[tinygnat219]

To help offset some of the negative threads going on here, I figured I would post something on the positive side.

What's your biggest handgun surprise? You know, where you picked something up in a trade, or picked it up because the price was good. What has pleasantly surprised you?

For me, it'd have to be my Bulgarian Makarov. I found this one in the used gun case for 150 bucks. I had heard a lot of good things about them, but hadn't really taken the time to shoot one. So, I took a chance and picked it up. The accuracy, the reliability, and overall shootability of this handgun are just outright fun. I replaced the recoil spring and WHOA was it that much nicer to shoot.

Another was my S&W 3913 pistol. I had heard good things about it, and had the chance to handle it in a gunshop. It felt obscenely good in my hands, so I figured I would have to get one just to try it out. Well, I picked one up and it's now my favorite handgun / carry gun. It goes with me wherever I can take it. It's never failed to cycle a round, fits my hand VERY well, and I can shoot tight groups with it all day. I paid 380 for the pistol, and then more for 7 more magazines. This is one gun that is NOT going to leave my collection.

[Wolfman_556]

Ruger P97DC .45acp

I paid less than $400 for it over eight years ago and it's been blasting away accurately and 100% reliably all that time.

What surprised me was... it's a "plastic pistol". I was skeptical of how the polymer would hold up to years and years of .45acp. It's held up beautifully. It shoots any kind of ammo I feed it. It's one of my favorite .45's.

[foghornl]

A real COLT .22LR in the SAA style I bought for $100....of course that was in 1981....Not sure exactly where that revolver went. Think I traded it for a Mdl 59 S&W a couple of years later.

[rduckwor]

Browning Buckmark 5 1/4" Didn't expect too much. Man! This thing is a genuine tack driver from a bench rest! 1" groups at 25 yards.

[HM2PAC]

My 1st handgun purchase was a real POS. I won't go into detail about who made the double stack .45ACP as this post is leaning toward the positive. It kept locking back before the mag was finished.

I was really bummed. It was sold to a local gunshop.

A new HK USP45 filled its void and has been flawless from day one. I may suck, and they may hate me, but I've got their gun!!!!

[CWL]

My new Dan Wesson CBOB.

I have already compared the fit of the DW to a Les Baer semi-custom and I stand by that comparison.

It is the equivalent of an Ed Brown Cobra at 40% of the price.

[DRYHUMOR]

Got a Glock mdl 22 in a trade a few weeks back. Never had one, never held or fired one. Felt good, shot good. It's now in the nightstand with a 15 rd mag.

[XDKingslayer]

My Springer XD .45 GAP.

I got it when they first started coming out. Everyone was talking them down, especially those hopped up on Glock-Aid. Everyone was talking down the .45 GAP, especially those hopped up on Cooper-Aid.

Hands down the best, most accurate, most reliable pistol I've ever owned.

[Gunner4h1r3]

IMI Baby Eagle Compact .40 S&W. Picked it up for $280 and it shoot likes a dream.

Primary carry gun.

Another suprise was my S&W 638. An outstanding snub by any standard.

[presspuller]

Kimber Custom II stainless. Just their plain jane version but man will that thing shoot. I can't miss with the thing and never one problem out of it.

[kcshooter]

Smith and Wesson Gunsite 1911.

The external extractor was the real reason I expected to be disappointed with this gun. But I got an amazing deal on it so I couldn't pass it up. Turns out, I love shooting this gun and since it's scandium, it's also nice to carry.

[FLoppyTOE]

I was thoroughly amazed at the accuracy of the little 3in barrel of my XD .40 subcompact.

[Texshooter]

Ria 1911.

[TAB]

my DW SA trigger pull... the other side of that is the DA trigger pull is horride.

[basicblur]

I was thoroughly amazed at the accuracy of the little 3in barrel of my XD .40 subcompact.

What he said...!

[FNP-9]

I was thoroughly amazed at the accuracy of the little 3in barrel of my XD .40 subcompact.
I was also very impressed with this little gun!

