Thrill of the chase gun buying

[Grimjaws]

I think I like the thrill of a deal more than the gun being pursued or purchased.

Been shooting for over 44 years now and at my age have been blessed with a good job, great wife and a small gun fund that seems to ebb and flow over time.
My brother reloads as his hobby so I have plenty of range ammo too.

Over the past two years I've been pretty lucky at getting fantastic deals and then flipping them for a modest profit. I have a local FFL undervalues K frame revolvers so I ended up with some great deals over the past few years
15-4 4" nickel like new $400
17-3 6" blue amazing condition $450
36-10 on this forum LNIB never fired $400
15-3 2" blue 99% on broker with no turn line $500
Recently a 66-1 2.5" snub with Tyler TGrip $600 looks like it was test fired at the factory

I got my deal of the year at a local gun show where 9mm ball ammo was selling for $35 a box at one vendors table

I've been on the hunt for a 19 or 10 that had some wear as a range gun. I see a well worn 19-3 4" with Herrett Trooper grips and haggled him to $350. Thing locks up like bank vault but is holster worn so I don't need to worry about messing up a new in box example

Lately I've been looking for a model 10 to go with it and now I don't pass over ones with bluing loss on the barrel or cylinder. Now broker has plenty of model 10s in all kinds of barrel sizes and finishes but I'm trying to keep the price below $450 to get one

I really like the thrill of the search

Except for the 19-3 which I've been shooting the heck out of, I've safe queened or sold the others

Now I want shooters
I want ones with a little character
And I want one that says great deal

Granted I could buy several of the 10s on broker as is but I'm looking for the right deal

Anyone else become more thrilled with the chase versus the instant gratification of buying what you want?

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I suppose some guns are like some women, They want to be perused, but not necessarily caught!

Ivan

 

[Onomea]

I think it depends on where you are with your collecting or accumulating, at least in my case.

At one point, a half dozen years ago, I had pretty much collected everything I wanted, so I was quite picky when chasing something. At that point I sold off most of my collection — made sense at the time — and sorta, well, did without for several years.

Now my interest is renewed, although at the moment in a different direction, and I've snapped up a couple pieces of interest without doing the long hunt that would lead to better condition, and lower prices.

Having fun again, though. I do really enjoy the research, the learning all about an unfamiliar gun in which for whatever reason I have developed an interest. And then the search.

Sure beats, for me (and most of us on this forum) collecting stamps...

 

[LVSteve]

Milsurp collecting really gets the chase genes working overtime.

 

[Cdog]

Many times the pursuit of something ends up being better (some instances a lot better) than owning what you just knew you'd love to have.

What I looked at as trade fodder at the time, I've actually enjoyed owning more than many sought after "things."

 

[shovelmike]

You got some really good deals, gun shops here don't undervalue anything.

 

[Truckman]

Anyone else become more thrilled with the chase versus the instant gratification of buying what you want?

Count my hand raised...Whether coming or going, the deal is the thing......Ben

 

[JohnHL]

When asked what is my favorite gun, activity, or accomplishment, my answer always is, "The Next One". . .

John

 

[two-bit cowboy]

The hunt -- the chase as you call it -- is the best.

When I began accumulating Chiefs Specials I had a vision of letting the Chiefs tell the story of the model's evolution. I thought trying to get "one of each" would be a pretty simple endeavor.

As I changed from accumulator to collector I realized the Chiefs Specials and their 1950s offspring -- first the Centennial and then the Bodyguard -- are a complicated group, perhaps one of the the most complicated and intriguing S&W has made.

It's common knowledge the first J frame completed was serial number 6, delivered to S&W's president Carl Hellstrom in late October 1950. Since then the new Chiefs Special evolved through scores of changes in its first decade. As I hunt for "the next one" I still discover nuances I didn't know last week or last month or last year.

A friend recently told me, "You can't own them all." He's right, or course, but I can at least document each new facet, and that's become nearly as rewarding as owning "them all."

So, yes, from my perch, it is all about the chase.

 

[Chubbo]

Gun buying

I can truthfully say, that during my married life, I've never spent a cent of household operating expense money, to buy a gun.
Any guns that I've bought, including guns I bought for my two sons, were bought with money derived from swapping, trading, and money earned aside from my regular Electrical Union wadges.
My self-imposed policy certainly limited my gun collecting, but left me with a clear conscience.
I only regret, that I don't think that it meant much to my family.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

I like to chase PC pistols , 945's especially . It used to be you could find them a couple of places . Now-a-days seems like people think they can go to GB and become an instant millionaire . I'm not against someone making a profit , but come on . Deals are still out there but not like a year or two ago . My first one I posted here in the want to buy section and I had my pick of at least 1/2 dozen . Now it's word of mouth . You meet guys here and put the word out , and if you're lucky , you get a pm or an email .

 

[TheHobbyist]

I enjoy the hunt, too.

