Journal · Collector’s Guide
Where North Texas Collectors Buy Surplus Firearms
The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is full of gun counters, but collectors looking for genuine WWII and Cold War surplus firearms know the field narrows fast. This guide is for North Texas collectors who want the real thing.
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.
- From Richardson — barely 10 minutes north on US-75.
- From Allen — a quick run south on US-75.
- From McKinney — a straight shot south on US-75.
- From Frisco — a short hop east on SH-121 or the Tollway.
- From Garland — northwest via the PGBT (190).
- From Carrollton — a straight drive east on the PGBT (190).
- From Addison — up the Dallas North Tollway.
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.
Old Steel Arsenal
Come see the wall.
Plan a visit to the Plano shop, or browse the catalog from wherever you are in DFW.