Guns That You Wished You'd Bought Sooner

[wanderinwalker]

In the vein of the current threads, I thought it might be fun to look at the "I always wanted one of those and am glad I finally do" guns.

For me it's my Colt Government Competition in .45 ACP. I've wanted a 1911 or "a forty-five" since before I was even a gun guy. There was just something about the big old pistols that attracted me to them. However, it took me years to finally drop money on one of my own. I'd toe the edge of the water, then step back and do something else.

For my 21st birthday, I looked hard at the various 5" 1911s from Springfield Armory. Then I turned around and grabbed a 6" S&W 629 in .44 Magnum instead.

Come up to my 30th birthday. Looking at Ruger SR1911s, Colt 1991s and others in that price range. Pretty sure I bought a Nexus tablet instead.

Wedding present time? Again, 1911s were on the radar. But when the money came out, it went to a Colt 6920 carbine. The political climate of 2014 wasn't looking good for ARs, and a low-capacity, big-bore pistol didn't seem like something I'd be legislated out of owning.

Finally, summer of 2017, on a bit of an impulse after the marriage was over, I grabbed the first blued Series 70 Colt Competition Model I saw in .45 ACP. And it has absolutely lived up to my expectations of a 1911. It's accurate, reliable, easy to shoot and launches big chunks of lead. Plus, it has The Pony on the side and has all of the modern enhancements we take for granted on 1911s.

I'll post a picture later when I'm not on mobile, but it's just a plain stock blued Colt. Nothing fancy, just exactly what I wanted.

Let's hear some more stories of "I waited so long and it was worth it in the end."

 

[Riomouse911]

The CZ 550 American in 6.5x55. I wish they had made it before the Mauser 96 American I bought many years ago in .270.

They really overlap a lot, and the CZ is (to me) a nicer rifle in a caliber I have grown to really like.

Stay safe!

 

[FL-NC]

Glocks. When they came out, we thought they were a fad/joke, and wouldn't last long, since we were sure they would be sued out of existence once they started blowing to pieces and injuring people. 30 years later, I'm not even sure how many I have.

 

[huntsman]

Browning BSS, should have bought in 1979 when I was single with money.

 

[beeenbag]

Right now I wish I’d have bought a crate full of sks rifles

Crate full of mosin’s

Every makarov I could find.

Of course my reasoning is probably different than yours.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Beretta Nano for me and Ruger LCR. I finally jumped on he LCR9mm when it first came out.

 

[Ignition Override]

beeenbag said it.

 

[22250Rem]

beeenbag said it.

.......He sure did...... Was talking with a friend recently about the early 1990's when I bought my first SKS for $107. including tax. A fresh from the crate Norinco that I still have. We were discussing how we each should have bought a dozen or so and sat on them and how much we could make selling them nowadays. Guy I knew had an FFL and was buying them by the crate; saying that we should purchase one of his now because if we wait it will only mean we'll regret not buying one sooner. ( Think he was hinting at future price increases).

 

[Legionnaire]

I assume you mean a gun we currently possess that we bought late. That would be my Cooper 54 Excalibur in .260 Remington. It’s the nicest “factory” rifle I own, and definitely one or more tiers above my more pedestrian rifles. I’m glad to own one really nice hunting rig.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Right now I wish I’d have bought a crate full of sks rifles

Crate full of mosin’s

Every makarov I could find.

Of course my reasoning is probably different than yours.

My Dad and I still have two of those Gunshow special SKSs. They were $89 ea. or two for $150, in the box with oiler, sling, and 50 rounds of ammo- circa 1990.

Mine has a couple thousand rounds through it by now with no malfunctions whatsoever. Dad rubbed his down with oil and it is still in that box, unfired, in his attic.

As far as guns I wish Id bought sooner, for me its an AR. I only just jumped on the .223 wagon two years ago and now I appreciate those popguns for their many redeeming features- cheap ammo, low recoil, modularity, ergonomics, flat shooting round, etc.

Now, I've got 3......

 

[BigBore44]

All of them. I didn’t pay premiums for any gun I own. But had I bought them 15 years before I did, I would have saved a fair amount of money and been enjoying them longer.

 

[mgresh]

All of them. I didn’t pay premiums for any gun I own. But had I bought them 15 years before I did, I would have saved a fair amount of money and been enjoying them longer.

