A neighbor gave me a sporterized Mexican Mauser (7 x 57) because I saw that his house was on fire and I called the fire department and got a hose on it until they arrived. Free is hard to beat.
When I was a kid, I worked for a man down the block. I mowed, worked in the flower beds and once in a while, helped him at toy wholesale conventions in Chicago.
This guy was a real cheap skate and he always tried to trade something for the money he owed me. On one occasion, he owed me $9.00, a huge sum for a kid like me. He paid me $8.00 and "the old rifle down in the basement".
That rifle was a Springfield 1922M2 22 target rifle! Even at that time, they were rare and expensive. I kept the rifle for about 25 years and finally traded it for a boat. I tried many times to buy it back but......no dice.
I bought my 30-30 Winchester for a little over $90.00 new of course that was about 40 years ago. I bought a double barrel Rossi 12 ga for $80.00.A little over a year ago I bought a SKS for $160.00.
I think the best deal was a gift from my father:
We were at a large Houston-area gun shop, intending to order one of those Navy Arms reproduction Winchester 1892 Trappers in .357 for me. The guy behind the counter says, "We have one here, I think."
It wasn't a Navy Arms gun, it was a very early USRAC 1894 Trapper in .30-30. 16" barrel, 'color case hardened' receiver, saddle ring, and a spot of missing bluing on the barrel near the muzzle. It looked nearly unfired, like a drop of sweat (or blood) had messed up the bluing.
I think we paid $200 for it, and it's something I'll never sell.
I don't remember what I ended up giving for it off hand, but I found a winchester wrangler 44mag some years back at Galyons. I don't normally buy firearms at a big store like that, however I had a coupon, then there was the slighest scratch on the stock, so ended up being a heck of a deal.
I bought a car for $300, put about $50 in parts plus oil change into it. Drove it for a couple of months saving gas and mileage on the Cobra then turned around and got $300 cash and a Glock 29 10mm with less than 50 rounds fired through it in trade...
One time I had made the trek over to my grandparent's house in Northern Alabama during the summer. I was going through my grandfather's cabinet looking for some Hoppes to clean his Browining semi-auto .22 and stumbled across a box with a Ruger Mark 1 broken down inside. He told me his old hands just couldn't get it back together anymore and that if I could assemble it I could keep it. Not only is it a great gun but it's the only one I have any sentimental attachment to. I remember when he passed away, taking it out of the safe and really detail cleaning it. He was a very important person in my life.
A friend gave me a Turk Mauser in 8 X 57. I re-finished the stock and cleaned it up a bit, good shooter. For actual $ spent? A S&W M-58 (fixed sight .41 mag) in 95+% condition, first year of manufacture for $165 at a pawn shop that did not know what they had. It had been there a while, covered in dust. No one else coming in the shop realized what a gem it was. I could probaly sell it now for $1000.
A couple years ago got a SF loaded 1911 for 200 bucks,then this last week picked up a socom 2 with 200 rounds (only 50 rounds thru it)and 4 20 rounds mags for one of my new Romanian AK 47 +400 bucks.
opps.forogt one. Plus I need 8 more post so I can try to sell one or two of these.
Picked up a H&R M-1 garand alomst collectors grade and a good shooter 2 years ago also.