Ed, I've found that Flitz will remove that small speck of rust right down to the bare metal quicker than the steel wool.
And when learning to checker wood stocks, don't make your practice run on a set of NIB colt national match grips that had two diamonds flattened out.
One other priceless one. When debating the sage gentleman at the gunshow as to whether the Colt grip safety is correct for the gun you are showing him, check his name tag before he says, "let's look in MY book". When he bent over to open HIS book, the name tag around his neck finally swung into view.........Charles Clawson. I shut the book on his hand and apologized. Lawrence

oh, that must have been priceless.... did you exit the area or buy him a drink ;)

Actually, I bought a copy of his book......he was kind enough to number and sign it and then I slithered out of the area with glowing red face.
Lawrence

Wow this is an old thread but the biggest mistake I ever made was a big one. Back when I was fourteen or fifteen 04-05 I had a dan wesson model 15 pistol pac. I had talked my grandfather into getting me for x-mas it was a .357 with the 2.5, 4, 6 and 8 inch barrels. A month or two later I was at a local gunshop and traded it to a guy for a #'s matching 1898 krag-jorgenson carbine that he believed was a sporterized rifle. A week or two passed and I traded it to the gunshop owner for $300. He then sold it for $400, the guy who bought it did his homework found it to be all original and sold it on gunbroker for $2500. I will not make a mistake like that again.

I think it is good for this old thread to come up again.

1) I enjoyed reading it. I'd missed seeing it up until now, and it lends perspective to the notion that we are all fallible. Mistakes can be perpetrated by the best-educated, best-intentioned, most-prepared people, most experienced, as well. I guess our humanity equalizes us all, in our mistakes and regrets.

2) It is educational! Though perhaps somewhat unlikely, there's a possibility that some can learn from the mistakes of others. More likely human nature condemns most of us to inventing everything ourselves, and this would include our mistakes!

3) I wanted to add my boo-boos to the list of other ouchies:

I acquired a bayonet and sheath in around 1966 and kept it with my stuff in my room. I did not know at the time, but it's for a Mauser 98. Around 1974, I tinkered with it. Not once, but three times. First, I removed the grips and brought to bear the full brunt of my experience in refinishing furniture upon them--stripped, probably sanded a bit, and given a new coat of tung oil.
Second, since my wife at the time worked in the service department of the Ithaca Gun Company, I arranged to have the bayonet and cover re-blued. It received the same finish as an Ithaca 37 would have had in that period, resulting in a deep black blue. And Shiny! I think the late Morris Bailey (another story) was trying to do an extra-nice job, because he had buffed the bejeepers out of it. Looked great, I thought.
Third, I removed the inner works of the sheath and lined the inside surfaces of the springs with glued on felt. You see, the metal on metal contact had caused the scuffs on the blade that inspired the reblue. Much better now, I thought.
An old German saying goes, "We are too soon old and too late smart."

David Parker

kmichaels90; The market is "flooded" with Krag Jørgensen here in Norway, as there are more rifles than people with lisence to own them. So perhaps you should import a "new" one from here? ;)

As for the most stupid thing I have ever done to a collectable..
Using lacquer remover instead of stock oil is high up there on my list :)

Sold four guns and used the money on a high-tech TV in 2004. Seven years later, I had to spend another $50 to dump it.

ugh unfortunately I have done similar things. I cant even recall the guns I've sold for a new car or a new gadget or other firearm related trinket. I'm only 22 and got into guns at age 12 when my dad got me a .54 cal. cva muzzleloader that I still have and gave me a lee enfield. Since that time I've had around 90 guns overall and currently have only 5.

Wow, I just looked back at the beginning of this thread. Seven years ago; hard to believe. And I still have no idea where 185091K is. If anyone has this Party Leader PPK or know where it is, please let me know.

Mike

I don't know if I really regret this or not, but.... I spent $1,400 on a VOPO Luger right before I was to leave Germany. It isn't even matching! O-well, it’s still fun to shoot! I always wanted a Luger since hearing my grandfather talk about his two Lugers that were stolen back in the late 50's or early 60's.

I feel that regardless what you pay for something as long as your happy with it you did fine. I kind of felt sick when I bought my Sig 1911 for $1000 (even though it was the cheapest I could get that particular model new it was still the most I ever spent on a gun), then after I took it out shooting the first time I knew that I had made the right choice.

I haven't done anything extremely dumb with a collectible (yet, anyway), the only transaction I kind of regret was a very early Colt 1903 hammerless pistol. I bought it as a basket case and restored it, and later on I traded it for an AR-15 target upper that I "absolutely needed" at the time. The Colt was a 1st generation with all the early features (even had the plunge cut serrations), and I thought that I can always find a nice, unrestored one if I'm patient enough. 4-5 years later, I haven't even seen a picture of one. Oh well, there's one out there waiting for me, somewhere...

Bad Trades
 

Well..My story isn't so bad after reading some of the ones posted.......I picked up a Smith & Wesson 36-1 with the 3" Heavy Barrel from my neighbor....who owed me $150.00.....really nice pistol....then I got the urge for an Interarms Mauser with 6" barrel.....traded the S&W Plus bunch of Cash to Gun Shop up in East Tennessee where we go camping....half the way home.......DOH.!!..wished i hadn't traded the S&W....pondered and stewed about it for the past year....then finally got to checking on Gunsamerica....found one advertised by a Dealer out in Nevada.....called him up...sent the money...he mailed it the next day to my FFL dealer here......it came in MINT....unfired..so after all the wear and tear on my brain.....I wound up with a much better S&W 36-1....and this one aint going no where..!!!!...in fact...I use it as my Carry pistol and last Sunday...went on a 3 mile hike in the Mountains....and its also my hiking pistol....(mean little sucker with snake loads)......the best part....it looks EXACTLY like the one I traded.....my wife walked by as I was cleaning it the other nite...."is that the pistol you got off our neighbor.?"......I just quietly grunted and kept cleaning........whew......slipped that one by.... :):cheers:

Back in the sixties I was a Smith collector. I traded a guy six twenty dollar gold pieces for a Model 39 steel frame. Sold the Smith a couple of years ago for $1300. The coins were worth about $50 apiece at the time. Today's value is about ten grand.

I bought a Kabar USMC knife and sheath at an Army/Navy surplus store shortly after WWII. The blade had the original factory blueing on it. I think it cost me a dollar. Like a dummy, I removed the blueing with crocus cloth. Still have the knife and shake my head when ever I take it out of the sheath.

Peter

I tried to touch up the blue on a Cavalry inspected, Cartouched, 7.5" barreled, Single Action Army and used Birchwood Casey's blue remover instead of cold blue!

The good part is that it was a Uberti replica, which I ended up completely antiquing, since I could not duplicate the replica Colt Royal Blue on the cylinder I had ruined. Felt like a durned fool!
(Still, curse Birchwood Casey for providing opposing products in identical containers!!)

"My Worst Gun Trade Ever" by Bart Skelton
 

Stupidest thing I've ever done with any gun? ...Sold it.