Best deal ever?
- Thread starter icedog88
- Start date
Pond James Pond
New member
Just in the right place at the right time: bankruptcy stock from another store being sold in the one I was perusing.
It was actually quite a fiasco that I discussed on here a lot: I was very torn! Not any more: I took the plunge and I'm very pleased.
All that said, it still cost more than it would have done in the US, so don't feel like you missed out!!
Not counting gifts (free to me)?
Traded a Star PD & pistol rug for a stainless Mini 14 with folding stock and some magazines. I miss that rug....
bought a Webley Mk VI (1917 date), a Swedish M96 (1917 date), and SMLE No.3 Mk I (1917 date) and an SVT 40 Tokarev (1942 date) for $425 total for all 4 guns.
of course, all my guns bought at or below market rates years ago sound like great deals today. Heck, I paid $450 for my AR, and sold it for $900 a few years later in 1989.....
NIB S&W M28 6" for $300 about 20 yrs ago...
Traded a Star PD & pistol rug for a stainless Mini 14 with folding stock and some magazines. I miss that rug....
bought a Webley Mk VI (1917 date), a Swedish M96 (1917 date), and SMLE No.3 Mk I (1917 date) and an SVT 40 Tokarev (1942 date) for $425 total for all 4 guns.
of course, all my guns bought at or below market rates years ago sound like great deals today. Heck, I paid $450 for my AR, and sold it for $900 a few years later in 1989.....
NIB S&W M28 6" for $300 about 20 yrs ago...
Once while working as a studio engineer, I had a guitarist offer me a gun in exchange for staying late a few hours to make sure he "caught the spirit" of his abstract noodling on tape. He described it as a S&W, "about this big and long," with a blue finish, and it said ".38 something" on the barrel.
It turned out to be an old Heavy Duty, in pristine condition. So...$60/hr times 3.5 hours...yeah, I did all right.
It turned out to be an old Heavy Duty, in pristine condition. So...$60/hr times 3.5 hours...yeah, I did all right.
A brand new CZ97B .45 two tone RSR special for $460.
A Marlin model 60 for $30. It was very filthy but it cleaned up like new. Also a Marlin model 81 for $40. The seller said it was broken but all it needed was the cocking piece turned back to the firing position so the bolt would close.
A Marlin model 60 for $30. It was very filthy but it cleaned up like new. Also a Marlin model 81 for $40. The seller said it was broken but all it needed was the cocking piece turned back to the firing position so the bolt would close.
Edward429451
Moderator
35+ yrs ago I buy a Sears Model 200 pump shotgun for 200 dollars. About 15 years later I trade it to a guy for a 78 Impala and sell the Impala for 450. Fast forward 17 years and it's discovered that he has the same shotgun in his closet, afraid to shoot it because someone said it would blow up. I buy it back for 50 bucks and it has no problems.
$250 for a NIB Rem 700 30/06
$160 for a Used Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag 7.5" in a cowboy belt & holster.
I got an SKS rifle for a tip on a job once. He had gun cabinets so I had to start talking guns & hunting with him and he wound up showing me his whole collection and then tipping me the SKS. Very nice guy...
$250 for a NIB Rem 700 30/06
$160 for a Used Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag 7.5" in a cowboy belt & holster.
I got an SKS rifle for a tip on a job once. He had gun cabinets so I had to start talking guns & hunting with him and he wound up showing me his whole collection and then tipping me the SKS. Very nice guy...
Free 1976 Ruger M77V 22-250 with Redfield Widefield 3-9 scope.
I actually bought that rifle for my BIL because he wanted to shoot groundhogs.
He paid me to find a rifle for him.
I have loaded every round that rifle has ever shot. I tried to buy it from him one time when I was visiting him in Illinois because it had not been shot in years.
He said he would give it to me and we took it to a dealer and shipped the gun to my LGS in Arizona.
At the time the rifle had been shot less than 100 times.
No dings in the stock, no rust and no worn bluing. It is in my safe now and belongs to my son. . .but I get to shoot it!!!!!!!!!!
