Best story of a find?

I've honestly got tons of "good find" stories...

I was at the CHAS gun show in Edmonton a few years ago and saw a table with some interesting old milsurp pistols, though nothing I desperately needed. I talked to the guy at the table who said they were his elderly father's collection, and there were more at home. His dad would be back later and would have a list of the rest collection. I decided to hang around and wait, and after about 3 or 4 hours dad returned and showed me the *VERY IMPRESSIVE* list. We got to talking and when he found out I was going to Afghanistan in a few months sold me an unmessed with British contract 1911 in .455 Webley Auto and a Rast-Gasser 1898 for $1500. My only regret is not buying his Webley-Fosberry....

Another time, while working at a gun shop we had a phone call from a gentleman who wanted a list of gun collectors. Naturally this tends to set off some alarm bells, and I asked why, and he said he had an old gun to sell I'd probably never heard of, and didn't want to sell it to the store as it was an unregistered restricted. I explained to him that it was still possible to register restricted firearms, and that only prohibs couldn't be, but he said he didn't want the hassle and just wanted it to disappear into someone's gun collection. I asked him what he had an he said it was an told rifle his dad brought back from WW2. He drove over to his place that weekend, and bought what turned out to be an original, un-upgraded M1A1 paratrooper carbine.
 
I found two mosin nagant in the local buy and sell. They were a 5 min drive from my house. When i got there they were both finn capture tulas, 1933 and a 1937. I bought them for $100 each.
 
My best finds are as follows:

1909 SA marked Finn M91 mosin nagant. I found it at a gun show and noticed the beautiful tiger striped stock as I was walking in the door. The price lets just say was less then a Russian refurb.

My 1915 Ross MkIII sporter with full length barrel and mid band was found at a gunshow for $150. Guys were telling me not to shoot it or I'll loose an eye!! I giggled all the way to the door!

I'd say my greatest find has to be my 1943 No.4 Mk.1 longbranch. I saw an add on a local used site for a non matching Lee enfield. I phoned the guy and he said he still had it. I'll never forget that day, we walked down into his basement and there it was one of the most mint shiney longbranches I've ever seen . I picked it up and right away noticed a few "strange" things. It had mismatched wood, a target swivel and the ejector screw was missing. The bore on the rifle appeared to be unfired. At that point I tried not to show my excitement but I was pretty sure I'd found me a real longbranch target rifle.

After paying the guy the low price he was asking for the rifle, he laughed and said "to think I was going to hand this thing into the police, they would've givin me a cheap camera for it!!"

He then went on to say "My father in law gave me this rifle 40 plus years ago, I've never even fired the damn thing"

When I got home I felt great about saving a gun from the smelter!! Then after cleaning the gun I was once again looking down the barrel and I found that it was stamped on the crown. The crown reads "A.G. PARKER BALL BURNISHED", that was the cheery on top as it was for sure a real target rifle!!
 
last year sometime, I came across a thread on here from a fella I think in Ontario?? that had befriended and older gentleman who had MANY gorgeous bring backs that he no longer was keeping. The CGN'er posted his tale and pics of these glorious rifles but I can't for the life of me find that thread. Some even had the "box" to transport, there were snipers and non....I was so envious. And all of this was due to what someone else has suggested "be nice and you just never know"
 
walked into Milarm in Edmonton one day they had a 16/33 Czech carbine with no bolt ,got it for $80.00 about 6 months later I went in and there was a box of junk on the end of a display rack . found the bolt in it. $50. 00 later it came home with me.
 
last summer 2012, I joined a golf tournament hold at Base Borden, and in the line waiting for registration, I had a chat with that ''vandoos'' asking me about the upcoming deer hunting season on Base saying he would be interested to get some deer meat if I shoot one. I said I cannot sell any meat its against the law and he mentioned he have a old rifle that used to belong to his late father that he didnt have any interest in it.. I said, well, I still have some meat from last season, If its ok with you, I will give you a good pack for that rifle and he accepted. after the golf I went to his place and he gave me that rifle
its an enfield no5 Mk1 1946 ROF jungle carbine. I think it worth few pack of deer sirloins steak isnt it ? :)

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David1974 said:
Was in Barrie visiting with the gf. Going through a rough patch we decided to take a drive to talk things over. Ended up at Epps. Asked if they had any post war No4's.. He says this JUST came in, not even on the website yet. And that is how I have my 96L serial 1950 Long Branch. I call that day 'The day of Balance'
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One of my fathers friends sold me a 1950 Long Branch for $200. It's one of my never sell rifles.
 
I spoke with a guy at the Rod&Gun club shooting range last years who let me try his LB 1950 that he bought for 200$. maybe it was you... ? lol
few month later that same guy let me try his nice DCRA with a peep sight
 
I was poking around at a garage sale and found 6 copper cased 44 rimfire cartridges in an old, small wooden box. The homeowner, a lady said; " if you know about those things ,you can have them for nothing. I just want to get rid of them". I agreed to take them off her hands.
 
