Shoulda woulda coulda - didn't!!!

[selmerfan]

Do you ever see a deal that you don't think you should pass up, but then you do, and then regret it severely? That happened to me today...$275 for a 5-digit Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Rem. Mag....I'll cry myself to sleep tonight.
Selmerfan

[mooman76]

I was gun shopping with gun money burning a hole in my pocket. A lady walked into the gunshop I was in and was trying to sell a Rugar P85 or 87. It looked bran new, still in the box with paperwork and reciept and everything. The guy would only go 150 for it and she said she wanted at least 200. He wouldn't budge so she left. I started to go out the door after her but hesitated and by the time I went out she was driving away. I don't really care for that model Rugar and I know they had some issues but it probubly would have been a good gun for the wife being 9mm. I kicked myself for a coupl weeks for not jumping on it.

[Digger]

ooooooohhhh you betcha !!! .... but I tell my self " a deal is not a deal if I can't afford it ! " ..... ( heck of a way to try and justify it ! ) ...then when I get home and shut the door and cry my self to sleep ..Waaaaa !:groner:

[ghh3rd]

Usually I get that feeling when I open the Swapping and Selling forum here and see something that I really want and at a great price, and someone just grabbed it. Same type of feeling I think...

[RobS]

Usually I get that feeling when I open the Swapping and Selling forum here and see something that I really want and at a great price, and someone just grabbed it. Same type of feeling I think...

yep same type of feeling especially when you think about it over a cup of coffee or should I say simply pouring a cup of coffee around here as it only takes about a minute sometimes for something to be considered too late. I do love this forum and people around here are fast, really fast.

[Paladin 56]

Do you ever see a deal that you don't think you should pass up, but then you do, and then regret it severely? That happened to me today...$275 for a 5-digit Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Rem. Mag....I'll cry myself to sleep tonight.
Selmerfan
What were you thinking, man? Dang. Don't feel too bad. I was in Oklahoma last year and was headed to the Wannamaker (ck sp) show and had some time to kill. Stopped in a pawn shop and found a 94 in 30-30 that I didn't need since I had one, but it was a good deal. Also there, was a Nylon 66, another I didn't need, but one I have wanted since I can remember from back in the '60's and never had. IIRC, it was about $150, maybe $175. I looked and looked and finally walked out without it. Got down the road and thought about turning around to go back and get it, but decided not to.

Got to the show and found they sell for at least twice what that one was going for, and some for more than that. Never did go back to see if it was still there and been trying to figure out how best to kick my own butt.

Now I have two 94 30-30's I've never even shot and still no Nylon 66.

[NickSS]

We all have deals we have passed up but I really screwed up one time that I still have hart burn over some thirty years after the fact. I had the chance to buy an original Sharps 1874 rifle in near new condition for $300. It had fancy wood Hartford model in 44-77 SBN. I passed it up due to not knowing where I could get ammo for it. Today that rifle would sell for the price of a new car.

[lead-1]

Passing up a deal can be as bad as buyers or sellers remorse. Many years ago I bought a Ruger GP100 .357, absolutely loved that gun but so did a friend of mine and he bugged me constantly to sell it to him. One day at work in a weaker moment I sold it to him for 225, I bought it for 200, I beat myself up all day over that sale. The next night he came into work with his tail between his legs because his wife was irate that he spent the money and wanted me to buy it back for 175 so she would shut up. Needless to say I about ripped the pocket off my britches trying to get the money out.

Two weeks ago I passed up a killer deal on a Remington 1100 Trap.

[dubber123]

I had the chance to buy an original Sharps 1874 rifle in near new condition for $300. It had fancy wood Hartford model in 44-77 SBN. I passed it up due to not knowing where I could get ammo for it. .

Oh boy! You guys will be going some to beat this one... :holysheep

[Richard B]

A gun posted a Savage 23 in .25-20 on the Canadian website "Canadian Gunutz' for $160 CAD. Now it did need some TLC but the bore was good and I thought 'I should really buy that" as I was looking for a cast bullet project rifle to pass the winter. Needless to say that by the time I made up my mind it was long gone.

