Ever find a gun you thought you would never find or afford?

[bushmaster1313]

There are several guns I found that I never thought I would find or afford:

Remington 31 factory riot. Affordable because half the varnish was peeled off the stock.

First year Ithaca 37T

Ruger No. 1 RSI in .243 Winchester. It came with a 10X Leupold M8 that I sold for $200.

Winchester 97 factory riot. The dealer really wanted my high condition first year .308 Winchester 88 that beat me up real bad. Who was I to complain.

 

[bigggbbruce]

I've bought many that I never expected to find or afford.

But buying them I was able to own many that others wish they could.

And in trading them or selling them later, my current collection has been paid for in full.

 

[BigBill]

Yes I found a few I thought I never find nor afford.

Norinco 1911A1 45acp.

Norinco M14S 308. Sweet price.

Swedish M40 lathi in 9mm

Swedish Lungman AG42B 6.5 swede, sweet price too.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

A few: Model 13 with a 3.0 inch long barrel, Model 65 with 3.0 inch long barrel, Model 34 with a 4.0 inch long barrel, H&K P-7, and a Browning Hi-Power.

Regards,

Dave

 

[usm1rifle]

Just this one:

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[Old Corp]

After retiring from LE in 2008, my next two 'retirement jobs' were in busy LGS's. Lots of trades and estates coming in. I was very fortunate to be able to lay my hands on stuff I would've otherwise never seen or been able to afford.

 

[LVSteve]

The Grand Power K100 Mk7 I picked up recently was originally marketed as a STI GP6 for a lot more money. So I guess you could say I lucked out and got a cheap GP6.

 

[i1afli]

A Winchester Model 1897 trench shotgun...young guy was carrying it into a gun show as I was walking out.

Union Switch & Signal 1911A1...it was in a pawn shop with a refinished Colt slide on it so they had it priced as a refinished Colt. Sure, I had to get a US&S slide for it but that's the only way I could ever afford a US&S.

 

[Jebus35745]

Never thought I'd own a Registered Mag or a Korth .22, found both somewhat reasonable. Larry

 

[bushmaster1313]

Never thought I'd own a Registered Mag or a Korth .22, found both somewhat reasonable. Larry

I used to think I would never own a factory original Winchester Model 21 with a ventilated rib, full/full chokes and a beavertail forearm.

I still think that.

 

[Rick_A]

Just this one.
20140912_082849 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

 

[RJJ 1971]

Caracal F
2.5 years of searching internet. Ended up finding one at my LGS one day when I was looking at purchasing another Glock.
NIB and $400 OTD later - been happy ever since.

 

[petepeterson]

If I ever find a Bren Ten, I'll find a way to afford it!

 

[BearBio]

Funny: Just happened a couple of weeks ago. Wife was looking for a X-mas gift for me and she usually gets me involved (I'm kinda hard to buy for). She got me a 1950 Model 94 Winnie. But that's not it!

We went to Yakima to a pawn shop. Turns out, the owner pulls all the Colts and older Winnies for her own collection. But they gave me directions to another shop. We made a wrong turn and got lost (The "Palm Springs of Washington" is NOT a place to get lost in!). We couldn't turn around for a couple of miles (in Selah, the next small town). As we turned around, there was a small gun shop in the back of the parking lot==seriously, the showroom was about 15x20 and mostly "black" guns. On the rack were several 94 Winnies (all but one were pre-64). Also, a Model 71. It was a long-tang, Deluxe, with factory peep (bolt mounted), factory detachable sling swivels, an early side-mounted Weaver scope. Came with a box of Winchester Silvertips. Drawback: mostly silvered and had a recoil pad installed. Checkering worn but intact==all diamonds there with worn points. Price: $800! (I figure market value is closer to $3000).

Now, I already have one of the re-issues the wife got me a few years ago==the "High Grade" with engraving, etc. But this is a real gem I never expected to find (since I had one, it was never high on my priorities).

The real kicker is this is obviously part of an estate sale (along with the Winnie my wife bought) and shows that it was well-taken care of with honest wear. The question is: How many elk, moose and maybe grizzly have this taken, since it was obviously someone's prized hunting rifle?

 

[DWalt]

Several, but my best one was a 95% Colt Model 1909 at a gun show at a very reasonable price. I don't think the seller thought it was anything different from any other New Service. Someone else mentioned the Swede AG42b rifle in 6.5mm. I lucked into one of those in perfect condition some years ago at a giveaway price.

 

[Tom K]

I bought a Colt 1905 maybe 20 years ago, that in retrospect was a heck of a deal. I doubt that I could afford to buy the same gun today.

