Self-control? Or just plain broke? Or kinda being stupid?

[TTSH]

Only you can know your finances and what you're comfortable with. If it's a burden then obviously you did good by not buying and don't need us to validate that. If, on the other hand, you had spare change then by all means buy.

Don't buy if you can't afford its just a gun and it won't help you if you loose your job or get some unexpected bills.

Knowing your own financial situation (intimately, as I do) and budgeting accordingly, can be one helluva large burden, especially on a gun collector (or gun "accumulator" for those who prefer that term). The problem is that good deals on the guns you want don't normally come up at nice, plannable/budgetable time intervals. Rather, they come up randomly and unpredictably... and often close together... usually right when I am at my weakest cash flow and/or budget weak point. Layaways can sometimes help. Plastic can help too. But the problem with plastic is that someday you've got to pay that damn plastic off.

 

[TTSH]

I your state i think i would have had to buy it. I didn't realize how lucky I am in Kentucky . I randomly go to the gun stores on my lunch hour and impulse buy a 3rd Gen or police trade in revolver and still have time to stop and get a burger before heading back to work.

Bingo. And yes, it makes all the difference in the world being in a free state vs. behind enemy lines. Seriously, we wouldn't even be having this conversation if I could simply buy a 4506-1 off GB, GA, Armslist or an out-of-state dealer and have it transferred in.

But that option is not available to us. It must already be in state and/or have a verifiable MA pedigree for me to be able to buy it. So the task goes from easily doable to almost impossible thanks to our insane "lists" and laws.

 

[TTSH]

Have no regrets TTSH, you did absolutely the right thing, which was to walk away. Hey, you already have one! I know, I know "more is better" but that 4506-1 just might appear tomorrow or next week and then what are you gonna do? And by the way my 4506 no dash is my favorite 3rd Gen.

By the way TTSH, YOU ARE THE ONE who provoked me into putting on lay-a-way an unfired 4566! Remember that? Lol. And, I'm VERY happy you did. I should have it in a few weeks. In case you forgot you can re-read your comments in post #6 in this thread.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/399925-4566-new-box.html

Sure wish you could shop the stores and pawns out here, they seem to always have a 3rd Gen or two in stock. I've even had to temporarily ban myself from entering these establishments. until I've reached full recovery.

Ha!!! You are right about all that! I'll accept full responsibility for that 4566! I just wish it were mine!

The truth is that I've had a pretty good 3rd Gen collecting year despite the number of 3rd Gens that I lost due to poor timing, tight finances, others beating me to the punch... and sometimes just simple bad luck. Some of them I still lose sleep over (including the subject 6906).

I made my quota... and I spent my entire 2014 budget... but I still don't have a full-size .45 and I still don't have a single "TSW" model. All I can say is that I hope to correct that situation in 2015, although other big expenses coming along are going to limit my 2015 acquisitions budget to a mere fraction of 2014. That's gonna hurt.

 

[TTSH]

It's all a big balancing act. I believe in having an identical back-up for any gun which I may use in a self-defense role. But I also do not want to have too many guns which I might not use on a regular basis...

Man, ain't that the truth. I was just thinking about that the other day. There is such a thing as having a collection that's too big. I didn't think that was possible (other than in regard to safe space), but I'm starting to think otherwise. And yet there are so many guns out there that I still want to collect... including duplicates in some cases (especially for certain of my 3rd Gens).

If you didn't buy it, then it wasn't meant to be at this time. Don't beat yourself up for it. That's OUR job.

Ha!!! And too late now to do much about it.

 

[TTSH]

I saw it... I thought about it... I didn't buy it. I have one and I love it, but I'm not in the market for another one. Someone wanted it, because it was listed for about 4 hours before it was gone.

Hi Gary - Not sure we are talking about the very same 6906. The one I am lamenting about was listed for almost 2 weeks... which gave me a very long time to agonize over and second guess my decision to pass it up.

If my 2014 budget had not already been blown, I'd own that gun today. Wouldn't have mattered that I've already got one. I really like the 6906 and the one for sale was not in bad shape.

Now the only question is: Will something better come along to make me feel better? I guess only time will tell.

 

[TTSH]

Backups are good to have but if you're pining for a 4506 and the 6906 is a budget buster I'd let that whole concept go and move on and await the appearance of a 4506. Grail guns IZ grail guns.....ya gotta have'em...

But it is no fun at all waiting for them to appear. Especially in a highly-restricted state.

I had the bid for three days but lost out in the last 1/2 hour. I was disappointed and relieved at the same time.

Man, I can relate to that! That's what being "conflicted" is all about. When that 6906 finally sold, I told my wife: "I'm sad but now I can relax. The decision has been made for me."

 

[Arik]

Everyone has been there. What can I say. ..learn to let it go. I just passed on 3 that I wanted. Oh well, no money so as far as I'm concerned the deal and the firearms don't exist.

 

[TTSH]

If this helps I've done the reverse, was looking for a 3913/14 or a 4513/16 but saw a 2" model 10 for a decent price and he was wanting a G19 so we traded and I got the 10 and some extras...three days later saw a 3913 for a great price but had no money and he didn't want to trade for anything I had (he did list a G19 though. ) so I missed out.

Oh, I've been there, done that too.

The single biggest distraction to my "quest for 3rd Gens" has been my love of the S&W SW99's. I'm already up to three of the damn things and looking to buy at least two more next year.

I also bought myself a Ruger SP101 .22 LR revolver right in the middle of my 3rd Gen shopping. I've told the story before on how that came to be. In a nutshell, I had lost an outstanding deal on a pristine used SP101 .22 LR through procrastination and it had bothered me profusely ever since. Buying a brand new one for a fairly decent price on sale finally ended that suffering.