[DWARREN123]

When I purchased my first Glock. I wanted something very reliable, after getting use to it, it turned out to be much better than I ever thought it could be so I got another.
I was one of the people who never wanted a plastic gun or a Glock, after a few months I am surprised I did not get one sooner.

[owlhoot]

My most recent pleasant surprise was a few years ago when I purchased a Kahr MK9. I didn't know a thing about the Kahr except that they were small. A friend dropped by my house, mentioned that a co-worker wanted to buy the PM9 and had his MK9 up for sale at a good price, $375. I said I would take it. So the next day the gun was delivered to me.

I have a range in the yard, so I ran a few magazines throught the gun right away, and it shot like a dream and with very little recoil. This was my first experience with a DA only semiauto and I was impressed. I was even more impressed with I put an empty milk jug out at 100 yeards and the little pistol bounced it on nearly every shot. It wasn't long until I retired my Commander and started going steady with the MK9. I am still pleasantly surprised everytime I shoot that pistol. What a sweetheart!

[retgarr]

My first pistol. I didn't know much about buying guns, I did research. I considered FNP's, M&P's, and finally found CZ. I bought stupidly, never fired one much less held one. Found one brand new for $355, figured it was a decent deal and bought it. there is no other gun in existence that fits me so well, that points as easy, I know now that the price was amazing. So now I have a beautiful CZ75 semicompact that has never had a malf (save for a cheapo $12, 30 round mag, that's the mags fault) on any ammo of all case types.

[gcrookston]

It was the 6" model 27... I bought it, paid for it, then the deal came undone... I'd been wanting a full sized 357 caliber handgun. I moved on. a few weeks later I found a 5", it shot extremely well, then I found out the 6" was available again... not a wheel gun guy, but boy are those two guns smooth.... and the 6" is like italian wedding cake...

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj19/gcrookston/DSC00111.jpg

[LJH]

I bought a shoe box full of pistol parts for $75. I was able to assemble a fully working S&W 39-2. BTW this is my favorite pistol to date.

[Clean97GTI]

When I bought my CZ75B the tag on it said $385 but when he scanned it, it said $355. He checked his price list and sure enough.
$30 off made it one of my favorite purchases.

The other was with the FN Model 1910 I recently traded for. Took it out shooting a couple years ago and wanted to try some trick shot. Tossed a glass bottle up in the air, drew from the hip and nailed it with the first shot.

[theotherwaldo]

My battered old Super Blackhawk. Under $200 at the local pawn shop, ugly and battered, with beat-up Pachmayr grips.

I thought that the dreaded .44 mag recoil would make it hard to shoot.
Hah.
Even with my poor eyesight I can keep it on the paper plate at fifty yards. Just plain fun, especially for the money!

[Mongrel]

Nicest surprise? hmmm...

After lusting since birth for a 1911 and finally getting a Para P13, I was pretty smug when a buddy and I went to the range.

He brought his homely S&W Model 10 (heavy barrel) in blue with the stock sights ( I should say 'sight'-as in front and groove...).

As per usual practice we switched off several times. I was amazed and delighted with my ability to hit with that Model 10. I don't think I have shot better with anything since.

Since that time I have never doubted that I would feel utterly prepared and protected with a wheel gun.

Of course, to this day he refuses to even entertain the idea of selling it to me! lol

[Treo]

My first CZ was not the gun I was looking for. I wasn't happy. I really didn't have a high opinion of European guns. To be honest I was kinda pouting about it when I took it to the range.

Then I shot it.

completely forgot the gun I wanted to buy ( probably never will get one) my 1911 went from primary carry to safe queen in an instant, and we've bought 2 more CZs since (DW's primary carry is a CZ-82,my back up is a RAMI)

[lechiffre]

i bought a walther model 7 for 170 dollars. the dealer told me he was giving me $100 off because it was missing a part. he really was it was $270 a few weeks before. turns out that the recoil spring was on backwards. as in the second picture

[evan price]

S&W 10-8 heavy barrel. Paid $219 for it, and it turned out when I got it home discovered it had had maybe 100 rounds through it in its life. Took it out shooting, and the first 6 shots were a raggedy hole in the center of the 10-ring of the target at 25 feet.
Haven't been able to duplicate that, since.

