Bowen sold at Auction

[LDB]

Don't want to pay $1000, or up to $2400 one dealer is asking, for the book? Here's a like new copy for the bargain price of $699.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1469427848...55-0&campid=5338304675&customid=&toolid=10049

 

[JAYDAWG]

Something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

And lets be real. There is ALOT of money in the world compared to 40 years ago.
Fortunes have been made in real estate, and the stock market, Business folks retiring and selling out, ect.....

Guns are cheap. Watch Barret Jackson. My 21ft 30k boat is a minnow in the marina. The place we rent on the BAJA for a few weeks is someone else's VACATION CONDO??? And I couldn't afford the fuel in the mega yachts down there.
Like I used to say while I was racing motorcycles, there is always some one faster....... There is always someone with more money.

It's all relative, and I'm relatively sure a person shouldn't judge others, and just be content where they are.

 

[Robb Barnes]

The front sight on the #5 is adjustable for height and patterned after the one Croft put on Elmer Keith's original #5 gun he built in 44 Special.

 

[Robb Barnes]

As far as the book goes, it was John Tiffin's article introducing the book by Hamilton that started me on my custom revolver journey. While I have not paid $1000 for any of the ones I have bought, I did buy one for each of my three boys along with Keiths "Sixguns" and JT;s "Single Action Sixguns" just so they had a reminder of one of their dads favorite hobbies when I am gone.

 

[Joey]

Something is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

And lets be real. There is ALOT of money in the world compared to 40 years ago.
Fortunes have been made in real estate, and the stock market, Business folks retiring and selling out, ect.....

Guns are cheap. Watch Barret Jackson. My 21ft 30k boat is a minnow in the marina. The place we rent on the BAJA for a few weeks is someone else's VACATION CONDO??? And I couldn't afford the fuel in the mega yachts down there.
Like I used to say while I was racing motorcycles, there is always some one faster....... There is always someone with more money.

It's all relative, and I'm relatively sure a person shouldn't judge others, and just be content where they are.

Gun collectors seem to fly under the radar more than, say, car collectors. Jay Leno is very open about his car collecting, and I have never heard any one refer to him as more money than sense. More money than most of us, more money sense than most of us!!

 

[Laserbait]

Some folks just must have more dollars than sense...

Very few people with "no sense" have 10 grand laying around for a purchase like that. A fool and his money are quickly separated.

 

[Tom K]

GunBroker auctions go dead after a couple of months so the links in this thread are not going to be of any use then. Just so folks in the future will know what is being talked about, here are some screenshots.

This is the original auction posted about:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1134883648

This is the other one:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1134720701

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

Bowen guns have become an investment at this point. And, I consider myself blessed to have a few in my safe.
Simply put, they are masterpieces of the gunmakers art.
Some get it, other's never will. And...That is their prerogative.
Myself, I've been around long enough to realize that I brought nothing into this world, and I shall also take nothing out of it.

 

[contender]

Robb has posted a lot of excellent info on the custom revolvers in general. And he is a perfect example of a working man who chooses to spend his money of the things HE enjoys.
And custom sixguns are something he enjoys & has owned several of.

A lot of people think it's outrageous to spend that much on a gun. But there are some excellent points to consider if you read the responses above.

Bottom line; "It's your money, your desires, and nobody else's business."

To a true craftsman like Hamilton,, I'm sure he smiles knowing people appreciate his talents to that level.

 

[twriggen]

To a true craftsman like Hamilton,, I'm sure he smiles knowing people appreciate his talents to that level.

I'm sure he's also thinking he should have charged more and he could have retired sooner.

 

[Rclark]

Bottom line; "It's your money, your desires, and nobody else's business."

+1 My only beef is the gunsmith went to all that work to make a beautiful firearm and probably tuned to perfection, and then the owner didn't shoot it (by the looks of it)! <sniff> .

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Did someone say throw money at custom guns. Well I guess I will not be going to my grave in a Brinks Truck.
Alan Harton of Single Action Services in Houston did the work on all of these and is probably just as good as Bowen if not better.

All of these have been shot in SASS matches.
Three Screw Vaqueros.

Old Armys that started life as 71/2" blued

OK I confess I like case hard and 51/2" barrels

A couple FTs that were beaters

So, I wanted 45 Colt on a mid-size frame.

 

[DGW1949]

To paraphrase Lone Watie explaining his piece of hard rock candy to Josey Wales; It ain't for shootin', it's for looking at....Just shoot it one time and it'll never be "unfired" again. Then what's it worth?...Or worse, after it's been shot enough to scratch up the cylinder (which on a NM action, don't take long)? .....just sayin' that that's how I look at this sort of thing.....But then again, I have admitted all along that I ain't a collector, and don't own anything that I don't have a use for.


DGW

 

[hittman]

There’s an ass for every seat.
Congrats to the seller.

 

[DGW1949]

Did someone say throw money at custom guns. Well I guess I will not be going to my grave in a Brinks Truck.
Alan Harton of Single Action Services in Houston did the work on all of these and is probably just as good as Bowen if not better.

Three Screw Vaqueros.
View attachment 87393

You have a lot of very nice guns, thanks for posting them again...That pair of "Three Screw Vaqueros" have always been my favorites.

