"Beater" handguns that have surprised you

[Cosmoline]

In response to the thread about handguns that didn't live up to their reps, what about the reverse--beater handguns or cheapo pawn shop specials that exceeded your expectations?

High on my list is the Colt Police Positive Special I got for under two bills. Beat up with broken and repaired mother-of-pearl grips. The revolver would shoot quarter-size groups at twenty yards and had awesome ergonomics. I foolishly traded it off last year, but I have hopes it will resurface one day.

Also the even cheaper Ruger Security Six I found rotting away in a pawn shop bargain bin. After a trip to Ruger for a complete refurbishment (which only cost $80), it was a really nice revolver. Trigger was as smooth as any Smith.

 

[Crosshair]

My 3" Astra .357 revolver, cost me $200 + tax. It is well balanced, and has a good trigger. It is also 100% stock. One of my Co-workers, shooting offhand, made a group in a sand pile that was smaller than a floppy disk. (This was informal, we didn't have a tape measure OK. ) After we picked our jaws off the ground we paced it at about 20 yards. I just reloaded my first 38 Special rounds for it tonight. (158 grain SWC on top of 6 grains of Blue Dot.) I can't wait to try them out.

 

[S&W44]

Picked up an Argentine 1927 .45 1911 for $300.The finish is a little worn,but it sure shoots nice.

 

[HighVelocity]

Picked a "well loved" S&W Chiefs Special at a pawn shop for $100. After a complete tear down, clean, lube and new grips it's a great shooter and 100% reliable.

 

[cortez kid]

Bought some Smith mod 64's my dealer got from a police range. They all shoot great. All polished up beautiful, except for the one I had bead blasted. Put new rubbers on it, and my wife thought I bought her a new gun. $149 each. Best money I spent so far of weapons.

 

[.45Guy]

I picked up a S&W Mod. 10 at a show years ago for $150. Best buy I ever made.

 

[armoredman]

Smith Model 10 4 inch. Looked like garbage outside, but mechanically perfect inside - it had been carried without being fired so long, that there were five shiny rings on the cylinder frm the rims of the unfired cartridges, and not one the empty sixth! Paid $125 out the door, dead on accurate, sold to pay my girlfriends, (wife now) rent. Darn it.

 

[Bill B.]

Gotta agree that a S&W 10 is the best beater buy in handguns period!

 

[TonyB]

Bought a Rossi 357 2"...for $150.Put some light blue paint on the front sight,so I could see it.....shoots POA and I use it for IDPA .....

 

[TimboKhan]

Cosmoline, if there is one thing I have inherited from my dad, its a love of shopping around for bargains in the used gun market. Matter of fact, I think I actually enjoy shopping for and buying used guns more than new, and I have a few "beaters" that I have been pleased with, in addition to one or two my dad has.

First on that list is my Harrington and Richardson Sportsman 999 .22 revolver. My old man found this gun very cheap (somewhere around 100-120 bucks), gave it to me, and it has turned into my very favorite .22 revolver, hands down. I can't say enough good things about this gun, actually.

Only a month or two ago, I bought a Taurus PT-99 (Beretta 92 copy, but with adjustable sights) at my local pawn shop for $165.00. I figured for that price it would be servicable, and be a good gun to let other guys shoot that didn't have pistols, but by god, I took it out on the range, and it shot like a champ! I was expecting it to be decent, but I was very pleased, and somewhat surprised with how accurate it ended up being. So much so, I plan on spending some money on this gun in the future to bring it back from the dead.

My dad bought an old S&W Military and Police model for $150.00 dollars about a year ago, and I love it. I have made it clear that I would like it, so if and when the old man decides to sell it, I have first dibs on it (although he will probably end up just giving it to me, as my dad is a very generous guy and enjoys giving me guns. I think it actually makes him happier to give me a gun than it does me to receive a gun!)

 

[mete]

You don't know what a "beater" is !! I knew a Win M12 found in a creek .After cleaning up it worked fine .Also a CZ24 found in a river ,the outside pitted terribly .But the inside was fine and after cleaning up it worked fine !!

 

[larry starling]

My buddy bought a wore out colt officers model. He cleaned it up added a few things to it and heck it has turned into one of his best shooting guns.....

 

[Dr.Rob]

Used FEG Pa-63/Ap-9 for $100... a neat little (ok not little for a .380) pistol that's served me well.

