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Man, can I relate....

My pride and joy pre 64 went for way too cheap, along with every other gun....

Sold the Winnie for 400 back in 1983.

My first one was a Browning B92 lever gun in .44 Mag that Dad gave me when he was going through divorce #2. He gave the� matching� Ruger Redhawk to my older brother and I�ve always thought I got the better deal.

Second one also started as a gift from Dad � a Savage 110E in .22-250 that was ugly as a pig�s hind end but shot beautifully for the first couple thousand rounds. When the barrel was gone I removed the scope and sold it for $250 to a guy who was only interested in it for the action. I took that $250 and another $150 out of my pocket and bought a like-new 1989 Ruger M77 in .257 Roberts. The Ruger had a Leupold M8 4x scope mounted in the rings.

There was a pristine Marlin .30-30CS for $225 and a pristine Marlin 1895 .45-70 for $250. A couple weeks ago I ran into an almost like -new 1975 Remington BDL in .308Win for $350. I got the dealer to throw in a one-piece Leupold base which was marked $19.99. I figure the rifle was $330 and the base another $20.

I was the range officer at Eielson AFB in North Pole Alaska one afternoon when a new kid showed up and started to fire a stainless Ruger Redhawk off hand at 25 yards, and missing everything.

I asked where and why he bought the revolver, and he said he bought it at the BX the day before, because his buddies said you "need" a hand cannon when you go hiking.

"However," he continued, "this one shoots like sh*t! I'd sell it for $150 if I could get it."

At that point the Colonel started to move in on the deal, and I had to respectfully body check him out of the action as I drew my wallet and gave the kid his money.

$150, and included holster and ammo.

After the kid left, we (me and the old man) took turns shooting it, and it was fine when you didn't flinch.

I bought a couple I think were good deals...
Marlin model 9 used very little--$100
1917 Enfield (Remington iirc) Not orig. but pretty good--$100

My first real gun purchase, about 10 yrs ago.
Remington 788,7mm/08 carbine, very good condition, with Charles Daly scope $250 iirc

Would a mint midgrip XP100 in 7mmBR with Leupy rings and bases holding a Tasco rifle scope , soft case, holster, and 2 boxes of brass for $150 rate a good deal? I thought so, so I gave the guy who told me about the gun a $50 tip.

After 9/11 happened i got laid off in Virginia and pretty much against my will had to take a job in upstate N.Y. Well...shortly after that Christmas a guy at work was asking around for anyone who would hock a rifle for him since he spent too much on Christmas and had a bill to pay.
I gave him $300 to "hold" a ruger #1 with a weaver steel tube scope and bi-pods until he could pay me back. Big hearted I am....
About march of the next year that company dumped the news on us that they were shutting down and all of us were losing our jobs. I asked the guy if he wanted his rifle back and he declined with a "I guess not now!". So I think i got a pretty sweet deal... considering how it shoots.

About two years ago I put up a wanted flyer in my restuarant for a used Rem. 700 30-06 for a project I had in mind. Two days later one of my older regulars shows up with his "700" that he wants 200.00 bucks for. I go out two the parking lot to have a look and am much suprised when his 700 is actually a 725 30-06 in near excellent shape. Needless to say I bought it. Four days after that another gentleman shows up with a 721 with a very beat up stock that I bought for 150.00. I decided to use it for my project. Interestingly no one showed up with an actual 700. I turned down two Savage 110 types that were offered. You never know what might turn up when you start asking!

Good luck and good hunting, Rob

Earlier this year I purchased new in the box guns from a local sporting goods store on closeout:
Marlin 444 lever gun with long barrel $235
Remington 700 ADL 270 $217
Weatherby Accumark 300 Weatherby $600
Weatherby Super Varmint Master $600
Weatherby Orion 12 ga $630

My other favorite deal was a Remington Model 700 Mountain Rifle in 7x57. Got that one new in box for $275.

My best deal was not exactly a gun, to be exact it was a book I bought a couple of gun shows back.

It is a copy of Warren Pages "One Man's Wilderness". I got it for the staggering price of $3.

Mark D

I was about 11 years old and my Aunt worked for the president of what is now Regions bank. Well when he died his wife gave a Browning BAR with Leupold fixed 4x scope to one of his friends. WEll he came back and asked if he could swap it for a side by side shotgun she had. She did and some time passed and the gentleman inquired about buying hte rifle. She had my Aunt bring it to Birmingham to have it appraised. My Aunt let me look at it and I immediately told her that I could not pay what it was worth but the I could pay the lady $300.00 for it. She told her and the woman told her that she had rather sell it to me for less than it was worth than sell it to him. Thus I bought a Browning Belgium BAR with Leupold 4x scope for $300.00. The gun was made in 1979 and will still shoot cloverleafs at 100 yards.