This.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

M1 carbine. I had always seen those and thought "hey, those look cool", but was never too serious about getting one. A friend let me borrow his and man, it was love at first sight. They're just unbelievably light for a gun of that era and a joy to plink with. I still don't own one though, tough to justify any kind of plinker at today's prices for them.

What galls me is that 5 or 6 years ago (before I'd ever shot a Carbine), I saw one of those "widow guns" in great condition hit a local auction site. I talked to my friend and he said the Carbines were worth $800 or $900 at the time, so I kind of lowballed it because I wasn't going to overpay for a gun I'd never shot before. I think I stepped out of the bidding at $700 or $750, and the gun closed somewhere in the high eights. Today, you could probably list that gun on Armslist for $1200 and get a call on it within an hour, and that price is only ever going to go up. I still sometimes kick myself for missing the cheapest chance to get a Carbine that I'll probably ever get.

 

[FROGO207]

I have had several 223/5.56 firearms for many years. I just got the urge to buy an AR platform firearm after the 2012 election. I paid a fair price and have added to the MSR inventory since 2016 a few times. But still I did it more for a political statement than suddenly saying WOW why did I wait. YMMV

 

[chicharrones]

Anything CZ. I only have three CZ firearms, but I sure wish I'd known about them before I did.

 

[John Joseph]

S&W Model 41, and a Centennial. And a Sheridan Blue Streak. And a 1858 Remington. and a .....

 

[JONWILL]

S&W Model 41, and a Centennial. And a Sheridan Blue Streak. And a 1858 Remington. and a .....

CZ 85 , and a Colt Combat Commander, and a High Standard Sentinel

 

[JONWILL]

CZ 85 , and a Colt Combat Commander, and a High Standard Sentinel. The list never ends

 

[mstreddy]

For me it's the GI US Property marked M1911 and M1911A1. I kept telling myself, it's too much, and of course, the prices kept going up and up. A buddy made me realize that all I had to do was NOT buy something else a time or two and then I'd "afford" the GI pistol.

Similarly, I discovered the CMP way late. I was able to get one Carbine, Garand, and a low serial M1903, but missed out on the M1903A3s, etc..

I also discovered an appreciation for MilSurps late in my shooting life. And, boy, I've missed out on a lot of history. Though, I've been able to find decent samples of a wide variety, but not at the crate or barrel of milsurp prices of the long gone days.

 

[Schlegel]

Walther PPK. $400 Interarms were regularly available just 6 or 7 years ago. Now they are out of production. 600 if you are lucky.

 

[BWS]

7-08. Never messed with them until a cpl years ago. They shoot cast bullets very well! Have a R700 stainless SPS,and a stainless Ssvage with an aftermarket brrl. Both are stupid accurate with 130g cast. The SPS has two scopes that swap out on Weaver mounts. It has two different loads,the beercan load is 2000fps and a varmint vaporizing HP,at 2600.... that will turn a Ghog inside out. Just fun,easy to cast for calibre.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

The 1920's Commercial Luger P08, in 30 Luger I had a chance to by for $500 about 10 years ago, but I didn't have the extra $150 the owner wanted day of when they were changing their mind on the deal. By the time I had the cash, two days later, they decided to keep it, then gave it away to someone they knew that skipped town with some other things that were not given to him....sigh...

 

[Armored farmer]

The gun in the center is an 1100 Sporting Competition. I bought it used at a gun club. My intention was to have a dedicated sporting clays gun. What i got was not only a sporting clays gun, but a backup trap gun. It is soft shooting, eye appealing gun that i use to get young shooters started in our sport.
My son shot our ATA state shoot with it and broke his first 50x50.
It is a great target gun. I wish i had one for every family member.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I was late to the "party" getting a 223. It's an accurate, easy shooting and frugal round to reload.
In the Milsurp category, I kinda also wish that I'd gotten a original Trapdoor in 45/70 years back when they were cheap. My repro carbine is fun to shoot but an original would be "funner"...

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Walther PPK. $400 Interarms were regularly available just 6 or 7 years ago. Now they are out of production. 600 if you are lucky.

Ehhhhh, you probably dodged heartburn and a headache there. The Interarm/Ranger PPKs are gorgeous, wonderfully machined, and utterly unreliable lumps of stainless- at least the .380s anyway. The .32s are better, but much harder to find.