Biggest Regrets. Stuff you wish you never sold

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Misery enjoys company and I'm comfortable laughing at my own mistakes. We learn from those bad decisions of the past so we can make better ones on the future. What are your top three guns you wish you never sold or traded and why? I'll start. 1 my Mosin Nagant, got it as my first gun show purchase with my first Christmas bonus from my first year at my first real job. Only paid $130. Sold it a year later and now jerks want $500 for them. 2 My Colt Official Police .38 special made in 1942. Got it from a friend's dad. Was my first handgun that started my love of revolvers, sold it to pay off a traffic ticket. 3 My Savage 726. This is a bird hunting gun based on the Browning A5. If you type that in on GunBroker there are none for sale. It was flawlessly reliable and I foolishly traded it for a Sears and Roebuck pump because I didn't like the Savage's two shot tube and wanted more capacity. that Sears jam o matic "got hung up" as us mountain folk say (failure to feed) all the time.
 
I’ve posted before about having to sell the Savage 99F .308 my Dad gave me for my 16rh birthday. I was between jobs and out of cash for rent, food and car repairs, so the Savage, a Browning A-Bolt Medallion .338 Win Mag and a satin nickel Taurus 66 .357 had to go. The proceeds kept me fed and covered until I landed a warehouse job and got back on my feet.

Stay safe.
 
Weatherby mark V deluxe in 270wm. Sold it just cause I wanted to trade.

An older norinco SKS, some nice patina on it and accurate and reliable. Sold it, got it back, sold it again.

Marlin 1894c. Traded it off for god knows what. Back when you could get one for 500. Now they are 1200-1500.

Honorable mention to
Remington 41 targetmaster
Remington 7400 243
Remington 760bdl 30-06
Smith 422
Smith 642
Smith 4006
Smith 66
NEF handi 357 magnum
Bushmaster a2 rifle
Glock 22
Cenier 22 conversion 1911
Marlin 99
Ruger p95
Ruger NM blackhawk 357 x2
Ruger 22/45
Rohm63
Winchester 9422
Ruger single six x2
Mossberg atp8
 
I’ve posted before about having to sell the Savage 99F .308 my Dad gave me for my 16rh birthday. I was between jobs and out of cash for rent, food and car repairs, so the Savage, a Browning A-Bolt Medallion .338 Win Mag and a satin nickel Taurus 66 .357 had to go. The proceeds kept me fed and covered until I landed a warehouse job and got back on my feet.

Stay safe.
I have a Taurus 66 blued 6 inch .357. technically it ain't mine no more because I gave it to my wife back when we where dating but I mean it's still at my house lol she ain't gonna sell it. It's the gun I taught her to shoot with. Its the (honey if I ain't home and somebody breaks in) gun if you know what I mean. I feel for you man I'd love to have another one that is one of them model 68's that has an 8 shot cylinder. Oh well everything is too crazy right now
 
I mentioned this on another thread a few weeks back: Dan Wesson .357 Pistol Pac with 3 barrels. Can't remember now which was missing (2" or 8") but I wanted a handgun I could legally carry while elk hunting and .357 Mag. was not it. I really should have kept it. :fire:
 
Remington 870 12 gauge that my dad bought me when I was 14. Young, in the military, single income with a family and not the best at managing my finances at the time.

S&W K-22 5 screw. Most accurate gun I've ever owned and brought in many squirrels with it. Traded on a Ruger semi-auto .22 that I thought I needed.

S&W 686 no dash. First gun I carried in civilian law enforcement. Traded it for????

All damn fool mistakes that I regret to this day.
 
The one that stands out above all the rest is the .45acp Colt Combat Commander (s/n:70SE12926 purchased 11Apr75) that I carried for a few years.

I was a lean 160lbs, a half inch shy of 6' tall and that pistol under my sport/suit coat never did manage to "disappear" the way my Walther PP-series pistols did (by that I mean that within minutes of strapping it on it felt comfortable, invisible and unintrusive) ... but it felt so-o-o natural in my hand plus it was quite accurate. It was a joy to shoot. :)
 
There are many, but the one that hurt the most was the 2 1/2" Python. Bought it from my Dad after his PD went to Glocks. Last year I saw one at the Gun Library in Calbela's for $6000. (Probably didn't sell for that, but still....) But having the water shut off with an infant in the house necessitated it's sale. :(
 
WRT "stuff" I wish I'd never sold: 1) a guitar, 2) a car, 3) a pickup, 4) a boat .... but .... no guns. Though I've sold a few, none that I regret.
 
