Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Guns you should have grabbed, but walked.

I recently picked up an original, unconverted Bearcat .. 1966 manufacture I think. It's nice, about 6 ounces lighter than the current ones. Does not quite shoot to point of aim. I improved the accuracy a bit by fire lapping it. Looks like it was carried a lot and shot very little. Once I find a 5-1/2" barreled single six I'll probably sell the Bearcat.

Winchester 95s in .30-40 were the family go-to for a my great grandfathers', grandfathers', and father's generations. My father has 4 of them. He doesn't shoot 'em much. I bought up a small pile of WW and Rem brass over the years knowing that either I'll inherit them (no rush, please) or maybe borrow dad's dad's rifle and work on it. Couple of them are older guns with a military background and are somewhat shot out. That one was a commercial rifle, is in good shape, just needs the fore-end repaired a little 'cause it's loose .. probably too much oil on the wood softened it and the screw has sunk past the wood.

I had one of those English Ultralights and swapped it for a Mini-14. I still regret that bone-headed move.
As far as guns I should have grabbed, but walked.
When I was about 19 my neighbor's wife passed away. Old German lady, she was a hunter, fisherman etc. I had just started deer hunting the year before, so her husband called me & asked me to come over. We had never been allowed to even walk on the sidewalk in front of their house without getting yelled at so I was a little apprehensive to say the least.
Anyway, he has a 6 gun cabinet in the front room and offered me all the guns and the cabinet for $200. 200 DOLLARS!
I had never had that much money in my life ad I figured it was just a bunch of old stuff, so I passed. I can only imagine what was in there. Old Winchesters, Parkers? I still kick my own butt over that deal.

700 bdl 7mm/08 standard barrel (not varmit special) was $475 on a table at a gun show and i didnt buy it dumb dumb dumb 586 smith and wesson 6" barrel mint no box $400 had it in my hands and passed cause i already had one 338win mag model 70 classic stainless $400 sitting on a rack in a gun show passed caused i thought it was too much gun (with 458 win mag and 375 h&h mags in the stable now)

I forgot about the Ithaca 37's. I dreamed of a20 gauge back then.

A 7x57 in Featherweight - got my 30-06 instead tho 🤷🏻‍♂️

a Savage model 99 in 22 Hi power. Very nice shape . $125 dollars. gun shop talked me out of it as he said you can't find shells for it. This was back in the 80's. Still hate that guy

A Marlin 1894 41mag. in a pawn shop, thought he was asking too much for it so I passed on the deal.
Traded a Beretta BM59 for a Savage 99C in 284 Win and a few days later went back and tried to buy the Beretta back and the guy just laughed.

Bunch of years back at a gun show I missed out on a S&W Triple Lock . Fellow had several in the $475-$650 range but I was low on cash . I offered to trade a two tone Colt 70 Series 9mm with an extra barrel in 9x23 Winchester . He liked the the Colt but said he didn't know enough about them to be comfortable trading . Never saw him again and now TL's bring thousands instead of hundreds .

Also messed up on the .250 Savage carbines Ruger made a few years back . Went in the local gun shop one day and they had six , three in 6.5x55 and 3 in .250 Savage . I left with a 6.5x55 intending to go back later in the week for a .250 . Bad move , should have put one on hold as they sold out in two days and never got any more . Don't regret getting the 6.5 first but I sure wish I hadn't missed the .250 . Wish they would make another run in .250 Savage and some in 7x57 also .

Biggest regret, Ruger Redhawk 5.5" 45 Colt for 550. I wanted it to complete the trio of 41/44/45 5.5"

Didn't know at the time it was an extremely small production run. Last time I found one it was 1500 with bids still climbing

A used NULA in 308 with a stainless barrel. I could see copper in the barrel and the stock paint was worn smooth in spots. Plus I had just bought a Fieldcraft.

But it was only $999 on the used rack at Cabelas...

Did they make a 5.5" in 357 magnum? I've seen Redhawks in 357 but it has been a long time since.

Remington Model 7 KS and FS. I looked at racks of them figuring I'd find used after a while. Never happened. Should of bought one in every chambering.

New on the gun store rack Remington 700 LVSF in 7mm08. I passed on it because the same thing in 308 was on sale right next to it. I should have bit the bullet and gone home with both.

2018 Shot Show Browning long range left hand 6.5 CM At SAS’s shop. Handled it three times. But passed. Have never seen another one like it.

There have been a few, but the one I still think about occasionally was pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester .375 H&H I could have purchased for $375 around 1975. Simply could not come up with the money then, as $375 in 1975 is equivalent to around $2000 today, and I was young and a $200 rifle was about all I could afford, and not often.

Haven't passed up on many for a while now. This is the latest, a Griffin & Howe Springfield made in the early 1930s. Have wanted a G&H Springfield for a long time, but all I ran across had pretty plain wood. This one doesn't.

Not buying all of the SS Mountain Guide rifles @ the local Gander when they closed them out for $449. I got a 7-08 for myself but left several 243’s and maybe one 22-250.

List is too long to type out, needless to say there have been a few

The only shotgun I truly wanted was never available to me.

I wanted Burton Spiller's 20 gauge Parker gifted to him by Gorham Cross IIRC written about so wonderfully by William Tapply. When I heard the gun had sold at auction I rued not having researched its whereabouts and obtaining the wall of money to outbid the competition.

Thought it might be fun to have Spiller's little 20 laying across my lap blanket as I read Evans, Spiller, and Granpa Grouse whilst sipping a little amber liquid with a splash of water.

I regret my misspent youth. Cheers to whoever owns it!

I left a Mauser in 8x68S in a gun store once. Asking price was $275. Went back later that day to grab it and some guy was doing the paperwork on it when I walked in. Passed on a Husqvarna in 9.3x57 once on a road trip and the asking price for that was less than $200. Passed on a Darne 12 Ga with the sliding breech once. Should have grabbed all 3.

Walking a small local gun show, I spied what was obviously a 700 ks. It had a West German Ziess 3x9 scope.
I looked at the tag of 950.00. The caliber was 7 mag. At the time I had 3.
Asked the dealer the back story on rifle. Now I know you hear all kinds of tales. He was pretty green. Told me he was selling for a widow, whose husband had recently passed away.
Believing what he told me, I told him what he had and at the time the scope alone was worth at least half of his asking price.
Never saw a tag removed from a trigger guard so quickly and a rifle removed from the table. Hasbeen
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