Geetarman
I actually bought that rifle for my BIL because he wanted to shoot groundhogs.
He paid me to find a rifle for him.
I have loaded every round that rifle has ever shot. I tried to buy it from him one time when I was visiting him in Illinois because it had not been shot in years.
He said he would give it to me and we took it to a dealer and shipped the gun to my LGS in Arizona.
At the time the rifle had been shot less than 100 times.
No dings in the stock, no rust and no worn bluing. It is in my safe now and belongs to my son. . .but I get to shoot it!!!!!!!!!!
Geetarman
1. A brand new Ruger New Vaquero. Stainless with a 7" barrel in .45 Colt for $329.99...at Gander Mtn of all places. 
2. Model 94 Winchester, free from my dad. He bought it new in 1971. Its in practically mint condition and has, by his count, less than 10 rounds fired from it.
2. Model 94 Winchester, free from my dad. He bought it new in 1971. Its in practically mint condition and has, by his count, less than 10 rounds fired from it.
Kreyzhorse
New member
I bought a used Ruger No. 1 with box and original paperwork for $600. The gun was 10 years old or so but I don't believe it had ever been fired and there wasn't a scratch or mark on it. It was essentially like buying on NIB.
Stevie-Ray
New member
SAR-48HB NIB, $645
Colt Delta Elite NIB, $425
My best deals, not including guns I got for free or for favors.
Colt Delta Elite NIB, $425
My best deals, not including guns I got for free or for favors.
Shadi Khalil
New member
I once traded a P22 for a CW9. The owner new exactly what he was getting into and just really wanted a P22.
These stories are great! I've always liked hearing the histories of some firearms and how they were acquired. The items that makes for great family heirlooms are the ones that have the best stories that get told for generations. Much like the watch in "Pulp Fiction". Hopefully nobody acquired a firearm in THAT manner though. If you got more, keep em coming!
. If you got more, keep em coming!exphys2010
New member
Mine was a great deal on a barely used Ruger Super Redhawk. I went to a local gunshop that I frequently visit and there was a barely used (95%) Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 magnum with a 7.5 inch barrel and a 4x leupold handgun scope mounted on top of it. I walked out of the gun shop with it for $600 plus tax.
Friend of a friend of a friends brother passes away. All his gun and reloading stuff was stored in an extra bedroom, for a little under $1000 I get everything but have to load it and haul it away (this was also where the litter boxes for all the cats in the house were kept....don't ask for details on that). We filled up a small Ranger pickup, the mud guards were scraping the ground as we left. The guns were:
Colt .45 Commander
AMT .45 Hardballer (that actually worked)
Ruger .22 Mark I (with a long 5 inch barrel)
Ruger Stainless Security Six 357
Ruger Stainless Speed Six 357
There were some other rifles and shotguns but he had sold those already.
We dumped all the reloading and other gear in my garage and it took me about six weeks to go through it. There were about 17,000 Albert swagged bullets (mostly in .45 and .38), a dozen Lee molds (some were custom ones, a Keith profile in .38 dropping at 180g), a Lee bottom pour lead pot, three presses (a Rockchucker and two Lee Turrets), a lubrisizer, a half a dozen sets of dies, extra raw lead, extra bullets of all different kinds (thousands and thousands, some he had bought some he had cast), six 5 gallon buckets of brass (mostly .38 and .45, some brand new starline stuff still in the package), 8 lbs of Bullseye, about 10,000 primers, thousand and thousands and thousand of handloads in .45 and .38, all different kinds of ammo from .22 to 5.56, pistol rugs, gun cases....even a 5lb can of Mica....it just went on and on. I ended up with half a 5 gallon bucket just full of odd loaded rounds, from .22 to .45 that I ended up just throwing away since I had no idea what they were.
I told the seller that he could get much better prices but he would have to cull through everything, clean it, organize it, take pics and put it on Craigs list for the reloading items....or at least put the pistols on gunbroker.....but he didn't want to mess with anything like that and was just looking for enough to put up a head stone for his brother and wanted the bedroom cleared out.
