Going to an auction, gonna buy me a gun.
 

So, I'm going to this auction next week:
Proxibid: Herron Auction and Realty Auction Catalog - Private Collection Military & Antique Firearms

I thought you guys might be interested in browsing the selection.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna get yet. Probably something I can actually buy ammo for easily.. like the Springfield M1 with gernade launcher. :) Nah, I'm thinking about the S&W 38 special, have any idea about what I should expect to pay?

well... I have no clue at all

But in the UK, for a gun (ie an illegal handgun) I could get a shooter for £100 (about 175 USD... with some bullets from my local pub. But Im talking about "throw it in the river when youve used it" type of stuff.

That's interesting. I would have thought they'd be more expensive given that they'd need to be smuggled into the country. I know a new 38 special model 10 goes for about 600 dollars so I'm kinda scared it's going to be out of my price range.

"Fookin' 'Ell, Ah can git ye a gon fer less'n a bagga grass, man! Just gimme an hour in Oldham, man, an' ye'll be fookin' rockin'."

--P. Shurba, my former boss, late of Manchester.

First: Gunbroker.com

Second: Don't get a .38 Special revolver. Get a .357 Magnum. S&W 686 is a good start.

....because you can shoot both cartridges out of a .357, but it doesn't work the other way around.

...and .357 Magnum is a much more reliable manstopper than a .38 Special, which is a stretched out 9mm at best.

...

A 9mm automatic such as a Glock 17, Springfield XD, Smith &Wesson M&P, Beretta M92, etc., would probably be a better choice for an "all around fun gun." Target practice, concealed carry, home defense, and useful for posing with your collection of platinum jewelry for MySpace pics. Good "starter" piece that doesn't become obsolete later when you get all gear queer and start buying $3000 1911s that keep a piece of wood case felt from seeing the sun.

Most illegal guns are either stolen or bought en masse from a country with little or no concern with anything but their bottom line, like those 2000 full-auto AKs Norinco was bringing over to sell to Oakland Bay area gangs in 1996 with the offer of rocket launchers, anti-aircraft missiles, and even tanks. Bulk is cheap.

Like Crompsin said, use Gunbroker for a good real-world cost/value figures.
38spl revolvers are cheap compared to .357s:
Smith & Wesson Model 64 38Spl 4in Stainless, Round Butt w/ Bobbed Hammer. Very good plus condition

Yeah, but it's like getting a 500cc cruiser motorcycle: you're gonna want something bigger quick.

Just spend the extra $$$ on a .357 and be done with it. It's one gun that'll do nearly everything.

...and here i am looking at a 686p for sale. freaky.

I didn't end up buying anything. I was wanting the 38 special for more sentimental reasons. I learned to shoot with a 38 special and I was going to inherit it that didn't happen for reasons I'm not willing to go into.