What was your airgun bargain of a lifetime?

[ccdjg]

In another recent thread Abas Major mentioned that he once picked up an Anson Star pistol from a dealer for a mere £350. A more realistic value would have been nearer then £1000 mark. Apart from a possibly misplaced sense of guilt towards the dealer he must have been very chuffed not only to find something as rare as hens’ teeth, but also to get it for such a bargain price. This led me to thinking what other once-in-a-lifetime bargains people might have made with experienced dealers, and what sort of lucky coincidence led them to the bargain.

I have two examples that come to mind, both from a well known dealer with a large shop and noted for his hard bargaining skills and his generally high prices. The first incident arose from a purely chance visit to his shop, when I spotted at the back of one of the cabinets a mid-nineteenth century crank-wound pistol priced at £300. This must have been a fairly recent acquisition as there was no mention of it in the shop’s on-line catalogue, and such a gun would normally fetch a price in auctions such as Hermann Historica of well over £1000, probably nudging more towards the £2000 mark. Naturally I bought it on the spot, and couldn’t believe my luck. As I was about to leave the shop the assistant said “Oh by the way I think there is its crank handle somewhere.” As original examples of these are even rarer than the pistols themselves I held my breath while she searched around and after what seemed an age she eventually unearthed what was certainly the original handle. Needless to say this pistol, with its crank handle, is now the pride of my collection. http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...rankpistol.jpg


That was few years ago, but more recently I went to the same shop, this time deliberately, to examine a bellows air rifle that was on offer. I had always wanted one of these but could never afford the prices asked, usually in the £1200- £2000 range. This particular example was priced at a surprisingly low £900, and when I examined it I found out why – although in pretty good original external condition, it was completely non-functional. This didn’t put me off too much as I thought I should be able to make a reasonable stab at restoration if enough of the bellows mechanism inside had survived. Unfortunately the dealer would only sell it as seen and despite much pleading wouldn’t take the crank plate off to let me inspect the innards. I think he was afraid of what can of worms he might be unveiling. So I was faced with a dilemma. Should I gamble £900 on what could be either just a decorative carcase or an affordable functioning bellows air rifle, or should I walk away and keep my money for another day ? In the end I took the gamble and it was with a lot of apprehension that I started to disassemble it when I got it home. You can imagine how I felt when I found that I had not bought a knackered bellows air rifle after all, but a mechanically complete and much rarer late 18th – early 19th century strike-pump (spring piston) air rifle. All that was wrong with it was that the 2 inch thick leather piston and massive spring had seized up with years of accumulated gunk. It didn’t take much to get it working again, and after a little bit of restoration to the wood and brass around the crank plate area I found that I had an excellent example of an early strike pump air rifle, complete with ram rod, fine double set hair trigger, adjustable peep sight, and nicely figured walnut stock with fine carving. Going by Hermann Historica prices it must be worth at least £2000. http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...psoqc98a3s.jpg



So those were my two greatest strokes of luck. What was your luckiest find?

[Josie & John]

Has to be my '8 times fired' before I bought it Webley Service with original carton and accessories for a mere £450. An account of my lucky find is in the 2nd issue of Airgun Collector.

John

[Arisaka]

A Original Model 50M in near mint condition for £50.

[I. J.]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...ml?sort=6&o=83 This and another two part tins of pellets, later Webley and Milbro IIRC, for a fiver.

I was GIVEN a very tidy Webley Longbow (Brum) action (.177) and a member of my gun club gave me a Longbow stock. I had to source my own stock screws.

[Garvin]

Probably a Falke 90 in excellent condition with rearsight for £105 from eGun in 2007. I paid 157 euros for it (1.51 euros to the pound at the time) plus the cost of shipping. Not the most incredible bargain, I suppose, but a nice score nonetheless.

John G, your story about the 'bellows' gun actually containing a spring piston is uncannily like Larry H's account of his 'Dasch in Gratz', also in Airgun Collector 2! Your Lurch-type pistol bargain is just incredible. It goes to show that sometimes deals that look too good to be true... aren't.

[fatttmannn]

For me it was an SFS Vulcan 2 in a Gary Cane Tiger stripe Maple wood stock that was under £250 a few years back from a large South Wales Gun shop not noted for bargins. I had seen it on the shelves a few times, but what really caught my eyes was the stock. On posting something similar to this thread a few years back the original owner confirmed that the stock had cost more than I payed for the entire package when He had it made, on contacting SFS the talanted MR Wall confirmed it has one of of his and a early one at that. Still one of my faves and fitted with the Chambers uprated triguer unit and a perioed Tasco scope it still dose the biz

[Airsporterman]

What was your airgun bargain of a lifetime?

All my Airsporters!