We went to the State Police Barracks and did the paper on the guns. When I went back to pick them up after the wonderful mandatory waiting period he gave me about 10 boxes of books. Some were firearm related stuff, hunting and fishing, but mostly military history.....I still haven't gotten through all those. Plus all his fishing gear, which I know nothing about.
I gave the friend that steered me to the deal the Ruger .22 as a thank you.
As leery as I am of shooting someone else's hand loads I couldn't bring myself to dump all the ammo cans of .38 and .45 reloads and have been shooting them in the strongest 357s and .45s I have (a GP100 and the Speed Six I got as part of the deal as well as a Ruger P90 for the .45). This was in Oct of 2008 and I still haven't gotten through the .38 reloads....whenever I think it's all gone I end up finding another .30 cal ammo can in the ammo room full of his reloads....I read his notes that he left in the can then pull down and recheck some of the rounds before I take them to the range and haven't had any problems so far. I have hardly touched the .45 reloads (am a little more leery of those but have shot some).
As I look back on the whole experience I wonder if that someday 40 or 50 years from now someone else will be posting a similar story.....but they'll be talking about my stash and collection after I pass on.
Colt .45 Commander
AMT .45 Hardballer (that actually worked)
Ruger .22 Mark I (with a long 5 inch barrel)
Ruger Stainless Security Six 357
Ruger Stainless Speed Six 357
There were some other rifles and shotguns but he had sold those already.
We dumped all the reloading and other gear in my garage and it took me about six weeks to go through it. There were about 17,000 Albert swagged bullets (mostly in .45 and .38), a dozen Lee molds (some were custom ones, a Keith profile in .38 dropping at 180g), a Lee bottom pour lead pot, three presses (a Rockchucker and two Lee Turrets), a lubrisizer, a half a dozen sets of dies, extra raw lead, extra bullets of all different kinds (thousands and thousands, some he had bought some he had cast), six 5 gallon buckets of brass (mostly .38 and .45, some brand new starline stuff still in the package), 8 lbs of Bullseye, about 10,000 primers, thousand and thousands and thousand of handloads in .45 and .38, all different kinds of ammo from .22 to 5.56, pistol rugs, gun cases....even a 5lb can of Mica....it just went on and on. I ended up with half a 5 gallon bucket just full of odd loaded rounds, from .22 to .45 that I ended up just throwing away since I had no idea what they were.
I told the seller that he could get much better prices but he would have to cull through everything, clean it, organize it, take pics and put it on Craigs list for the reloading items....or at least put the pistols on gunbroker.....but he didn't want to mess with anything like that and was just looking for enough to put up a head stone for his brother and wanted the bedroom cleared out.
We went to the State Police Barracks and did the paper on the guns. When I went back to pick them up after the wonderful mandatory waiting period he gave me about 10 boxes of books. Some were firearm related stuff, hunting and fishing, but mostly military history.....I still haven't gotten through all those. Plus all his fishing gear, which I know nothing about.
I gave the friend that steered me to the deal the Ruger .22 as a thank you.
As leery as I am of shooting someone else's hand loads I couldn't bring myself to dump all the ammo cans of .38 and .45 reloads and have been shooting them in the strongest 357s and .45s I have (a GP100 and the Speed Six I got as part of the deal as well as a Ruger P90 for the .45). This was in Oct of 2008 and I still haven't gotten through the .38 reloads....whenever I think it's all gone I end up finding another .30 cal ammo can in the ammo room full of his reloads....I read his notes that he left in the can then pull down and recheck some of the rounds before I take them to the range and haven't had any problems so far. I have hardly touched the .45 reloads (am a little more leery of those but have shot some).
As I look back on the whole experience I wonder if that someday 40 or 50 years from now someone else will be posting a similar story.....but they'll be talking about my stash and collection after I pass on.
