Tom, I would still want the gun back, it is yours and I think everyone understands not wanting to get their son's friend in trouble. I would want back on principle. It's unlikely the gun would sell for the current asking price.

It's crazy to think they have $150 in it! If you would pay $4005 to have it back that's what I would walk in with in cash and mention the previous auction. Once you have it back you can worry about the possibility of getting some of the money back from your son's friend(which may or may not be important to you). I am sorry you are going through this...

On a side note, I forgot to mention earlier that I really like how the "1878" patent date was engraved on the forend. That was the first time I saw anything like that.

One would hope this has a happy ending even if it is a bit expensive.

This seller is not the pawn shop that got the gun originally. It has probably passed hands a few times. I will offer $4k or so and see what happens. I really do want that gun back. It had a woodcock engraved on the trigger guard also which is really nice.

I wonder if it really is the same gun Tom... There are two birds on the trigger guard bow now and they're not woodcock.





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Tom, I applaud your decision not to have your son's friend arrested, despite his admission.
I had the same thing happen to me, though my son's friend never confessed. The gun was a 1911 that my dad had given me. I bought another but it wasn't the same. My only consolation is my son's friend is going to have to answer for his actions eventually.

Tom, ask our friend Kevin how he handled a similar situation. I won't elaborate.

That is a darn shame what happened. I personally would not be anywhere near as forgiving. The gun was stolen. Plain and simple. And every extent should be exercised to get it back, if it were me. But then again, a lot of people consider me to be an a**hole.

I know this is far off the OP's topic but when my DHE 32" 20 was stolen by a "family friend" I burned them and the gun store that bought it for $500. It sure helped the police that I had pictures of the gun and a PGCA letter. Perp did 2 yrs. and the gun store went out of business.

If nothing else, I would sue the pawn shop. Put a big ad in your local paper looking for the gun...WITH the explanation how it ended up in the pawn shop. I'll bet it would get their attention. What legitimate shop would pay $150 for a $4000 Parker in good conscience ? They had to know it was a fishy deal. They would have more than 4k worth of trouble if it were me. The saying.."If you dance, you pay the fiddler" comes to mind. The kid is a common thief..and as such..has proven that he lives by those rules...now come the consequences...

How about a gun store paying some loser $500 for a 15k gun? The moron/thief gun store owner never entered it into his books and that's how he got burned.

The moral of this story is don't ever try to screw over an Italian.:nono:

These instances may be the first and only times these losers got 'found out' but it is pretty well guaranteed it wasn't the first (or last) time they have done such crimes.

It is our responsibility to bring them to justice whenever we know who they are.

A good friend and high-scoring registered Skeet shooter had a pretty little Model 23 Golden Quail .410 stolen about ten years ago. The gun's serial number, coincidentally enough, is 410 so if you ever see or hear of that gun somewhere - it is a stolen gun! and needs to be returned to Bob's widow... who is also a Skeet shooter.





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