Your Most Pleasant Surprise

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I read a lot about people who are disappointed with
firearms acquisitions. But have you ever been pleasantly
surprised? This is mine. I'd like to see yours.

I purchased this M-25 sight unseen out of Gun List.
It was advertised as a standard M-25 (1955). When I got
it, something didn't register. Upon examination it turns
out it was one of those oddities that Smith occasionally
lets out the door.

Turns out, once upon a time, somebody mistakenly stamped
barrels for the 1955 M-25s "1950." Smith, being frugal,
sent that batch out the door, anyway. It doesn't make it
shoot any better, but I'm kind of proud of it.





BTW, in the bottom picture the extreme closeup makes it look as if there's rust on the barrel. There's no rust. It's the combination of lighting/background color.

 

[bean357]

Very nice!
My first purchase out of GunList was a Browning A-bolt medallion .270. I was a little apprehensive, but once it arrived I was VERY pleased with the condition (it was even better than described in the listing) and accuracy of it after getting to shoot it. First time I actually "used" it other than on paper was on a moose hunting trip with my Dad in Little Smoky, Alberta, CA. Shot a very nice bull-the wardens said it had been quite awhile since a trophy was taken that size
Getting a nice sight unseen purchase like that is great... then having a successful hunt with your Father is awesome!

 

[chickenfried]

My first CMP Garand. I was expecting a hunk of junk. Boy was I wrong. I loved opening that box and finding a great looking Garand.

 

[P95Carry]

P&R - most gratifying buy indeed. Sweet.

I have to think long and hard to come up with something in this category. I guess one at least, was a FAL - I went to meet the guy sorta halfways, in PA - so it was sight unseen really. Turns out it is a very fine example (on Imbel) and I took a Romanian SKS off him too - both were a satisfying deal.

I bought a M19-3 too last year from Preacherman ... and tho I had not seen it - it was a pleasant surprise to find it was every bit as good as I had hoped. Not of course that I had actually had any doubts!

Also - in IIRC 2003, bought a Ruger M77 MkII from Gordon I think it was - I knew it had had little use but that was also pleasantly fine for condition.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

I was a bit pleasantly surprised when I got my Service Grade M1 Garand from the CMP because they pick them at random (Service Grade just means the rifle operates within the specs necessary to issue the rifle) and some of the ones I've seen other people get have looked good and others were, errr. . . kinda not that great . I might just roll the dice again and pick up another one from them before the year is up .

 

[Standing Wolf]

My Interarms PPK was a pleasant surprise. It's been entirely reliable, and I imagine if I could somehow put target stocks and a red dot sight on it, I'd have a match-quality shooter.

Long after I bought it—primarily because it was cute—I discovered Interarms PPKs have a decidedly mixed reputation. I just got lucky.

 

[aguyindallas]

Well, in terms of a gun anyway...

I bought a Kel-Tec P32 from a fellow forum member, sight unseen. No pics, nothing.

It was better than described and shot 100 times better than I ever expected.

 

[SteveS]

I purchased a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 about 4 years ago, sight unseen. Looking back, it was probably not the smartest thing to do, but I spoke to him on the phone and he seemed like a nice guy. He said that he had fired it only a few times and that he would "throw in a scope." I honestly couldn't tell that it had been fired at all. I would have sworn it was NIB. The scope that came with it was pretty decent (Leupold), too.