Gun deals passed by and you're still kicking yourself

Mid 1960's. I was a kid with $12 in my pocket. An old guy my parents knew had two guns for sale: a Crosman air pistol for $7, and an '03 Springfield made for the Thompson-Hoffer device to shoot .22 for $10. I bought the Crosman. Thompson _Hoffer '03s now sell for about $5000.

A few years later, a friend and I were looking at used guns at the long defunct Oregon Ammunition Service. I thought long and hard about an English double rifle in .450 NE (I can't remember the make, but it was a famous name). I decided I couldn't afford the $160 price tag. Would probably sell easily for $10,000 today.

I have made many other errors in gun buying over the years, but those two bring nightmares to this day.
 
Here are a few, not in any particular order:

1. Braverman pen for $600
2. GRAD Knife-Pistol $900
3. Sig AMT $4,000
4. S&W Pre-lock 627 (8-shot .357 2.5") $1,500
5. Thompson sub machine gun $6,500 (this was well over 10 years ago probably late '90's or early 2000's)
6. Borchardt C-93 Pistol (excellent, cased, stock etc) $12,000

Oh yeah, I remember the ones I passed up, because I either sat there at an auction or gun show fondling them, made an offer or bid on them. Hey, sometimes I'm just too cheep!
 
Back in 2008,,,

Back in 2008,,,
I had a chance to buy a S&W K-22,,,
I believe now that it was a pre-model 17.

I could have had it for $125.00 cash money,,,
But I didn't see any need for an old beat-up revolver. :o

Aarond

.
 
I don't still kick myself, but . . . went to gun show and saw an American Derringer, bright-polished stainless, chambered in .45 Auto Rim.
I could never understand the chambering of a gun with a 2" barrel in a cartridge any longer than absolutely necessary, so something like .45 Colt or .38 Special was of no interest, but I also didn't want to use a pen or something to punch-out rimless rounds; Auto Rim seemed perfect.
Cash in hand ($250, maybe?), the following month I couldn't even find the seller, let alone the gun.
 
About ten years or so ago one of my favorite dealers at my local show had three examples of one of my grail guns - a .44 AutoMag. One of them had zero signs of ever being fired, and the price was reasonable ($1K). I bought that, and looked at what else he'd gotten at this estate sale. A virgin Baby AutoMag (.22lr) with box and papers for $800. Buying it would have left me with less than fifty bucks, so I passed. I did not realize at the time that there were no more than a thousand BAMs ever made. One goes for considerably more than the big centerfire model these days. Aaaargh!
 
I'm not even sure what it was to tell you the truth, but when I was just turned 21, I remember it as being a Smith & Wesson Model 28, with a 6" barrel. But it was in a wood presentation case, so it probably wasn't a Model 28...it was a .357, so odds are it was a Model 27. This would have been in the early 70's or so. I can still see it in the case at the local GEM store.

Price was (as I remember it) $129.00.

Of course in those days, $129.00 was about the cost of flying to the moon. I had about as much chance of doing that, as I did of buying that gun.

Oh well. I'd have ended up trading it off for something else sooner or later.
 
Brutus, remember that hindsight is always 20/20.

For me it's not the gun's I've not bought, but the guns I've sold.
First year, 4" S&W Model 66, sold $175.00 Browning H.P. "ring hammer" $135.00, Walther PPSK 9 M/M kertz $125.00. Now the giveaways, Ruger 10/22 and S&W 2" model 10. The M-10 was given to a lady friend to protect herself from a Crazed Ex boyfriend. It took me about 45 days to figure out the Ex boyfriend was not the crazy one. I was afraid to ask for the gun back.
 
An 8" Colt Anaconda that co-worker wanted to sell for $400 at the turn of the century. All of us passed (about 40 guys) A co-worker did buy it about a year later for the asking price, then did a drill and tap on his workbench.:eek:

He REALLY wishes he hadn't done that. :rolleyes:
 
I ran across a Johnson rifle in a small shop in my home tow a about 8 years back. The original owner was a Marine Raider in the pacific. He had cancer and was selling the rifle as his kids didnt want it. The rifle came with a letter stating he was allowed to keep it, and a book about his unit autographed by him with pictures of him with the rifle in the book. He wanted either $4100 or $4300, can't quite remember. I had a lot of money in the bank and wanted to snatch it up as an investment.... poor choice to pass.

Probably 10 years ago I went to a house on a call for service (as a police officer). The homeowner was a butcher in a very rural mountain community. I was taking a statement from him in the kitchen when I saw a pile of rifles in the corner covered in cobwebs. They were all old .45-70 sharps and Krag rifles. He said as the only butcher in town a lot of folks would offer to pay him in guns when they couldnt afford the fee, and he "didn't like the old stuff, so that's where it goes". He offered to sell me whatever rifles I wanted for $200 each. I had to check with my Sgt. if this was appropriate or not, and he later told me it wasn't an issue. I always meant to go back and find that guy, it was just really far out of my way and I never did.

ADD ON: When my department switched from revolvers to auto pistols I was offered to keep my 4" model 19 for a $150 payroll deduction. I was young and "way too smart" to waste $150 on a model 19.:rolleyes:
 
In 1971 ,I passed up a 1970 , three screw , Ruger Blackhawk in 41 magnum.
I had just seen Dirty Harry , and wanted a 44 magnum and thought the gun sitting in the dealers case was a 44 magnum....when I looked at it and saw it wasn't I foolishly handed it back and passed on the deal.....still regret that one.
Gary
 
I could have picked up a Smith Wesson M66 2.5 inch for $450.00 a couple of years ago. Didn't have the money with me. Went back the next week and it was gone. There is a lesson somewhere.
 
Way too many to list or better yet trying to remember. All I can see here in this thread is there are a lot of sore ass's typing replies from all the self kicking going on and mine is very, very, very sore.:eek:
 
Somewhere around 4 or 5 years ago I found a dealer at a gun show selling two Colt Anacondas in great shape complete with pristine boxes for $800 each. I had the cash to buy one but was set on buying a Sig p226 instead.
 
I saw some fn hi powers at cabellas a year or too ago I think they were $350
I wanted them but nknew id catch hell from the wife and didn't think it was worth that at the time):
Should have just used the discover card on one
Of coarse that's just the stuff I knew I miss out on
 
I have a few.

Around 2012 I passed on a Colt Combat Commander for $750.

I had the chance to buy a CZ75 (not a B) for $400 with a crappy laser bolted to the front of the trigger guard. I thought it was a B model since the guard was covered, and passed on it. But took a pic to see if I could sell the laser to my younger cousin and get my costs lower. By the time I realized it was an older model like I'd been wanting it was gone.

Also bought my CZ PCR over a what looked to be never issued Sig P6 since the Sigs never really fit my hands right. I'm still sure I made the right choice, but really wanted both...
 
Wish I had bought every Mosin Nagant in Russia back when they were $49. Would have made one heck of a profit.
 
Day before yesterday saw a Browning Hi-Power with some well done custom touches, Novak sights, aftermarket thumb safety for $699 . Really don't need another handgun right now but thought about it all night . Went back yesterday...gone .
 
middle 80s at a gun show in Houston saw a Sendero in 25-06 with bases and rings but no scope. really wanted the combination but for some reason passed on it thinking it would be there when I wandered back. no such luck.
 
I found a Remington 700 300 win mag with a Leopold scope at a pawn shop in Oregon for 400$ a few years back but they wouldn't sell it to me because I don't live in Oregon. I've run into the same problem in idaho several times. The big chain stores don't care but the small mom and pop stores won't run the background check without a that state ID.

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