I have looked at many RIA auction guns in Vegas and others. The vast majority were bad or at least iffy, and I am talking other things I know better than K98 snipers like M1911s and A1s. I rarely need another opinion on one of them. I rarely see a gun they sale I would buy.
A major collector and seller of M1911s got in a major fight with them on a Singer recently, pricing over 100K these days. Law suits were threatened and it went quite a ways. This was slander, not fraud btw. I am surprised it did not end up in court, the collector is typically quite ready for litigation. He is rarely wrong and was a neighbor of CW Clawson. I won my biggest battle with him but it was a pain. He attempted to ban me from SOS/NGD via TRO. Ron told him he could stay home, I was always welcome even though his typical inventory was about half a mill.. Mine was more like 100K at most shows, I was not a real saler.
It has long amazed me how little the RIA folks know so little on the high dollar stuff. Man, at today's prices knowing a bad M1911 is like buying 10 K98 snipers. Glad I got a couple dozen valuable and/or rare 1911s when they were were just silly priced. Proceed on any uncommon 1911 like it is an SS DC. Get many experts. I am blessed to know some of the best, learned from them 30 years ago or more and continue to do so. Two looked at my best Rem UMC for about 5 seconds and just kept saying screamer. I was pretty sure before but at these prices it never hurts to hear it from some of the best. JP is probably the best living, or the guy who hates to ever be wrong?
IMO, folks that sale their estate guns and such through RIA are stupid, and I have discussed this with some of the best including a friend with a documented Carlos H. VN M70 with Unertl USMC. Talk about expensive, $130000 cash was refused the first day he had it. I shook when I held it, fear of a drop. He apparently used 3 in Nam. Contrary to other reports I have seen this one was no were near worn out, reports saying 3 MOA rifle. Shooting through a PU scope with an MOA rifle at 300 ish yd rifle is just not the norm. This shot has been replicated state side btw. I used to see Carlos and Norm Chandler often at shows within their 400 mile show circuit. Carlos was very quiet. They had a heavily used SVD from IRAQ 1 for several shows. I should have bought it, i was stupid it was $3500 when a new NDM was less than $2k.
I got a Liberator from Norm, complete with MRE "holster" about the same time.
I was offered the NGD show, The whole show, so was my buddie who could afford it. It was pretty pricey for sure but not what I expected. Must have been really big money though
I was also lusting for an AW in 338LM then and at the international sniper match at Ft. Bragg sniper range shortly afterwards. it was just under $3k. really cheap then. The three cal. rifle offered to me by Barrett was the big deal but they had no sample and it was in development. It turned out very well from what I hear so I messed up again. I was told to come on down, TN was nearby but money is never unlimited. That one and the AW would have been money makers.
To me, a H&K sniper 91 for $12500 was crazy. Turned out all the others mentioned put them in the dirt by a huge margin. Thank god at least those proved to be good decisions. My buddies HK turned out to be do do. My CTME built on a new kit outshoot it. His HK 91 with a new barrel, not a sniper. was like shooting a worn out PU. Shot like a Pu worn out crap and 2 MOA with fed GM Match was the exception, not the rule.
My buddie had 2 MP5s that would shoot better at 100yds. His other full autos were crap IMO, at least regards to accuracy. Reliability was 100%.
He had a M2 Inland, class 3 dealer of course, minty. Could had gotten it for $1500. Only better at the time was an MP44, 95%, for $2350. One of those that who will be sick over for a lifetime, I am.