For a number of years I was a well known advanced collector of WW2 Japanese rifles and militaria. The best buy I ever had was a Type 99 Special Navy Last Ditch carbine (very, very rare). I bought it from someone as a Japanese trainer for $50. I sold it 10 or 15 years ago for $1200 or more. Who knows what it would be worth today...I don't want to know what all my Japanese rifles would be worth today! (especially all the snipers, concentric circles, and paratroopers).

My best trade was a remington 7400 30-06 along with a Ruger Sr40 for a 2 week old browning x-bolt 270 with a leopold 3x9x50 scope and rings.

Smith & Wesson model 34 no dash snubby in mint condition. $50.00

A Remington 700 and 788 and 550-1 at dealers cost in 1970. I worked at the
local Otasco store in high school. The sad thing is , I could have bought
as many Brownings as I wanted , but I already had an auto 5.

Mo

Model 73 Winchester .32/20 for $30. It was back in the '60s and I was broke. Had to pay it off $5 a week. Still have it.

Henry .22 octagon barrel that shoots shorts, long, and long rifle. The guy I bought it from only shot one box through it and sold it to me for 100$. retail is bout 400

I won $100 in a poker game with my new boss a few years ago and bought a sporterized Enfield with it. It looked like crap but it was the most accurate rifle I ever bought. I traded it away and have kicked myself a thousand times since then.

LC9 and a Garmin GPS for a CZ 82 and a H. Koon SnakeCharmer, or perhaps it was the CZ 75D Compact I picked up for about $380 for the best deal I've ever had.

My dad bought me my first rifle for $200. A widowed friend of his was cleaning house and wanted to get rid of some stuff she didn't touch. She sold him the rifle so cheap because she just wanted it gone. Remington CDL .270 topped with a Leupold VX3.

Real nice Winchester 62a , cost me a $.32 stamp.

Bought a like new Ruger MKII Great Eight with an extra set of Crimson Trace grips for $290. Sold the grips for $150 and the pistol for $800.

Ruger Single-Six Stainless with a full Triple K Holster rig for $125. The guy needed money for registration and inspection sticker for his truck.

Many years ago after my grandfather died, I found the guy to whom he sold his old Remington Model 24 .22 rifle decades earlier. I told him who I was and that I would like to buy it from him. He told me that if I could find another one in equal or better shape, he would trade me for it.

I found one in a gun show in Houston a week later and paid around $100 for it.

I had my grandfather's gun back in the family that following weekend.

In 1983 I bought a Ruger #1 270 from an oilfield worker out of work on Christmas Eve for $265. Rifle alone back then was over $500 IIRC. I was almost brand new and came with 2 boxes of shells, Torel Sling, 3x9 Redfield Scope, and Black Sheep hardcase. I kept and hunted with it for 20 yrs. Sold the rifle for $425 and kept the scope, hardcase and sling. Wish I had it back now though.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard or read of someone who regretted selling a firearm, I could easily use the sum total to take the wife and I out for a nice dinner.

Just got a Stevens 200 in 243 for $225. Not a super deal but a usable rifle for around $200 isn't bad. I am going to rebarrel it in 358 Winchester.

hope he doesn't read this but I traded a ACOG ta01 nsn with RMR on it for leupold mark 6!!!!

Mossberg 4x4 .243 winchester with a Vortex 2-7x32mm and 140 rounds of Hornady 100 gr InterLock for under $250. Funny thing is this rifle shoots really well, holds up to 1 MOA to about 24 rounds of consistent fire.

1998. Picked up a Colt Officer's ACP in bright stainless and a Browning BLR is 30-06 with a Leupold VX3 3.5-10 from a pawnshop in Dallas for 800$ total.

Remington 1100 new, $170

Picked up a trap model 21 in 20 gauge for $2000 and got $5000 for it the next day

My best would probably be a WWII IBM M1 carbine for $200.

Roundabout...bought a motorcycle from my boss for $50, swapped it a couple months later for a beautiful six-inch Colt Python. I think I did more than "well."

1969 Browning BAR 7-Mag for $340

I once bought 3 rifles for $500. 2 Savage 110 30-06's and 1 Remington 721 300H&H. Sold the Savages for $300 each, kept the Remington and made $100.

Marlin 336 in 30.30 with small serial number & never tapped for scope. Bought it at an estate sale for $85 in a soft case with a 1/2 full box of ammo. Lady knew I was a hunter/gun type. She said her husband had bought it new, fired 10 rounds, cleaned it, and put back in that case and died. I tried to give her more but she refused to take any more.....It has been used now, but not abused.

I still have it and it will go to one of my grandsons.

I bought a used Mossberg 500 with a surefire flashlight forend for for $375. I later sold it for $375. Two years later I bought it back from the guy for $150 with an additional folding stock that he added. I then removed and sold the stock for $25 so final price was $125. I later sold it again at a gun show for $250. Net gain $100 for a gun that I carried for several years.