Treasure hunt score!

[NIGHTLORD40K]

So MnFlats had a good one as to which guns you most regret buying and selling. But how bout the one you're most proud of tracking down or stumbling across? Anybody can plunk down a wad 'o' cash on a brand new Custom Whatever, but what about that old XYZ you've only read about or seen in the movies and just had to have? Then one day at a LGS/pawnshop/gunshow........

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I've got 3 that stand out:
A minty Remington 51 .380 I stumbled across and snatched up at the LGS- up to that point I'd only seen pictures and thought they were way cool.
A nickel plated M1903 mk1 I saw on Armslist- only problem was it was at a pawnshop in Michigan and I'm in Florida.....and I was broke that month. But I took a chance and called them up. Turns out those folks were super nice and agreed to put it on layaway for me for 10% down. I faithfully mailed them a check and a thank you card every month until I paid it off.....from 1200 miles away!
Finally, I was rushing to the LGS with cash in hand to pick up an early production Sig P220 9mm I'd been oogling for awhile, only to learn it had just walked out the door. Two years later, I was window shopping at the same shop- and there it was! The prior owner had taken it to Indiana, bought 2 more $100 magazines, and put it away in his safe, then retired back down to Fla and traded it back in. I got the gun and mags for $50 less than they had been asking for the gun years earlier!

 

[ColtPythonElite]

This Remington Model 37 and it's Unertl scope rate pretty high with me. They only made 12k or so and quit making them in about 1955.....A 5 shot magazine today costs more than many .22 rifles. Same for factory peep sights. I have both.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

This Remington Model 37 and it's Unertl scope rate pretty high with me. They only made 12k or so and quit making them in about 1955.....A 5 shot magazine today costs more than many .22 rifles. Same for factory peep sights. I have both. View attachment 763241

Did you set out to find one or get lucky and stumble upon it?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I didn't even know what one was until I saw that one, but I had to have it. I have since bought others and accessories.

 

[hdwhit]

The only gun I would put in this category would be my RG-25.

I bought it for a song from someone who was selling it as a "jam-o-matic". Well, a through cleaning and a new magazine later and the thing has proven to be flawless for nearly 40 years. Across a normal size room, I can reliably shoot it and hit center or mass. It has probably saved my life twice when I had to produce it when my life was threatened. I say "probably" because both times, the bad guy decided to be somewhere else when the pistol (rather than cash) came out.

 

[MedWheeler]

I wanted a Bauer .25 for a while, but only saw a couple at a gun show for ridiculous prices. Eventually, I forgot about them. Later, I set my sights on looking for something in .45, a caliber for which I didn't yet have anything.

I stopped in a pawn shop about 50 miles north of me one day after dropping a friend off at an airport, and looked at a nice Springfield Commander-type stainless .45, but didn't come to a price I liked at the time. As I was walking out, I spotted a mint Bauer in a corner. I told the guy "I know this is going to sound weird coming from someone who came in here specifically looking for something in .45, but let me see that, please." I ended up leaving with it, and I enjoy having it in my collection.

 

[FROGO207]

I have posted about this here before but not specifically for this thread. I stopped at a yard sale one day on a whim. The lady was selling some tools and stuff. In one large box there was a barrel sticking out so I asked about it. She said it was her recently EX husbands and she got it in the settlement along with all the other stuff she had out there. She said she wanted $20 for it. I looked at it and saw that it was a Savage 24 in 20/.22MAG and told her it was worth way more even if broken and just for parts. She replied that no it worked fine, and he had used it the past fall to shoot his deer with it. Then she stated that she was going to sell it for enough to buy a good steak dinner, enjoy that dinner, and then tell him what a good deal she had made!
I kind of felt sorry for the guy but did buy that Savage anyway. Always wondered how love can end up that bad in the end. Still one of the better deals I have stumbled upon as a firearms owner.

 

[FL-NC]

I traded a Ruger 77 in 30-06 and got a kimber raptor pro carry, which I later traded for a brand new FN PS90.

 

[boom boom]

Smith and Wesson pre-model 15 revolver, last year of production, factory installed 5 inch barrel (special order only). Pawn Shop special.

 

[22250Rem]

And I have no such joyous story about stumbling across that great deal on a gun I've always wanted. On the other side of the coin I've got a few stories of how I was the guy who showed up just as the gun was being sold or two minutes after it got sold. But I'd rather not reminisce about those.

 

[Legionnaire]

Nothing fancy, but I picked up this SP101 that I found on consignment at my local LGS a few years ago ... for $250. I added the front night sight and the grip inserts. I already had several Ruger DA revolvers (GP100, Redhawk, etc.) so knew what I was looking at when I saw it. Guy behind me was not happy that I got there first ...

 

[BigBore44]

S&W model 20 aka 38/44. Had no idea what it was until about a year ago. Always thought it was just an old pistol until I researched it. It cost me my grandfather. Not a good trade.

 

[Awsomepossum]

Found a Speed Six in 9mm at a gunshow for a very reasonable price.

 

[Rocketmedic]

I bought a High Standard Pointer in 12G at a pawn shop a few years ago. Glassy smooth, best gun I've ever fired. For $80. Gave it to my sister and brother-in-law for their wedding.

Also got a Tokarev for $50 at that same shop (Bennie's in El Paso), got it engraved and gave it to my best friend at his wedding (he's got a little piece of Texas and his dad is a Tokarev fanatic, so they can share Brock's of ammo).

Great guns, better memories.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Found a Speed Six in 9mm at a gunshow for a very reasonable price.

Nice find! Always kinda wanted one of those, did it come with any moon clips?

 

[Awsomepossum]

No it didn't come with any moonclips, had to buy some. I got some full and 1/3 moon clips. They are really fun to use !

