Pistols you regret NOT buying.

[lwt16]

I had always heard other cops getting offers to buy guns from family members of recently deceased old timers. I had heard story after story of smoking good deals (as in, one guy got an AR 15 and a case of ammo for 100.00) and always swore that if I ever had that kind of opportunity, I'd jump like a frog on a lily pad.

Well, several years ago, I was stuck on desk duty (we take turns) and there is nothing good about desk duty. It was a Saturday and I had this little old lady come in the door carrying a brown paper sack....the type of sack the groceries used to get bagged in.

She was well dressed and groomed and she came up to the desk and placed that sack on the table in front of me. I could hear a slight thud as she rested it there. She told me that her husband was in WW II and he had recently passed away. She was cleaning out his things and found this sack.........so I took hold of it and peered inside.

1911A1. Colt roll marked.

I retrieved it and checked it. It was in Condition 3 (full mag of 230 grainers) and an empty chamber. Finish was excellent to mint and I locked the slide back and checked the barrel. It too, looked factory fresh.

Me: "Wow, this is in great condition! Did he shoot it much?"

She told me that he never shot it.....that he wasn't a hunter or shooter and that she had no idea he had it in his possession. She told me he was in the US Army and that he must have brought it home from the war.

So I asked her what she wanted us to do with it and she said she wanted to give it away and asked if I was a "shooter".

Rapid pulse rate kicked in, heavy breathing, sweat, nausea.........yeah, I bet I flushed redder than a harlot in a church.

Then.........the better side of me kicked in right before I said "I'LL TAKE IT!!!!"

We have a small veteran's museum here in town and I told her about it. She asked me how she should go about getting in contact with them and I told her I would take care of it. I called them and asked them if they would be interested in it. Of course, they said yes.

So I gave her directions down there. As far as I know, it's still in a display case down there. I've seen it a couple of times and the good part of me is glad it is there instead of in my safe.

So regret is not the correct word.....but I would have loved to have squeezed off a few with it.

Regards.

[Sigfan26]

Beretta Steel 1 for $1200.

[Cheap Shot]

I had always heard other cops getting offers to buy guns from family members of recently deceased old timers. I had heard story after story of smoking good deals (as in, one guy got an AR 15 and a case of ammo for 100.00) and always swore that if I ever had that kind of opportunity, I'd jump like a frog on a lily pad.

Well, several years ago, I was stuck on desk duty (we take turns) and there is nothing good about desk duty. It was a Saturday and I had this little old lady come in the door carrying a brown paper sack....the type of sack the groceries used to get bagged in.

She was well dressed and groomed and she came up to the desk and placed that sack on the table in front of me. I could hear a slight thud as she rested it there. She told me that her husband was in WW II and he had recently passed away. She was cleaning out his things and found this sack.........so I took hold of it and peered inside.

1911A1. Colt roll marked.

I retrieved it and checked it. It was in Condition 3 (full mag of 230 grainers) and an empty chamber. Finish was excellent to mint and I locked the slide back and checked the barrel. It too, looked factory fresh.

Me: "Wow, this is in great condition! Did he shoot it much?"

She told me that he never shot it.....that he wasn't a hunter or shooter and that she had no idea he had it in his possession. She told me he was in the US Army and that he must have brought it home from the war.

So I asked her what she wanted us to do with it and she said she wanted to give it away and asked if I was a "shooter".

Rapid pulse rate kicked in, heavy breathing, sweat, nausea.........yeah, I bet I flushed redder than a harlot in a church.

Then.........the better side of me kicked in right before I said "I'LL TAKE IT!!!!"

We have a small veteran's museum here in town and I told her about it. She asked me how she should go about getting in contact with them and I told her I would take care of it. I called them and asked them if they would be interested in it. Of course, they said yes.

So I gave her directions down there. As far as I know, it's still in a display case down there. I've seen it a couple of times and the good part of me is glad it is there instead of in my safe.

So regret is not the correct word.....but I would have loved to have squeezed off a few with it.

Regards.

