A few years back a friend of mine, retired and spent his time at the Denver area gunshows, came across a very cool custom 28-2 that had been converted to .44spl and chopped in the style of the Jovino/Behlert guns. No indication from the guy he got it from or on the gun indicating if it was indeed one. It had a couple of minor issues that were quickly squared away and it was a fun blaster.

Well something else caught my eye and I figured I could live without that Smith. I keep looking at the pics of it on my Postimages folder and wish I'd never sold it. C'est la vie.

I'd put up a couple of those pics but Postimage isn't playing nice today for me.

What's yours, if there is one?

To many and to painful to recall, but the worst was my assortment of Colt Diamondbacks in 38 and 22. I will go kick myself now.

For me it's not the ones I sold and wish I hadn't but rather those I could've bought and didn't.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

The one that I wish that I had back is a 19-3 serial no. 10K7600. It started life as a blued snub that I sent back to S&W to have them install a 6" barrel with a red ramp, a target hammer, and a combat trigger. With a set of Compac grips, it was a superbly balanced revolver.

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NRA, SWCA #2262

All six M1 Garands

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

686-1 2.5 with combat grips.

I cannot part with them, so i am in a (permanent?) holding pattern

I gave my then girlfriend a beautiful 4” nickeled .38 Diamondback with blonde Mustang combat grips back in college.

Grrrr…

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Richard

I have foolishly sold a number of guns but thirty years ago I had a near pristine issue Mauser C96 9mm with wooden holster / stock. I regret parting with that one.

Next was a Colt 1917 1911 45 Army issue with correct holster, belt, correct dated mag pouch and 2 2 tone magazines in 98% condition.

And then there was my excellent condition all original M1 paratrooper.

We all make mistakes and we hopefully make up for them with even better toys.

I haven't gotten to the point in my life yet where I'm selling off pieces of my modest collection, but I have sold and traded a few guns over the years. I don't really regret any of those transactions. However, one revolver that I do miss is the very first S&W revolver that I ever bought back in the late 70s- a brand spankin' new 4" blued Model 57 with the presentation case. It was stolen about a year later during an apartment robbery, but they left me the case and tools which I still have. I finally replaced the stolen .41 Magnum almost 50 years later with a minty 4" nickel Model 57 from the same time period.

It would be my S&W model 28-2 with 4" barrel. My wife bought it for me for a college graduation present. She gave me a choice between the new revolver or a class ring. I carried the 28-2 on duty with two agencies. I had it brush hard chromed with black sights. I traded it for a High Standard Victor, as I was heavily involved in bullseye target shooting for a long time.

As a previous poster stated, too many and too painful to think about. In 50+ years of buying, selling, and trading, so many I foolishly let go for something else that I just had to have at the time and could not get them back!!! One that comes to mind now is a 6" Stainless Colt Python that I bought with the box at a local pawn shop many years ago for $1000 OTD. Sent it off to the Colt Custom Shop and had an action job done on it. We all know what Pythons are selling for now. In a moment of weakness, sold it to a buddy who would not sell it back. He has since died and no telling where that gun is now. Probably went to a dope head relative who sold it to a pawnshop for $300 or less. In my old age, trying the best I can to hold on to the small collection I have at present, but it is hard to stay out of pawn shops, gunshops, and gunshows.

In the immortal words of "Goose" Bradshaw, the list is long but distinguished. If I could have just one of them back, it would have to be the M1A1 Thompson.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

I sold my Ruger .44 carbine in 1997. Big mistake.

For me, it would be far easier to list the ones that I am GLAD I sold...

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Have Canon, Will Travel

My list is long. Too long.

My list is too long to even begin to list it here. However, at the top of the S&W portion would be my Model 25 in 45 Colt and my Model 58.

4 inch Colt Python . 1983

That is what I am trying to avoid. I found a grail gun recently here on the forums and even though it is a bit costly considering my circumstances as the only source of income for my wife/girls I feel like I will regret it if I don't shell out now and just get it.

We aren't at risk of anything if I buy it, I just feel guilty that it could be used for something for them. I guess I will just have to pick up a second summer gig to supplement my teacher income until my promotion to assistant principal.

To stay on topic though, if there were one gun I regret parting with it would be a flat latch Model 36 or my first S&W revolver which was a 686-1.

The way I look at it for both is that there was a reason I sold them, and then I feel less bad about it.

Like some previous posters, my list could be quite long. I started buying/trading guns around 1964. The top two would be a Single-six made in late 1950's and a Winchester model 61 .22 magnum that I bought new in 1965. The Winchester would have increased in value 20 fold or more, and the Single-six was the old model 3-screw of course and in .22 lr only, no .22 magnum cylinder, and it was so accurate. Oh well, life is a learning experience.

