Which Firearm Has Been a Pleasant Surprise?

[Sock Puppet]

In the same spirit as the "biggest disappointment" thread, which gun purchase has been a pleasant surprise? Maybe you didn't have particularly high hopes for a firearm due to reputation, or bought something because it was cheap, just to find out that it's a pretty darned good gun.

Mine has been my Sar Arms B6P pistol. Sure, it's a CZ/Tangfoglio clone, so the DNA is there for a decent pistol, but I really didn't expect much for $300. I've been very pleased with it so far. Fit and finish is pretty good, and it eats any ammo I've thrown at it with absolutely zero malfunctions in about 1K rounds or so. I haven't noticed any issues at all with it, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

So what's yours?

 

[Midwest]

Hi-Point .45 acp.

I bought this in 2012 thinking that it since it cost $159 but had a lifetime warranty. I'll shoot it a couple of time and when it jams or malfunctions, I'll just send it in for repair. Well that never happened....

In fact, it turned out to be a solid reliable shooter, no jams whatsoever and it shoots pretty accurately.

This has me wondering about negative comments of the Hi-Point. Maybe I just got lucky and got a good one out of the batch? Or are all the negative comments are just hype? Sure the gun is ugly, but very reliable. My only regret is not buying another one or two when they were $159. I have seen these now sell over $200 at the local gun store.

 

[rockhopper46038]

In the same vein as the OP, a Canik55 Stingray-C has been a real eye-opener. Retailing at $320 (and I got mine for less) this is an all steel SP-01 clone that is compact, soft shooting and accurate.

 

[thriller]

Rossi 462 .357 Mag. Bought on an impluse, now I shoot it all the time. It functions perfectly and I shoot it well. It carries very nicely in a leather hip holster when Im out riding my ATV, and barely know its there when Im walking with it. I would not part with it for more than I paid for it.

 

[Savage99]

The custom Mauser sporter I got last year continues to please my eye, It's stock is exceptional in design. The action is an FN with a 24" 7mm RM bbl.

 

[bannockburn]

I think I would consider my Browning Hi-Power Mk. II to be a very pleasant surprise, especially after less than satisfactory performances from two previous Hi-Powers. Now I finally had a decent trigger (right out of the box and without having to remove the mag safety), a nice set of sights that I could actually see, and a thumb safety that could be readily used without the need to take a mallet to it.

 

[Old Dog]

I'd have to say the Taurus PT-145. I picked one up simply because it was dirt cheap, yet held 10+1 of my beloved .45 ACP, and I was there, saw it, had the money and was somewhat intrigued (this was right after the company fixed the bugs on the initial models).

Turns out, these little boogers are easy to shoot and surprisingly accurate (yeah, the triggers are ... long and sproingy). But I liked it so much, I got another, just because. Now, I am very fond of my nice 1911s and SIGs, but the little Taurus .45s are quite concealable and far more ergonomic (for me) than the Glock 30s. I've got a Kramer horsehide holster than cost almost half of what the pistols cost each, but 10+1 of .45 in a small package; I think they're great pistols for the money.

 

[MedWheeler]

Bersa Thunder .380. Was absolutely amazed at what I was able to run through it without malfunctions, from decades-old aluminum-cased CCI Blazer stuff to crud-covered, name-forgotten stuff (new stuff works well, too!)

 

[floydster]

My Elite Witness Match pistols

 

[bikerdoc]

ATI 45, made by Sporting Arms in the Philippines.

Got the military model and was so impressed I got the Compact. Fantastic performer, good trigger, nary a failure in about 2k rounds.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Rossi 462 -- I expected it to be as good as the 817 I had (it started to get loose in the cylinder and the screw for the release kept loosening during carry). It has met or exceeded expectations after five hundred rounds of remington greenbox 125 grain SJHP .357 magnum, a thousand plus rounds of reloads meant to mimic performance, more .38 special than I can count, and more different brands of .357 than I can remember. It is still solid and reliable but has been replaced by my Ruger SP101 because the SP101 is a superior product for regular carry. The Rossi now sits in my office drawer locked up for those times I don't carry to work. It cost me $310 when I got it, now it would run me more so I'd rather just get a SP101 again then another one but I can afford to do that. Still I recommend them highly.

