Lucky bastard............

[Trooper224]

Tonight, I met with one of my shift partners first thing. He told me that he had a few guns he'd just acquired and not being a gun guy he didn't have any idea as to what they were and they're worth. He gotten them from his aunt, who's been friends with an old time police chaplain and they'd belonged to him.

So, I meet him and he proceeds to pull out the following revolvers, all in excellent to mint condition: a 2.5 inch blued Colt Diamondback in .38 special, a blued K38 Combat Masterpiece four screw, a blued 2 inch M&P five screw, a nickel plated S&W 3rd Model Top Break in .32 S&W, with the original box and finally, a little Belgian made Bulldog. They were all in cherry condition except the K38, which showed a bit of honest holster wear and sported a set of Pachmeyer grips.

His jaw dropped when I told him what they were worth, especially the Colt. I also told him that a colonial like him couldn't possibly appreciate such fine shooting iron and he should sell them to me. My attempt was in vain. Some guys......

[Dagga Boy]

Seems to be the way the world works.....pisses me off. I get my wife's mom who's worthless husband dies and she says she wants to give me the guns he had from when "he was a cop when he was younger" (which I never believed). She tells me "he said they were really valuable....I think he said one is a Glock". Okay....so I am picture an old model 10 or a J frame and a Gen 1 Glock...which is fine. We meet up and she hands me a bag with a nickel Raven that doesn't work and some other piece of crap that makes the Raven look good. Pretty much verified the guy was full of crap. This is my luck.

[Jeep]

This is my luck.

Ahem. Let me see. At least three "beater" model 27's with 3.5 inch barrels; at least two of the nicest .44 Specials around; some gorgeous Model 19's; a bunch of nice .45 colts; an unknown--but non-trivial--number of fantastic 1911's, Registered magnums galore, etc. etc., etc., and you bemoan your "luck?"

One kind of gets the impression that you won't consider yourself "lucky" until various museums decide to give you George Patton's Registered Magnum and Frank Hamer's Baby.

[BillSWPA]

Fortunate that your friend had someone honest to tell him what they were worth.

[Dagga Boy]

Ahem. Let me see. At least three "beater" model 27's with 3.5 inch barrels; at least two of the nicest .44 Specials around; some gorgeous Model 19's; a bunch of nice .45 colts; an unknown--but non-trivial--number of fantastic 1911's, Registered magnums galore, etc. etc., etc., and you bemoan your "luck?"

One kind of gets the impression that you won't consider yourself "lucky" until various museums decide to give you George Patton's Registered Magnum and Frank Hamer's Baby.

That is actually the point.....I have to work hard at this. Scouring the back shelves of off the path gun shops, Internet forum sale ads, and staying in constant contact with other collectors. Nobody ever just hands me a big box of goodness. Now luck may be finding some guns where shops don't know what they have....but still work, and those tend to be the shops that just standing in and listening to what the counter staff is discussing is painful and a lot of work to just bite my tongue.

[Trooper224]

Yes, let's all cry for Nyeti and his terrible position.

I was expecting something along the lines of a Jennings .380 or an H&R .22, but when he opened the briefcase and the first thing I saw was set of Colt grips sticking out of an old Safariland holster, my heart skipped a beat.

[Stephanie B]

What I got when my dad passed was a shaved Webley Mk.VI and a nice little SKB 20 o/u. My brother got the Auto-5 and a bubba'd `03-A3. And, since he had young boys to train, the Single Six.

[Trooper224]

I don't consider myself a petty person, but a family situation did burn me up a little bit. My father in law was one of the finest men I've ever known. He wasn't what you'd call a man's man. He was an academic and an egronomist. He loved nothing more than to dig in the dirt and grow things. He never served a day in uniform due to severe asthma, nor was he any kind of bad ass , but he taught me more about being a man, a father and a husband than my own wretched excuse for a father ever did. (and my father is one of those real american, medal strewn bad asses from way back that so many people worship) The man was my real hero.

His own son is a retired career marine who my own father probably would have loved and someone who practically disowned my father in law once he left home. In thirty three years I've seen the guy maybe half a dozen times. Through the years he was never there for the family, I always was. When dad was dying of pretty much just being screwed over by life, he wasn't there, I was and felt glad to be there. I felt fortunate to have the man in my life since he saved me in so many ways. However, right before he died he parceled out the family guns. He wasn't a shooter but he'd taken custody of grand dads guns when he'd passed. My brother in law got everything notable and I received a rashed up old Remington 870 and a Winchester pump action .22 rifle that didn't work, all because the B in L was "the only son". I have to say, after being there for the man for over thirty years when his own "son" couldn't be bothered, I had a hard time not being really pissed, on principle.

As for last night, I was honestly a bit envious. I was happy to help my partner, as well as happy to have the chance to look over some cool guns, but I was only kidding by about a third when I told him he should sell them to me because he wouldn't appreciate them. The Diamondback was so Steve McQueen that it's cool factor was undeniable, but that 40's vintage snubby M&P was the one that really got me going. I pretty much had the same reaction I have every time Nyeti posts a pic, "That's so cool, you mother f***er."

Fortunately I just took delivery of a new set of N frame grips from Culina, so that made me feel better.

[SecondsCount]

My father had a nice collection of shotguns, a few 22 rifles, and some civil war era firearms. I am not sure where they came from but am pretty sure they were inherited. Around the time I turned 10, he decided to sell everything but a Winchester 69A bolt action 22LR. I had told him he shouldn't sell them as I liked them but he said I could have the Winchester which made me very happy, enough that I ignored the sale. Later on when I showed how serious I was about firearms, he mentioned that he regretted selling them

He and his brother fought over a little Colt cap and ball revolver that was inherited from my grandfather. It was in a neat little presentation case with accessories including a powder flask and a bullet mold. Last time I saw the gun, it was in my dad's possession but he sold it right before he died without telling me or my uncle because he needed money

[Jeep]

That is actually the point.....I have to work hard at this. Scouring the back shelves of off the path gun shops, Internet forum sale ads, and staying in constant contact with other collectors. Nobody ever just hands me a big box of goodness. Now luck may be finding some guns where shops don't know what they have....but still work, and those tend to be the shops that just standing in and listening to what the counter staff is discussing is painful and a lot of work to just bite my tongue.

Yes. In other words you made your own luck, which a long time ago a very wise man told me was the only kind of luck that one could count on.