Finding deals . . .

[Yaworski]

The thread about "Would you buy . . .? got me to thinking. I've run across a couple decent deals in my time but never absurd ones and I've never had a friend or coworker say "Here, I don't need this" and give me a nice gun.

The only gun that I was ever given was the Stevens .22 target rifle that my father got after the war. There are no fond childhood memories of it because I was never even allowed to see it as a kid. But that's a whole 'nother story.

Back in the 80s there was a guy on my bullseye team who told me that a friend of his had just given him an army footlocker filled with pistols. Why? He'd brought them back from the war and they were just taking up space. Mausers, Walthers, Berettas, and so on.

I did have a coworker who told me that he had his father's service pistol from the war and he didn't want it. I offered to buy it but he gave it to the police because he "didn't want it killing children." His father was in the OSS.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Well maybe the reason people don't give you guns is because they just don't like you.
My friend and neighbor who died of cancer gave me a few. A 1917,1943, and a 1953 Colt 1911s, M1 Carbine and a Paratrooper M1 carbine, H&R 45-70 Officer Model Trapdoor, 1957 Custom Model 70 Winchester in 30-06.

 

[Yaworski]

Well maybe the reason people don't give you guns is because they just don't like you.

That's a distinct possibility.

When my brother died, he owned a couple guns. Nothing fancy, Hungarian Hi Power copy and a Derringer. I wanted to buy them from the estate but every time that I'd bring up the subject with my sister-in-law, she'd dance away from the topic.

 

[protoolman]

I'd give you my beat up old RG .22 but I gave it away to someone I didn't like very much.

 

[GypsmJim]

The thread about "Would you buy . . .? got me to thinking. I've run across a couple decent deals in my time but never absurd ones and I've never had a friend or coworker say "Here, I don't need this" and give me a nice gun.

It DID happen to me. A coworker gave me his father's deer hunting shotgun. He knew I was a shooter / hunter and he had no use for it.

Well, actually it was a trade. I gave him my frequent flyer miles that would have expired before I would have ever used them anyway.

 

[bedfordboy]

I’ve never won anything but… I have been gifted a Remington 788 in 7-08, several shotguns (CBC .410, JC Higgins 20ga bolt action and a Steven’s dbl barrel 12ga) and a S&W 6904 9mm NIB so I guess at least a few people like me.

 

[eveled]

I’ve been given 3 small collections. What goes around comes around.

 

[Mike J]

My father gave me a few guns. I still have one .22 that was his. Other than that the only one I was given was an old Spanish Mauser. At the time I didn't have a deer rifle. I sold a co-worker an engine out of an old car I had trashed & spent a Saturday helping him pull it. He knew I wanted to hunt but didn't have a deer rifle so he gave me the Mauser. It was wrapped in duct tape & spray painted when I got it. I did a home re-blue job & smoothed the stock out & shot it a couple of times. I wound up deciding that it would take more to get it hunt worthy than I was willing to put into it & a short time later I bought a post-64 model 70. I have picked up a couple of .22's that were offered inexpensively by old men. One a Glenfield model 25 (early 70's vintage). The other a Remington model 512 Sportmaster that was made in the 40's. I'm a sucker for a .22 rifle for $100 or less.

 

[Major E.A. Sterner]

I was recently given a Walther P-38 post war by a friend of mine. He's a Viet Nam Vet and said he wanted me to have it. I had offered him a trade for it, but he said "No, It's yours" I checked the date on it, it was made in 12-59, it's 6 months older than I am.

 

[Yaworski]

I’ve never won anything but

I had forgotten but I did win two guns in the same contest. One I gave to my brother because it wasn't approved in Maryland (one of the two guns mentioned above) and the other is a Beretta tip-barrel .25 that was Maryland approved.

I know a lady who wins something nice every time she goes to a gun bash. Once it was $10k in cash.

 

[peachhead]

I don't win very much, but a couple of weeks ago one of my nephews surprised me with a Security Six that used to belong to my Dad. That makes up for all the other times.

 

[gnappi]

As an adult I was given a Glock .40 in appreciation for all the time / times I spent getting the PC of a buddy up after his twiddling. I shot it a few times and gave it back.