The Market will buy me a Rifle.

I've read in a few novels that if you go into the market with a certain goal to purchase something, you lose.
I needed this really nice rifle I was eyeballing for decades and I said, I've been trading fairly good that this next one is going to buy me a rifle. Ouch. I'd have been better off pulling the money out of this account and buying it.

Anybody else experience the exact same sort of thing and want to talk about? Lose or win, I'm curious if this story holds true.