Under appreciated firearms?? How about anything in 40 S&W right now? The herd has decided this isn't a very good defensive caliber which must be true since the FBI dropped it!! As for me and not being much of a herd type I'll continue carrying my 4006 as I guess I can always hit someone over the head with it if I get an ammunition failure!!
Jim

2 of my other accumulating interests.

The T/C contender. Unbelievably accurate almost boring to shoot. Not to mention an endless amount of calibers and barrel lengths.

The Rossi 92. I love having pistol caliber rifles to go with my revolvers. I have .357 mag, .44 mag, 45 colt and 454 Casull versions of this rifle. I love shooting these offhand at silhouette targets.

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-Matt

Any of the Monson made Dan Wessen revolvers in .22, .357, and 44Mag.
I bought one of each caliber back in the 70's and they are quite special to me. I would never sell them because they are worth a lot more to me than anyone would be willing to pay for them.

I would agree with the older Contenders being under appreciated, and they were a bit passe' once the Silhouette craze slowed down.
But they seem to be getting more attention these days, and people in my gun club who do own them have at least 3+ frames and half a dozen barrels at minimum (and we're all looking for more at gun shows).

I have a soft spot in my heart for the history of silhouette and the guns that go with it. I have 3 Dan Wesson revolvers too, all with 8" barrels. While I agree they are underrated there also don't seem to be many for sale. Both of my super mags I had to find via Gunbroker. My 8" model 15-2 was from a friend at a gun show, it was the only one I've ever seen with a long barrel.

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-Matt

I’ll go with the CZ75D Compact.

In this age of polymer, striker-fired pistols, I think one could do nicely with the following modest collection for defense and practice:

Ruger 22 Auto
Walther PPK .380 ACP
S&W 36
Browning HP 9mm
Colt 1911 .45
S&W 10
S&W 17

The Makarov PM pistol. These things are some of the toughest and most reliable pistols made. You can rebarrel them into .380 but I found a huge stash of quality ammo, mostly Winchester 95 grain FMJ and Hornady XTP ammo for personal defense. I carry this gun pretty much everywhere, this one being an East German, the best of the bunch.



Single shot rifles. I have been a fan of single shot guns for a long time, I cut my teeth on muzzleloaders so single shot rifles were nothing new. At one time, single shot rifles were commonplace, Rolling Blocks, Sharps, Low Walls and High Walls, then single shot .22 rifles that were really popular during the Great Depression and afterwards because they were simple and reliable. Now they seem to be a specialty or a gun for little kids to learn on. We have kind of lost the fact that single shots made great hunting rifles because there was no second chance, a quick follow shot was out of the question.

My son's Savage Model 30G, the last incarnation of the Stevens Favorite .22 LR.



A grey fox I took back in 2010 with a H & R Handi-Rifle in .22 Hornet.



My numero uno hunting rifle, a Remington Model 33 .22 LR single shot. This gun has killed more critters than the local interstate.



Big Medicine, my Military Remington Rolling Block in .43 Spanish.



My new favorite single shot, my 1885 Winchester Low Wall made in 1889 in .32-20. I have made it my mission to try and get this gun out as much as I can this year to hunt with.



This is Thumper, a Henry Single Shot in .45-70. This gun weighs all of 6 1/2 pounds but soaks up factory loads really well. By far the nicest single shot out there for the money when it comes to big game.



My latest single shot and my son's new favorite, a Remington #4 Rolling Block in .22 LR, another gun I plan on hunting with this year.

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Vaya con Dios

Lots of fans on the forum of this beauty; the Tokarev. This one is a Korean War vintage Chi-Com model 54

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John

Taurus Judge/Smith & Wesson Governor



In all honesty, to say that these firearms are "underappreciated" is actually an understatement, because these firearms are so irrationally disdained/denigrated that it borders on hatred.

Contrary to popular belief, Taurus wasn't the first to offer a revolver chambered in both .410 Bore/.45 Long Colt, the first was the MIL Thunder 5, which was first introduced in the 1990s, but the company closed its doors in 1998.
The Taurus Judge was first introduced back in 2006 as the Taurus Model 4410 Tracker, but was later renamed the Judge by executive vice president Bob Morrison later that year when Judges in Miami allegedly started carrying them under their robes in the courtroom for close-range self-defense firearm which would offer substantial power with minimal risk of overpenetration.
The Taurus Judge became a hot seller shortly thereafter and has remained successful ever since, which prompted Smith & Wesson to offer their own .410/.45 Revolver, the Governor in 2011. Not to be outdone, Smith & Wesson designed the Governor to quite literally 1-Up the Judge by including a 6-shot cylinder (the Judge has a 5-shot cylinder) and the ability to fire .45 ACP via moon clips.

Unfortunately, almost since the very beginning, these firearms were met with a level of extreme prejudice which goes above and beyond the level of skepticism one would expect from a new firearm, regardless of how questionable the design or its practicality may be.
To question the effectiveness of a minimally powerful shotgun shell out of a rifled 3" barrel is completely warranted, but to immediately proclaim it as practically worthless and to blatantly insult anyone who buys it by making presumptions in regards to their intelligence is most certainly not, much less continuing to do so a decade later.
Furthermore, while initial concerns in regards to effectiveness were warranted, (turns out shotshells designed for 18"+ smoothbore barrels do indeed perform poorly out of a 3" rifled barrel) specialty loads which were optimized for short rifled barrels have long since been on the market and proven to be effective, so continued assertions that it is practically useless are as ignorant as they are useless/unwarranted.