Bersa Ultra Compact 9mm --- this gun is one my HD guns. It sits in my master bathroom in a drawer loaded and ready to go. It has been dead nuts reliable for over a thousand rounds. I got it at a gunshow LNIB for $260 and has been a wonderful shooter. It is narrowly outpaced by the Ruger SR9 in my collection but the SR9 performs better in the trigger and handling department, it would lose in the CCW department. If you can get one for under $300 it is a good buy. If not then just up to a Ruger SR9c in my opinion.

Heritage Rougher Rider .22lr 6.5" --- accurate as heck out to twenty yards. I've shot quarter sized groupings when I've done my part over fixed sights using bulk bricks of ammo. Would highly recommend it as a first .22lr pinker for under $200.

 

[Schwing]

I have 3 of these. My Hi point 995 was purchased because Cal-Ranch had 1 left, it was $229 and my buddy at the counter with me insisted I would love it. He was right. I wouldn't trust my life with it but it is enormously fun.

My Rossie 92 in .357 was purchased because I had been trying to find a .357 lever-action for almost a year and they were they only ones I could find in stock. I finally broke down and "settled". I have never regretted it.

My Beretta Neos .22 was purchased instead of the Buckmark I intended to purchase because the Buckmark was out of stock and the Neos was around $200. I bought it with the attitude that it was inexpensive enough for the gamble. A few years later and I still don't own a Buckmark. It never mis-feeds, is surprisingly accurate and has several thousand rounds through it with zero problems.

 

[tlatoani]

Bought a pair of Heritage Rough Riders and a "cowboy" belt just to be funny. I actually really like shooting them. Accurate enough for me.

 

[LeontheProfessional]

Rossi Ranch hand in 357. Expected it to be finicky with ammo and need some tuning and it worked flawlessly out of the box.

 

[statelineblues]

I got the Compact. Fantastic performer, good trigger, nary a failure in about 2k rounds.

I bought Rock Island Armory (same company as ATI) 1911 Compact 8 years ago - it's been one of my best, most accurate .45s. My only complaint is that it's heavy for a 3" barrel pistol.

 

[GBExpat]

TT-33

I thought them unattractive until I actually bought one & range-tested it (the exact opposite of my experience with the CZ-52 pistols, btw) ... now I think that each one of the 11(?) TT-33s & Variants is gorgeous.

Lessee ... 3 Russians (sans add-on safeties), 2 Polish, 2 Romanian, 4 Yugo M57s ... ayup, 11 it is.

Flat, comfortable, accurate, reliable and even concealable. Too bad the sights aren't a little bit better.

 

[mac66]

Marlin 795. Dirt cheap (mine was $100 after the rebate a couple years ago) and very accurate. It is one of my favorite grab and go rifles.

 

[Hometeached1]

My Glock 19. Part of the reason for this was I did not have internet at the time I bought it and pretty much everyone I knew that had handguns was a big SIG fan. If I would have had the money I would have got a SIG and missed out on this fine pistol.

 

[cologuy]

Like Medwheeler, Bersa Thunder .380. Got it intending to give it to my daughter, but she's not too enthused, so I started shooting it. Wasn't impressed at first, but after I put the magazine/grip extension on it turned into a damned impressive little gun. Eats anything, never had a problem with different types of ammo or dirt. Now the daughter wants it back! I may have to get a Bersa 9mm to replace it.....

 

[SniperJon]

Bought a Taurus TCP for 200 bucks new and it is scary accurate compared to my LCP. Much better trigger also and will eat anything...pleasantly surprised indeed

 

[Stevie-Ray]

My EDC, a Kimber Ultra CDP that replaced my HKUSPC, which I figured to probably equal the HK in accuracy, but kick like a wild mule in comparison due to it's lighter weight. Wrong, the Kimber buries the HK in accuracy and for some reason is easier on the hands for recoil with the same load. Must be because 1911s fit my hand like no other, overall design, whatever. No matter what it is, I've been tickled for over 10 years.

