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The One That Got Away…

Prolly worth it but at $6 bills getting into Winchester T75 or Mossberg M44US ducats. PAX
 
Last year I went to an LGS to help a friend buy his first pistol. While there I held a CZ P-01. It fit my hand and seemed like the perfect compact pistol to put in a safe of full-size ones. I heavily considered buying it but decided to think about it. I believe it was just days later that the stop sale on CZs happened.
 
Ok what the heck. Around the time that the original CZ Tactical Sport was dropping off the roster, I handled it at a gun shop. The dumb head at the counter said they had five left and that was it for the model. Walking to the car I was seriously considering it.
Next day I went back and it was gone. I reminded the dummy that he said they had five. Blank stare.
No big regrets because much later I bought an SP01 months before that model became hard to find, and I Cajunized it!
 
1903A4 in almost cherry condition.. thought it was a bubba'd A3. Once the owner realized what it was they declined to part with it after all.
 
90's was basically gun heaven here. I used to regularly go to a milsurp gun store called Brickley Trading Co. in South El Monte around 1995-1997 timeframe. This place had racks full of AKs, SKS, K98s, M1 Garands and Carbines, Arisakas, obscure stuff like Czech Vz. 52 rifles, Dragunovs, Mannlicher M1895 straight pull bolt mausers, Swedish mausers, and pallets of ammo for all of it.
Seriously. The mid 90's felt like the pinnacle. There was so much available and I foolishly expected it would never dry up. At the time I was down in San Diego and we had shops everywhere with racks of C&R guns and ammo. I blinked and it was gone.

I have a few nice pieces I picked up along the way. At this point I really regret not jumping on a simple M1 Carbine, a boat load of real GI mags, and a couple of crates of ammo.
 
Had a chance to buy a Nagant pistol a number of years ago for $110. Passed on it, wish I hadn’t ☹️
 
I think we all know what I’m talking about. What C&R did you pass up or let go of and now regret it the most?

Let’s be more specific than “69.99 Big 5 Mosins, SKSs, VZ24 etc.” we all regret not taking better advantage of those.

I’ll go first:
Plenty of missed opportunities/regrets but the one that stings the most is pawning a 1891 Argentine.
about 10 years ago i was fed up with all the bs in my state of CA, sold most of my guns , sold my early M1A with every possible optional accesery . many GI M14 toys. 1,000 rounds of nato ammo in sealed bladders. Sold two origional Mosin snipers,TULA & IZY, Fin Mosin,1943 1903a3 rifle,M1 carbine.Also sold all my reloading equipment and powder. I am just starting to get a few C&Rs but man the prices are shocking.I used to get 440 spam cans of 7,62 54r for 90 bucks. used to post a lot on cal guns. What ended it for me was no more Walmart ammo and in 2014 C&R guns were no longer being sold a places like Big 5, used to trade C&R rifles without DROS in person. all that pretty much ended it for me.Spent the last 10 years playing with Mootorcycles.Fast old motorcycles. I just stopped riding because i am now 78 years old and NEVER went down in 55 years of riding.
 
Passed on a M1941 Johnson rifle about 10 years ago. Local gun shop had it, had the cash but walked away because it was still expensive. They are selling for double the asking price no a days.
 
When I was growing up (80s/90s), my mom's boyfriend at the time traded a lot of firearms. Being an avid hunter, I really only had eyes for things that would work well in the field, so I ignored lots of stuff I regret now. Just to name a few:
Obligatory $99 Chinese SKSs
MAK-90 sporter
NY state police issued Remington 870 Riot shotgun
NY state police issued S&W Model 13
AND THE Pièce de résistance... NIB Cobray M10

Of course, years later, my mom finally married another guy and when she left him, he bonfired all her worldly possessions. And mine. Including all the firearms I had left behind when I left for the military...
 
Back in the $79.95 Mosin days when I was in college, I REALLY regret not getting a M1 Garand from CMP and a Mauser. I still have the Mosin but would be really cool to have the other 2 with it (and maybe an Arisaka). I have other gun purchasing priorities now so probably not worth it to shell out the coin these days… maybe when I get older I’ll go on a C&R kick
 
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