I inherited a Belgium Browning Sweet Sixteen when I was 8 years old.
My first 'expensive' gun perchased was my Mauser Banner Commercial 1940 9mm Luger with 2 matching magazines......and more than a few of y'all have fired it. It's not a perfect condition investment, rather, it's a shooter as are all my firearms. And, it looks a lot better now than when I got it (this is the before picture). I found one that was only 16 serial numbers away from mine that went through the Rock Island Auction. It was in a little better shape, but the 1 magazine wasn't a match.
This was the one that Dennis rang steel at 300yds at the Ponca City long range meet earlier this year.
Probably my first AR, which was a CMMG Bargain Bin gun, if any of you remember those. I think the price was $570 and then I paid an extra $25 for an additional 30rd magazine.. this was all before you could buy $8 PMags of course.
The only part I still have from that gun is the lower and the buffer tube/M4 stock. Everything else was upgraded over the years and sold off.
Came back to the U.S. for a short vacation after my first year of working in Libya at the end of 78' and had some extra jingle in my jeans so I bought a new 6" blue Colt Python......told the gun shop owner that I was heading back across the pond in a couple of days for awhile and for him to oil and grease it for longtime storage, he did and I put it in a bank safe deposit box unfired.
Came back to the U.S. for good the end of 81' and probably ran 150 rounds through the gun then put it in the gun safe and sold it around 95' and shortly afterwards bought a new 6" S & W 686 and had several dollars left over......don't miss either gun and although the Python was really easy on the eye I actually shot the 686 better.
Kimber Custom Shop CDP II 1911 5" .45acp
It just called to me from across the room at Outdoor America
Now that I've seen the new Springfield Armory Saint Edge PDW Pistol (5.56 Nato / .223) in the American Rifleman magazine I think it's calling me too........... It's haunting me.