Personally, I am not finding much of interest at the gun shows...not much being brought in that is interesting. Lots of tactical gear.

Think I'm going to change my approach and go to only the smaller shows/less promoted.

 

[walkin jack]

I think I like the thrill of a deal more than the gun being pursued or purchased.
Anyone else become more thrilled with the chase versus the instant gratification of buying what you want?

NONONO. I have been shooting for over 60 years. And for me, always and forever, the GUN is the juice. Whether for shooting, for sentimental, esoteric or other reasons, it's the gun, always the gun.

I'm always diligent and thorough in my search. I often find it frustrating but I do it anyway to get the gun I want.

 

[Xfuzz]

With the huge increase in gun prices....
Sellers advising "they sell $$$ on the net".....
$85.00 for a table at a gun show...
Good deals are few and far between...I sometimes
lately think this.....
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oica5jG7FpU[/ame]

 

[Golddollar]

I have been shooting for over 60 years. And for me, always and forever, the GUN is the juice. Whether for shooting, for sentimental, esoteric or other reasons, it's the gun, always the gun.

I'm always diligent and thorough in my search. I often find it frustrating but I do it anyway to get the gun I want.

For me, nothing follows this declaration like my search for an original Webley Mark VI .455 revolver. This was a very involved search, because when they were imported, a high percentage of Webley .455 revolvers were converted to shoot .45ACP shells by trimming the rear of the cylinder in a lathe. The term of art became whether a Webley revolver was "shaved" or "unshaved." For me, it was get an as-original "unshaved" Webley or nothing.

It took a lot of time and a lot of studying about what proof marks to look for on the cylinder, but it all paid off when my brother and I walked into a gun shop in Ohio and there it was, an "unshaved" Webley Mark VI .455 with the proper proof marks on the rear of the cylinder. The bore and cylinder holes were in good shape so I told the salesman to wrap it up and I'll get an FFL holder in PA to send it to. It's not the prettiest revolver in the world, but that's what makes it so cool. It shoots, it's original, and it's MINE!

 

[TeamPB]

For myself, chase and acquisition often, but not always go hand in hand. I have had two lives as a shooting enthusiast and do not consider myself a collector. I am fortunate enough to have built up a substantial collection of high end mil-surplus shooters. From handling and shooting my first M1 Garand to having Fedex deliver one to my door via the CMP stands out as a great combination of chasing and having. My acquisition of a Swiss Luger took an evolutionary and slightly time consuming, but very rewarding, path. All but one of my S&W revolvers were targets of opportunity and I won't be parting with any of them in the near future. I spent approximately four years looking for one S&W revolver before I found the right combination of condition, shoot-ability and historical significance (to me). That would be my recently acquired S&W M1917 from September 1918.

Today I will embark on a new path. One I have avoided for all the right reasons. I now have a clone sitting at a UPS facility about 10 miles from my LGS and it should be delivered today. It is a rifle others on this forum have purchased and moved on from; it is a Marcolmar Cetme L. I wanted another 5.56 rifle and did not want another AR. Hate me, I have a lot of 5.56 ammo and currently only 5.56 rifle. I recently let a Daewoo AR 100 slip through my fingers because of its high, but still good price, lesson learned. I also have handled my first M-series Valmet and cannot swallow the price of the rifle AND the price of its proprietary magazines.

So, something with quirky design, operation and manufacturing features? Made by a good company in Indiana? 80's Euro cool? I am excited to give it a try. If I like it I will probably head into the shark infested waters of the dreaded Galil clone! So, other than S&W revolvers, almost all my purchases require time, moving from a generalized want, to something specific and then the right one of those specific models. I am lucky enough to enjoy the whole process whose end goal is to shoot!

Now, if I could only be lucky enough to win the LOTTO please disregard everything I said .

 

[walkin jack]

For me, nothing follows this declaration like my search for an original Webley Mark VI .455 revolver. This was a very involved search, because when they were imported, a high percentage of Webley .455 revolvers were converted to shoot .45ACP shells by trimming the rear of the cylinder in a lathe. The term of art became whether a Webley revolver was "shaved" or "unshaved." For me, it was get an as-original "unshaved" Webley or nothing.

It took a lot of time and a lot of studying about what proof marks to look for on the cylinder, but it all paid off when my brother and I walked into a gun shop in Ohio and there it was, an "unshaved" Webley Mark VI .455 with the proper proof marks on the rear of the cylinder. The bore and cylinder holes were in good shape so I told the salesman to wrap it up and I'll get an FFL holder in PA to send it to. It's not the prettiest revolver in the world, but that's what makes it so cool. It shoots, it's original, and it's MINE!

That was a lucky find. A very old and good friend of mine wanted to give me this Mark I because I loved it so. Also all the .455 ammo he had from '43/'44.

Had to take it for a spin. This is my target at 50'. some shots I fired single action and some double action. Not too awful a group bit it was all a little to the left.

That's ok. It will never be fired again in my lifetime.