ASM

[trevor1]

I was aquainted with the daughter of a Nazi General.She had some gorgeous Munich mugs-all serial numbered for party members.She gave me one(052).Which I kept for 10 or 15 years-until I met a collector of German memorabilia. The upshot of this encounter was,he traded his Falke 80 with diopter for the mug!. PSI think this rifle eventually made it's way to the UK?
PPS...then there was the boxed BUSSEY I got for $NZ60(twenty quid,at the time..)

[look no hands]

My best find was a BSA Challenger for £40 but it looked like it had been dragged behind a tractor and needed reblueing and the stock redoing but it took many rabbits once done, the other three where a Mercury "S" for £100 and a couple of HW77k's for £100 each but one wouldn't group for toffee.

Pete

[BTC1]

My bargain was about 4 years ago, I was approached by a friend of a friend who had a Logun S16 he wanted to move on. He had owned it from new and it came with every extra that was available,but with a pump not a bottle. It had only been used on an indoor range and because of recent matrimony his wife didn't want it in the house! He wanted £70! I actually told him to think about it as he might be able to get a better price elsewhere, but he came back to me and was happy for me to have it at that price!
When I went to pick it up he offered me an immaculate co2 CP88 for £20 in a case!! I gave him £100 and told him to call it quits.
I still have the Logun but sold the pistol on to a friend as I'm not really a pistol person. The Logun gets an airing now and again but I find it too clinical, very accurate over my 30yd garden range, and the pump gives me a bit of exercise!

[abellringer]

I have been extremely lucky over the years and had more than my fair share of bargains, recently, a Walther LGR C/W riser blocks and two sets of sights in a box for £50; an OR 75 with spare sights and book in super condition plus a little Relum Slavia rifle, offered for free, conscience prevailed and I had to make an offer, again only £30; but I think and it's a bit too close to call; a Webley MKI rifle in good condition for free, and one of the first Webley Premier MKII pistols powder coated [in yellow] at Park Lane, again for free. Still others come to mind, but I think that's enough for now.
abellringer

[Joncaddy]

Hi guys, had a few of what I consider bargains lately. A nice 1961 Webley Falcon for 45 pounds. A mint 1976 Predom Luznick pistol with case and holster for 100. Today I bought a rifle I've wanted for a long time, a very nice 1971 BSA Mercury in original box with all extras and instructions for 135 pounds, perhaps not the ultimate bargain but I'm very happy with it. But my personal ultimate bargain has to be an approx 1958 Webley Junior that belonged to a mates dad, passed down to my mate and 40 years later given to me for free virtually unused and still in its box. John.

[peddy]

Many years ago when I collected Webley pistols, my favourite hunting ground was Leeds arms fairs where I managed to pick up many examples from traders you didn't normally sell air pistols hence didn't know the real value. Me and my mate used to split up and meet later on as it was a big fair. One day we did that as the doors opened and I pounced on a mint straight grip mark 1 complete with perfect box all complete down to fuzzy pellets in the lovely lidded box and spare seals, instructions, labels etc. I trembled when I asked the price, 120 and the deal was done, my mate was gutted. That was 10 years ago and when I had to sell my collection due to divorce it was the last to go and I knew I would never see one like that again. I'm still bitter about it...selling the gun not the divorce!!!

[Robert]

Not a bargain as such,but today is my birthday,and AirgunBBS have sent me the usual message,found before bedtime.
I used to be active here,awhile ago.
I struggle to find time to check in these days,but still shoot from time to time.
Memories came flooding back.
The experiences,purchases,sales and friendships that this board has facilitated are countless.
Joining the board was the best thing that I have done in the airgunning world since picking up a gat,over 45 years ago.
Apologies for something out of place,I will try and find time to come back and see how the site is currently running,and do a little catching up.
What happens next for me is moot,Scotland's airgun laws expected to change this year.

Robert.

Mods;please move,delete or edit as you see fit.

[Josie & John]

Not a bargain as such,but today is my birthday,and AirgunBBS have sent me the usual message,found before bedtime.
I used to be active here,awhile ago.
I struggle to find time to check in these days,but still shoot from time to time.
Memories came flooding back.
The experiences,purchases,sales and friendships that this board has facilitated are countless.
Joining the board was the best thing that I have done in the airgunning world since picking up a gat,over 45 years ago.
Apologies for something out of place,I will try and find time to come back and see how the site is currently running,and do a little catching up.
What happens next for me is moot,Scotland's airgun laws expected to change this year.

Robert.

Mods;please move,delete or edit as you see fit.

Happy Birthday Robert.

I still hope common sense may prevail among Scottish politicians so that you and many others can continue to enjoy our pastime.

My first airgun was a GAT too and come to think of it, that was a bargain as I was given it by our lodger, who had traded it for a bag of chips back in the 1970s!

John