Most shops are built around new production: polymer pistols, black rifles, the same wall you’ve seen a hundred times. Finding a place that actually understands a Tula Mosin-Nagant from an Izhevsk, an arsenal-refurbished K98k from an original, or a matching-numbers Luger from a parts gun is a different hunt.

What makes a real collector’s gun shop

When you’re buying a 70- or 80-year-old military rifle, the description matters as much as the price. A shop worth your time will:

• Inspect and grade honestly — bore, headspace, matching numbers, import marks, and finish, described plainly rather than dressed up.
• Know the history — markings, arsenals, capture and refurbishment, so you understand what you’re actually holding.
• Stock the real categories — Curio & Relic eligible pieces, not just whatever’s trending.
• Let you handle it — a stock photo can hide a lot; a shop you can visit can’t.

Old Steel Arsenal — North Texas surplus & collectible firearms

Old Steel Arsenal is a federally licensed dealer in Plano specializing in exactly this: a vetted, bench-inspected catalog of Cold War and WWII surplus rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Every piece is hand-graded before it goes on the wall — honest steel, honest wood. Browse rifles (Mosin-Nagant, Finnish M39, Mauser K98k, Enfield, M1903A3, BM-59), pistols (Luger P08, P38, SIG P226, Browning Hi-Power), or the full catalog.

Find the drive from your city

The shop sits off US-75 and W. Parker Road in West Plano — central to most of the northern metroplex:

• Plano — you’re home; we’re off US-75 at W. Parker Road. Plano gun store →
• From Dallas — about 20 minutes north up US-75. Dallas gun store →
• From Richardson — barely 10 minutes north on US-75. Richardson gun store →
• From Allen — a quick run south on US-75. Allen gun store →
• From McKinney — a straight shot south on US-75. McKinney gun store →
• From Frisco — a short hop east on SH-121 or the Tollway. Frisco gun store →
• From Garland — northwest via the PGBT (190). Garland gun store →
• From Carrollton — a straight drive east on the PGBT (190). Carrollton gun store →
• From Addison — up the Dallas North Tollway. Addison gun store →

Buying, transfers, and selling

Found a piece elsewhere? Old Steel Arsenal accepts inbound FFL transfers for rifles and pistols ($25 with an LTC, $35 without, $100 per NFA item). Looking to sell or move a collection? Ask about outright purchase and consignment, appraisal, and restoration. Whether you’re in Dallas, Plano, or anywhere across DFW, you’ll get an honest read on what your steel is worth.