[loop]

My biggest surprise, on the pleasant side, was an EAA Witness in .45. I had a few guns with me, but it turned out all I had that could complete the course of fire (not enough rounds) with the mags I brought was an EAA.

I had not won an IDPA match in my class in more than a year. I won six straight with the EAA. I was about to drop several hundred dollars into the low-end gun when my wife suggested I upgrade.

I bought an EAA (Tanfoglio) Elite Match and won five-of-six matches (I was real sick and came in second on the one I did not win).

From years without even placing in IDPA to winning every match? Best $300 I ever spent.

I already sold that original gun that got me started with the Tanfoglios. But, no one has enough money to buy the one that is my current carry gun.

[tinygnat219]

HM2PAC,

A new HK USP45 filled its void and has been flawless from day one. I may suck, and they may hate me, but I've got their gun!!!!

I am trying not to ruin yet another keyboard with Diet Coke. Good one!

[tinygnat219]

There are some nice ones here. I especially like the 100 dollar discount on the recoil spring being backward.

[bmitchell]

I got a Phoenix HP-22 for a fair deal; thought it would be a good gift for a new shooter friend of mine. I ended up keeping it. It's not jammed except for the time another new shooter didn't seat the mag all the way, and it seems to be able to do somewhere around paper plate at 25 yards.

[biblefreak]

Glock 26. I was inbetween a 26 and a Smith lightweight snubby. Came across a good deal after selling off a 19-3 and have been quite impressed. Accurate, easy to shoot even with a dangling pinky and super easy to conceal. My 1911 has my heart, but that little 26 holds a special place..........in my holster!!!!

[dagger dog]

Bought a Beretta mdl 21A .22 long rifle, barrel can't be over an inch and a half long, sights if you want to call them that, are so small I have to feel for them to tell they are there. Belly gun for sure, NOT, this thing is amazing, squinting real hard, and sandbagging the little bugger it will print some 2" groups at the first berm at the range where I shoot 10 yds or so.Once I learned how to point shoot it tin cans scream mercy, and the thing won't jam, digests any ammo but it has a preference for standard velocity Agulia Super Extra an Ely primed sub sonic round.

For under $200.00 a superb little pocket pistol.

[OOOXOOO]

My father in law is really into milsurps and bought a Makarov. I looked at it like it was worse than a SNS. I shot it and was truly impressed. I ended up buying one. For $80 how can you say no? The funny part was when I went to buy mine he went with me and bought a Nagant revolver. He will not be getting me to buy one of those.

[TehK1w1]

Nagants are fun, and if you shoot one in DA you are exercising as well :) My Makarov would definitely be it for me-I can't make it malfunction...

[skinewmexico]

Either my used CZ 75 from CDNN for $169, or my Star BM for $129. Probably the Star, it's a better shooter. Too bad it doesn't have a cool motto like HK.

[Hawk]

STI VIP.

It's a surprise because I don't care for polymer, untraditional guide rods, 60.00 magazines, matt finishes, large slide markings or 1911 mutant pistols in calibers other than .45. The VIP has all these things and remains my favorite.

That's a surprise.

At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, (and it'd probably be an accurate accusation), it did everything so well I haven't bought another semi-auto since. This has allowed me to go play in the revolver forum (hadn't owned a wheelgun in 25 years) which has proven to be great fun.

[Phonetic Diabetic]

I read so much about CDNN, but when I went to their site, it says they don't sell guns on the internet. Bummer!

[possum]

the biggest suprise for me was and is my ruger p345, $369 otd and it is the most accurate handgun that i own.

[Dr_2_B]

+1 for Makarov.

[clang]

3rd Gen S&W Autos - a 5906. Great Gun for a great price.

[magnum62]

CZ 83, Makarov and a CZ97B. The CZ's are definitely a great value.

[Blarelli]

Sig 239. My brother bought a very used one for $390, and I thought it would shoot ok. I mean, it doesn't exactly have the best sight radius for good shooting, but boy howdy. First time out I had 2" groups at 50 feet. I can only occasionally match that with my ruger 22/45.