My best finds in the last few years where a matching K98 for $300 and a G43 missing its magazine for $500. The K98 came from Al Simmons in Hamilton and the G43 was from a small shop in Alberta. It was simply advertised as a German 8mm semi auto w/no mag. I knew it was a good deal any was you looked at it. I'm sad to say I don't own either any more. Both sold to pay for house renos.
 
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My best gunshow find was a Remington Model of 1917 I bought at the Dawson Creek show last spring. It was laying there on the table with a price of $390 on it. I looked it over and it was in near brand new condition. It was the first table in there, so I passed at the time and went in to see the rest of the show. Came back about a half hour later and it was still there but he had dropped the price to $280! Didn't take me long to make up my mind there! The fellow he was sharing the table with also had what must have been a No4 that was stolen from the gov't. I have never seen a Lee-Enfield like that. A Maltby No4 MkI* (one of the mis struck ones, they do exist, I have another one here) that looked like it came straight here after its time in Europe. It had the most beautiful rich red stock on it with all kinds of handling marks, a very heavily hand applied very old linseed finish and a gorgeous browned finish that I've never seen on any here. The exposed metal that wasn't browned had totally gone to patina or was rubbed into the white. I loved that rifle instantly but I just could not afford two that day. I've been kicking myself ever since. I really hope he's back and still has it next year. Guess if its meant to be he will still have it.
 
My best find which is probably a gun I will never sell is a 1916 Webley revolver with all the right Canadian arrow markings and a unit marking for RMC (Royal Military College).
When I found it was during my last couple months before graduating RMC so I picked it up as a grad pistol.
There is alot of really cool stuff kicking around at the college that reminds you of how old it is and the major ties to history the place has and its kinda awesome that I now have my own peice of that history from WWI.
 
While I was into small bore target shooting with an Anschutz a few years ago, I decided to go old school and get a classic Winchester Model 52. I asked here on the EE and was eventually given a name/number of an older gent near Barrie who was quietly selling off his collection. We agreed to meet, and while his Win 52 was a little heavier than I was thinking, it was in awesome shape and his price was more than fair so I took it (he didn't give it away, but it was relatively cheap). He had never shot it and, frankly, knew little of it since it had been purchased from an estate some years earlier. A year or so later at an inter-provincial small bore match, a competitor/collector looked at my 52 for an awfully long time when he finally asked if he could take some detailed pics and send them to his contact, "THE" Winchester 52 guru/collector in Wisconsin. Long story short, after a series of emails, photos and answering questions from the Wisconsin collector, known as one of the top autorities on the 52, he congratulated me for having one of only 37 recorded Model 52E International Prone models ever produced at the Winchester factory, and that one of the other 37 had recently sold on Gunbroker for over $8K US. It was sold/traded to a very good home after I got out of small bore competition.
 
When Wolverine had their big milsurp sale a couple of years ago, after it had been going on for about a week I asked on a whim about a VZ-24 that hadn't sold as I knew it was in the Romanian contract range. I called and asked, and it turned out to have a very, very rare intact King Carol II crest (rare enough that Ball's Mauser book only shows a partially ground one), which were almost all ground off under Communist rule. I can't remember how much I paid, but it was less than the Russian reworks currently on the market.

Another time Accuracy Plus in Peterborough had posted a 7mm Mauser 1895, and I asked about the serial number, which put it smack in the middle of the South African Republic contract. I already had one, but any Boer Mauser for under $500 is something you don't think twice about!

The point being, espescially when dealing with dealers that deal in large volumes of guns, or don't specialise in milsurps, sometimes something slips through the cracks and it pays to ask questions! I'm personally looking for an original WW1 Ottoman Mauser, and every time I see a Turkish Mauser listed I think might be original, I ask. I've probably have 50 come back to me as 8mm reworks, but sooner or later persistence will pay off.
 
Nyles said:
When Wolverine had their big milsurp sale a couple of years ago, after it had been going on for about a week I asked on a whim about a VZ-24 that hadn't sold as I knew it was in the Romanian contract range. I called and asked, and it turned out to have a very, very rare intact King Carol II crest (rare enough that Ball's Mauser book only shows a partially ground one), which were almost all ground off under Communist rule. I can't remember how much I paid, but it was less than the Russian reworks currently on the market.

Another time Accuracy Plus in Peterborough had posted a 7mm Mauser 1895, and I asked about the serial number, which put it smack in the middle of the South African Republic contract. I already had one, but any Boer Mauser for under $500 is something you don't think twice about!

The point being, espescially when dealing with dealers that deal in large volumes of guns, or don't specialise in milsurps, sometimes something slips through the cracks and it pays to ask questions! I'm personally looking for an original WW1 Ottoman Mauser, and every time I see a Turkish Mauser listed I think might be original, I ask. I've probably have 50 come back to me as 8mm reworks, but sooner or later persistence will pay off.
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There were so many good guns to be had in that milsurp sale... I wish another one like that would pop up.
 
I picked up a SMLE Mk 1* at an auction years ago.Turned out to be an all matching original one never FTR.It also turned out to be a queensland police issue in australia,only 300 issued.All of them were numbered.
3 years ago I was on a firearms site in australia and a guy had my matching bayonet for sale!Bayonet is on the rifle it hasn't been on in 75 years!
 
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