A Model 25 with both .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders.

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Heavily armed old man.

I would rather not expound on some of those I sold. It's too painful.

I do have a 28-2, 6" that was skillfully converted to 44 special. I'm hanging on to it. It is really accurate and fun to shoot.

This is not a complete list by any means.

A first year Ruger 77/22 with a Simmons 2X7 scope.
A Sears/Roebuck/AYA 20 ga double. Just a beautiful gun.
Not one, but THREE Model 24-3's with 4" barrels. IIRC they only made about 2500 of them.
A 25-13 Mountain Gun, 45 Colt
A Model 19-8, marked as a 38 Special only. It would actually chamber 357 ammo, but I never tried to fire any.
A Ruger 10/22 International.
A 4" Model 29-2.
A little Colt Pocket Positive 32, with genuine MOP grips.
A 1964 Colt Python, 4" barrel blue.
A Colt Official Police 38, 4" barrel, from IIRC, 1939, marked "Treasury Department, Secret Service." Sold to a guy on the Colt forum who collected department marked guns. It was just another gun to me. To him, it was something special.
A Colt SAA, 38 Special 4 3/4" barrel. Unfired. Sold it to an engraver who had a client who wanted an engraved 38. He paid well.

On the other hand, I've had a lot of neat guns. And I had almost as much fun selling them as I did finding them in the first place.

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John 3:16 .

I sold a Colt SAA 5 1/2 " nickle .44 Special NIB to buy aColt Python 4" stainless. I still have the Python. Has not been shot in many years. I still think about the SAA.

I am just happy that I have never needed to sell any of my guns. Mostly I feel like Jeff, I regret the ones I didn't buy. Especially back before I joined the forum and SWCA, when I was ignert.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

A Registered Magnum used by the Kansas City Police Department back in the day. I don’t even have a photo of it. Jinks letter and all.

There are a few I wish I hadn’t sold. The Two I would like back are a 49 body guard and a 65 S&W. I should have had the 65 cut to 2 or 3” but I sold it. The 49 was just plain stupid. I should have kept it.

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Two Handguns every day

I grew up shooting an SKB SxS shotgun that someone had professionally cut the comb off the stock and grafted on a raised piece that was very well shaped and blended. Was death on all manner of feathered creatures with it.
Later when that one had been nearly shot to death and all the finish worn off the wood and bottom of the receiver and the custom stock cracked through the head and epoxied back together multiple times I came across a brand new one in the box and had to have it.

Short of cash and long on guns I for some reason decided to put up my Lew Horton 3” 625-3 Classic snub with Combats and matching holster as trade stock. In college I won a steak dinner and then a case of cheap beer when my challenger doubled down by putting first 5 of 6 followed my 6 out of the next 6 on an 8” bullseye target offhand at the 100 yard line with it. It was of course snatched up and the shotgun was mine.

Took about two rounds of skeet to tell I couldn’t hit a thing with it with the factory straight comb stock. Took two hunting seasons to convince myself that it was a lost cause.

I have no idea what I ended up trading that shotgun off for but I can tell you it wasn’t a 3” Lew Horton 625. Sure wish I hadn’t done that deal.

I once sold a Hi Standard Military Trophy 7 1/2 fluted barrel so I could buy a S&W K22. I just never could shoot that K22. I don't think there was anything wrong with it, but it would not shoot for me!! Got a chance to trade it for another Hi Standard 7 1/2, but it wasn't the trophy model. Still have it and several K22's now, that do shoot! I've always regretted trading that Trophy model.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

A couple of H&K P7M8's.....I wish they would bring them back.

Sell one of my babies? What's wrong with you?

Actually I have sold and gifted a few to friends and I've never really regretted any of them. Now if we were talking about cars, I had a 1964 Chevy Impala SS convertible with a 409 engine that I would dearly love to have back...

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Sounds like the sibling of my 66-1 that started life as a snubbie, then went to S&W for a swap to the 6 inch barrel with red ramp. Its still one of my favorite shooters!

The story on this one is, originally bought this Armalite AR-10 in the early 2000's off an auction in new condition, Had it about 10 years, occasionally took to the range but not much. Along came a Smith Wesson Mountain Gun model 625 in 45 Long Colt. The guy that had it would not sell but only trade for my AR-10, So I regretfully traded and was sick over it a minute after the deal was done, but I had to have that Mountain Gun. Well it so happed that my local gun shop called me about a year later to tell me they just took my AR-10 it on trade and was giving me first chance at it. Needless to say I got it back and it will never again leave my safe. Best part of the whole story is when I bought it back I paid less then half of my original purchase price. Now I have both the Armalite and the 45 Colt Mountain Gun.

The 3 1/2" Pre 27 was my favorite. I did sell it, but to a friend with visitation rights.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244