Taurus PT-22, a much maligned mouse gun, that for me was a total surprise in that mine consistently shoots Rem Yellow Jackets, a round Taurus specifically recommends against due to it's TC design not being conducive to reliability. I've shot mostly YJs out of this gun and never had a failure. It's not very accurate, but good enough and a lot of fun.

 

[Quentin]

The Pietta Model 1851 Confederate Navy .44 I got at Cabela's just before Christmas has been a pleasant surprise. It's the model with a spare cylinder that normally sells for $250 but was on sale for $170 plus they honored a $20 coupon so a real good deal. I honestly didn't expect much for the price but it's great!

Sure, a few warts here and there plus not historically accurate but it is a percussion revolver that works just like the genuine models of the era. It's been a whole lot of fun! As long as I keep the loads to 20gr and under it should hold together.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoo...PerPage=48&WTz_l=SBC;BRprd740536;cat104503680

 

[JHansenAK47]

CZ452 military trainer in 22lr
It's fun having a bolt action that forces you to make shots count and outshoots you to the point that you can see your marksmanship or lack thereof in action.

 

[larryh1108]

I like to collect cheap handguns.
I like to collect nice handguns but cheap seems to give me more pleasure for the buck.

I have been pleasantly surprised by:

Astra A75 9mm/.40S&M (both slides, 1 frame) -Very nice weapon and very reliable.
Every Llama I own. I have one of almost every model.
A Charter Arms Undercover - Always goes bang and is accurate for a light, snubby. $200
A Raven .25ACP. Always goes bang and fixed barrel makes it accurate for the POS it's supposed to be. $75 well spent.
A Phoenix Arms HP22a. Always goes bang. Best $125 I ever spent. Change the $2 recoil spring every 500 rounds and it just keeps shooting.
A CZ70 .32ACP. All steel, heavy but reliable and accurate. $139. Fun range gun
PT145 - 10 rounds of .45 in a small package and 100% reliable. $325

There are more but none that fit the criteria. I expected to get $100 guns but I got some nice steel that just keeps chugging along.

 

[Cee Zee]

I'd have to say the Taurus PT-145.

Put me down for another surprised Taurus PT-145 owner. I had been looking at Glocks for 2 weeks solid. I went to every gun shop in the area and there are a lot of them. I just could not find a Glock that fit my hand. Then a guy at a gun shop started selling me on the PT-145. I was very surprised at the capacity for the size of the gun. And the price was about half of what I expected to spend on a Glock. He was so sure I'd love it that he gave me a 30 day no questions asked return policy. He knew that gun would not be back. It was a Gen. 3 model so like you said the bugs were worked out by then.

That pistol has never failed to function yet. It did have a single cartridge not fire on the first strike (fired on the second try) but that had to be the cartridge and not the gun. Having a second bite at a bad cartridge is a good idea IMO too.

The thing that surprised me even more than the dependability (over 5000 rounds with no malfunctions) was the accuracy. It's an amazingly accurate pistol especially to have such a short barrel. My friend said he was going to find out just how well I could shoot and he set up 3 brass cases from my empty .45 rounds. He put 2 at 20 yards and the other at 25. I nailed the first two on the first try for each and I missed the third (the one at 25 yards) by about an inch. Not bad for a concealed carry gun. And that is what it's designed for. The gun is thinner than a lot of single stack .45's. I don't know how they do that. They must have asked Doctor Who how to get more room on the inside than on the outside.

I didn't like the sights but they were easy enough to replace. I've since gone to a .40 because of the development of some particular rounds that do things a .45 just won't do like penetrate car door steel and go through a windshield even when shooting it at a steep angle. But I sometimes still carry the Taurus. It made me put down my Sig P220 which I had carried for years before I got the Taurus. It certainly isn't as accurate as the Sig and I doubt it's as durable but who knows. Both still work perfectly. But the Sig is much heavier and harder to conceal especially in the summer. The original reason I went to buy another pistol was to have something to carry in the summer I could conceal. The Taurus does a fine job of that in a CrossBreed SuperTuck IWB holster. I can wear it with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to cover it up. And it can come out of that holster in a big hurry.

I don't know if all the PT-145 models are as good. Some of the early ones had problems and I really don't know about the really late production samples. But mine is a very nice CCW gun which I plan to keep a long time.