Respect

[Bigghoss]

I had always heard other cops getting offers to buy guns from family members of recently deceased old timers. I had heard story after story of smoking good deals (as in, one guy got an AR 15 and a case of ammo for 100.00) and always swore that if I ever had that kind of opportunity, I'd jump like a frog on a lily pad.

Well, several years ago, I was stuck on desk duty (we take turns) and there is nothing good about desk duty. It was a Saturday and I had this little old lady come in the door carrying a brown paper sack....the type of sack the groceries used to get bagged in.

She was well dressed and groomed and she came up to the desk and placed that sack on the table in front of me. I could hear a slight thud as she rested it there. She told me that her husband was in WW II and he had recently passed away. She was cleaning out his things and found this sack.........so I took hold of it and peered inside.

1911A1. Colt roll marked.

I retrieved it and checked it. It was in Condition 3 (full mag of 230 grainers) and an empty chamber. Finish was excellent to mint and I locked the slide back and checked the barrel. It too, looked factory fresh.

Me: "Wow, this is in great condition! Did he shoot it much?"

She told me that he never shot it.....that he wasn't a hunter or shooter and that she had no idea he had it in his possession. She told me he was in the US Army and that he must have brought it home from the war.

So I asked her what she wanted us to do with it and she said she wanted to give it away and asked if I was a "shooter".

Rapid pulse rate kicked in, heavy breathing, sweat, nausea.........yeah, I bet I flushed redder than a harlot in a church.

Then.........the better side of me kicked in right before I said "I'LL TAKE IT!!!!"

We have a small veteran's museum here in town and I told her about it. She asked me how she should go about getting in contact with them and I told her I would take care of it. I called them and asked them if they would be interested in it. Of course, they said yes.

So I gave her directions down there. As far as I know, it's still in a display case down there. I've seen it a couple of times and the good part of me is glad it is there instead of in my safe.

So regret is not the correct word.....but I would have loved to have squeezed off a few with it.

Regards.

You're a better man than I. Maybe I would have loaned it to the museum after taking it for a spin.

[Cheap Shot]

Was looking at purchasing my first pistol many, many years ago. Narrowed it down to a Colt Python or a SS Ruger Security Six. Bought the Ruger to save a few bucks.

Not a pistol but it still hurts enough I need to share my pain. Father had a Browning Belgian made BAR in 30-06. I really, really liked that rifle and still do. However, again because every dollar mattered in my late teens/early twenties I bought a Remington 742 to save a few bucks.

There really should be a support group for this.....

[lwt16]

You're a better man than I. Maybe I would have loaned it to the museum after taking it for a spin.

Eh, probably would have been an ethics violation to do so.

My grandfather was wounded in that conflict.......Pacific theater......so out of respect it was the right thing to do.

Still stings though. lol.....like a decade later.

[Dagga Boy]

A few years ago I had a shot at a nice S&W 4506 for $550. Wanted one ever since The Shield, they just look cool. I offered $500 and he wouldn't come down that far.

I have a Fresno PD one sitting in the safe with your name on it when you are ready. Just let me know

Haven't seen one in person in forever and they are crazy expensive on GB. But I always wish I'd bought a Steyr GB back in the 80's or 90's.


photo courtesy of yankee gun nuts dot com.

Thank the Lord you didn't. They were horrible as far as reliability. Sort of a neat gun at the time the just didn't work out as far as actually working all the time.

[Totem Polar]

3" S&W CS-1.
A buddy’s blued, German Walther TPH.

That’s about it, really.

[45dotACP]

My dad used to work at a hardware store and at one point they were selling two consecutively numbered Colt Pythons as a set.

Me personally...I probably should have bought a 2" model 10 at a LGS that was going for 250 bucks.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[psalms144.1]

I was walking around a gun show in Houston way back in prehistory (early-mid 90s). An older gent had a couple of tables, and on one was a Colt Python 4" blued beauty on which he'd hung a price tag of $400. Of course, I didn't have cash on me, and he wasn't interested in anything I had to trade. By the time I made it to the ATM and back, it was gone - biggest gun miss of my life...