DGW

 

[DGW1949]

..........The same folks that scoff at spending $10k on a custom gun will throw $1000 or more at a new phone every year, a new vehicle every three or four years, or just throw it away on beer & cigarettes.......
...........Clearly. Seems to be a lot of that going around.

You assume too much.
I neither smoke nor drink, and still use an old flip phone that cost me $28.20 a month with unlimited minutes. You may also note that I am (almost) totally devoid of vanity...What I do have however, is a good bit of common sense. Way too much to pay 10K for a sidearm regardless of who worked on it....But that's just me. You are welcome to be who you want. Just don't spout off about other folks on this forum when you don't know what you're talking about, that's all.
You may go now.

DGW

 

[Yaworski]

The same folks that scoff at spending $10k on a custom gun will throw $1000 or more at a new phone every year, a new vehicle every three or four years, or just throw it away on beer & cigarettes.

I drive a 23 year old car, carry a free phone, and I don't smoke but I wouldn't drop $10k on a pistol.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

There are two large groups of folks that have grown in the last few years, the rich (including the super rich) and the poor. The middle class just continues to shrink. Even some of those in the first group would have never thought they’d be able to spend what they want when they want. I don’t begrudge them for anything they get. The stock market and real estate market has done well since 2012 and many had the foresight to jump in, while others have been diligent for years.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

The most I ever spent on a handgun was on Colt King Cobra stainless, fully engraved. About $1,700 all said and done. It was a birthday present to myself.

 

[ChrisL]

But wait, there's more. I just don't get it.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1134720701

Well,
Hamilton Bowen is widely regarded as the premier revolver gunsmith in the world. For good reason. The cylinders are line bored. The actions are tuned to perfection. Gaps are minimal and precise. Forcing cones and throats too. Exteriors are immaculately finished.

PLUS - he is no longer accepting new projects, which immediately puts all his work in the exceptionally limited category. Think first-gen Colt SAAs ...

 

[GYJ44]

You assume too much.
I neither smoke nor drink, and still use an old flip phone that cost me $28.20 a month with unlimited minutes. You may also note that I am (almost) totally devoid of vanity...What I do have however, is a good bit of common sense. Way too much to pay 10K for a sidearm regardless of who worked on it....But that's just me. You are welcome to be who you want. Just don't spout off about other folks on this forum when you don't know what you're talking about, that's all.
You may go now.

DGW

Plenty of folks in this thread have done a lot of assuming. My comments weren't aimed at anyone in particular. How would I know? It's called a generalization, about people, in general.

I guess it's okay to "spout off" about the folks who pay $10k for a revolver though? Guess you don't worry about offending them, huh? Seems a bit hypocritical.

I drive a 23 year old car, carry a free phone, and I don't smoke but I wouldn't drop $10k on a pistol.

Some folks drive a 20yr old vehicle, use a cheap phone they keep until it breaks and generally avoid wasting money on frivolous things, just so they can spend what want they on a custom gun. It's all about priorities, not everybody's is the same.

 

[Yaworski]

Plenty of folks in this thread have done a lot of assuming

Someone's knickers are in a twist.

 

[GYJ44]

Someone's knickers are in a twist.

Some folks can dish it out but they can't take it.

 

[LDB]

If someone has $10k and has zero debt of any kind they can spend it however they want. If they have outstanding debt they can still spend it however they want but aren't too smart if they put $10k into a gun while being in debt elsewhere.

 

[Yaworski]

Some folks can dish it out but they can't take it.

Just saying that you're pretty emotionally involved with this issue.

 

[Johnnu2]

My opinion you ask... ?
I think Bowen is one of many excellent talents in the field.
I think many on the Forum could, indeed, spend $10K on a gun; however, many are either too frugal &/or have gotten the same product for less by buying either earlier &/or smarter.
I think that many have disciplined their "wants" just because that's who they are.
I think that, if I can't say anything nice, I try not to say anything at all.



J.

 

[GYJ44]

Just saying that you're pretty emotionally involved with this issue.

I'm not emotional about it at all. Where do you get that? I'm not the one who needed to denigrate people in a discussion about guns.

 

[Randyzzz]

There’s a lot one can accomplish with near unlimited funding. I have friends that spend a thousand dollars like it was a dime. I have other friends that are “well off” and carefully consider where every dollar goes. Personally, I have never been rich- a lot of folks would look at my bank accounts and shake their heads. But that’s OK- I’ve always believed that having an investment that you can use, can touch, can appreciate beats the heck out of a bunch of numbers on a spreadsheet. Anyways- I appreciate things with history, things that are finely crafted, and things that have value due to their rarity. I also believe that if something belongs to you, the only person you answer to if you decide to modify it is you.

Wyandot Jim, I absolutely love what you have done with those revolvers pictured.

 

[Yaworski]

I'm not the one who needed to denigrate people in a discussion about guns.

LOL. You need some help with reading comprehension. I simply commented that I wouldn't spend $10k on a gun. Again, you seem invested in this. Perhaps you have buyer's remorse? Or maybe you're afraid that your wife will find out.

 

[Mitch47]

There’s an ass for every seat.
Congrats to the seller.

IMHO that's a bit bold for a moderator.
How about "That's why there is Chocolate and Vanilla"