I don't know if I've ever told his story on here before but I was thinking about it today for some reason and thought I'd share. I suspect that a good number of people on tman have had similar interactions.

I can't remember the legislative particulars, but under Slick Willy's 1st term, the Dems got the "assault weapons ban" passed and the prices of ARs went up considerably. I had (and still have) a Mini-14 and didn't think I needed an AR (I've never liked that platform's balance in my hands) but my older brother talks me into things sometimes (not as much anymore because I've gotten "wiser" over time ;)). Anyway, he was down in metro Phoenix doing a medial internship and when I told him the price of an AR that I seen in a small local gun shop, he said, "buy it, and I can flip it down here for another $500"- famous last words. So, I bought the AR, I think it was an "Olympic Arms" variety, and when it was all said and done, I had about $1,100 in it.

Well, Newt baby and the Rs won control of the House in 1994 and either they put the brakes on the anti-semi automatic, large magazine capacity rifles and pistols ban OR the panic buying over the law eased or some combo that I don't remember but the prices of ARs came back down in the Phoenix area and we weren't going to make bank flipping this rifle anymore so I decided to put it up for sale in the Soo Foo area and see what happened. This was pre-everything being on the internet (the 'net was there but it was limited and fairly awkward to use). I put an ad in the "Shopping News" weekly "newspaper" for $1,200 for the rifle and two mags (I think).

My one and only potential customer showed up at my then modest house (this must have been in the fall of '96 after I got married because we moved into that house in the spring of that year). The guy was middle aged and didn't seem very impressive to me, someone you could easily forget his face. We went down into the basement and I gave him the rifle to look at and he played around with the action a few times, sighted down the barrel once or twice and then asked me, "How much ammo do you have for this?"

That was an immediate red flag to me that this guy was more than Mr. Joe Average so my reply was, "Well, that ammo is commonly available in retail stores and you can probably get all you want there." That ended the conversation. He said thank you, I showed him out the door, and I never heard from him again.

I "sold" the rifle to my brother a bit later. I think he and his family were up here again by then. I sold it to him at a good discount and chalked everything up to a learning lesson. I think he traded that rifle in against an upgrade or for a combo of a couple other firearms, I can't remember. Maybe I should FOIA the BATFE's records out of South Dakota for 1996 and see if my old address shows up. Then again, I'm sure if you FOIA an agency, you get "known" to them, even though under the federal Records Act, your not supposed to be put on any permanent lists they may retain without your knowledge. Yeah right ...

I think on Memorial Day, I'm going to check out the newer South Dakota Veterans Cemetery that's a few miles a away from my house and check it out. A friend of mine's dad's cremations are over there. "John" was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and was LRRP in Vietnam in 1969/70. He was awarded the Bronze Star with V for an action there. He was a good man when I knew him, never would have thought he was a guy who humped an M-60 around the hills of central Vietnam when he was young. I'm going to find his spot, walk around, and think about things. I hope you have a good Memorial Day as well.

maybe in 1996 Nics wasn't even active yet

so it may have been an agent looking to see if you had many and ammo to sell aka dealing from your basement.

If they haven't "followed up" to see if you still have it, I doubt he was a Fed. Maybe checking to see if it was Full auto.

wouldn't be follow up as it was one guy selling one gun
well within personal sales reduction of collection standards

if it was a agent he wanted to know if you were dealing not one guy who wanted his money back on a purchase

also a budget gun of the time period , at not exactly a super budget price

he was probably hoping you had a colt SP1 and didn't know what you had and he could have it for the price you advertised or some less.

we just found an old gun show special Looks like an XM177 upper , in reality an XM177 parts kit on a cut down M16A1 barrel cut at 11.5 with an awful way oversized gas port drilled on a drill press

from 10 feet away it looks like the all the right parts
as you get closer it askes questions , what makes a gun worth more than the price of a working firearm is little details and correct options and features.
get the flash hider off and find a taper shoulder not a square one , non concentric threads , get he front sight/gas block off and dead give away is a gas port that looks like it was cut with an 1/8th inch drill bit and a patch that goes past the gas port but catches on it if you pull back .

I didn't buy it , but was inspecting it shot it , it was WAY over gassed which prompted the deeper look

it isn't like you can break out your punch set and armorers wrench at a gun show and start tearing down a perspective purchase.