I walked into a local gun shop today without a single thought of buying a rifle. Sitting the rack was a familiar shape. It was a Mauser sporter. Slim, engraved, color case hardened small ring 98, solid rib, double set triggers, and as plain a piece of walnut as has ever been put on a rifle. I had to look at it. When I did I realized that it was a rifle I had sold probably 30 years ago in a fit of youthful stupidity. For years I have wished I would run across it again. That rifle was light as a feather and pointed well enough you could almost shoot quail with it! It hasn't changed a bit. Dang if it didn't follow me home. I know exactly where it is going to be on opening day of deer season and I have nine months to re develop those loads. I wish everybody, that has sold one and wished they hadn't, could have a day like this one.

That's way cool. I've sold a few I'd like to have back.

Getting your old rifle back is terrific!

I sold a mess of rifles & handguns a few years back when we had some tough times financially. Truly do wish I had a couple of 'em back, but they're long gone.

Guy

A tang safety ruger 458 win.

A couple... Rem 700 in 6 mm and a Browning BAR in 30-06 come to mind.

good for you for finding that one. Ato one point or another I have kicked myself for every rifle I have sold.

Too many times to count....

Divorce is not the friend of a good rifle collection.

But with my new bide of 8 years, my safe is not as hungry as it once was. I just added a nice Sako 85 SS 338 fed.

CLB

i traded in a browning a-bolt II in for a win model 70 coyote in 308 win. i have no clue what possessed me to do it. that browning was chambered in 270 win. and grouped 1/2 inch all day every day. i kept the win model 70 for about a month before getting a marlin guide gun in 45/70. why do i have to get bored with firearms so quick???? -keith

Not as cool a story, but I sold my first rifle, a Marlin M60, to a family friend 25yrs ago when I was still a kid to help fund a 12g pump. Bought it back last year - just slightly worse for wear. My 7 old now shoots it when we go to the range.

I let a 99-300 Savage pre war model get away. Could not miss with that rifle.

about a 1000 or more times. Like the brand new still in the wood crate in brown paper packed in selsor 45-90 Win 86..it was given to me as a kid at the El Paso Stock Yards by Bowie Cline..I cut a fat hog some years later and sold it for $150, and that was the beginning of many years of gun trading. today that gun would be worth half a million at least, then the H&H Deluxe .470 double for $2000, it was a wall hanger back then, no ammo or brass available, sold it for what I paid for it..

Sounds terrible but $150 was a bundle back then and $2000 would buy you a new new car or pickup.

YEAH! An Ed Brown Savanna in 30-06!!! I didn't lose any money selling it 'cause I got a great price on it in the first place. However, I would pay $400 more than what I sold it for in order to have it back!!

Which of any of us true rifle loonelys hasn't?

I am: "Guilty as charged"!

How often I think of a certain Remington Mod: 660 in 6.5 Rem Mag, I sold so I could finance a M-700 in cal same. Still have the M700, 30 years later, But in truth, I liked the M-660 better.

I now have a M673 to replace the M-660, but if I ever come across a certain M-660 (serial #1019xx) The serial # is engraved on my brain... You can bet it will return from whence it came...

Edw...

A Ruger 77RS carbine in 358 Win, that I bought NIB in
Ft Hood, TX and sold it two years later when I was "bored"
with it. Ah, to be young again.

Who hasn't???


If a fit of boredom........or the want to buy something else.........I think this is one thing all members here have in common!

I've regretted selling so many firearms that I can't even count them anymore. But just a couple of weeks ago I bought back a .410 side-by-side that I sold to a guy several years ago. I hope I never get dumb enough to sell it again!

Grats Mathsr.

Yeah, the one I wish I had back wasn't anything too special (Mohawk 600 in .308) except it was my first CF and handled about as well as anything I've ever used - shot 1" groups to boot.

<kicks self again>

There is a PF Featherweight 270 with a highly figured stock that shoots bugholes with about anything. I miss her!

"I walked into a local gun shop today without a single thought of buying a rifle".

Sure you did! That's my story too!