I'm still looking for something I'm not likely to find, much less at an affordable price. I want a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308 - left handed. Maybe 15 years ago you supposedly could get one as a custom order from the factory, at a price about three times a production gun. But I've never seen one.

 

[S. Hammer]

Colt Officers Model Match MK IIII .38. They made under 500 of them total and 350 were exported out of the U.S. Only seen two in person. This one was used and had holster wear but it was affordable on a cop's salary.

 

[rbrbrb6]

Closest I have to ones I thought I would never find are the USFA Double Eagle and a TLA Improved #5 in 41 mag.


Top two are 41 mags.

 

[jag312]

I have always wanted a Springfield Trapdoor Cavalry Carbine from the Little Big Horn. Still haven't found one, but I lucked onto a carbine for a thousand dollars that was later documented as 7th Cavalry post-LBH. Very likely used at Wounded Knee.

 

[bigggbbruce]

If I ever find a Bren Ten, I'll find a way to afford it!

I saw one about a year ago that sold on GB.

A little tracking and saw that the seller snagged it on GB for around $1900 BIN.. Sold it as soon as he received it for north of $4500.

To bad you weren't aware of the first buy in.

and if you think magazines for a 10 series S&W are expensive.. WOOF..!!

 

[sigp220.45]

In the Never Thought I'd Find One category, this 3" Model 24 .44 Special. I wasn't actively looking but I've always wanted one. In a rare case of having money and luck at the same time I saw this one at a local shop and made it mine.



In the Never Thought I Could Afford One category, I always wanted a nice shotgun. I've hunted with utilitarian type guns, Remingtons and Mossbergs and a Browning A5 I got from my brother. I spotted this raggedy Beretta box at my local shop right after it came in the door. I know its not the top of the line over/under by any means, but it fits me and its the nicest shotgun I'll ever own.

 

[Hairtrigger]

I never thought I would have a Ruger Woodside
I just bought my second

 

[Houlton]

A pre '64 M-70 in 30-06 and a M-12 12ga. Got them both in one year from two different folks needing money. Have $460 in both.

 

[BC38]

Yup, I find one every now and then, and 99.9% of the time my second assumption is correct - I can't afford them...

 

[gregintenn]

Two of them. A new in the box second generation Colt SAA, and a German 9mm Luger.

 

[model70hunter]

Once I had 6 Parker Bros shotguns. All 12 gauge, 1 A grade 2 bbl set, a 16 gauge and 12's in various frame sizes. A local LGS took a 2 BBL 20 gauge set in on trade. I knew he had nothing pricey enough to warrant this as a trade in. He could have traded 2 of his regular guns and would not have been hurt.

My guess is he took it in for a deer rifle or some shifty Grandson or son got it off ole dead Dad and sold it for peanuts. When I asked what he had in it he just smiled.

When I asked what he'd take he said $1800.00 and smiled. That was more than I had in all 6 of mine.

He said he was taking it to Tulsa. I smiled, he'd bring that over priced Parker back and listen to reason.

He did not move it at Tulsa.

I offered 1500, he shook his head no but smiled.

I never tried to buy it again, a man has to have principles you know.

The gun went to Tulsa 3 times.

It brought $3000 he said as he smiled.

The old lady in the upstairs smoky shop told me to stick pins in this doll that is his image daily for a week. And he will find another one and sell it to me cheaply or he will pay the supreme price.

Daily I stabbed that voodoo doll with the pin. He did not find another Parker and just like she said, he paid the supreme price. Twenty years later he dropped with a heart attack.

The above chapter in my life is true, except the part about the old lady and pins in the voodoo doll. However I did think about it. The only magic was the beauty of the gun and the way it leaped to my shoulder. 25 years later I can still see it in my mind. In hindsight I should have bought it at $1800.00.

Principles tainted with a burning desire to buy at a fair price oft leaves one watching the prize leave with another.

 

[fat tom]

Principles tainted with a burning desire to buy at a fair price oft leaves one watching the prize leave with another.

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from those words...............at least for those intelligent enough to absorb them.
f.t.

 

[steeledge]

I always wanted a double rifle but never could afford one. A few years ago Cabela's ran Pedrosoli Kodiak in 45/70 for $1895. I could not pass that up. Love the rifle and its classic style. Now retail on them is $5800.

 

[turnerriver]

I had a Walther PP .22 when I was a teenager. I sold it for what seemed like a lot of money at the time and soon regretted letting it go. 45 years later my friend ordnanceguy mentioned he'd taken a Walther PP .22 to a show but it didn't sell. I didn't know he had one and he didn't know I'd pined for one for years. The deal was made on the spot. No, it's not for sale.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[mic214]

I recently traded into a S&W Model 64 (No dash). I had been wanting one for a long time and got lucky finding this one: