It’s been said that guns speak to us—and it’s easy to hear voices at Cedar Post Pawn Shop.
There, in the display case, a Pre-27 Smith & Wesson patiently offers a history lesson to the uninitiated, back to a time when the factory had yet to assign model numbers to .357 Magnums. Right next to it, a Model 29, the Dirty Harry revolver, tosses off some classic movie lines.
On the racks, a pair of Savage 99s cheerfully recount tales from around the fire at deer camp. Down the way, there’s a bolt-action .30-40 Krag, a relatively obscure chambering today. But a century ago, at least one expert loved it. In 1923, Townsend Whelen called it “the most useful and all-around successful cartridge ever made for the American sportsman.”
All these guns are consignments, waiting for the right buyer, someone who appreciates their stories. If it takes awhile, that’s okay with Jason Ray, the owner of Cedar Post, who loves the classics.
“Obviously, they’re not making them anymore,” says Jason. “Consignments—that’s where we get the fun stuff.”
But there is plenty of newer inventory, and Jason says he’s happy to order whatever else customers want, for 10 percent over cost. He sells double to triple the amount of handguns, compared to rifles and shotguns.
“ARs are pretty soft right now,” he says. “As the election draws near, that will change.”
When he took over the business from his father in 1988, Cedar Post Pawn Shop was “more into the lending part of it.” Jason built up the firearms side, especially consignments, which are now 25-30 percent of his sales.
“Word kinda gets out,” he says. “Guys come in once or twice a week, to see what’s new.”
Pre-’64 Winchesters, which the cognoscenti consider to be the finest years of production, are an example. Cedar Post Pawn has three Model 94s: a ’48 and ’53 in .32 Special and a ’51 in .30-30.
“It’s more exciting when something really good comes in,” says Jason, who prefers lever-actions. But he resists temptation: “If you take all the good stuff (for yourself), what are you going to sell to your customers?”
Then there’s The List: If you’re looking for a certain vintage firearm, Jason takes your contact info.
“That’s the one thing that’s the most fun in here: finding someone a gun,” he says. “Maybe it’s one they had when they were kids—they’ve been looking a long time.”
One man wanted a Colt SAA. Jason remembers him saying, “‘I’ve been to every gun show in town. It’s not going to happen.’”
But Cedar Post Pawn Shop believes in ballistic unicorns. In less than a month, that six-shooter showed up for a guy who’d lost hope.
“Made him a customer for life,” Jason says.
Cedar Post Pawn Shop, 98 E St. George Blvd. Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday. (435) 628-7296.
By Kevin Foster Cox
