Have you ever walked in to a gun store and bought a gun immediately - Love at First Sight?

[Hokkmike]

Walked into a a well known gun store in Williamsport, PA and there, on the wall, was a CZ-527 American in .223/5.56. What an amazing handy, and versatile little rifle. I gave no thought to comparing this and that, getting advice from forums, researching reviews, watching YouTube videos, and etc. Call it an impulse purchase if you will but I am glad I got it.

Here are some of the reasons:

1. I have wanted, other than an AR, a bolt action that can handle both .223/5.56.
2. I needed a rifle to mount the 2.5x10 Vari X-III Leupold my wife bought me years ago.
3. I have consistently heard of the quality of CZ
4. I really like the look and feel of this smaller gun.

LOVE at first sight.

I might add, as a PS - that shortly after I bought it, CZ discontinued this particular model. I am not sure why....

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Was it at Sauers? I bought my Savage 22A target at 1st sight. At Walmart in Buckhorn Pa.

 

[Starter52]

I have walked into a gun shop and walked out with a love-at-first-sight gun MANY times. Same is true with walking around a big gun show.

 

[alfsauve]

1971 - I was a poor E4, married, just making ends meet. Walked into N. Charleston Guns and couldn't walk out without a brand new Colt MkIV 70. Still have it.
1986 - at a gun show in downtown Atlanta at the Marriott. (Try to put one on there these days!) Couldn't leave without the brand new 8" 686. Still have it.

 

[Pivot Dr]

I wouldn’t say at first site, I usually wander around just a bit before throwing my money down.

 

[375supermag]

Many times...many, many times.

 

[IJ1981]

Yes, at National Gun Store in Miami in December, 1994.

A beautiful black Ruger GP141 in .357 Magnum, with great Pachmayr grips. . After almost 29 years it is still my pet.

 

[LoonWulf]

Yeah. I used to do that all the time, but generally it was just cause I wanted a new gun to play with, not because I found something I REALLY wanted.. 500 bucks in my pocket, new gun in the back seat.....Now im being a little pickier, and/or ordering stuff and waiting because its cheaper.

 

[LimaCharlie]

I do it often.

 

[Old Dog]

Oh, hell yes. On many occasions, it wasn't even a gun I'd ever thought about, didn't have a need for, and certainly didn't want one or go looking specifically for it... For me, the irony is that I still have all my "love at first sight" guns, while many that I acquired after months of recommendations, lusting after, meticulous research, visiting repeatedly at the LGS, inspecting, pondering, sleeping on 'em... have been traded away, sold, gifted to family members.

Too many to count. Mostly really shiny guns. Or with great wood. Or both. CZ-75 high-polished bright stainless? One glance under the glass, didn't even need to handle it -- "I'll buy that." Beretta 92X. "What's that? Start the paperwork."

Here's the latest:

 

[Caplock]

Yea it was about 1997. She ran the gunshop and her husband was the gunsmith in the back somewhere. She assured the 17 year old me I couldn't afford her. I still liked to look when I went to town.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Back in 1997 i walked into SARCO when they were still here in NJ, waiting in the racks for me was an 1896 Krag. In December, 2021 visited one of my regular gunshop/ranges, there was a Weatherby Mark XXII waiting for me.

 

[PapaG]

Yes. And working in a shop have sold many, some unseen. "You got a such and such?". yep. Ill be in in a few.
We are only a couple miles from a riverboat and I love it when a gun nut gets lucky at the tables.

 

[Ru4real]

Yea it was about 1997. She ran the gunshop and her husband was the gunsmith in the back somewhere. She assured the 17 year old me I couldn't afford her. I still liked to look when I went to town.

Post of the day right there

 

[Rubone]

I rarely go in a gun shop with a certain item in mind. It is almost always spontaneous, hence my eclectic collection!

 

[md7]

Once. Walked in a store on my birthday. Just to browse. They had a Beretta 92FS, and I always wanted one. Done.

 

[Lo-Profile]

More than a few times.
The last one was a Rock Island Ultra Tac that was $425 OTD.
Another a CZ SP-01 Tactical that the guy who ordered it failed the background check. Picked it up for cheap.

 

[Rubone]

Whoa, there is an echo in here....

 

[Armybrat]

Just once, and walked out with this Colt Texas Sesquicentennial Commemorative .45 in a nice factory case.

 

[.308 Norma]

"Have you ever walked in to a gun store and bought a gun immediately - Love at First Sight?"​

A few times, maybe. I don't usually buy guns that way though. Not that it's never been "love at first sight" when it comes to me and guns. It's just that I usually spend a few days convincing myself why I "need" a gun I fell in love with before I go back and buy it.
It hasn't always worked. There's been a time or two the gun I fell in love with was gone before I went back to buy it. And a couple of summers ago, I convinced myself I "needed" a new .257 Weatherby, but by the time I was finally ready to lay the money down, our well caved in, and we had to put close to $10,000 down that "money pit."
I've now taken that experience as a "sign" that I wasn't supposed to have a .257 Weatherby in the first place. I no longer want one even though we've recovered financially from the caved in well. And in fact, our well is better (deeper and better cased) than it ever was.

 

[Walkalong]

It happened with this one. Instant love.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

Yep
Just yesterday, dropped 1300 bucks on the new CZ S2 compact. I knew I was buying it before I walked through the door.

Same thing with the Dan Wesson DWX, waited 3 years for that one.

 

[herrwalther]

Several times. Most of my non-researched impulse buys have been sold off. My first handgun I researched for about 3 years before seeing one in a store. Handled it for about 5 minutes and bought it. It was everything my research said it was and I still have it. Walther P99

My first rifle was a pure impulse buy, no research. Marlin 336 in 35 Remington. I bought it to be a pair to my grandfather's Marlin 36 in 30-30 that he had showed and promised me. But the 36 disappeared when NY passed some draconian gun laws. So my Marlin might get sold as well. I have awful luck liking my impulse buys.

 

[jmr40]

I walked into a small gunshop back in the mid-90's. They had a "Bargain Barrel". Literally an old wooden barrel with mostly junk single shot 22's and shotguns in it. I spotted a Winchester 94-22 XTR in there with a $200 price tag. It had a light film of gun oil that had attracted about 1/8" of dust all over the exterior. I didn't have $200 on me but almost dislocated my shoulder getting out the Visa card.

It cleaned up great and I shot it a lot over the years. But when lever guns got crazy expensive, I sold it for $1200 a couple of years ago.

 

[MikeInOr]

Nope. I research pretty much everything I purchase extensively before purchasing. If I fall in love with something I will pretty much always sleep on it and go back the next day if it still makes sense to me to buy it.

30 years ago I walked into a gun store and found a used stainless Colt Government 380 and fell in love with it. It didn't pass the sleep on it test. I still would love to have a stainless Colt Government 380 and wish I had bought it way back then. Such is life.