Have you ever walked in to a gun store and bought a gun immediately - Love at First Sight?

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Oh, ya.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I rarely make an impulse buy, but there are always exceptions:
My Howa 30-06 was one. I didn't have any intention of buying a rifle that day, it caught my eye and I just liked the feel and the action.
My RIA 10mm was another. I already had a G20, saw the RIA at LGS and just decided I liked it. Just about every other gun I have was a planned purchase.

 

[tubeshooter]

Like many people, most purchases are researched. Or were...

So not so much "love at first sight" as "you had exactly what I was looking for today". Even so, it happens sometimes and you can't get your wallet out fast enough...


But once you feel like you have your so-called bases covered, it's kind of like LoonWolf said in post #8. You see something cool, maybe you pick it up. I have tried to "sleep on it" and lost a few that way, so now if I feel like I even halfway want it I will go ahead. Which is not very often nowadays. All that being said, some of my very best purchases have been unplanned.

 

[Big7]

I have walked into a gun shop and walked out with a love-at-first-sight gun MANY times. Same is true with walking around a big gun show.

Me too. Especially since I retired.

Seems like it's been happening about once a month here for a while.

 

[nettlle]

Years ago I wanted a quality bolt action 22 rifle and the first year Ruger introduced the Model 77/22 I went to a gun show to buy one. When I finally found a 77/22 there was another bolt action 22 on another table next to it for $65.00 more. I left the Ruger there. It was a very good decision.

 

[Riomouse911]

I rarely go in a gun shop with a certain item in mind. It is almost always spontaneous, hence my eclectic collection!

I agree, my “eclection” was amassed in a similar fashion, using six simple steps:

Walk in, look about, call clerk, handle gun, 4473, pay.

Stay safe.

 

[plainsdrifter]

Was headed into the shop to grab a .45 LC Italian job, Uberti, cus I was sick of waiting for a Ruger Vaquero or Colt to show up. I had the .45 LC fever pretty bad. And there she was. I think I was stuttering when I said that one, that one!!

 

[Legionnaire]

Yes. Consignment SP101 I picked up at my LGS around 2006. Saw it and asked, "How much?" Store owner said, "$250." I said, "I'll take it!" Guy next to me said, "D__n!"

I added the front night sight and custom grip inserts.

 

[commygun]

Yes. Consignment SP101 I picked up at my LGS around 2006. Saw it and asked, "How much?" Store owner said, "$250." I said, "I'll take it!" Guy next to me said, "D__n!"

Jeez, even for 2006 you stole it!

 

[P5 Guy]

I knew. I had to have a 696 when I first learned that Smith and Wesson planned to make a 5 shot 44SPL.

 

[jonnyc]

Sort of, but I was working at the shop at the time. Took a while to get the S&W 317, but it was LAFS.

 

[230RN]

Ayup. Let me count the ways....

Browning. < joke

I'm curious about the rifling twist on your CZ-527. Wiki says this:

The last styling of the Varmint model is known as the Kevlar model. The primary difference is the stock is made of a Kevlar composite manufactured by H-S Precision. The rifle has an aluminium bedding block to which the action is screwed while the barrel is free floated. The rifle does not have sights and is not supplied with scope rings. Supported calibers are the .204 Ruger and .223 Remington. This model weighs 3.41 kg (7.5 lb). It also has the fastest rifling twist ratio for the .223 Remington of the three models(1:9 instead of 1:12). Early production rifles (pre 2002) had a 1:12 twist rate and post-2002 rifles have the 1:9 twist rate.[2]

I'm asking because I (impulsively) picked up an ancient Savage which shot light .223 bullets like they were laser-guided. When I checked the rifling (tight patch, distance for one turn) I found the twist to be only 1:14" and I thought I did it wrong. Who ever used such slow twists in centerfire rifles? Was almost like a muzzle loading round ball twist, to my mind. But this was later confirmed by book research. Mounted with a 12X scope, it was my favorite Prairie Rat gun.

Nowadays they run 1:9, 1:7 twists for the 5.56 and I'm amazed that the bullets hold together.

One impulse buy that really paid off.

Terry, 230RN

 

[9x56MS]

Not at first sight but a lot at first feel. If I like the looks, I pick it up, close my eyes and mount gun to shoulder. Open my eyes if sight picture is perfectly aligned and gun ballance is correct. It usually goes home with me.

 

[PzGren]

There was a time when quantity was more important than quality and I wanted to gather first hand experience with as many guns as possible. More than once I walked out of my favorite gun store in Princeton, IN with a box full of handguns.

 

[JFrank]

Couple years ago I walked into the Booze &Bait sport shack in Troy Mt. saw a Marlin 335 in 30-30 with a fixed 4x in good shape for $350 bucks.
15 minutes later I was the new owner of a Marlin 335

 

[Remington1911]

Yes walked into a shop, wife was getting something and I spied something on the wall. I ask is that a daisy? Yes it is. Can I see it please, sure. Is this the price? Yes, I will take it.

As close to mint as can be. I will never shoot it as well, just so close to prefect.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

More like lust. My Ruger Single Six Vaquero in .32 H&R was a no-brainer, and I admit to having a problem with full-stock sporters, Webley revolvers and Ruger No.3 single shots.

I still look everything over very carefully before buying, but there have been quite a few times when I was already mentally pre-sold on a gun before I actually bought it.

 

[jmorris]

I have with Walmart sales on firearms they decided have to go, after a quick double take at the price tag.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

A few months back we stopped at the Gun Garage in Topeka and I spotted a blued Ruger Security Six in the case. Hardly used, 6" barrel and still had the box. After a little "dickering" I brought it home.

 

[hoardingthemanual]

Yep. All I knew was that I wanted a 10mm. Didn’t know what they would have in stock. Chose mine in under 3 minutes. You really don’t have to know all of the specs of something unless you want to sound like a know it all or impress men (which feels weird).

 

[Bill M.]

"...love at first sight."

Actually almost if not all of my guns were bought that way. Gun store or gun show. I have never "researched" a gun before purchase. After purchase, yes.

 

[Choctaw]

Oh yeah.

 

[doubleh]

Never although I have decided to purchase a few before leaving to "think" about it. I have missed a couple that I decided I wanted because of that but that is to be expected and the loss has never upset me.

 

[bannockburn]

Most of my gun shop purchases are usually planned and are well thought out in advance. I'm much more spontaneous when it comes to gun shows. My "love at first sight" gun was a Ruger Mk.II Model 512 that I believe was part of a limited edition made for some sporting goods company. The two-tone effect with the deep bluing on the upper assembly, along with the polished stainless steel of the lower frame really caught my eye as I walked past the table. There was also a Ruger Single Six Bisley done up the same way. Both were the same price but I only had enough money for one of them. The Bisley was very tempting but I really was in the market for a .22 target pistol so the Model 512 was the one I went with!

 

[LimaCharlie]

I went to the LGS yesterday. The owner brought out this Colt Lawman MkIII manufactured in 1982. It never made it to the display case.