[modifiedbrowning]

Bersa Thunder 9 Ultracompact. I liked it so much that I bought a Thunder 9 Fullsize and then a Firestorm Mini-9 (made by Bersa and the same as a Thunder 9 except a rounded trigger guard). Then I bought a Firestorm .22 with a 6" barrel and it is now one of my favorite pistols as long as I shoot high velocity ammo through it (CCI Minimags), Federal doesn't work.
My daily CCW is Bersa Thunder 9 Ultracompact. They go bang everytime and have very nice triggers after some break in.

[janobles14]

ruger p944 special edition. less than 300 bucks and shoots better than any $1000 dollar gun i own.

[Tom Fury]

Police trade (San Antonio Sheriff's?) S&W 4506 I bought actually for a parts gun; discovered it had been lightly stroked in the trigger dept. and was by far more accurate than the gun it had been bought to source parts for; which was no slouch in and of itself. 4506's grow on you.

Kimber Custom Aluminum Stainless; 1st Gen. Came in the shop in trade for a 686; I really wanted a 640, was looking for a summer (close to sweaty body) gun that was small and stainless, or alloy stainless. Couldn't find one without the lock; Price was very right for an employee, and when I took it to the range; WOW! ate everything and grouped very small.
Very Pleasant surprise. Changed my outlook on Kimbers.

Cheers, TF

[GBExpat]

Polish TT-33

For quite awhile I saw them advertised on websites like SOG for ~$140 and the looked rather odd & unlovely to me ... until I finally bought one.

I was delighted! It is thin, light, comfortable and quite accurate ... and it doesn't look quite as odd & unlovely to me any more. ;)

Unfortunately, my purchase occurred AFTER the gobs of $140 Polish TT-33s had been sold, otherwise, I would have a pile of them right now.

I have, however, been able to acquire a second Polish TT-33 and 3 Soviet TT-33s since, all of them for very good prices ... just had to keep a lookout for the bargains.

[CHEVELLE427]

I was thoroughly amazed at the accuracy of the little 3in barrel of my XD .40 subcompact as well. BOTH my XD's i have are great.

this cia TITANIUM 38+P i picked up for $250

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff103/CHEVELLE427/DSCF2222.jpg

Liked my XD45 so much I traded my baby eagle 40 for a XD SUB COMPACT 40.
LIKE STATED ALREADY THE BABY EAGLE 40 was a super gun.
that is also why i kept the BABY EAGLE 45.:D

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff103/CHEVELLE427/DSCF2652.jpg

[tinygnat219]

Nice!

Surprising how many times the Makarov is mentioned here. :D

[WC145]

20+ years ago I got an ODI Viking .45 with a Seecamp double action in a trade. Cool gun, stainless, ahead of it's time, and I couldn't hit a thing with it. Traded it for a round butt 2 1/2" S&W Model 19, what a gun!! Beautiful fit and finish and wicked accurate, no trouble hitting paint cans at 50 yds!

More recently I picked up a 4 5/8" .41mag Blackhawk for $200 . The gun looked new except the bore was a leaded up. Agood long scrubbing and plenty of elbow grease and she was ready to go.

Just a few weeks ago I bought a Beretta Mini Cougar 8000D 9mm from Bud's Gun Shop. It was used but supposed to be nice and had the original box, paperwork, mags, all for $368 shipped. I was leery buying used without seeing it in person but when it arrived it was, for all intents and purposes, brand new! It an absolute pleasure to shoot and I was able to buy original factory 15rd mags from Beretta for only $19.95. They also still had the sleeves that fill the space between the short grip and the long mag for $9 each. I love this gun, it has replaced my much larger and heavier M9 for duty carry plus it conceals very well with the short mag in it.

[doc2rn]

S&W 10-4 with about 35% of blueing left on it. Started life as a detective's side arm on the Chicago PD in '62, I got it for $115 and haven't been happier.

[highlander 5]

In the early 80s I picked up a Walther PP in 32 auto 2 mags original box papers and a holster was a West German police trade in for $200 still kicking myself that I didn't buy 2.
very little holster wear and it fed hollow points like they were going out of style and I still have the little bugger don't have the heart to trade it off for something else.

