Henry Rifle Forums

My friend and I went LGS hopping Thursday to look for a Ruger Mark series pistol. He shot my wife's MKII and my MKIII and liked both of them.
A couple places had nothing but MKIV's and he didn't like the model IV at all. I wanted to stop at another shop and he didn't really want to. So I went to it anyway with it only being several miles from where we were. I could tell he had given up at finding a II or a III and wanted to go on home.
Tough luck for him because I was driving his car so I headed to the other shop. We went in and he started looking at different things in the counters. I went right to the semi-auto pistol counter and just about thought I was seeing things. A MarkII slab side stainless lying on top of the factory box. I asked to handle it and I opened the slide and told the guy it looks unfired. He told me it was unfired by the guy that had it from new.
It still had the sticky factory grease on it. No trace of unburned powder or any thing in the action. I called my friend over and told him this is one like you want. He was back and forth on trading the piece of junk Bond arms derringer off on it. I told him if you turn it down then it is going home with me today. So finally this tightest guy I know decided to take it with him and get rid of the Bond arms junk. All I heard on the way home was maybe he had made a mistake. I told him to figure up every dime he had in it and I would give him his money back plus $50 more. That shut him up until we got home and he started about maybe it has something wrong with it. I decided on my home from his place I will never again go look for anything else with that tight wad again. I tried to tell him about how hard they are to find let alone a nib model. He wants to find a red dot for it. I won't be involved in that purchase. He paid $529 for it and I think is was worth every dime.

Sounds like he is lucky in having you as a friend.

Don't you hate that...
If only I could find... Then they find exactly what they asked for, and start to pick it apart. Never satisfied.

I was married to a gal that could win a pot of gold and would have complained that the pot was only Sterling Silver.

WAS married to....

You are too good to your friend, when he baulked you should have just bought it. Keep in close touch with him, I bet he sells it within a month to somebody else. Will he remember your offer?

I would never shop for a gun for somebody else, there are too many pitfalls, and too many personal temptations. I will happily offer advice, but no way will I be the lead man....

Does he have any ammo for his new Mk II or will you have to find that too?

John Davies
Spokane WA

Darn right it was worth it. The MK II Slabside is the most sought after model in the whole Mark series for target work. Finding one NIB is amazing. Hope your buddy learns to appreciate it. You did him a real favor.

John E Davies wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:47 pm

You are too good to your friend, when he baulked you should have just bought it. Keep in close touch with him, I bet he sells it within a month to somebody else. Will he remember your offer?

I would never shop for a gun for somebody else, there are too many pitfalls, and too many personal temptations. I will happily offer advice, but no way will I be the lead man....

Does he have any ammo for his new Mk II or will you have to find that too?

John Davies
Spokane WA

He has two bricks of Thunderduds. If he shoots both bricks of them in it he is on his own with ammo and also removing the lead from the barrel. I can remember during the last shortage I needed a box of a 100 Sierra 22 cal. bullets and he had nearly 10,000 of them stocked up for if he went prairie dog shooting again and wouldn't sell me a hundred and I offered him the inflated price for them that they were selling for at the time. We didn't do anything together for quite a while after that. I am a softy when it comes to losing a friend over stuff like that. We have been friends since the mid 80's. The biggest problem staying friends with him is how cheap he is and he is a millionaire maybe several times over.

I have a friend who is similarly FRUGAL. I have given up suggesting deals because after the fact he always regrets spending the money and it is my fault he spent it. If I need help, he is always there giving his all but when it comes to cash....forget it.

Had a friend just like that with guns but he would take the gun money he had saved up and spend it on booze. Never though a thing about that as there is nothing to show for money spent on booze. But would argue like hell over 25.00 on the price of the gun.

I too have known people like that. If you have the wealth, spread it to loved ones and keep yourself happy as well.

We had a friend like that in VA. Bomber Pilot in WWII. Tight in most things, multimillionaire. Lived in a modest home, drove a used station wagon. Wore beat up khakis and flannel shirts 90% of the time. Managed his rental properties, owned three malls, and many downtown office buildings, big ones. Also built for others... Well, his companies did. He'd show up on site to check on the progress.
Was know to demand contractors drop off residual materials at his warehouse. You had paint, nails, shingles, 2x4s left over from a project, you took them to his warehouse, or he docked your tickets.

His maintenance people used the supplies for repairs on the rentals. My wife had known him since she was little, and asked him about it. "I pay for the materials. Some contractors will order extra on big jobs, to use on side jobs to increase their profit. That cuts into my profit. I didn't get where I am by increasing profit on their side jobs. I pay my people well, but cheat me once, you'll never sork in any of MY companies again."

Lot's of folks called him scrooge behind his back. Those who didn't know him. He donated to the Church, the schools, took care of his people, his friends...

He just didn't flaunt his money.
He did buy nice shotguns, and raised springer spaniels.