Best Gun Store Purchase Surprise?

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Loosedhorse

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What was the biggest (positive) surprise you got after buying a firearm?

For me, it was a few years back. I find a Benelli M1 Super 90--pistol grip, long mag tube--on the used shelf for what seems a ridiculously low price given the import ban. I ask about it, he says it's a pre-ban "police turn-in; it's pretty worn."

I look it over. Sure enough, the chrome on the bolt face is gone, and the barrel looks black, not one bit of chrome. But, mechanically, it looks sound enough. I walk out with it.

As always, first thing I do when I get home is break it down and clean it. (BTW--can ANYONE get that mag tube off?) It's filthy, no sign its ever been violated by a cleaning rod. I mean it.

After I get the receiver and bolt cleaned up and oiled, I grit my teeth and start on the barrel. And a funny thing happens--I begin to see a little chrome. And then a little more.

G-d know how much solvent later, I've got lots and lots of plastic-filled patches; but I'm looking at a barrel so shiny it's like a kaleidoscope as I peek through it and swing it around the room. And, probably from all the solvent fumes, I've got a big, stupid grin on my face. :)

Took it to the range. Doesn't like birdshot or reduced loads, but with slugs or any standard buckshot (4 to 00), zingo!--no problems. We agreed on 1 buck after patterning. It now wears a flashlight and is within easy reach at bedtime.

I couple of weeks later, I return to the gun store, all aflush at my good luck. I explain the whole happy story to the guy who sold it to me, to let him know how pleased I was.

"This is great! I feel, uh...what's the opposite of buyer's remorse?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Seller's remorse," he said grimly, and walked to the other end of the counter.

Oops!

:D
 
Earlier this year I picked up a used but in excellent condition Sig 229 with both the .40 and .357 Sig barrels along with three mags and night sights for $500.

Also this year I picked up a an old 1940's era "US Property" marked Colt/Remington Rand 1911 from the same gun store for about $200.
 
Bought a pre-war S&W 38/44 with target sights that was marked as a 'Pre-Model 10' for $100. When I bought it I wasn't sure of the exact year of purchase, or the specifics of the model, but any large frame S&W is worth far more than that and I knew it.

I've gotten many good deals, but....
 
Found a 1944 Inglis Hi-Power, Chinese Contract for $250. Shop owners couldn't tell me anything about it because the manufacture markings had been scrubbed by the importer but I ran some serial numbers and promptly bought it. May not be the greatest collector's piece, but it's close enough for me!
 
(BTW--can ANYONE get that mag tube off?)

They're ususally lock-tited in there. You have to heat the tube to get it off. Propane and propane accessories are great things.
 
I walked into a gun/pawn shop about 4 years ago and saw an excellent condition Finnish Model 27 marked Jap? with no price. I asked the lady behind the counter "How much?". She said she thought he was asking $50.00. Came back with $49.95. "I'll take it". :D

She said that they did not know what kind of gun it was or what kind of ammo it took. They did not even have it entered in their books because they did not know what to call it.

I gave her the complete description including caliber for her books...after paying for it and having it in my hands. :)
 
We bought an old H&R in .32 S&W long, nickle plated, wife picked it out, it was a sparkly. It also shoots well for an old revolver, paid $275 for it with a box of ammo. A few months later, I get offered twice what I paid for it, talking to a gun nut friend of mine. We still have the sparkly little 32.
 
I recently bought a High Standard Sport King for $150.
It was dirty and missing the safety but cleaned up like new. Now I am looking for a deal on the safety.
 
I just snagged a sweet 1917 Enfield SMLE Mk1 #3* for 100.00
The store found it after it had been in a storage container from an old move, 12 years ago. Still had the original price tag on it. No import marks, metal has almost all its' original blue, and the bore is as bright and shiny with deep grooves as I have ever seen. Lots of cosmoline. No cracks or serious wear on the stock. Though it is clear that an arsenal did patch the stock in a couple of places.

I can't wait to shoot her!
 
