Shoulda woulda coulda - didn't!!!

[1Shirt]

I remember back prior to the 64GCA that you could buy a whoop of mil surps via mail and they were listed on the backs of many mags including the American Rifleman. 6.5x55 carbines were in the $30.00 bracket, 98 Mausers in 7x57 and 8MM, were available for about the same. However back then, while I realized that these were great values that would increase vastly in the next few years I was a 3 Striper, and made less than $200.00 a month. Sure would have liked to have been able to pick up a few 6.5 carbines. Should have hocked something to finance the transaction.
1Shirt!

[Jack Stanley]

OK, guys, I gotta ask -- when you go to castboolits.com, which is the first board you open up? For Sale??? Do you check it again bafore you log off???

Well , of course !! doesn't everyone ??

Jack

[ghh3rd]

Yep - and I still miss bargains by minutes.

[whisler]

Quite a few years back I went into a Service Merchandise store (Discount/Mail-order catalog place) and walked up to the sporting goods counter. I spotted a Nylon 66 with a sale tag on it. Asked the guy behind the counter what was with the Mark-down tag and he said " we're not going to carry them any more and it is the last one." It was marked $75.00 and the new price was $109.00 ( I think). He said they would mark it down $5.00 each week until it sold. I only had $50.00, so I said I would be back in a few weeks. He says " If you have $50 cash, I'll mark it down now." I did and he did and it went home with me. That's one I will never sell, it will go to my kids or grand kids. Now if I just had back a few guns I had to sell during hard times, I'd be OK.

[Crash_Corrigan]

Many years ago in a faraway place long ago I was walking upstairs to a police call of a man with a gun who had assaulted a woman. I was then a Sergeant in the NYCPD and my driver was by my side. When we got to the 3rd floor there was a huge guy with a 12 gauge shotgun dragging a woman by the hair down the hall. We confronted him and demanded that he drop the gun. He turned to face us and the shotgun barrel also turned towards us. I dropped the hammer on my S&W Model 10 .38 and it hit him in the chest. He kept on turning and my driver next to me opened up with with his gun. He got off 14 shots inside of 2 seconds and drilled that guy from his gut to his throat with 9 MM hollow pointed 115 grain slugs and he dropped like he was poleaxed.

The woman survived. I had to get my driver to shoot six slugs from his service revolver into the wall near the body to justify the use of a non authorized weapon in a shootout. It all worked out and he would not take my offer of $400 for the 9 MM then. I tried later he he would not sell the gun.

Many years later in Las Vegas I came into a gun shop with $700 to spend on a custom 25--06 rifle when I spied a pristine Browning Hi-Power 9 MM. They wanted $635 for that Browning and I quickly forgot the 25-06 and walked out with that 9 MM. It was perfect. Not a mark on it. Original box. No impact marks on the breech face and seldom fired. I took it to the range and found that it had a trigger pull of over 8 pounds. I quickly brought it back to my gunny and he installed an aftermarket trigger and removed the disconnect and now it has a trigger pull of 3.25# and is an accurate and reliable weapon. I aquired another 4 factory magazines and I will never sell this gun.

It is so beautiful that I am astounded by it. Good trigger and accurate into less than 1 moa and definitely a keeper. I really did not want nor expect to find this gun but I would regret not buying this gun forever. I got a decent set of grips and a custom holster and anybody who has seen this gun has slobbered over it. I have never regretted buying it nor will I ever sell it. The blueing is perfect and this one was made in Belgium and also assembled there in 1985. I kept the original grips but the newer ones are much nicer.

This is a classic semi auto and will always be in demand. I shoot it but keep the reloads down to factory specs and use Rainer FMJ 115 boolits and the gun just keeps on putting the rounds downrange and into the black. I am a happy camper.

[Crash_Corrigan]

Photo of Browning

[Marlin Hunter]

Shoulda woulda coulda - didn't!!!

Do you ever see a deal that you don't think you should pass up, but then you do, and then regret it severely? ...
Selmerfan

Numerous Girls, Cars, Guns, and a few stocks.

[omgb]

In the USAF stationed up on the DEW line in 76-77, I bought two Ruger Blackhawks in 44 mag for gulp, $95.00 ea. I could have bought ten more over the year I was up there. Talk about stupid.

[Paladin 56]

Back in the late eighties, I knew a class III dealer friend of mine from high school, that had a HK model 53 smg. It was $1,500, but didn't want a little .223, wanted a 308 gun (model 51--never got!)so passed on it. Two weeks later, thought, ammo was cheap so I would buy it. Had been sold 3 days before. Could have sold it a couple of years ago for $18,000. Also a French Peauteux (sp?) 25mm and 200 rnds of ammo for $2,500 (worth about $30, 000 now) and a barret 50 cal for $1,600 (now about $8,000). Few other CIII things that would be worth $$$ now, but didn't have the $$ to buy the stuff.

I passed up a Barret .50 cal at the Vegas SHOT Show years ago that I could have walked out with for $1,800 because they didn't want to haul it back. Oh well.

[Southern Son]

I remember the first gunshow I went to in Sydney there were little single shot .22LR rifles everywhere, rolling block, Stevens, etc. They were all cheap as dirt. Being 18 and an idiot, I was looking at interesting stuff (like SKKs, which I know detest). I am now 40 and still an idiot, and I now want to get a Low Wall or a Stevens .22LR which I cannot afford because the prices have gone nuts. Every time I look on the Ozzy Gun Auctions site and see a Stevens or whatever, I give myself a little slap.

[bbs70]

Several years ago while at a gun show I ran across a dealer that was selling his stuff rather cheap.
I spied 2 Colt ar-15s that I was wanting.
Everyone else was selling them for 1k and above.
This dealer was selling them for 700, brand new, still in the box.
When asked why so cheap, he said he was in the middle of getting a divorce and had to come up with money fast, so he was selling everything to raise the money.
Of course I didn't have the money to buy them.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Not a gun deal but a kick your self in butt deal for not moving on it. About a month ago at a park and swap, a guy had 5 cases 10 boxes per case of 50 in a box of factory Remington 22 Jet ammo. I had no use for it and passed it up. He wanted $3 a box or $5 for 2. I could have pulled the bullets and deprimed the cases and came out way ahead. Shoulda- coulda-didn't

[lwknight]

Back in 89, I knew that the EPA was about to require licenses to buy r-12 refrigerant and also that maunfacturing was about to be banned. I went to Sams Club and saw 2 pallates of R-12 recharge kits with 2 12oz cans and a tap for $1.98 each. I thought about buying a pallet and delayed.
Later I decded to invest and when I went back the whole inventory of r-12 was gone.
Those cans were bringing $25.00 each for a long time and now they are starting to go down.
A 2500 percent return on an investment in 3 to 5 yeaqrs is pretty good money.
I could'a and didn't.