A Cruffler goes shopping for a semiauto...

[spiroxlii]

I didn't start out as a gun toting 2A activist. I started out as a casual shooter and milsurp collector. I think my roots as a Cruffler (C&R FFL holder) had a profound effect on the way I shopped for a carry pistol.

When you spend most of your time looking at cosmoline-caked, dark-bored, beaver-chewed, and blood-stained battle rifles, your definition of "good condition" tends to be rather generous. You start to value wear marks and scratches because they give a gun character. The only thing that really and truly matters is reliability.

When I saw my Bersa in the case, it was $50 less than the Bersas around it. Why? It has marks from holster wear. The bore was bright. Everything worked properly. I didn't care if it wasn't the prettiest of its bretheren. It had more character than the others, and for all its "flaws," it was still about a hundred times less beat up than my SMLE.

My reward? A straight-shooting reliable pistol for considerably less money than a "prettier" example of the same gun.

 

[Texastbird]

You aren't worth your dried up Cosmoline if you don't snap up one of the CZ82
C&Rs before they are all gone. A great little pistol that has a wonderful trigger and ergonomics. And isn't that K31 a beautiful rifle??

 

[jesse485]

Oh come on man! You didn't go for the CZ or a Mak for your carry pistol? What kind of cruffler are you anyways?
<----- Carries an IJ-70 Mak in 9x18

 

[spiroxlii]

My next gun purchase this month is a CZ82!

 

[NGIB]

I have only bought 1 NIB pistol in my life, the rest have all been of the used variety. I prefer something I can use and shoot to a pristine safe queen. Every time I think about having one refinished so it's pretty, I realize I'm just going to ding it up anyway...

 

[mpmarty]

So who has the best deals on CZ82s?

 

[Texastbird]

I don't know if they are the cheapest, but AIM surplus is easy to deal with and their stock is usually the best available.

 

[spiroxlii]

AIM Surplus and J&G Sales generally have the same stuff for about the same prices as far as milsurp firearms go.

I may wait and get a CZ82 next month, because I just noticed that AIM is out of Nagant revolvers. I'm going to get a Nagant from J&G or one of the other distributors that still has them.