Mathsr what caliber? Any close up photos - that's a very nice looking rifle.

Cheers, Chris

Did the same thing 3 weeks ago. I had sold my 243 and it had bothered me, since I sold it, so walked in and bought a new one on the spur of the moment.

Congrats. Still hoping I'll get a good one back. Somebody wrote this somewhere, but it's applied to me at times. "I could turn a matched set of cased Parkers into a Mossberg pump in about three trades."

You bet I have. I sold a 700 Classic in 7mag that shot bug holes because I thought I needed something else. Not very many days go by without kicking myself.

Nope

yes .... kinda

Rockdoc it's an 8x57mm. I have attached a couple of pictures. It has some engraving on the action, but it is the type of engraving that looks better it you don't get too close if you know what I mean. It is in good shape and the bore looks great. There is no provision for a scope which is fine with me because a scope would change the way it handles completely. One thing that I do remember is that with its light weight and thin stock it kicks enough that you will remember you shot it, but it is still just fun to shoot. Because of where I will be using it and the iron sights, I'll load it down so that it is about like a 35 Remington.

43Shooter I am talented that way too. I can't remember how many times I have said "I'll never do that again".

Yes, a pre-64 Model 70FWT .30-06. Shot good. Most unlucky rifle I have ever owned. Sold it, bought it back, and it was still unlucky so it went away again. Probably would buy it back to give it one more chance, but I kind of hope it never pops up.

+1

A push feed M70 with a Shilen 300Wby barrel and the most breathtaking sunburst factory stock you will ever hope to see. Sold it because I was broke and wanted something else. Oh how I would love to have it back!

Many, the most accurate SOB I've ever sold:



Sisk, 7mm Mag, shot everything incredibly well. Should have put on an Edge, and sold all the rest...................

Thanks Mathsr. Looks a nice rifle - nice stock shape. Looks like would be nice to shoot with iron sights. I don't know the weight, but can't imagine you'd want it any heavier. Cheers, Chris

Just about every single time:

Old Winchester pump 6? .22
Sporterized Mauser 98
Ruger .22 pistol

^^^ Dad's guns, figured I would never shoot them <<< dumbass!

Win 52B

Sold to a buddy and he paid a fair price. He is like family and would probably give me a buyback option if he had to sell. That is a badass .22

Rem 7, blue/walnut 7-08
Win FWT blue/walnut 7-08
Marlin 1894 44mag
Savage 16 in 308
Ruger 1A in 243

Savage 16 S/S 270WSM

^^^ thought about keeping it but I have Win Extreme 270WSM on the way and I just made two impulse buys in the last month. maybe not, didn't lose much money.

Nope, never have. I hang on to the good ones and get rid of the dogs.

BTW, have you guys seen the rifles I have for sale in the classifieds??

Just kidding.

Sold a Model 7 SS in .308 Win that pointed like a fine shotgun. Shot Winchester 168 grain Ballistic Sivertips into a single hole for 3 shots then would open up to about an inch for shots 4 & 5.

I have a Standard Ruger 77 Mk II in .30-06 the will shoot pretty consistenly 1" 5 shot groups using either 180 grain Core-Lokts or 180 grain Federal Hi-Shoks. Needless to say, I learned my lesson and this one will be staying with me.

Very nice. Kind of like reaching into the past and correcting a mistake. As one who firmly believes in 2nd chances it makes me smile.

In my own experience I have never sold one only to regret it later. I have, however, bought one and wished I hadn't at a later date.

Thankfully that only happened once or twice. But it is the reason I am the old curmudgeon, OK it is more like 'slipping into middle age slowly' curmudgeon, who always counsels the measure twice and cut once philosophy to gun buying.

Will

I have a few that I would like to have back... grin

ruger m77 tang safety 30-06 . really wasnt anything special about the gun but it was the last 30-06 I have owned and every year before my annual trek to colorado to elk hunt I think how it would kill elk just as well as my 300 wsm I bought to replace it. gave one to my oldest son I wish I had kept my mouth shut about . remington 700 mtn 270 that would shoot any 150 grn handload into the same group at 100 yds . ordered a new browning abolt 7mm08 for him for high school graduation and when he got his choice of it or anything I had he took the remington . smart boy!