[foghornl]

One other pleasant surprise...

As many times as people knock "RG" brand revolvers in general (and I had an RG-brand .22 DA revolver that couldn't hit a 9" paper plate beyond 6 feet) I inherited a decent RG snubby in '.38Spezial' cailiber. I don't shoot it a lot, but it keeps the lead on paper @ 10Yds.

[jjohnson]

Best surprise bang for the buck was my Russian Mak. You don't expect all that much for about $150, and while the civilian commercial adjustable sights aren't quite as I'd like them, that little pistol shoots as accurately as either of my full sized Glocks! :what: Whoa!

And on top of THAT, it's as dependable as either of them! :eek:

No kidding. I wouldn't want to play IPSC games with it, but for a CCW piece, even a .380 that's entirely reliable, dependable, and accurate (and fits in your pocket) isn't at all bad for the price. It well exceeds my expectations. :D

[Hook686]

I was pleasantly surprised at just how accurat the Desert Eagle in .357 and .44 magnum really was. The mild recoil also surprised me. I was prepared for the large grip and heavy weight, though these were not that shocking.

[hecate]

A Firestar Plus in the StarVel finish. A little over $200, and a nice little gun. I've never had a malfunction out of it.

A very pleasant surprise that I didn't buy but just test-drove was an STI Legend 2011 in .45ACP. As a small woman with small hands, I couldn't believe how well it fit my hands and how easy it was to shoot. I almost wish I'd discovered that before I ordered a custom built Wilson Combat.

[RPCVYemen]

The 1st time I shot a Ruger Blackhawk (last year?). I was looking to buy a handgun, but had concentrated on semi-autos. Then, more or less as a goof, I rented a Backhawk at a range. The trigger was unbelievable - I still tend to think that you are going to find a $400 NIB (I paid $399) handgun with a trigger smoother than a Blackhawk.

I have shot 1911's with that nice of a trigger, but cost more than twice as much (or more).

The more I shoot it, the more I like it.

I got it in 45 LC, and learned how to reload.

To me, it seems like the most elegant simple platform I have ever shot.

My shooting buddies swear by 1911's, but compared to an SA revolver, auto's seem like big ugly clanking machines. When you touch off a round in a semi-auto, all these parts start clanking around, slamming into each other. Finally, they quiet down, and you can shoot again.

When I touch off a round in my Blackhawk, the gun rolls up in my hand, and then right back down on target. Simple, elegant, nothing smacking around.

Mike

[seed]

foghornl said:
One other pleasant surprise...

As many times as people knock "RG" brand revolvers in general (and I had an RG-brand .22 DA revolver that couldn't hit a 9" paper plate beyond 6 feet) I inherited a decent RG snubby in '.38Spezial' cailiber. I don't shoot it a lot, but it keeps the lead on paper @ 10Yds.

Wow. That's all I can say about that. My experience with RG was quite typical and quite different than your own. Absolutely horrible.

As for my best surprise...quite truthfully I would have to say the XD. I got it way before the hype when I saw one at the local store for the first time and bought it for no good reason...I had no idea if it was good or not. Well, it is one of the few guns I have purchased which has had absolutely zero malfunctions from the beginning...i.e. no "break-in" period. Mine was made before the happy days of melonite, but I got it refinished early on so I have no concerns about it rusting. Currently (after my Glock 22 started cracking in the rear rails), it became my bed gun. I trust it that much. I have other very nice full size or so-called compact pistols which could fill the role, including other Glocks, Sigs, and a CZ (all of which are fantastic), but the XD is doing just fine.

[XD-40 Shooter]

1st generation Taurus 24/7 40 S&W, bought new in box for $300. This pistol is accurate, just as accurate as my XD, very comfortable in my hand, and 100% reliable, I'm very pleased with it.

[b.thomas]

happiest surprise is my new S&W m910, after the first few "boggles" it's ran close to 600 rounds without a hitch.:D
Contrary to that is a new ruger p95.....bad mag latch spring right out of the box, can't get it to fire more then one round before it drops a magazine out.
Other then that it's a great single shot!:rolleyes::mad::barf::banghead: