Which Firearm got away, as in I shoulda bought it

[lyman]

me,,

SIG PE57,
Dad had in inventory, and was going to give it to me for Christmas but I told him it was a bit much, take it to the next show (tiny show in Charlottesville Va) and if it did not sell, I would take it home,

yup, it sold, an I have not seen one since locally


and I'm not going to discuss the Beretta AR 70 or the Valmets,,,,,or the HK P9S 45,,,,

[Robert Scott]

I had a mint, beautiful beyond description, Persian Mauser in my hands for 700 bucks in 1998 at the Armory of Orange in Orange, california. Went back the next day with cash in my pocket and lo and behold it was gone..

By the way, Robert House's Classic Firearms in Va Beach has had the HK P9S...

[Art]

There are two. off the top of my head.

A Thomas Bland .470 Nitro Express box lock double rifle at a gun show back in the 1980s; $500.00. Almost surely a professionals rifle, about 90% bluing with very faded color case hardening on the unengraved receiver, the checkering had some wear and the stock had minor "character." tight as a bank vault, like all of its type carried a lot and shot little. I had no use for it then, or now but I've got plenty of other stuff I have no real use for either but enjoy very much. It was probably a $2,500.00 rifle back then, I don't want to think about what it would bring now.

A really nice SMLE No 1 Mk III* all matching about 95% finish, bright and shiny bore, for $100.00, again at a gun show in the late 1990s - early 2000s. SMLEs in that condition ran $500.00 to $600.00 where I live back then and more than double that now. A heck of a deal. I drooled over it and then passed on it.

I'm sure I could think of others, but the fact I can remember those two in such detail from 20-40 years ago says something.

[lyman]

I had a mint, beautiful beyond description, Persian Mauser in my hands for 700 bucks in 1998 at the Armory of Orange in Orange, california. Went back the next day with cash in my pocket and lo and behold it was gone..

By the way, Robert House's Classic Firearms in Va Beach has had the HK P9S...

Robert has some good stuff,

had one in shop inventory a year or so ago,, but just could not take it home, it was a good shooter, and I am trying to get over that one,

[JB White]

Lee Speed sporter carbine in 303. Drop dead gorgeous. Could have had it for $750 (IIRC). Estate liquidator at a CADA show. Had enough to put down good faith money while I ran to an ATM for a couple hundred more. Wife threw a conniption fit.
That was in the late 90's. That was the last time she ever went to a show or gun shop with me.

[dryheat]

Me and my shooting buddy went to a gun show on the other side of the valley. I came across a guy selling a Grarand. It was a 3.8 something. June of 1945. Those rifles always look great a lot of them never saw action. But I was carrying around another rifle that I was trying to sell. Next thing I see, my buddy has the rifle and he's crowing, look what I found. Got it for $700.

[bdm]

I had a chance to get a M1 Garand Match Rifle and a 1941 Johnson Rifle both for $1200,00 dollars only had enough for one i purchased the 1941 Johnson Rifle for $600,00 dollars it came with a lot of parts and an extra stock and barrel and bayonet by time i had the money for the Garand Match rifle the gentleman sold it the one i missed we all have that one

[lyman]

I had a chance to get a M1 Garand Match Rifle and a 1941 Johnson Rifle both for $1200,00 dollars only had enough for one i purchased the 1941 Johnson Rifle for $600,00 dollars it came with a lot of parts and an extra stock and barrel and bayonet by time i had the money for the Garand Match rifle the gentleman sold it the one i missed we all have that one

I left the tables to take a break at one show years and years ago,

guy walked by with a Johnson he wanted $900 for,

looked all over for that guy and it was long gone (in 10 minutes,,)


picked one up a few years later for $1500, and a bayonet for $250,

[Griff Murphey]

Morgan’s gun shop on Jacksboro Highway in Fort Worth got in at least 6 maybe more Lee Speed Sporters, all different. Hunting lodge guns from the UK or maybe British Forces’ special services loaners? They were about $35 in 1967. Oh well.