 

[TTSH]

Everyone has been there. What can I say. ..learn to let it go. I just passed on 3 that I wanted. Oh well, no money so as far as I'm concerned the deal and the firearms don't exist.

I wish I had the self-control and ability to put those "lost" 3rd Gen guns out of my mind.

It's funny but I was at a show recently and there were a fair number of 3rd Gens there... but they were almost all over-priced and most of them were in fair to even poor condition by my standards. Passing up those guns didn't bother me a bit.

If anything, those over-priced, dubious condition 3rd Gens just helped to confirm the wisdom of investing in top condition 3rd Gens when you can do so at a reasonable price.

 

[nocents]

a wife that supports or tolerates your 3rd. gen. addiction is better than a backup 6906.....mine falls into the "tolerates" category .....and stay away from accumulating Sigs...talk about a budget buster don't ask me how I know this

 

[Arik]

I wish I had the self-control and ability to put those "lost" 3rd Gen guns out of my mind

I guess it works for me because it's just stuff. I like them but I don't have a grail or a gotta have it gun. If I like it and can afford it.....great. If not.....no loss to me. I don't know how to explain it....it's just stuff, they don't hold any special value to me

 

[TTSH]

a wife that supports or tolerates your 3rd. gen. addiction is better than a backup 6906.....mine falls into the "tolerates" category .....and stay away from accumulating Sigs...talk about a budget buster don't ask me how I know this

So far, the only Sig I own is a cheapy Mosquito. I bought it despite all the bad reviews because I am a sometimes contrarian. When a lot of folks say that a gun can't be made to work reliably, I love to prove them wrong.

I also found an older, used Sig P220 two-tone that I might go back after someday. The thing was in beautiful condition (like brand new!) and offered at a pretty reasonable price. The thing is that I want a P227 but can't buy one yet in my heavily-restricted state. That used P220 would be a pretty good substitute.

But like I said, I am broke for now. The 2014 budget is busted. The 2015 budget won't be all that robust. Chances are that P220 ain't gonna happen no matter whether the wife approves of it or not.

 

[TTSH]

I guess it works for me because it's just stuff. I like them but I don't have a grail or a gotta have it gun. If I like it and can afford it.....great. If not.....no loss to me. I don't know how to explain it....it's just stuff, they don't hold any special value to me

I can understand that. I think we all go through stages and phases where certain material things mean a lot to us and then they don't. And then maybe they come back to important again at some later date. Or not.

Without writing a book (The crazy story of my crazy life?), there are a number of reasons why the 3rd Gens are at the top level of my psyche right now. Call it a bit of a "late life crisis" and the rediscovering of a long lost hobby that I was once very passionate about. But it is more than just that. A lot of different things are fueling it... including, let's not forget, a cooperative, supportive wife (at least sometimes!).

This too may pass. The importance of material things pales in comparison to health and family sorts of things. But for now, it's a mostly harmless diversion. And sometimes harmless diversions can be good things.

 

[nocents]

That used P220 would be a pretty good substitute.

I love shooting my P220.....but I wouldn't trade it for my 4506-1

 

[TTSH]

I love shooting my P220.....but I wouldn't trade it for my 4506-1

Somewhere in this forum is a thread that explains how and why I came to look very seriously at that P220. The "executive summary" is that I wanted an M&P45 but the MA-compliant trigger is essentially unusable. That used P220 emerged as a great alternative for about the same price, but eventually the H&K $200 rebate deal drove me into an HK45 instead.

In other words, the P220 is not and was never under consideration as a substitute for my beloved future 4506-1.

 

[nocents]

Somewhere in this forum is a thread that explains how and why I came to look very seriously at that P220. The "executive summary" is that I wanted an M&P45 but the MA-compliant trigger is essentially unusable. That used P220 emerged as a great alternative for about the same price, but eventually the H&K $200 rebate deal drove me into an HK45 instead.

In other words, the P220 is not and was never under consideration as a substitute for my beloved future 4506-1.

the 4506 has what I consider almost a cult like following...deservedly so ....and the M&P45 hasn't been made yet that I would trade any P220 or HK45 for

 

[TTSH]

the 4506 has what I consider almost a cult like following...deservedly so ....and the M&P45 hasn't been made yet that I would trade any P220 or HK45 for

Understood. But again, to tell you a little more of the story, my original plan and budget for 2014 was based on rumors & reports that the Sig P227 (.45 10-round DA/SA) was expected to become MA approved in or around July 2014. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and might not ever happen now... which left me looking for a P227 (.45 10-round DA/SA) substitute.

The HK45 was an obvious possibility but I could not bring myself to spend that kind of money on a plastic gun. The M&P45 was also plastic... and striker-fired... but a whole lot cheaper. I tried one out, a free state model as it turned out, and I thought it would suffice. The trigger was not that bad. But in my shopping around, the MA-compliant M&P45's trigger was found to be almost unusable... and for reasons we can get into later, an Apex kit was not an immediate option. With the MA-compliant M&P45 thus ruled out, I came damn close on that used P220. But in the end, the $200 rebate that popped up on the HK45 was enough to seal the deal.

Had a nice used 4506-1 become available to me anytime during 2014, the whole plan probably would have changed... but that was not to be.

 

[nocents]

good luck in your search......sounds like an inexpensive 4506 in MA is an oxy-moron

 

[4011]

Don't worry about missing out on the semi auto. I bought it! No not really.

 

[TTSH]

Don't worry about missing out on the semi auto. I bought it! No not really.

Well, the funny thing about the dealer in question is that when one 3rd Gen disappears off the used gun list, one or two different ones seem to take its place. And I see that just happened today.

Anyone in MA want a 4516-1 for $500? Or a 915 for $400?

I've already got a 4516-1 and I sure as heck can't afford another one.

And the 915 is nice but I'd much rather have a 910S.