 

[boom boom]

Love the speed six and its brother Security six better than its replacement the GP100. You can use a lot of K-Frame S&W Holsters for the Speed and Security Sixes as well. Wish they would bring them back.

No it didn't come with any moonclips, had to buy some. I got some full and 1/3 moon clips. They are really fun to use !

 

[Walkalong]

Bid on a neat looking S&W revolver on GB. I had no idea what I was getting. Paid about $350 for it.

It turns out that a 14-5 is a humdinger of a revolver.

 

[bannockburn]

Have had three like that, all from the same gun shop in town. All were found while just browsing through the used gun case; wasn't looking for anything in particular. First one was a mint, nickel plated Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless pistol with factory pearl grips and a Heiser pocket holster. Price was a bit on the high side but considering I have been to many a gun show and never seen one like this, it was more than worth it. The next one was a mint, blued Browning Model 1910/1955. Amazing craftsmanship and at an even more amazing price. My other gun shop treasure was yet another mint, nickel plated (with faux pearl grips made by Ajax), Baby Browning. Always wanted one but most were priced in the upper stratosphere and this one wasn't! I consider all of them amazing finds and enjoyed being in the right place at the right time for all three of them!

 

[boom boom]

Bid on a neat looking S&W revolver on GB. I had no idea what I was getting. Paid about $350 for it.

It turns out that a 14-5 is a humdinger of a revolver.
View attachment 763302

Beautiful grips.

 

[BigBL87]

Mine wasn't a find in the sense it was given to me, but it was something I wanted. My budding collection was missing a revolver, and I wanted a 4" 357 Mag eventually. My wife was pregnant at the time so gun purchases were on hold (and still are, little guy was born yesterday!). I was out in Nebraska visiting my late father's family, and my uncle (My dad's brother-in-law) who we were staying with told me to come downstairs with him so he could show me his gun collection. He gets to an old Taurus 65 (1990 manufacture date), and tells me its my grandpa's from when he worked armored car security. Was cool to hold it, then he told me it was mine. I was like "...what?" He wanted me to have it with my burgeoning interest in guns, and said the only stipulation was that I never sell it. Filled a hole in my collection, and got a neat piece of family history.

 

[GBExpat]

Fall 2005 ...

I found a Gunboards listing for a Remington Model of 1917. I forget a lot of the details, but the Seller was new to GB and the details/pics could have been the work of either a slimeball or a open, honest person (ever notice how both can raise the same Red Flags when you read them?).

As is my wont, I emailed the Seller and traded several emails with a delightful lady. Her husband had recently died and she was selling his small collection of firearms. She indicated that she doesn't know much about guns. She said that she was surprised that I was the only person to contact her. I explained to her that many folks will shy away from people with no track record.

I was the only bidder on the rifle; $475.

As I was performing a detail-strip/inspection of the rifle it dawned upon me that that is a very good chance that this Remington has been unchanged and, apparently, handled very little since it left the factory. No rebuild mark. The condition is close to 100%. All of the markings & finishes are "correct", ancient cosmoline in the barrel channels, the bore/throat gauge such they may be new, the bore is pristine, the bolt shows minimal markings from opening & closing but very little of firing. It even had a period-correct cleaning kit in the buttstock.

I contacted the lady again to thank her for the fine rifle and ask if she, by chance, knew anything of its history. No. <shrug>

Since there is no provenance, it is just an EXC-condition M1917. Worst case, it is just an M1917 that was "improved", somewhat, by her husband or a prior owner ... but it pleases me to think that it may be more than that.

 

[BigBore44]

Mine wasn't a find in the sense it was given to me, but it was something I wanted. My budding collection was missing a revolver, and I wanted a 4" 357 Mag eventually. My wife was pregnant at the time so gun purchases were on hold (and still are, little guy was born yesterday!). I was out in Nebraska visiting my late father's family, and my uncle (My dad's brother-in-law) who we were staying with told me to come downstairs with him so he could show me his gun collection. He gets to an old Taurus 65 (1990 manufacture date), and tells me its my grandpa's from when he worked armored car security. Was cool to hold it, then he told me it was mine. I was like "...what?" He wanted me to have it with my burgeoning interest in guns, and said the only stipulation was that I never sell it. Filled a hole in my collection, and got a neat piece of family history.

Congratulations on the new son....and the new gun.

 

[CapnMac]

Two stand out.
Both were 1903s.
Went to an AstroHall Gun Show years ago now. Had an AMT Hardballer with me, just in case I saw something . Saw a very nice SC 03A3 with a straight stock. Walked the whole show and wound up at the table again. Offered the Hardballer in trade, and the dealer said sure. It's still, two decades later, a really good example of a 1943 SC, and still shoots like a dream. Trigger is more sporter than military, too. I have a nice batch of 1943 dated items to go with it, too.

Other one was a 1903A1 in a "scant" stock and a "USMC" barrel marking. It had been in my LGS for a while. Just not when I had spare cash. So, I'm off to the Market Hall Gunshow, and right after I had a bonus check in my pocket. There was my guys from the LGS and there was the 1903A1. Picked it up and thought about it a bit. Then, went and wandered the show. Stopped by to shoot the bull with the LGS guts, help out a bit to make up for being a classic shop "time waster"
The 1903A1 was still there, and still kind of neat and different. So, worked out a deal that we were all happy with. Yay Me!

Go by the shop a week later or so, and they are giving me grief. Some dude was all upset 'cause he was some sort of MC vet, and showed up to buy that 193A1 about a half hour after I did. Life is not fair. Truth be told, I wandered the whole show just to see if it would be gone when I got back. Gave Fate a chance, fair and sqaure.