Minty Rand
First, be suspicious of any GI issue pistol that looks brand new,
unless you know the seller personally and trust him at his word.
Second, understand that even though he may be straight up, he may
have been taken in by a restored gun that may or may not be correct.
If you are buying it for collector value, have it examined by someone
who knows exactly what he is looking at/for. Photographs are iffy.
Hard to see detail.
There are many people who can rebuild and restore an old GI pistol
to like-new, as issued condition. I've done it, and the results can
be amazing...but that does not make the gun ANIB. As long
as it's sold as a restored piece, and the buyer is aware of it, no
problem. If the seller isn't aware that it's a resto, then he's
well-intentioned, but you could still wind up paying a premium
for a gun worth half the asking price.
Third, if it's restored, be sure that the rebuild process was well and
correctly done. Many look good, but have major issues that can and
do affect the function of the guns.
Fourth, if the pistol is truly that pristine, it was likely stolen from an
armory before it was logged in and issued for use. I'm sure that
it's happened at some point, though I'm not personally aware of any
that were.
Hope this helps...Hope more that it's genuine. Envy abounds if it is.
Tuner