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Small LGS, been going there for 14+ years. Bought ammo, magazines, speed loaders, powder, primers, bullets, dies, brass, grips, cleaning accessories and all kinds of little stuff there for years, but never bought a gun from them. They sell mostly new and few used, and I'm much more a used guy kinda guy.
This year for black Friday, I go out with a buddy. I haven't left the house on black Friday in probably 10 years. Together we visit three gun stores and at this LGS, the 2nd stop, I actually find a handgun to buy from them.
It's a Norinco T-213, 9mm. I'm sure you've seen 'em, they imported a truckload of them in the late 80's. It's a Chinese copy of the Russian Tokarev, but chambered in 9x19. I was interested when I saw it in the case, but it wasn't until I saw the price that I knew it was coming home with me.
$150 plus tax, I was out the door for $160.14. The pistol is terrific and light years better than it should be for the price I paid. This was black Friday 2011, not black Friday 1993, mind you.
The pistol is rock solid and all steel. It's totally smooth, and the slide mates well with the frame. The trigger is much more than acceptable for what it is. And the pistol is accurate! In it's first range trip, it ate 227 rounds, all handloads, and the only failure was one failure to feed, one of my flat-point rounds. 100 flat point plated, 127 cast lead round nose and the Norinco took down steel targets like it was made for this.
Only a couple complaints... the sights are small and the front sight is tough to pick up quickly on a follow-up shot. The safety is an afterthought and I probably won't EVER use it. And I have to alter my grip a bit because the poor safety lever has a very sharp edge and it bites my hand if I use a thumb-over-thumb hold.
If I didn't own this pistol and someone let me borrow it to see if I'd want to buy it, I'd be willing to pay double what I did-- I really am that impressed with it. Terrific shooter with great build quality, nicely finished, a decent trigger, reliable & steady operation and definitely accurate.
For $150? No brainer!
This year for black Friday, I go out with a buddy. I haven't left the house on black Friday in probably 10 years. Together we visit three gun stores and at this LGS, the 2nd stop, I actually find a handgun to buy from them.
It's a Norinco T-213, 9mm. I'm sure you've seen 'em, they imported a truckload of them in the late 80's. It's a Chinese copy of the Russian Tokarev, but chambered in 9x19. I was interested when I saw it in the case, but it wasn't until I saw the price that I knew it was coming home with me.
$150 plus tax, I was out the door for $160.14. The pistol is terrific and light years better than it should be for the price I paid. This was black Friday 2011, not black Friday 1993, mind you.
The pistol is rock solid and all steel. It's totally smooth, and the slide mates well with the frame. The trigger is much more than acceptable for what it is. And the pistol is accurate! In it's first range trip, it ate 227 rounds, all handloads, and the only failure was one failure to feed, one of my flat-point rounds. 100 flat point plated, 127 cast lead round nose and the Norinco took down steel targets like it was made for this.
Only a couple complaints... the sights are small and the front sight is tough to pick up quickly on a follow-up shot. The safety is an afterthought and I probably won't EVER use it. And I have to alter my grip a bit because the poor safety lever has a very sharp edge and it bites my hand if I use a thumb-over-thumb hold.
If I didn't own this pistol and someone let me borrow it to see if I'd want to buy it, I'd be willing to pay double what I did-- I really am that impressed with it. Terrific shooter with great build quality, nicely finished, a decent trigger, reliable & steady operation and definitely accurate.
For $150? No brainer!
A few years ago I put ag-type tires on my lawn tractor because I kept getting stuck in the ditch. My elderly neighbor noticed them and made me an offer. He'd trade me a "hunting rifle" if I would buy a set for him and put them on. Figuring I couldn't go wrong, I ordered a set for him and did the swap. He steps out of the house with a mint-condition Remington 760 BLD in 30-06 with a Leupold 3-9 scope. SWEEEET.
Turns out the rifle has some bad history behind it. His son-in-law used it to commit suicide. I don't mind though. I'm not supersticious.
Turns out the rifle has some bad history behind it. His son-in-law used it to commit suicide. I don't mind though. I'm not supersticious.