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Greatest regret selling a gun was a Remington 700 VSSF in .308 that I'd had accurized by Arnold Arms before they went out of business. It was an outstanding shooter that I sold to purchase a Defensive Edge in .260 Remington. Had I known then what I know now, I'd have kept the rifle and had it rebarreled in a different cartridge. Live and learn.

Non gun? Probably the blonde Fender Strat I sold while in grad school.
 
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In 1988 I sold an HK-91 that had a 5# trigger, from the factory. It was single stage, with about 1/10th " of travel and broke crisp and clean. Don't ask me how or why.
 
Bought a used Marlin 375 at a gun show sometime in the 90s. Winchester factory ammo seemed to keyhole at 50 yards. Tried some handloads with some improved results, but still large groups at short ranges. Finally gave up on it and traded it for something. Wish I had held onto it and worked with it more to see if I could figure out the problem, either with some different handloads (maybe different diameter cast bullets) or try tweaking the rifle some more. Or held onto it until I joined this forum so that I could ask for input from more knowledgeable folks....
 
A Colt 1991 I got from my dad.

That’s about it, but to be fair I learned from that one and the list of firearms I’ve sold since is pretty short.
 
Misery enjoys company and I'm comfortable laughing at my own mistakes. We learn from those bad decisions of the past so we can make better ones on the future. What are your top three guns you wish you never sold or traded and why? .
My first gun I bought with my own money (it wasn't handed down or gifted) was a 6" M19-2, in 1978. I was working as an NC DOC Corrections officer and bought it to use on the unit's pistol team, shooting PPC. Everyone with a 6" gun were using modified guns, I couldn't afford to get the trigger job, heavy barrel, breakfront holster, etc., so I traded it for a 4" M66 no-dash and started shooting Service Revolver class I had the M19 less than a year, but I kept the M66 until 2005, and sold it to a friend who kept bugging me for it. I finally caved in, and regretted it immediately. he wouldn't sell it back, even for a profit. This was before I appreciated S&W's as collectibles. I didn't really replace it until 2016, when I found a nice 4" M19-3. I wish I still had both the M19-2 and the M66.

Last gun I regret selling was the Daewoo K1A1 rifle I bought around 1984. I paid $375 for that rifle, chambered in .223, and sold it in 2006 for $1200. Again, I didn't appreciate how unusual these guns were, but I hadn't shot it in several years, and a doctor I worked with offered to buy it, when he learned I had one. Had I known they'd be worth a couple grand today, no way would I have sold it. This one isn't the one I had, but is identical:
Daewoo K1A1 rifle.jpg
The action is gas operated, but instead of having the buffer spring behind the BCG, there are two smaller springs above the carrier, and they fit into the carrier, which is a bit different from a M16 carrier, but the bolt is the same as the AR. The side charging handle was nice. The trigger group and safety is identical to the AR15/M16. The buttstock collapsed all the way to the back of the receiver and had a couple of intermediate positions. This rifle was standard issue to the South Korean military back in the day, not sure about now.
 
I guess I have never sold off a gun because I needed the money. That seems to be the crux of the deepest regrets. I have found that I dont enjoy the guns themselves near as much as the thrill of the chase or the experience the gun gives me. I like new experiences so I cycle through guns. Selling guns has let me experience so many more than I would have otherwise without intense financial hardship.

Because of this, there have been no regrets for me.

One thing I ponder often is why there are so many regretted gun sales. I get the true rarities or family heirlooms but Guns increasing in value is a common reality. No matter what you sold it will be worth more in several years.
 
I have alot of regrets, but the one i always think about is PA-63. Love how that gun felt in my hand. I still have a pile of 9x18 incase i ever come across another.
 
Weatherby mark V deluxe in 270wm. Sold it just cause I wanted to trade.

An older norinco SKS, some nice patina on it and accurate and reliable. Sold it, got it back, sold it again.