I had that momentary lapse of reason when I sold my first rifle I bought when I was 14. I am now 51 and still mourn the loss of that Rem 700 BDL in 308 Win. I replaced it last year with a like model and it is just as beloved as if it were the exact same gun.

Turned 21 and just had to buy a handgun so I sold a tang Ruger in 6mm to a relative who was just starting to hunt. He's still got it and doesn't hunt anymore, I keep hoping that someday he'll call and want to get rid of it.

At least I still have the handgun.

Dale

I've sold a few rifles to fund builds or just to raise funds for another purchase. If the rifle was a good shooter, then I later regreted selling it. Sometimes I just dont want to wait until I save up enough money to buy something so I sell one of the old boreing rifles out of the safe.

I've been pretty fortunate over the years in that while there are a few guns I wish I could have back......I can't really say that I regret any trade or sale I've ever made. The secret is to consider the circumstances at the time and ask yourself, "If I had it to do over again....would I"??

In my younger days I was married with children to raise and thus often broke. I was a real "gun nut" from a VERY early age, so since I had no money, I became a "wheeler-dealer"-gun trader of the frist order. I spent a number of years constantly swaping and trading just to try something new and different. I sometimes "made" money (by the "book value").....sometimes not....but never really "regreted" a single trade. It almost always worked out for me.

I once traded a factory engraved Remington 870 (don't remember the Model exactly but it had really nice game scenes engraved on the reciever) for a ......Steven's 5100 double shotgun....this was the model with plastic stocks. I "lost" a lot of money "by the book" on that one and truely wish I could have that 20 ga. 870 back. However.....I got what I wanted at the time.....a 12 ga., double shotgun.

And as it turned out that old Stevens was perhaps the best shotgun I ever owned. It was light (6 1/2 pounds) and "killed" as well at both ends (damn that gun kicked hard). It WOULD however, shoot sooooo well. Choked full & fuller, it would keep EVERY pellet from a load of #4 Buckshot in a 20" circle at 40 yards (not guessing....patterned many times) EVERY time. This was REALLY important in the early 70's when we ran deer with dogs in East Texas. And it would hammer a duck at 60+ yards......back before the days of "steel" shot force on us by an oppressive Federal government. I DO wish I had that one back too even though it was "ugly" and "cheap".

I also remember selling a pair of guns as a "set" that I would like to have back. I had a Flattop Ruger 44 Magnum with a 15xx serial number and a Marlin 336 "Texian" also chambered in 44 Magnum. The Marlin was a bit odd (as I discovered later) as it NEVER had any issues as to feeding the short .44 Magnum in the 336 action as most did. I did know that both guns were becoming "collector" arms and got a good price for the pair (I just never realized just how much they would eventually be worth).

As I recall I got something like $850 (quite a bit of change in those days) for the pair in the late 70's and though I didn't want to sell either.....I was young and broke and REALLY needed the money to pay for my daughter's tuition into an exclusive private school.

Would I do it again???? In a heartbeat....the best investment I ever made for my kids. Would I like to have those guns back....ohhhhh yeah. Kind of worked out as I "found" another Flattop Ruger 44 with an even lower serial number (107x) for a great price.....but have never found another 336 in .44 Magnum that was in my price range.

The only guns I remember that I truely "regret" getting rid of were not actually mine. When my father and I first got our FFL's and started a gun business our "stock" was the guns we already owned at the time. Two of those were guns that my father "owned" and were put in our shop....before we were able to buy/trade for more guns.

One was an L.C. Smith 12 Ga. that was the only gun I've ever handled that was as good as the Stevens 5100 I owned. It was a "killer" of the first order.....a legend in our area as a deer killer and would "regularly" knock out squirrels at 60 yards or more. Somehow sold/traded for something else in our early days in the buisness.