All of this took place about 22 years ago I guess.

I guess it would be a Paraordnance P-14 for $350 two years ago. The seller did not have any magazines - probably had only possessed the 14-rounders that he could not legally sell in California. So I bought just the gun for that price.

Now this might sound weird, but....

My best buy was an average condition TOZ .22 5 shot bolt action that was kicking around the back of the local sports shop, 50 dollars New Zealand (about $35 US). Then (and this is the bit that makes it my best buy)...

cut the barrel back to 16 inches, shortened the stock to suit, put on a pad and a 4 power scope, and my 9 year old son absolutely murdered the local rabbit population.

Son's 11 now, and still loves that little .22. It'll keep him going until he grows into my one.

The first, was my first deer rifle. I was 14 and had just got my first buck with my dad's 30-30. I had the fever bad, but not much money. So I started working, cutting lawns, and odd painting jobs and finally saved up some money. In the mean time, I had found a Savage 116E at the local Kmart, it was ugly and had been mishandled. So I checked and checked until one day a yellow tag was on it for $139 dollars. The job then was to talk dad into buying it for me with my money. He is very practical and did not see why I needed anymore than his 30-30. So I worked on him a little and explained that I had saved $150 for a new deer rifle. He caved and bought it for me. The first thing I did was buy some stain remover, sand paper, cherry stain, and clearcote. I took the gun apart, which also drove dad nuts, and pain stakingly got the hideous stain and sealer off. Next, I sanded and sanded, when I thought it was ready, I sanded more. Finally, I got it to the point to stain. Did it by hand, with about 10 coats. Then carefully applied a satin clearcoat. Well, the cherry stain turned out really light but I kept going. In the end, it was a striking rifle. Even dad complemented me on it. I think it weighed about 6 pounds and with it being a 30-06, it kicked me silly, but I used it for 7 years until I graduated from college. Traded it even for a VXII to go on my Weatherby I was given as a graduation gift. I often wish I kept it. By the way, it would shoot into an inch at 100 yards. Drove one of my rich buddies insane that it would out shoot his $500 Ruger.

The second was a Model 1300 Pump Gun that was a teaser for a local customer appreciation day at Franklin Sports. They advertised it for $35 and that is what I paid. Brand new in box. This was in 1996 for reference. Still a broke college kid but made the switch from Mac and Cheese down to Ramen Noodles for the next few weeks.

I was working in a gun shop up at Camp Perry when I overheard a fella say he had a 6.5 barrel he never shot. Being a 6.5 fanactic I asked him what it was. He said, "Oh, it's a 6.5 JDJ know anyone that would be interested I have it out in the truck and I would really love to buy some powder and primers?" I don't know let me see it.

It was a mint 14" SSK 6.5 JDJ with T'Sob base. I gave him the $80 dollars in my pocket for it. Turned around about 3 months later and sold it for $400... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The worst one I know of was a guy my father knew who would go through the obituaries and look for men who died that he knew owned guns. He would then go to the widows and ask about buying the guns. After looking at the guns he would take out his 40 year old Gun Digest and ofer the ladies the same, or a little less, than the price listed in his book.

This crook was buying guns at 40 year old prices!

What a sweetheart......

Best deals...

Back in the 80s I had an FFL. A guy I worked with said he wanted to get a Ruger Super Blackhawk and had an old Winchester M70 that his father had bought brand new back in the 30's I believe...it had 3 rounds throgh it...for trade. I told him that the rifle was worth a lot more than a Super Blackhawk but that was the deal he insisted on..new gun for old... I think I paid $225 for the Ruger and felt so bad he wouldn't take any cash I gave him 10 boxes of ammo. And the gun was I believe a 1938 vintage M70 30-06 with the stripper clip slot in the rear receiver bridge. Put it in a friend of mines high dollar shop and it sold to some Winchester collector for $750.00.

Two years ago I walked into a shop that I do a lot of business in. They had just taken in a collection from a small estate. I got an unfired in the box 1967 S&W M27 5" for $300.00 and a Remington M600 .350 Remington Magnum for $575.00 with tax out the door. I sold the M27 because I could not bring myself to "violate" it, but the M600 has become my favorite hunting rifle.

Last winter I walked into a big shop near by and found a mint Browning M71 Carbine in .348 Winchester with a price tag of $560.00. I ended up selling it later in the summer for $900.00.

Like they say...even a blind hog fiinds an acorn one in a while.

Bob

Bob,

It sounds like you're safe because of the geographical diff.

But if we lived in the same neck of the the woods, you might just be finding yourself with a new "best friend" as I take up residence in your back pocket! Now that's what I call some good deals. Congrats.

people change the subject title when they reply? I'm probably just having a bad day, but it sure seems to break up a thread in my opinion... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

My best gun deal is described here:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads...true#Post523247

Chris