Buy once, cry once.

H

HamsterHamster

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Tell me about your that special handgun purchase...

Specifically that one that is just a little beyond your menas and you made sacrifices to make it a cherished piece that is your own.

I am saving for a Beretta 87 and need some encouragement....
 
For well over a decade I searched for a Smith & Wesson .45 Long Colt, a 25-5.

I saw quite a few 25-5s, but only a few were right...

I wanted a 4" barrel, not a 6", and 4" barreled 25-5s are pretty uncommon.

In all that time I saw maybe two 4" guns, and neither was in great condition. The prices were also high, and I was strapped for money at the time.

Summer 2010, though, and Gun Broker came though. Bid on a 4" located in Oklahoma. Paid a LOT for it, but still less than what I'd have paid had I found it in a shop or at a gun show here.

When it finally came in one of the clerks at the gunshop immediately offered to take it off my hands for considerably more than what I paid for it. It was as close to a 100% gun as I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure that it hadn't even been fired.

Unfortunately, after spending that long chasing something, I suffered something of a "I've got nothing to look forward to anymore" syndrom.

Fortunately, all of a sudden I discovered that I DO need some old Colts in my collection!
 
I tend to go beyond my means on almost every gun purchase. I get my money saved up and then I realize I get get a different gun for just a little bit more than I have, but I go ahead and do it anyway. But I've never regretted my decision to buy a gun though.
 
Dreamed for years of a Colt SAA. Finally saved up enough for a new "4th" (late 3rd) Gen 5.5" blue/cch and it's a stellar piece. Actually I still was not ready, not yet being totally "there" comfort-wise with my budget, but what finally did it for me was finding it in long-sought after .44 Special. Non-catalogued (not a .44-40 convertible), it was a rare special order find. There are a fair number of earlier (80s) 3rd Gen .44s, but AFAIK, there have been no catalogued "discreet" .44 Specials since the 1st/2nd Gen removable cylinder bushing was reinstated--ca 2003--and other apparent quality improvements (hence the informal/unofficial moniker "4th Gen").
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Finding this (actually delighted it was no more $ as any other catalogued SAAs) put it over the top for me, and I sucked it up and just did it. I've seen exactly one other like it advertised since (2008)--actually from the same outfitter, although it's interesting Colt recently (2011?) has re-introduced a New Frontier in .44 Sp but still not the regular "Model P" fixed sight. This Special is pretty special to me.
 
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I'm curious HamsterHamster,,,

What made you decide on a Beretta Model 87 as a first handgun?

I'm not ragging on you at all,,,
I own one of those puppies and love it. :)

I'm just wondering why you chose that make and model,,,
It is after all one of the most expensive .22 semi-automatics made.

Aarond

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Aaron...if you have one, you know...kind of like dating a redhead...everyone else just knows how beautiful they are, but they don't know how really fun they can be until they've got one.

Hamsterhamster, I spent almost 2 years letting my Cabelas reward money build up waiting for it to reach the price of a Springfield EMP...worrying all the time that the economy would cause Cabelas to go belly up. Got the EMP, now I just spend the Cabelas cash on ammo to feed the little dickens.
 
I was shooting a Glock 20 in USPSA. I decided to start shooting revolver, and wanted a 610. They started another run of them a few years ago, and I wanted one bad. This is one of tge few revolvers I've ever bought new. It's the first time I put a gun on layaway.

Unfortunately, they closed the club to IPSC, and Ive been working out of town a lot. By the time I get back into it, I should have all the related gear.
 
I'm a cheap SOB. I will research the poop out of something before I purchase. Almost always I will end up with something that I "believe" is the equivilant of the original item I was pusuing for <$. Recent example that comes to mind is the Sigma instead of the M&P or the Ruger P95 instead of the SR model and so on and so on...Works great for me but then again everything in life (or thereabouts) is subjective in nature so YMMV.
 
I have used a Browning Hi Power for over 40 years since returning from my stint in Viet Nam, and decided five years ago that I wanted a 1911 45 ACP. I read everything I could, visited the gun forums and gained a lot of information there, and when a Les Baer Premier ll showed up on a forum...new but made in 2001, I bought it and have thoroughly enjoyed it ever since.

Bimmer
 
Aaron...if you have one, you know...kind of like dating a redhead...everyone else just knows how beautiful they are, but they don't know how really fun they can be until they've got one.
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Okay, that's just about the best way I've ever heard the love between a man and his favorite gun stated:p And you, sir, owe me a monitor as I just coughed water all over mine

Took all those savings bonds that I got as a kid for being born, communion, et cetera and cashed 'em in to buy my 92FS - still my favorite
 
My wife surprised me with a HK P7 for my birthday after I commented about how cool they were.

Currently, I have a goal for myself - lose a lot of weight and a new sporting shotgun is coming home - I have started rat-holing the necessary several grand,

I am only a Powerball win away from destiny!.......:eek::p:D
 
I am saving for a Beretta 87 and need some encouragement....
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If you need encouragement I will tell you my Beretta 84 (380 version of 87) is probably the most well made gun I have ever owned
 
It took years of austerity,,,

It took years of austerity,,,
But I finally got ahead of my bills.

When I was a graduate student at OSU I lived very cheaply,,,
I had an efficiency instead of a luxury apartment,,,
I drove a beater instead of a new car,,,
I packed food instead of eating out.

When I got my full-time job I waited over two years before I changed that,,,
My lifestyle did go up a bit but I stayed in my efficiency,,,
And resisted the urge to buy a new car.

Consequently I was able to put quite a bit into my savings account,,,
I have a 6-month cushion account that I don't ever touch,,,
I also created a column in my savings spreadsheet,,,
That is strictly for guns or other fun purchases.

Each and every month a certain amount gets shifted into that column,,,
Whether I spend it that month or not is a moot point,,,
I still always shift that amount into it so it grows.

So now if I see something I want I can purchase it with no guilt,,,
I simply pay it back to myself instead of to a credit card.

It's not easy to do this when first starting out,,,
But if you can ever get ahead of your bills just one time,,,
The satisfaction you get is only equaled by the freedom from stress.

Of course it helps to be single with a reasonable income. ;)

My point is there is no reason for most of us to live from paycheck to paycheck,,,
The fault lies in easy credit and unreasonable expectations and desires,,,
Champagne taste on a beer budget used to just be a joke,,,
Then credit cards came about and it's the new norm.

Before I went to school, got the good income, and saved up a good cushion,,,
I had to save for weeks to be able to spring for a brick of .22 LR.

Aarond

.
 
About 10 - 12 years ago I had an itch for a top quality 357. I spent way beyond my means and ordered a Freedom Arms model 97. $1,425 at the time IIRC.
Now, a decade later, I am very glad I bought it.

Now I have an itch for that little Cheetah too.
 
I'll have to look into the crystal ball a bit because I know no matter how much I continue to fight it one day it will be a Smith & Wesson 617 4".
 
It's not that extravagant, but I always wanted a 92FS Inox. I set a weight loss goal for myself with the 92 as the reward. Now I feel better, look better, and I have a gorgeous pistol, too.
 
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