Joe, I was lucky enough to have extra $$$ (no alimony to my ex-wife, child support, or college loans) and got some good advice. So about 15 years ago I started to buy guns (Ballards, Hepburns , Rollers) and scopes thinking that when I retire (I retired several years ago) I could cash them in and use the money for some other gun I wanted more. It's worked out very well for me. Now I wish I had bought more. I have 2 project rifles underway and another in the planning stage. But as you point out, single shot rifle prices have gone crazy and if you pass up something that seems high today, just wait until a month or a year from now. I think the only way to justify buying something today (unless it's a good deal) is to think of what it will be worth in a year or two. When selling you have to think about what the replacement price of your gun would be, not what you paid 10 or 20 years ago. The price of admission to buying/owning single shot rifles has gotten high and it's only going up, a sad reality.

Joe,
That's one of the beauty's of a 1 1/2, if it's RF you just swap out the breech block for a #1 or #5. That is what I did with mine. I bought mine around 1990 and bought the BB from the guy that Womack bought out.

They made less of the 1 1/2 than any other RB, I keep thinking the value will sky rocket some day but, it hasn't yet

Frank

It's all these dang fancy reference books that are coming out.
Makes everybody an expert.
Oh wait, I guess they said that about Grant's books 50 years ago

So after acquiring the Bullard book right after publishing, decided to buy a Bullard if I saw a nice target model. Never see them now.  Turns out a friend had a large Bullard collection I never knew about. That person is well known for a tight lip, real tight. By the time the subject came up with him, he had sold his entire collection to one buyer. Oh the pain.   

Seldom see a nice one I can afford, on the net. Think there's one in the next Amoskeig auction. 

          Joe.