Share Your C&R Blunders!

[Petra]

I think my biggest C&R blunder was not getting into C&R (and guns in general) sooner.

[hollowpoint67]

I think my biggest C&R blunder was not getting into C&R (and guns in general) sooner.

I know the feeling.

[mosinnagantm9130]

I had a 91/30 with a jacked up counterbore just like yours!

What is my river confession, you ask?
I sporterized that 91/30. Yep, I cut several inches of the barrel, recrowned, new stock etc.
The only virgin milsurp I have permanently altered.

Yeah, if you're going to sporterize a milsurp, doing it to fix one that is already jacked up isn't that bad.

I don't know why I like the 91/30 with the jacked up counterbore, but I do. I never shoot it, there's just something about it I like. No clue why.

[mosinnagantm9130]

My only *true* regret was not buying a 91/30 at Big 5 in 2008. They were like $80.

I actually bought my primary shooter 91/30 from Big 5 one black friday with loose change. I brought in some rolls of coins and got the rifle

[j-shot]

I'd like to hear who else has made dumb decisions, outright blunders or secret confessions regarding C&R firearms!

I'll start:

I sanded the crap out of several SKS stocks and actually thought they looked better afterwards.

I have stripped and refinished several Mosin stocks.

I actually like Mitchell's Mausers M48 rifles. I have a couple of them and don't see them as fakes compared to their pimp shined renumbered K98's.

I stupidly sold a pre-war Standard Modell Mauser and have not been able to find an affordable replacement since.

I paid too much for a K98 stock shipped from Europe and overlooked the fact that it had been altered with a deep bolt cut out. Even though the seller clearly said so in the posting.

I grabbed my safe queen Persian 98/29 instead of my "shooter" 98/29 and shot it all day without noticing that I did not mean to ever shoot this rifle.

I busted my forehead open getting ringed by a scope on my K31 due to improper eye relief.

There are probably more moments of buffoonery to share, but that is what I recall off the top of my head.

OK, let's hear it...time to come clean and give others a laugh at your expense

OP great thread idea! This is a good read!

One of my 91/30s has a pretty messed up counterbore. It's like they counterbored one side of the barrel, but left the other side of the barrel with rifling almost to the muzzle. Predictably, you can't really predict if you'll hit what you're aiming at with it or not lol

In my defense, when I bought it, there was a gob of cosmoline hiding how jacked up the counterbore is

Is it possible to simply finish the counter bore job...?

[aghauler]

Biggest blunder? Take yer pick!!!!!

Selling all my FN49s, M1917s, Krags, Trapdoors, a Type 44 Arisaka, and a Type 99 Arisaka, then buying a Type 99 and 38. Returning a 1903 Springfield with the Pederson Device cutout because the wood didn't look "nice". Same with a Trapdoor rifle I got from MGM studios, turns out it was a RAMROD bayonet type
Buying a G98 off the old GUNLIST and finding out it was a duffle cut stock AFTER it arrived wasn't mentioned in listing, seller refused to take it back.

Dumbest things? (Besides the above)

Knew a Garandsmith going out of business that offered me any and all of his over 200 Garands at $300 ea, didn't have any extra money at the time, shoulda floated a loan!

Buying a Remington Model 11 "Riot gun" and watching the ramped front sight blow off into the sage brush the first time I pulled the trigger, never did find it!
But learned that "real" M11 riot guns don't HAVE ramped front sights.

While learning to adjust the gas relief plug on one of my FN49s (to reduce recoil) I tweeked it one too many turns out. Next shot sent the plug down range about 40, feet at least I kept my eye on it while it was sailing through the air and was able to recover it. Thankfully I was the only one there at the time.

What about the "ALMOST BUT THANKFULLY DIDN'T DO IT" category.

