more soon. Still, US$200 seems like a good deal. If the ammo is not tarnished, then three beans might be fine.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Since A.F Medic has a 6,5 then the only thing of value to him directly currently(!) are the clips

Good point! On the other hand, once he has 366 or so rounds of the 7.35 available ....

[Aragorn243]

Yes, they aren't that expensive.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I only have a 6.5 Carcano.

It seems we are all agreed that you will have do something about that when you have brought home a box of 7.35 ammo!

[Aragorn243]

If you get the ammo cheap, remember who helped you make the decision. I have a 7.35, hint, hint.