Best deal you ever got on a firearm

[Pete F]

Extar EP9. Won it from a NWFA yearly contest. Best prize that I have ever won.

Now, if I can keep it without becoming a felon, I will be happy.

 

[front_sight]

It got a little pricier when it went to Novak's for a custom package.

How long ago, and what did you have done?

I sent a Belgian Browning HP to Novaks in the late 1990's. Kurt Wickman at Novaks did the work including making a custom safety back when about the only commercially available ones were from Bill at C&S. I added Speigel grips. Total with the refinish came to around $800. 10-15 years ago I heard Wickman had passed away.

The reason I sent it off? I thought I knew something about guns and with the help of some gunsmith books like Kuhnhausen's proceeded to stone and smooth the hammer and sear. The result was a really nice trigger. What I didn't know was that HP trigger parts were only surface hardened a few thousandths, and not thru hardened or deep case hardened. As you might predict one day the gun doubled and I just figured I had milked the trigger. A short time later a friend was firing it at an indoor range and the gun went full auto. Luckily there were only about 8 rounds left in the magazine. The last one was only about 15 degrees from vertical.

Anyway, I still love the way that HP feels and shoots.

 

[monkeybutler]

How long ago, and what did you have done?

I'm gonna guess it was 2009 when I sent it to Novak's. It was basically this package with a couple add-ons. Night sights and something else. I think I spent around 1800.

https://www.novaksinc.com/novak-classic-custom-bhp.html

 

[DunRanull]

View attachment 451888
This is probably the best deal I made "money wise".
It is a original .50 caliber St. Louis marked "Plains Rifle" circa 1850.
Shoots well and has the look of a "Upper shelf " sporting rifle of the era , along with both the makers name and a city with fur trade connections....

I traded for this rifle...
The rifle I traded for this rifle was also a original rifle...but was in really bad shape , however it had a good bore , the price for that rifle was around $200 dollars.
After a bit of research and some long weekends of restoration , I turned the wrecked rifle into a good looking shooter....which I kept until the rifle pictured came along...
We were both happy in the trade so....all is good.
Andy

That's a beauty... purty as summa them Missouri wimmins I've known.

 

[raftman]

I've gotten some pretty good deals here and there by the standards of the day but what really stand out are what were ok prices at the time but would be a steal today. One example would be my Arsenal SGL-21 which was something like $675 at the time I got it new. I have been offered more than 2x that amount since then.

 

[front_sight]

I'm gonna guess it was 2009 when I sent it to Novak's. It was basically this package with a couple add-ons. Night sights and something else. I think I spent around 1800.

https://www.novaksinc.com/novak-classic-custom-bhp.html

That is the same package I got except a ring hammer, no gold bead on the front sight, and using the original barrel. The Spegel grips were not included and I added them later. They were about $100 which was a lot in the mid-1990's.

 

[dangerranger60]

I was watching Gun Broker for a shotgun for my youngest son And happened on a Mossberg 500 that the add said " Missing parts". The auction started at $1. I bid up to $50, and a couple days later I won the auction for $35. It was a brand new gun in its box just missing the ejector and its screw. The shipping to get it here cost us more than the gun.
We still don't know if someone lost the screw and ejector or bought the gun just for that part. DR

 

[K-22]

What's the best deal you ever got on a firearm from a shop or a stranger (free, or deals from friends/family don't count)?

I bought a Smith 65-3 from a pawn shop for $260 out the door. But the best deal I think I ever got was a Ruger Redhawk, 7.5" stainless 44 magnum, with scope mount, two basic but acceptable scopes, a hunting holster rig, and 2 or 3 boxes of ammo for $395. Both of these were about 10 years ago.

What are your best scores?

4" Colt Python, 500 rounds of assorted ammo, and two quality holsters.

1964, was a good year to buy guns.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Picked up a late 50's Remington 740 in pristine condition from the original owner (30.06) for $125 in the early 2000's. Got talking with a buddy a few years ago who really wanted it, so I traded him for a nice purdy Browning A-Bolt 300WM.

 

[gmerkt]

even in the mid 80's $100 was worth a lot more than now.

Quite so.

The CPI which is a product of the US government shows inflation over the past five years as about 22%. Repeat, that's over five (5) years. And there are many who dispute the accuracy of the CPI. Meaning, it's very likely that real inflation over the past five years exceeds 22%. I'm one of those people.

 

[solv3nt]

Quite so.

The CPI which is a product of the US government shows inflation over the past five years as about 22%. Repeat, that's over five (5) years. And there are many who dispute the accuracy of the CPI. Meaning, it's very likely that real inflation over the past five years exceeds 22%. I'm one of those people.

Just remember, the CPI is an index, so items outside of what is averaged together to make the index may be higher or lower than the index.

 

[eustace_stelio]

Look up gold prices from the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s. I should've bought gold as a kid lol.

 

[solv3nt]

Look up gold prices from the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s. I should've bought gold as a kid lol.

You should have bought that fruit company.

 

[po18guy]

Several years back, I was visiting with a retired Sergeant from the PD. In talking about guns, I mentioned that I had always wanted a Python. He disappeared into his bedroom then returned carrying a blued 6" Python that he had bought a few years before from another officer. He handed it to me and just said, "Happy birthday!" It was not my birthday, but I gladly accepted the present!

View attachment 451880 View attachment 451881

Updated pic with $15 Sile stocks. So, total investment: $15.

 

[CLT65]

You should have bought that fruit company.

Every time I get thinking about a gun I should have bought back in the day, or not sold, or bought multiple of, etc., I'm reminded of much bigger financial mistakes I've made.

I should have started my career a few years earlier, instead of wasting time in dead-end jobs. I should've bought that Google stock 20 years ago, when i considered it but didn't. I should've kept our first house when we had to move, and rented it out instead of selling when the market was way down.

I'm sure there are plenty of others if I'd stop and think, that would all make any gun buying or selling pale by comparison.

 

[MilGoo]

I bought a 6" S&W 686 and a Winchester 30-30 with the octagon barrel from a shipmate who needed to make his rent for $400 in 1989. My brother has taken 3 deer with the rifle I gave him for his birthday and my son loves the 686 I have given to him.

 

[solv3nt]

Every time I get thinking about a gun I should have bought back in the day, or not sold, or bought multiple of, etc., I'm reminded of much bigger financial mistakes I've made.

I should have started my career a few years earlier, instead of wasting time in dead-end jobs. I should've bought that Google stock 20 years ago, when i considered it but didn't. I should've kept our first house when we had to move, and rented it out instead of selling when the market was way down.

I'm sure there are plenty of others if I'd stop and think, that would all make any gun buying or selling pale by comparison.

Meh, woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's all behind you. Live in the now and plan for the future. No regerts.

 

[CLT65]

Meh, woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's all behind you. Live in the now and plan for the future. No regerts.

Exactly my point. I've seen a lot of threads and posts about guns we should have bought or not sold, back in the day. Oh well. So a nice M1 carbine could be had for a couple hundred bucks 30 years ago, and they're a thousand now. As tight as money is for us these days, I could still better afford a thousand now than I could have 200 back then.

I remember seeing a thread on another forum somewhere, asking if you've ever lost money on a gun purchase. I was surprised at how many guys proudly said they'd never lost money buying or selling a gun. I really don't care, since I don't buy them to sell, and rarely ever sell one. A few dollars gained or lost on a hobby is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

 

[po18guy]

No regerts.

That's what he would say.

 

[DeanMk]

It got a little pricier when it went to Novak's for a custom package.

Fine, I''ll give you $1001, but I'll need all the mags, too. ( )