Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Handguns You Wish You'd Bought...

I've bought almost every handgun I ever wanted, shot them and learned from them, then moved them down the road. Not many I'd care to have back again. The ones that don't come and go are a 4" Model 29-2, a 5.5" Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt, a couple of good 22s, and a couple of 9mm Glocks.


Okie John

Have quite a few handguns but can't think of one I regret not buying.

Only have two shotguns (a 100 year old Iver Johnson Firearms and Bicycle Works 12 ga. that belonged to my Grandfather and a Remington 870 3-1/2" 12 Mag). Can't think of one I regret not buying.

Can't say the same for rifles. There are two that stick in my mind and probably always will. Beautiful, pre-war sporterized German Mauser (8mm) in excellent shape and a Ruger boat-paddle/stainless .270 Win. $225 for the first, $320 for the second.and I stupidly passed on both.

Oof, that's nice.....I have a six-inch but still looking for n affordable 4 -inch.

The list I sold is a few orders of magnitude larger than ones never bought:

Colt Woodsman
Colt Series 70 1911
Belgium Browning Challenger ($75 in 1969)
Python 8 3/8"
Model 63's (more than one)
Smith 60-4 (3" adj. sights .38)
and on and on

The increased value would be nice but they were sold because they weren't getting shot that much and wouldn't get shot that much today anyway.

The only one I regret not buying is a Browning Hi-Power when they were being made and could be had for a reasonable cost. These days prices for decent ones easily top a thousand bucks. They always fit my hand about as well as anything out there, and the ones with an ambidextrous safety would still make a very viable carry gun.

Back in the mid '90s a number of arsenal refinished Lugers had come into the country from somewhere in Eastern Europe, as had some well-worn Mauser Broomhandles. I can remember seeing both priced at around $500, give or take, but while I was sorely tempted, I had a young family and had to pass....

None that I wish I had bought, but there is sure one I wish I hadn't sold- A Colt Python Hunter, complete as a kit with scope, cleaning rod, manual, and aluminum carry case, .357 Magnum.
I decided that I needed more than .357 for my hunting, and sold it for a bit more than I paid for it- it's now worth 5-6x original price. Bummer.

I bought the Delta. It was okay. Just one of many 10mm's I owned in the 90's. Perhaps the weakest of the lot.

I've had two or three Pythons over the years. They were okay. When they really started to take off, I had one offered to me for $1100. I thought it was high. It was in decent shape-nothing special and had the grips replaced with Pachmayers. By today's standards, it was a real buy.

325 Nightguard....wouldn't mind picking up a 325 Thunder Ranch but the Nightguard is a "wish I'd bought"

For other than financial gain, I really cant think of of a pistol that I wish I'd bought that I didn't, or could rectify the mistake by ordering or bidding on today.

Well, other than my dads bring back Luger that we butted heads over & it got away. But that's a hell of a lot deeper than a purchase not completed.

I bought the Delta. It was okay. Just one of many 10mm's I owned in the 90's. Perhaps the weakest of the lot.
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At the time... early 90s is as close as I can guess.... the D E 10 mm and other 10s were hot items.
I eventually got over it and then learned a few years later that some 10 autos couldn't hold up to the pressure.

For my purpose I "would have" loaded the 10 to 40 S W specs >> water-- bridge.

I recently picked up a M P 40 Shield in 40 SW. I won't be shooting it excessively... the MP 40 is what it is. I like it and shoot it well. Happy Camper

Jerry

Ruger Single-Six Convertible back in the mid 1970's when they were $130.00, but I was only making around $10,000.00/year back then and $130.00 was a lot of money for a man with two kids.

An acquaintance offered to sell me his mint TLA #5 for $1200

At the time they were going for $1600+ on Gunbroker, so I told him he should sell it there, because I'm a nice guy. You know where they finish.

Now they sell for at least twice that.

I bought mine new from Bill Grover in 1994 after a tour of his shop and a long talk about what other stuff he had in the works. Truly a memorable afternoon. I took delivery four months later. A beautifully made piece that sold new for $985.

Back in the early eighties, while on a deer hunt in Mississippi, one of the guys I was hunting with told me of a revolver he wanted to sell. It was in his truck! A six and a half inch S&W M29, like new in the box with all that came with it. He said he shot six rounds and decided it was too much gun for him. He wanted $350 for it. I thought “hell, I can buy a brand new one for that and have money left over!” But not like that one!!! Wish I had bought that one.

I had one, it spit lead all over me. I sent it back to S&W and it came back worse. It was a mess. I swapped it for a good autopistol that didn't spit lead out the barrel/cylinder gap, as it had none.

Many I had........wish I'd kept........rifles too. Oh well, can't afford them all, and only can shoot one at a time....well maybe 2

Wish for a C96 broom handle from when they were waaaayyyy cheaper than now. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Browsing through a pawn ship in NC, 2004...spotted a 3 inch (yes 3 inch, not 2½') Colt Python in a case for $1k. I knew it to be rare, looked at it, and thought, that's a great deal, I should grab it...but look around to see if there is anything else. I walk away from the case, and after maybe 30 seconds say to myself, "grab that Python". I turn around, just in time to see another guy holding it, with a big grin on his face, saying "I'll take it!"

At GB right now, the cheapest 3" Python has been bid up to $5k with several days left on the auction. 3-4 of them are over $14k

Colt Diamondback .22 LR 4”