My grandfather was contacted by a family and asked to purchase the left overs of a gunsmith shop that had closed 10 years before. We were told their was some machine equipment and lots of parts and some parts guns. We arrived a few minutes before the family representative and looked in the shed with the gunsmith sign on it. From what we saw their were two old rem rifles and a H&R 22 pistol and some unidentifiable parts in a box under the bench. we were mainly interested in the books, parts and fixtures the lathe and mill were one step away from water powered, When they got their my grandfather offered a fair price for the stuff he wanted and they agreed but we had to take everything, we loaded up everything but the machine equipment into the back of our pickup and promised to come back in the morning for the rest, meaning lathe and mill.
The next morning we arrived with our trailer and started loading the mill and lathe with 2 of our friends, The family was their with two young men to help us as well, the lathe took all of us to horse it into the trailer but the mill was lighter and the three of us moved it to the trailer, to our surprise the two young men were loading boxes onto the trailer from another shed,
by the time we had loaded the mill their were more then a dozen boxes we had never seen loaded as well. we walked over to the shed to see how many more boxes were in their and thinking we would have to take a trip to the dump, their were maybe another 5 boxes and a rack along the wall their were dozens of old stocks and dozens of military rifles striped from their stocks all covered in cosmoline and neatly stacked. we had assumed we had bought only the stuff in the first shed. After going through the stuff back in my grandfathers gunshop we found he had bought about 30 98's 15 96's, 4 turks, 20 P-14's, 10 Springfield barreled actions, 2 Rem model 30's, 4 Win. 74 barreled actions, 3 S&W model 10 frames, 10 Colt 1911 frames and boxes of parts all labeled thank goodness. My grandfather believed in karma so he figured their worth to him and gave them another $450 bucks, now before you go nuts and think he screwed them that was back in 62, Mausers & P-14's were selling for $ 15.00 each. The 74,s were even less.
 
I was in my local gun shop last fall and the owner asked me if I was interested in some bullets? Seems he had picked them up at an estate sale. There were several large cardboard boxes of unopened boxes of bullets.He told me he would take $6.00 for the 50 rnd boxes and $9.00 for the hundred rnds boxes. The bullets were .223, 6mm, 7mm, and .308. I dug out 4 boxes of Barnes X bullets in 6mm, 4 boxes of .308 Nosler Partitions, 4 boxes of .223 Sierra 52gr HPBT's Match Kings, etc. Can't remember the rest.:)
 
Wasn't a gunstore but an auction, I bought my 32 Win Spcl in a coffee can. Had it put together by a smith and it shot way better than a gun that cheap had a right to. Had it blued and an aperture sight put on it and it gets exercised regularly. Now it's my carry gun in the deep woods. Might be old but I bought a case of ammo so I would have brass for reloading and I will be room temperature before it leaves my possession.
 
Local gunstore was selling a S&W Model 325PD with 7 moonclips for $350.
I'm not a revolver guy and it's chambered in .45ACP, figured why not and impulsed bought it.
Got home, looked it up online and saw that they were selling on gunbroker for $600-800.

CIMG2367.jpg
 
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This summer I was in a sporting goods store and they had a S&W revolver there that was marked as a pre-model 10 M&P. I didn't think it was what they had it marked as, but I wasn't sure what it was. They were asking $329 and I got it for $270. Turns out it was a 1937 38-44 Heavy Duty N frame with original grips. I've been told it is a $1200 gun.:D

At the same time I bought a S&W model 520. Again, I had no idea what it was other than an N frame .357. I paid $360. I've been told that it is a $1000 gun.:D

That was a good day at the gun shop.
 
Was at a small one man shop 2yrs ago and found a SIG 220 w/night sights and 3 factory mags for $350. Now it is my primary CCW!!!:D

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
 
At the local pusher's and he handed me a nice 30-06 Browning - a 1972 FN Browning with controlled feed/ejection. Dirty and surface rust here and there.

$350 OTD.