 

[Moonclip]

Makarovs, old beat up revolvers from quality manufacturers can be quite good as mentioned. Got a Llama 44mag revolver for $100 5 years ago too, works fine. For cheap guns, Ravens and especially FIE titan 25cps tend to work ok.

Many milsurp guns in general are good shooters at bargain prices.

 

[saltydog452]

Grammer police..

Better be careful moonclip, the grammer police will be after you to change your 'handle' from moonclip to moonmagazine..

salty.

 

[Moonclip]

no, I will not be "moonmagazine" anytime soon, although I am known as "Bucky" on the S&W forum as Moonclip was taken there!

 

[armoredman]

Guess I should have thrown in my old CZ70 .32 - lots of features usually found on expensive top name pistols, caliber was a bit light, trigger was loooong, but I almost qualified POST with the little blaster! I felt pretty good with that as a BUG, as it fed everything, JHP included, and never burped. Gotta get another one someday, but the days of CZ70s for $120 are gone, I am afraid....

 

[albanian]

Bersa 23 .22lr in nickel. It is very accurate and very reliable. I enjoy shooting this gun probably more than any other. I got it in like new cond with box and paper work for $175 OTD. I got it home and found that I could not even chamber a round let alone shoot the thing. I was pissed at first and then I noticed a large burr on the chamber. I took out my trusty Dremel and polished the burr away. Now it shoot like a champ and I have put several thousand rounds through it. Great gun.

Bersa 383-A Traded a Mak and $25 for her and she was everything the Mak wished it could be. Outclassed the Mak in every way and was super accurate. Traded it to a fellow forum member (Doublet) and he seems to like it as well.

Star BM. Finish worn and paid something like $160 for it. It turned out to be the most accurate 9mm I have ever shot. It shot a single 9mm caliber hole at 25' and my jaw dropped. It is just a tack driver.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Found a Python at a gun show a couple years back that someone had engraved (poorly), gold plated (even more poorly), and outfitted with some of the most goobered-up fake-inlaid-ivory grips I've ever seen. It looked awful but the action was tight and the bore was perfect. The guy was having trouble getting anyone to even look at it because it was so horrendous. Picked it up for $200. Afterwards it was an immediate trip to my gunsmith to have it as much of the engraving buffed out as possible, and then stripped and reblued. Still looked awful but was a good shooter. I ended up giving it to my brother to keep in his truck.

Brad

 

[sigstroker]

I went to a gun show looking for a trunk gun and J&G had a big pile of Makarovs for about $135. I had already researched them and was just about to pull the trigger (no pun intended) when I saw they also had a big pile of police trade-in revolvers. They were Smith & Wesson Model 15's .38 Special. IIRC they were recessed and pinned. They are essentially a Model 10 with adjustable sights. Hmm, I thought to myself, .38 Special is a better caliber than the Mak and I might even enjoy shooting the Smith. They were only $13 more and the more I played with the display model on the table and talking about it, the more the guys behind the table agreed it was a smoking deal. They had been selling the piss out of the Mak's because most of the show buyers considered the revolvers to be "old technology". They started opening all the boxes the revolvers were packed in until they found one with almost no finish wear. It was in great condition, almost no top strap wear and the timing was great. So, for $148 I ended up getting a great revolver that was too nice to throw in the trunk.

 

[MinScout]

Bought a used Bersa Thunder .380 for $160 including and holster and 100 rounds of ammo. The thing looks like a cheap p.o.s., but it shoots everything and accurately. It's a far better gun than the Walther PPK I used to have, which cost over three times as much.

 

[DAVE RICHARDS]

Bersa .380 and a $100.00 Phoenix Arms HP-22 that has shot every single time I've pulled the trigger. My CZ75 would of surprised me if I hadn't read up on them.

 

[Dionysusigma]

The Bersa sitting next to me.

 

[hksw]

Old TZ-75 from FIE. IIRC, around $275. Internally, the machine work is quite poor as MANY jagged edges will cut your finger. Tight as a drum, though, and shoots as well as a SIG.

Also, a couple of old Astra A-75s (all steel models).

 

[GI Jane]

Used FEG

I would have to agree here. It was in 9. It was a very reliable little thing. Dh had one and it was stolen from the glove compartment.
Stupied cops on scene had no clue of what he was talking about. He was so messed up. Needless to say we never saw it again...what a shame.