Bought my first M1 Carbine in 1971 for 50 bucks. Hadn't shot it in years been just moving from place to place, thought about selling it many times throughout the years. Then comes the internet and the ability to research things! Found out I have a Saginaw S'G'-Irwin Pederson transitional Carbine worth considerably more than what I paid for it, it will for sure go to my Daughter.

There Confession is over I feel better now!

[mosinnagantm9130]

Is it possible to simply finish the counter bore job...?

I'd assume it would be, I'm just also assuming it would cost close to what the rifle is worth.

[I Swan]

About 11 years ago I could have had an extremely beat Union Switch and Signal 1911A1 for around $300 but I didn't.

[AlienHobo]

I am pretty new to the C&R world so I'm still learning. I'm sure I'll make bigger blunders in the future, but here is the worst thing so far...

As most of you know, Gander Mountain had a few K31s for sale at $299 each. I ordered one and had it shipped to the first FFL on their list, which was the closest to my house. At the time, I did not know how much they charged to do the transfer, but here is the break-down:

$299 for the rifle
$25 for shipping
$25 DROS
$100 FFL Xfer
$25.42 for CA Usage Fee (Sales Tax).

So, what I thought was a great deal for a Swiss K31 ended up costing $474.42.

The following week, I sent in my paperwork for my 03 FFL and CoE.

[Bainter1212]

I am pretty new to the C&R world so I'm still learning. I'm sure I'll make bigger blunders in the future, but here is the worst thing so far...

As most of you know, Gander Mountain had a few K31s for sale at $299 each. I ordered one and had it shipped to the first FFL on their list, which was the closest to my house. At the time, I did not know how much they charged to do the transfer, but here is the break-down:

$299 for the rifle
$25 for shipping
$25 DROS
$100 FFL Xfer
$25.42 for CA Usage Fee (Sales Tax).

So, what I thought was a great deal for a Swiss K31 ended up costing $474.42.

The following week, I sent in my paperwork for my 03 FFL and CoE.

Yeah....it is shocking lol. I have been getting more patient lately and waiting for FTF opportunities. My favorite home based FFL is amazingly available at nearly any time....but his fees are hefty.

[bsquared]

Bought a Tikka-barreled Finn 91/30 for like 99 bucks in the early 2000's. Excellent condition, a tack driver. Sold it shortly thereafter to fund another purchase (at a profit). Really wish I would have kept it...

[emcon5]

Didn't buy a M1 carbine from CMP when they had them for ~$500.

[applesaucegalore1]

I am pretty new to the C&R world so I'm still learning. I'm sure I'll make bigger blunders in the future, but here is the worst thing so far...

As most of you know, Gander Mountain had a few K31s for sale at $299 each. I ordered one and had it shipped to the first FFL on their list, which was the closest to my house. At the time, I did not know how much they charged to do the transfer, but here is the break-down:

$299 for the rifle
$25 for shipping
$25 DROS
$100 FFL Xfer
$25.42 for CA Usage Fee (Sales Tax).

So, what I thought was a great deal for a Swiss K31 ended up costing $474.42.

The following week, I sent in my paperwork for my 03 FFL and CoE.

That's a pricy xfer!

I still can't bring myself to get the c&r license yet. Which might be better for me to focus on which single guns I really really want.

Sent from my SGH-T999L using Tapatalk

[plumbum]

I made two mistakes;
First - I bought a 91-30 from Big 5 a couple of years ago.
(Everyone knows mosins are a c&r gateway drug)
Second - I got c&r license
The rest is a blur

This ^

"Wow, $49 for a rifle? Sure, that could be fun..."

Well I did buy a $75 Nagant online (for the price) that magically turned into a $300 purchase.

[mosinnagantm9130]

So, what I thought was a great deal for a Swiss K31 ended up costing $474.42.

The following week, I sent in my paperwork for my 03 FFL and CoE.

Even if you did overpay, at least you learned from it.

Hell, you still got a solid rifle out of it as well! That's not too bad of a price to pay for a rifle and some knowledge.