Took it home, brass wooled it, some oxpho blue where needed, floated the barrel and cleaned and waxed the stock. Looks brand new with a tiger stripe English walnut stock.

PB300009.jpg

PB300007.jpg

Now it's sporting a Nikon Buckmaster 3x9 with BDC, I tossed the scope pictured.
 
my father was at a local big box..i dont recall whether is was a kmart or whatever..but he saw a Benelli over/under..etched or scrolled..whatever you want to call it. So, he asks the kid behind the counter to see it...and asks how much..199$ the kid says. my father asks " are you sure?"..and the kid replies "yup".

could you please be sure and check? my father asks...again the kid says "yup..199$"

wallet opens and dad RUNS from the store..as he tells the story its a 1200$ skeet gun that has only been touched by red headed virgins.
 
Found a S&W Model 12 in the box for $199.99 minus 10% used gun special at my local Gander Mountain. When I came in the next day the guys behind the firearms counter asked if I was the one who bought it. They had said they realized the store priced is really low and if it survived the weekend, they were going to reprice it.

At my local range/gun store I spotted some old boxes of ammo behind the counter and casually asked about them. The lady behind the counter then said "Don't you have a .38 Super?" I replied I did and she said simply, "Give them to him."
It was three whole boxes of .38 Super, though about 20 years old; two boxes of Western and one Remington UMC. Someone had brought them in and the boxes were pretty worn to consider being sold.
I've shot through two of the boxes with my Rock Island Armory .38 Super and haven't had one misfire.
 
Not a gun store, but an acquaintance. He calls me, I'm the only person he knows who's interested in guns. His uncle had moved, wanted to sell some guns. He had left them at the acquaintance's house, they were downstairs in his basement, did I want to take a look?

I've pretty much decided I don't want any more guns, but it doesn't cost anything to look and I think the acquaintance would have been disappointed if I hadn't.

Dark, unfinished basement, see three guns with no cases leaning directly against the wall, not a good start.

I make out one as a butchered "sporterized" WWII Mauser with a no name scope. He says his uncle feels that's the most valued because it's from WWII and has a scope. Wants $150, no thanks.

The next is a Winchester .410 single. No rust, wood looks decent, wants $100. I figure any Winchester should be worth a hundred bucks, so OK.

The last is a lever action which I don't recognise, but it looks old, and it's heavy. $100, OK, never had a lever action. But it's weird because the sides of the receiver look like add ons, not one piece as I've seen before.

So I'll come back tomorrow with the money to pick them up, and a blanket to wrap them in.

Pay him the next day, wrap up the guns, throw them in the trunk and take them home.

I dated the shotgun to the late '30s, it had red paint in the Winchester logo under the receiver and was supposed to be a collectible, so far so good.

The lever action turned out to be a Model 1873, .38-40 caliber which I had never heard of at the time. The stock and forearm had old repairs, but the metal was nice, lots of original blue. The riser block wouldn't stay up and the hammer wasn't staying back when you worked the action. OK, I bought a broken gun, but it would look good on the wall.

Turns out 1873 Winchesters are collectibles also. Had it repaired for $100, sold the shotgun for $250, so basically got the lever action for free.

Although ammo is hard to find, it shoots surprisingly well, has almost no recoil, and is pretty accurate. Pretty cool gun with a classic sound when you work the action. Great $100 buy.
 
When I picked up my Barrett .50 BMG, I was surprised/happy to see it arrive in a custom Pelican case. Upon opening the case, I realized it was already stock scoped! Apparently Bushnell entered a deal with them. It also included a Otis cleaning kit.

I started this venture of buying a .50 by calling up my local store on a whim. I asked him to order a model 99. He called me back in 15 minutes with a 'good deal' on a new 99. 4 days later, I had it. (happy dance)
 
jap arisaka, mum intact for free.my boss got it from a friend that found it in his attic.

glanfield M25Nfor $60shoots 1/4inch groups at 50 yards

numbers match norinco SKS for $180 only a few months ago(thanks again J. parker)
 
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