My Deal of a Lifetime: What was YOURS?

686+-6 6" unfired $375 local pawn shop,it was my first handgun purchase

How's this. A friend of mine gave $400 to a fella for a pristine nickel Mod 19 Smith AND a pristine Smith Mod 17 .22. The guy was wanting to get rid of his deceased relative's two revolvers. No boxes of course.

Smith and Wesson Model 60-7- 325
Smith and Wesson Model 38 - 275
Smith and Wesson Model 15-3- 175

All these were purchased last year.

Still waiting for my lifetime deal.

$8 for a Redhawk and 100 rounds of ammo....

About 12 years ago, I bought 5 colonial paper currency notes for $40.00.

2 years ago, I met a rookie history professor who worked at the local college. While talking, he mentioned that he had his grandmother's old Single Six laying around and that, since he got married, his wife has told him daily to "get that gun out of the house." He told me that one of the cylinders was missing; I groaned. I told him that a convertible Single Six minus a cylinder wasn't all that valuable, no matter how old it was, that it was now a nice shooter rather than a valuable collectible.

His academic area of interest is our revolutionary time period. I showed him some of my colonial currency, in particular, a 20 schilling note from Philadelphia, dated December, 1775. I told him that this was probably in use when the Declaration of Independence was signed. We traded, the Ruger for my note.

When I finally got the gun, it was marked "Magnum Model." A few days later, I researched it to find out that it was not missing a cylinder but was in fact a 1961 Magnum Model (.22 WMR only.) I had no idea until 4-5 days after the trade.

It was in very nice shape, just beautiful, but I hardly ever shoot single action so it sat around until I arranged a trade with someone online, my Single Six for a GP100. The FFL who shipped the gun packed it so miserably (no padding, bubble wrap, nothing, just a flat rate box) that the barrel poked through in transit and got badly dinged on the muzzle. The GP100 guy sent it back and the dealer I used offered to get me a GP100 in exchange for the Single Six, which was very cool since I thought it was going to be a hassle. He said that he'd find me a good GP100.

I told him that I wasn't totally set on a GP100, that it was just the best trade offer I had gotten. I asked him what he had in the shop, was shown a 7.5" Redhawk, liked it and took it for the Single Six. After we had traded, I asked him how much the ammo cost, something I hadn't considered. He then threw in 100 rounds.

That's how I got a Redhawk and 100 rounds of ammo for $8.00.

Now we fight over it; even though it was my $8.00, she thinks it's hers:

Nice (albeit long) story, Woad

traded a j22 jennings for a grendel p30 with 2 mags.I offered boot but he wouldnt take any.

I have been very satisfied overall with the prices I have paid on most of the firearms I have purchased. Maybe a 2.5" Diamondback 22 NIB for $450 (when they were selling for about $1000) was about the best smokin deal I have made. I was very satisfied with a 98%+ Model 17-6 (4") that I recently purchased for $550 tax and NICS check included (so truly OTD).

But if I look at the values now, I have to say I have done OKay. That Diamondback is a $3000 gun now.

$389 for a new Mark III Browning High Power at a gunshow.

Oh, wait...this is the revolver forum Well it was my best gun deal ever

My best deal yet,....bought it sight unseen, just knew it was a .22 lever action turned out to be 1966 Uberti yellowboy copy .22 caliber, three digit serial # for 100$
seems they didn't sell very many of these ,....they were 475.00 back in 66' !

I found a guy that was selling several guns that I wanted at fairly good prices. His father-in-law was a collector and he was selling the guns because he was not a shooter. The prices were pretty good deals but nothing phenomenal (prices were straight out of Blue Book). He had a Smith and Wesson 657 3" that I was not looking to buy but when I got to his house he showed me the guns and the 657 was unfired. He was asking $425 for it and I had never seen a 3 inch 657 before so I went ahead and picked it up. He called back a couple of weeks later and said that they had finished cleaning out the house and found the original box for this 657 and asked if I wanted it so of course I went over and picked it up.

I didn't know what I had so I did some research and less the 6000 of these 3 inch versions were ever made. The last one that I saw sell on GunBroker was for $1300 or something like that and it was fairly heavily used and did not have the original box. So now I have a rare Smith and Wesson, unfired, and in the original box and only paid $425. I don't think I will get a deal like that for some time. I still got both of the guns that I went there to pick up as well a 2 1/2 inch Nickel Model 19 for $425 and a .38 Super Colt Commander with Satin Chrome finish for $750. Pretty good prices on all of the guns; but the 657 was a lucky buy, especially since I didn't know what a bargain I got until a couple of months later.

Two fine deals come to mind :

1.
Some 20-odd years ago local police upgraded their gear, and some of their obsolete/redundant stuff got sold off.

I had the opportunity to buy an unfired, spanking new-in-the-box FN Herstal made Browning hammerless .32 ACP automatic plus extra magazine for 25 Euro (that's the gun our cops used to carry in those days).

BTW the S&W .38 Spl K-frame revolvers police upgraded to retailed for about 625-650 Euro's then.

2.
A couple of years back I was looking for a decent, used S&W 17.

Not only did my friendly habitual gunshop owner have an excellent 6" barreled specimen to show me, but after rummaging around in his -extensive - safe, also came up with an equally first-rate used SIG P-210. Not a Sig-Sauer, mind you, but the real McCoy SIG : the one sometimes referred to as the Rolls-Royce of automatics.
Well, my 20-years acquaintance with that particular gunshop (Lang's & Son in Antwerp) really payed off that day :
End result : I walked home with BOTH guns for the grand total sum of 400 Euro's

P.S. I found out that every superlative I ever heard about the SIG P-210 was true.

Bought from an estate in 1994 for $350. 1978 vintage Python, no box or papers, but unfired. I sold it 3 months ago at a tidy profit.

My best ever purchase deal!

Simple. Cost me $499.00 at Cabela's Reno. Had to be mis-marked.

Ruger Blackhawk Bisley .45 LC, with second cylinder for .45 ACP and modified for additional .45 Auto RIM by Bowen Classic Arms Corp.

Perfect condition. Not a mark or scratch. No sign of any use.

I got a minty S&W 29-4 44 mag for $200 at a pawn shop a couple minutes after it was reduced on consignment by a desperate seller.