[Sunray]

Geez. A rerun.
A real BAR for $500Cdn. Long before FA was a big hairy deal up here. Had the money but had just been laid off and couldn't spend it. Been crying ever since. sniff.
Then there was the set of dueling pistols, percussion with saw grips, as I recall, for $600Cdn.
The pair of consecutively numbered Vaqueros was too expensive at $2500Cdn.
Most M1 Rifles never left North America or saw any combat. 5,468,772 of 'em made.
Never seen an M41 Johnson up here in decent enough condition to bother with.

[jon_norstog]

Three I can think of: Hitchhiking through Missoula, 1978, stopped at a pawnshop to see if they had any guitars. There was a trapdoor carbine, rawhide sleeve repair at the wrist, lots of brass tacks, S?N between two known 7th Cavalry Greasy Grass carbines. $350. I didn't think I would get many rides carrying that .. never know, though. I did buy a steel-strung guitar for $100. It was pretty good, once I worked down the action.

Ron Paterson's gun shop, Albuquerque. Gorgeous, fully engraved Mauser sporter, 8x57, mannlicher stock. That was before I had any experience with that caliber.

Ron Peterson's again: beat-up 7x57 Mauser infantry rifle, 29" barrel and military sights. handguard and stock metal gone, fore-end of stock lopped off. No pitting, no bluing either. Matching numbers. What it had was a crest: U.S. Army eagle, shield and arrows. $195.00 as I recall. Might have been one of the contenders that got tested as a replacement for the Krag?

There were a few others .. but these stand out in my mind.

jn

[BlitzKrieg]

None of you has a valid complaint . I let everything in the 1950's to 1970's get away cause I did not have the money. You guys talk about 1's and 2's of something, I'm talking the entire duration of the surplus rifle Tsunami that hit these shores for 20 years and I let it all go ...Cash Is King and I was no king.

I got a real bitch, you guys got an occasional inconvenience / disappointment.

[lyman]

None of you has a valid complaint . I let everything in the 1950's to 1970's get away cause I did not have the money. You guys talk about 1's and 2's of something, I'm talking the entire duration of the surplus rifle Tsunami that hit these shores for 20 years and I let it all go ...Cash Is King and I was no king.

I got a real bitch, you guys got an occasional inconvenience / disappointment.

I feel your pain, (remember my business was my Fathers business, and I worked for him part time, )

plenty sale flyers, plenty of gunshow time, plenty on inventory crossing the books, and not a plenty of money at that time,


but I look at it this way, you can't have them all

[Fred]

At a Springfield Missouri gun show in 1980, I passed on a Winchester Lee straight pull rifle that was on the serial List of rifles that were salvaged from the USS Maine. $500.00

[JB White]

None of you has a valid complaint . I let everything in the 1950's to 1970's get away cause I did not have the money. You guys talk about 1's and 2's of something, I'm talking the entire duration of the surplus rifle Tsunami that hit these shores for 20 years and I let it all go ...Cash Is King and I was no king.

I got a real bitch, you guys got an occasional inconvenience / disappointment.

If we're going from ones we missed buying to ones we once had and still miss....
In the early 80's I had to consign over half my collection to retain a divorce attorney after the other half emptied the accounts.
I've since bought replacements, but they aren't the same as the ones I miss.

Oh, and since time was of the essence, they were consigned priced to move fast.

[jmm03]

a Z prefix, correct scope, 1903-A4 for $1300 comes to mind unfortunately... and then there was that M41B...

[Ironlip]

Irving Texas gun show about 1988. Walked up to a table and saw a WWII Winchester Model '97 trench gun in mint condition for $700. Varnish on the wood perfect. Bright blue. All correct markings. Told myself it was clearly refinished all over. Could not be original. Walked away.

After I got educated I started kicking myself. Felt better when I found its identical twin 20 years later and happily paid several times that price.