Sometimes, crazy sellers and their "babies" can work in the buyers favour.
While not a gun, this fits the scenario. In the late 1970's my brother decided he wanted to buy a Jag E-Type. Found a low mileage 1972 V12 E-Type convertible. Went to look at it and discovered the guy selling was being forced to by circumstances, yet was still in love with the car and didn't need the money. Asking price was at the low end of the normal range, which at the time was around 10K.
My brother figured that more then anything the guy wanted to sell the car to someone who would love it like he did. So my brother began to play the role. Went and saw the guy/car 5 times before settling on a price. Worked it down to 7K. And when he went to pick up the car and turn over the cash, the guy dropped the price on his own to $6400 and threw in a brand new battery. All because it was going to the right home.
That's kind of the same way I got my French 16ga. I got to talking with the owner, who was a middle-aged gent who didn't hunt. He was very attached to the gun as it was his dad's war trophy. His dad - an infantryman - had liberated it from a Norman barn shortly after returning to duty from being wounded, then shipped it home. It had been lightly hunted for a few years post-war, then lovingly cared for and in a place of honor for the next 60 years. Hadn't been fired in probably 50 years, by the seller's estimate. Along with the gun, he sent me copies of pages from his dad's regimental "yearbook", including one of his dad and his mortar crew.
When all was said and done, he wanted me to have it because he knew I'd give it a good home, to remember his dad's story, and he knew I'd do that.
