Really, this is an awesome find. Don't let Mawkie know though.
...this is kinda outside the norm.
THIS is why I love collecting firearms. Yes, I enjoy shooting but the story of a firearm is so fascinating to me. IMHO this 1903 is like a Porsche 917 that has a successful race history. It's what collectors pine after and chase.
Thank you so much for posting. It was getting a little stale here. What a nice surprise!
Well done. A find like that isn't luck, it's lots and lots of hard work. Congratulations to you, sir!
Define "cheap." Given the provenance, I'd tend to think that this rifle would be somewhat valuable.Thanks for the kind words everyone. This is one of my Holy Grails. The rifle was relatively cheap, the seller is one of my subscribers/clients and knew what he had. He said "I took pity on you." Which I am perfectly fine with.
Not all documented firearms are this exciting. Most are simple inspections, repair or lost memos, this is kinda outside the norm.
Define "cheap." Given the provenance, I'd tend to think that this rifle would be somewhat valuable.
That's just the way it goes sometimes. I recently made a deal on a very nice/special firearm and the seller could have made a lot more money on it than they did, but they sold it to me for just what they had in it because they knew it was something I would truly appreciate and take care of.I don't want to throw too much out there might+ be seen as rude or gloating. But I essentially got the rifle with cash + trade. Less than 1k total investment.
The seller knew exactly what he had, so I didn't take advantage of him. He's a friend and a subscriber to my side business. He was doing me a favor. A VERY generous favor. We had a couple rounds of bourbon the night of the sale while talking US guns in our collections. So it was the best transactions I've personally had, every way I looked at it.