Blannelberry: Top Five Guns I Want But Can’t Afford

Most of us have limits on our discretionary income. We’re not made of money and therefore we have to live on a budget. It sucks a lot of the time. But I like to think that the fruits of my labor, the few possessions I do have, taste a little sweeter because I actually earned them, they weren’t giving out by government or gifted by a wealthy benefactor. Call it middle-class pride.

By the same token, I also like to believe that if I continue to work hard, pay my dues and be the best me that I can be, I’ll one day be able to afford some of the finer things in life. Who knows though, I may be delusional to think upward mobility is possible in today’s volatile global marketplace.

But if I’m not delusional, and I do end up making more than just a livable wage in the future, here are some of the firearms that are high on my wish list:

Cabot 1911

Beautiful!

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge 1911 fan. Compared to modern polymer pistols, its design is a bit antiquated for a duty gun or every day carry gun. The 1911 is a big gun with a limited capacity and a reputation for being finicky with certain types of ammo and magazines. Also, carrying in condition one, locked and cocked, can be a bit unnerving for the faint-hearted — not to mention the issue of disengaging the the thumb safety under duress.

Complaints aside, I do want a 1911. Not just any 1911 though, a Cabot 1911.

The product of master craftsmen, engineers and machinists there is nothing quite like a Cabot 1911. It is the best of the best in terms of a precision 1911. To give you an idea, Cabot guarantees that the fit between the frames and slides of their Collector Class pistol is 0.001 inches or less. Talk about tight-fitting tolerances.

A Cabot will set you back a pretty penny. It’s easily north of $5,000 for most of the models I’ve drooled over.  Check out the Cabot website or view the listings on GunsAmerica.

Colt Python

Make sure to read our review of the Python.

I love wheel guns. And if there’s one to own, it’s arguably the Colt Python. A production handgun chambered in .357 Magnum, it wasn’t break-the-bank expensive when Colt was manufacturing them in large numbers.

However, since Colt stopped making them in 1999, prices for the iconic revolver have skyrocketed to the point where to get one in “like-new” or “unused” condition you have to be willing to drop at least $2,000.

I’m still holding out hope that Colt will either start making them again or that somehow demand for this snake gun wanes and prices drop. Yes, I know I’m dreaming. But who knows what the future holds? With Colt’s financial troubles, it’s possible that if new leadership were to take over they could reintroduce Python. Again, I’m dreaming but this whole article is basically about wishful thinking. Fingers crossed.

In case your curious, here are some of the Pythons listed on GunsAmerica (there’s a nickel-plated python with a 2.5” barrel for $10,500!!!).

Thompson Submachine Gun

It’d be great to own a piece of history. And that’s what you get with a “Tommy Gun,” a piece of classic Americana — oh yea, that, and a fully automatic firearm!

Yes, let me be clear, I’m not talking about a semi-automatic replica (which you can pick up at a very reasonable price on GunsAmerica) but a real deal “Chicago Typewriter” or “Organ grinder” or “Trench Sweeper” replete with a 100-round drum magazine.

Seriously though, I’d happily jump through all the Class III NFA hoops: the paperwork, the FBI fingerprint cards, the CLEO sign-off, the $200 transfer tax to get the legendary subgun.

Sadly, I don’t have the thousands of dollars to throw down on one.

For a little historical perspective, back in 1921, when the M1921 was first introduced, it sold for $200, about half as much as a Ford automobile which cost around $400.

Barrett .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle

The updated M107A1 is a foreboding enemy in battle. In the hands of a US Military sniper it is the biggest baddest infantry weapon on the battlefield, with effective range out to more than a mile. Read our review.

What the heck would I do with a .50 caliber sniper rifle? I’m not exactly sure. It doesn’t serve any practical purpose that I can think of. It’s not aptly suited for home defense. It’s obviously not a concealed carry gun. It’s a bit impractical for deer hunting.

I guess that makes it, like three-wheeled motorcycles and umbrella hats, a novelty item.

That said, it’s a badass rifle that I’d love to own. Really, what gun-loving, red-blooded American wouldn’t want one of these in their gun safe?

But it wouldn’t be cheap to own. I think the going rate for a .50 caliber round is somewhere in the neighborhood of $3. Yikes! Can you imagine spending an entire day at the range plinking with a Barrett?

As for the rifle itself, I’ve seen the various models listed between $8,000-$12,000. Yup. Out of my price range.

Beretta Imperiale Montecarlo Shotgun

If I’m going to dream I might as well dream big and add a Beretta Imperiale Montecarlo Shotgun to the list, which isn’t so much a shotgun but, as the Italian gun manufacturer says, “the result is much more than a work of art–it is nothing less than a part of gunmaking history.”

This is a gun that’s made for the super wealthy, the 2 percent club. The engraving on the outside of the gun takes “hundreds of hours” by artists who carry on the living tradition of “Dante and Petrarch.” The inside of the gun is fixed and fitted like a luxury custom-made watch. To own one is to own the modern “equivalent of an original big-name Renaissance sculpture.”

It’s super bad, super cool and super expensive.  The MSRP on a Beretta Imperiale Montecarlo is $106,800.

Yeah, in my dreams.

The side-by-side Beretta Imperiale Montecarlo. I’m not sure this stock photo does it justice.

Conclusion

So that’s my list. It’s a bit incomplete. I could’ve actually done a whole historical twist on this and picked firearms that were both historically significant and also extremely hard to find. But I figured I’d do a mixed bag and include a pistol, a revolver, a shotgun, a machine gun and a rifle.

Now I’ll turn it over to you. What’s on your “Guns I Want But Can’t Afford” list?