The second was Ruger 44 Carbine in the "sporter" style (full tight pistol grip and finger groove forearm (no barrel band). This was a gun I used as a very young man and my mother's first deer gun. It too was sold/ traded in those early days.

Since those days I've replaced the Ruger with a "standard" 44 Carbine, but not that "Sporter" and not THAT gun. I also have another L.C. Smith, but it's not as "tight" shooting and not "The Legend".

Still, if I was once again starting up a gun shop with my father.....I'd likely do the same thing. Even if I do wish I had both back today.

Have been guilty of that more than I like to admit.
I've never been lucky enough to buy one of them back. Great story. Classic Mausers are timeless. Enjoy. E

I sold my Remington 581 22LR that I used on my High School rifle team. I was one of the few or one that couldn't afford a real target model. IIRC I did OK with it. Sold it in the late 70's for $30.... and it was in very nice shape.

I needed the money? How pathetic. Otherwise, I've sold/traded a few rifles a year since 2002 and haven't missed any.

Yep...all of 'em.

Yes...an M70 Classic Sporter SS/Walnut 30-06.

Only two guns I've gotten rid of were a pair of 870 12 gauges that I traded on a 300 savage 99. Kind of wish I still had 1 for beating up in the turkey woods, but my Beretta will work. At the moment I don't plan on getting rid of anything else, read too many threads like this of sellers remorse. When I look through the safe, I don't see anything I want to get rid of anyways, whether practical or sentimental reasons, I'm keeping them all.

I had to sell a Remington 788 .308 with 18.5 in. barrel. I bought it brand new when the 788 was discontinued for $139.00. Gun always hit where I was shooting and fit me well. But my ex needed dental work and I sold it. The guy promised to give me a chance to buy it back if he decided to sell it but instead he unloaded it to a gun shop that I have always hated. When I saw it again the perfectly good trigger had been replaced with a Canjar target triger that had no safety and went off if anything jarred the gun. I tried to get it back but they wanted $350 without the trigger and $450 with it. After the "gunsmith" had screwed with it and replacement parts costing a small fortune I just could not justify the cost. I miss it but my VZ-24 .270 is lighter and just as good a shooter. Though if it crossed my path for about $200...

Have to agree with tzone on this one, "yep, all of them". Never really had a "bad" gun, that being said I haven't touched a browning.........

Well, I've let go a few I think about at times.
But I find much comfort in what I do own. Some are guns I never dreamed I would find OR afford.
I'm honestly blessed with plenty of tools. I just hope the same can be said for time afield.

I have five that I really wish that I would not have sold. Remington 700 BDL 243, Winchester 97 12 ga, Winchester 22 pump, Winchester single shot break open 22 Horrnet, and TC 50 call flint lock. There are 3 others that I really do not care about.

A few years back, I built a Ruger 77 tang safety in 416 Taylor. In her first version, my gunsmith made the comment that 'She's one fat rifle.' That's the day she got her name. I needed money and the price was right. She moved to Louisana. I remember a friend telling me that I would regret it, if I ever sold that rifle. I've regretted it from the day I put it in the box. A week ago, Butch, the fellow I sold it to agreed to sell her back to me. I don't think I've been this excited about a gun since I bought my first one, a 32 Special, back in 1961. The 'Fat Chick' is coming home.
Bfly

Two I would love to regain; a 1953 mfg Pre-64 M70FW in .308 WIN, a very nice rifle and a 1968 mfg post-64 M70 in .30-06 SPRG that I bought from a high school buddy whose Dad owned a local hardware store, my buddy has since passed on.

I can think of only 2. A Marlin mod of 1936 32sp and a Win. m-1 carb.

I can think of several that I wish I still had, but I'd rather not it kinda makes Me feel ill ..........................547.

I had a nice scoped Rem 760 pump in .30-06 that would shoot in a little over an inch. I sold it to a friend of a friend that turned out to be a real Pr*ck. I always regretted that sell.

Mine was my first M70- a pre-war .270 that put 110 Sierras into one small hole @ 100 yards.

I sold it to an older friend after his was stolen.