Marlin 1894c. Traded it off for god knows what. Back when you could get one for 500. Now they are 1200-1500.

Honorable mention to
Remington 41 targetmaster
Remington 7400 243
Remington 760bdl 30-06
Smith 422
Smith 642
Smith 4006
Smith 66
NEF handi 357 magnum
Bushmaster a2 rifle
Glock 22
Cenier 22 conversion 1911
Marlin 99
Ruger p95
Ruger NM blackhawk 357 x2
Ruger 22/45
Rohm63
Winchester 9422
Ruger single six x2
Mossberg atp8
Wow
 
My first gun I bought with my own money (it wasn't handed down or gifted) was a 6" M19-2, in 1978. I was working as an NC DOC Corrections officer and bought it to use on the unit's pistol team, shooting PPC. Everyone with a 6" gun were using modified guns, I couldn't afford to get the trigger job, heavy barrel, breakfront holster, etc., so I traded it for a 4" M66 no-dash and started shooting Service Revolver class I had the M19 less than a year, but I kept the M66 until 2005, and sold it to a friend who kept bugging me for it. I finally caved in, and regretted it immediately. he wouldn't sell it back, even for a profit. This was before I appreciated S&W's as collectibles. I didn't really replace it until 2016, when I found a nice 4" M19-3. I wish I still had both the M19-2 and the M66.

Last gun I regret selling was the Daewoo K1A1 rifle I bought around 1984. I paid $375 for that rifle, chambered in .223, and sold it in 2006 for $1200. Again, I didn't appreciate how unusual these guns were, but I hadn't shot it in several years, and a doctor I worked with offered to buy it, when he learned I had one. Had I known they'd be worth a couple grand today, no way would I have sold it. This one isn't the one I had, but is identical:
View attachment 1041632
The action is gas operated, but instead of having the buffer spring behind the BCG, there are two smaller springs above the carrier, and they fit into the carrier, which is a bit different from a M16 carrier, but the bolt is the same as the AR. The side charging handle was nice. The trigger group and safety is identical to the AR15/M16. The buttstock collapsed all the way to the back of the receiver and had a couple of intermediate positions. This rifle was standard issue to the South Korean military back in the day, not sure about now.
My father and his best friend both had a couple of Daewoo rifle they bought in the 80's I remember my old man telling me about how his friends rifle would occasionally fire in three or four round bursts. He must of had some kind of factory lemon because your not the only guy I've heard say good things about them. I know dad regrets selling his
 
I guess I have never sold off a gun because I needed the money. That seems to be the crux of the deepest regrets. I have found that I dont enjoy the guns themselves near as much as the thrill of the chase or the experience the gun gives me. I like new experiences so I cycle through guns. Selling guns has let me experience so many more than I would have otherwise without intense financial hardship.

Because of this, there have been no regrets for me.

One thing I ponder often is why there are so many regretted gun sales. I get the true rarities or family heirlooms but Guns increasing in value is a common reality. No matter what you sold it will be worth more in several years.
No matter what you sell it for it will be worth more in several years. Never thought about that. You have good way of looking at it. I suppose I'm too sentimental lol
 
I'm actually more of an accumulater than a seller. I've traded several. The one I regret trading was technically my first centerfire revolver. I bought it just before I got married in '84 as sort of a wedding gift (to myself)...

A S&W model 27 nickel .357, 6" barrel, Bianchi leather, presentation case, cleaning kit, target grips, custom tuned trigger. It was a looker.
Unfortunately the "tuned" trigger must have been the reason why the hammer could be pushed forward and drop with slight pressure from behind.

Had I known then.......I would have gotten it repaired. Stoopit kid.:thumbdown:
 
Actually, it's easier for me to rank the ones I was happy to part with.
Turned an AMT Hardballer into an SC 03A3: Win
Turned a 2/3 gen Universal Carbine into a c-note: Win (despite eating about $40 on the deal)
Turned a Marlin 1895 into an Officer's model: Wash. Was about as happy with either (if I could have put an inexpensive RDS on the Marlin, maybe-maybe not).

Everything else I've sold was under duress--forced by poverty. Which is never an ideal way to sell.
 
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