My usual philosphy is that gun deals are like buses "there is another one along in 15 minutes" and sure enough about two weeks later, on the same website I bought a Savage 23C in .32-20 for more money but in better shape.

Richard

[Jack Stanley]

Long ago I learned to just buy it and get it over with . Sometimes another deal comes down the road right away and sometimes they don't . You do tend to end up with more guns and projects than you can use but what are you gonna do in retirement ....... shoot golf ?

It was the early eighties and a friend stopped by the house telling me about a very nice lever action rifle at a garage sale . Not that I could afford it being recently laid off I went to look anyway . A like new Marlin 1895 with a box of ammo for a hundred and a quarter and I couldn't muster the cash . After learning my lessons about turning down deals when they showed themselves for a clear shot , the ghost of deals past showed up . At a show , a guy has a 1895 with a waterlogged looking old box on the table .... rifle looked like it had leprosy and he wasn't trading for anything , cash was the only way . Something about this rifle was calling to me and I didn't ignore it ...... three hundred silver bullets later the scroungy looking rifle and box was with me .

As it turned out the rifle was brand new , it had been sitting in a hardware store that had closed in the seventies and the crud on the rifle was shipping oil that had congealed to make an ugly but easy to clean mess . There is a way to beat the coulda-shouldas ........ buy 'em ! :lol:

Jack ;-)

[targetshootr]

Do you ever see a deal that you don't think you should pass up, but then you do, and then regret it severely? That happened to me today...$275 for a 5-digit Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Rem. Mag....I'll cry myself to sleep tonight.
Selmerfan

That was a good deal, yep. Several years ago I passed up a 5 1/2" Accusport 45 Bisley with both cylinders for $400 out the door. Just didn't have the cash.

[Rocky Raab]

There's a huge difference between "Couldn't" and "Coulda". If you truly can't afford it, it doesn't fall into the "kick my own butt for passing it up" category.

I've seen dozens of incredible deals - and merely shrugged because they were far beyond what I could manage at the time. No kicking, no regrets.

On the other hand, I noticed a newspaper ad once that offered a Marlin .22 for $65 - but the rifle pictured and labeled in the ad was a model 336. I drove an hour through a monsoon thunderstorm - to find a long line of guys at the gun counter. They honored that ad for that afternoon only, and only with the guns on hand.

I sold that 336 a few years later, unfired in the box. But I made a few bucks on it!

[Sven]

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???

[rockrat]

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.

[captain-03]

Darn - why in the world did you start this thread? Now I remember all those that got away and start crying all over AGAIN!!

[Bert2368]

Swappin and sellin is my home page on the home computer, and has a dedicated "button" on the iphone. While I work I don't take coffee/smoke breaks, I take cast boolits breaks with the phone if there's reception for it. And I STILL miss out on stuff.


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???

[oldfart1956]

Hmmm...? Does it have to be a gun? Way back in 1973 about the time I was graduating high school I worked baling hay for Pap Whittaker. He mentioned he had an old car in his garage he'd sell me for $200. I took a look at it..was a 1956 or '57 Chevy Belair with the ugliest green tinted windows I'd ever seen. (factory tint because it had air cond.!!) And it had 1240 miles on the speedometer. (big sighhhh...) I decided I didn't want "that old Chevy"...sob...and passed on the deal. Waaaaaggghhhhh! Audie..the dumb Oldfart.

[stubert]

2 Years ago at a local gun show I found a 10 gauge Pedersoli double barrel percussion shotgun. (unfired) The dealer was asking $450.00. I had just bought a used .62 cal. fullstock hawken 2 weeks earlier, If I came home with another gun I would have been divorced. That shotgun retails for $799.00 now.

[OutHuntn84]

I've always had the thoght / excuse that if it was a really good deal. I couldn't afford not to buy it! That has slowed down now but, if I can't buy it I start calling everyone and hopefully find a home for it. And I always remind em if later down the road if they want to sell it they better let me know and remember that I know what they paid for it.

[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!:coffee:

[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 ?? :lol:

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.

:killingpc:groner:[smilie=b::holysheep

[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.:cry:

[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.