I hope you have your Kleenex handy. A bunch of years ago, when I was first married and we had a baby, but virtually no money, I visited a gun store with my dad, who was buying a 9mm pistol. While he was completing the transaction, I browsed the used rifle rack and came upon a standard configuration octagonal barrel 1886. It had been in 38-56, but it had been rebored/chambered to 45-70, thus lowering the collector's value. It looked like it was in excellent condition. I suspected that the original bore had been in poor condition, thus the rebore. I checked the price tag and it read.... $350. At that moment, my dad finished his business and wanted to leave. It was also right at closing time and we were the only people left in the store. I lived several hours away from the gun store and after I left my dad's house, I drove the whole way home figuring out what I could sell to raise the $350. By the time I got home, I had it figured out (that old 10-speed bike I never ride, my old 35mm camera, a few other things). My lovely bride said that I had to buy it while I had the chance. It ate me up all night and I called the shop when they opened in the morning so that they would hold the gun until I could get there. Have you guessed it yet? As we had been leaving the previous day, five minutes before closing, a young guy with long hair and an unkempt beard was walking in. Now have you figured it out? Yep. Sold. Believe me, that one creates an almost physical pain in my heart to this day.
CC Griff