The Taurus Judge was originally marketed as a vehicle defense firearm to be used against carjackers, but has since received a bunch of different models for a variety of roles. Generally and practically speaking, it's best suited as a nightstand Home Defense firearm or a Wilderness Defense firearm.
However, to this day haters seem to be under the impression that Taurus marketed it mainly as a Concealed Carry piece, based on a one-off commercial they did in the early days of a woman using it in a parking garage. Said commercial was obviously a joke seeing as the woman is accosted in said parking garage by men with watermelons for heads and was never featured as an official advertisement on their website nor YouTube Channel, but when you're already predisposed towards hating something, obviously you'll jump on any excuse to help rationalize/legitimize said hatred.

At any rate, all practical applications and arguments aside, there is one thing that makes the Taurus Judge/Smith & Wesson Governor woefully underappreciated, and that's that it is insanely entertaining to shoot. Yes, so long as you can look at the firearm without your teeth clenching, your blood pressure skyrocketing, and feeling the sudden irresistible urge to insult the firearm and all those who own one as if they slept with your wife, it's quite possible that you will find the exercise of shooting a big bore revolver which not only fires one of the most iconic cartridges in US history, but also shotgun shells tends to be quite entertaining.

Non-Walther PP(K/S) Series Pistols and derivatives
The Walther PP Series is generally regarded as an iconic, high quality, concealed carry piece, but all other versions are underappreciated. Manurhin, Ranger/Interarms, FEG, and especially Smith & Wesson manufactured PP Series Pistols are treated with less respect/appreciation. Heck, even the newer model Walther PPK/S .22s are underappreciated just because technically they're made in Cologne by Walther's parent company Umarex and have an alloy slide/frame as opposed to all steel.
Don't even get me started on a of the high quality derivatives of the PP Series which are looked down upon just because they're not Walthers. The FEG PA-63 immediately comes to mind because apparently they were of such exceptional quality that for a short time in the 2000s FEG was officially licensed by Walther to produce a low cost alternative to the PPK(/S) known as the PPK/E, which was essentially just a rebranded FEG PMK-380 with minor cosmetic differences. But there were countless others as well, far too many to go over.

I still think the Beretta APX is very underrated and overlooked. That and S&W 3rd gen pistols.

Colt 1911 in 38 Super. Not the gun, the round. Despite being old and out of favor, it's still a solid performer, at the range or in SD applications.

It may be bettr not to tell everybody, and let the under-appreciated remain that way. Talking about it just creates more appreciation, and drives up the price. It happens with wine, cigars, motorcycle tires and CZs.

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Not in jail.

Charter Arms Undercover 38 spec. Easy to conceal and that little guy fires everytime, never a problem. Of all the firearms I have my wife chose this one to put in the console when she goes anywhere. Shoots point of aim. I also agree with the statement on 40 S&W, one time considered the cats meow, now someone decided they were no longer viable. Go figure.

I'd have to say the Magnum Research MR9 Eagle. It's a joint collaboration by Magnum Research and Walther. Magnum Research makes the slide and barrel here in the USA and Walther produces the frame and trigger assembly, which are similar to their P99AS. You just don't see these around much but when you do they're at a much better price than the Walther's. I've owned mine for a few years now and it's a great shooting pistol.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

The old Dan Wessons seem to have come back in popularity. I remember 20 years ago it was hard to sale one. They had a terrible resale value back then.

Ruger LCP. It is the perfect pocket pistol. Reliable, accurate, and can be found new for around $200.

In staying on forum topic, the S&W 422 seems a little underappreciated to me. I have a few, and they've been completely reliable, and make excellent suppressor hosts with their low slung barrels and factory threading.

The Colt Trooper/.357. Always thought the S&W L-frame was meant to compete with it. I have seen few for sale, like the Dan Wessons those who have them, keep them. the S&W M639 and M659. Same thing.

I very seldom pay attention to off the wall guns. Back
in Brady Bill days the auction I attended monthly had
really soft prices on any handgun that a major US brand. The auction only charged for I Bradey check no
matter how many guns you bought. I started buying up low end 22s just for trading stock. I bought a Unique 52 22 auto pistol. It was butt ugly but well made steel pistol. I always shoot everything that goes
in trade pile to make sure they are safe and function.
When I shot the Unique I couldn't believe how accurate it was. I started looking for them and got 2
more. They all shot well with the very crude sights they were equipped with. I carried it for a beater for
almost 20 yrs. I only got rid of them because one day
I was in gun room wiping down top self 22 pistols and
thought why am I messing around with a pistol like a
Unique and not carrying my good ones. You only live
once and a sack of nice pistols don't do you any good
if you don't shoot them and you can't take them with
you. Anyway Uniques don't get much attention and
are sleepers in pawn shops and shows.IMG_0545.JPG



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The FN Brownings. The 1910 and the pocket 25. High quality precision handguns and very reliable.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Many mentioned here already beat me to the punch. Agree with so many....
Some 'under-appreciated' hardware I have is the previously mentioned HK P7/PSP, the Remington M788 bolt rifle (mine's a c.1969 in .223), the Ruger No. 1 rifles just discontinued (mine's a .45-70).

Others coming to mind are ANY of the older break-top .22 revolvers of yesteryear....H&R (M999) or Iver Johnson. At one time they were 'budget revolvers' and sold pretty well. Just think - there is NOTHING like them out there anymore. No, the Heritage series is not in the same ballpark, nor are they break-top. Pretty sure that even if there was any interest built up on the design, it would be way expensive to produce.

Finally a pic of a great designed pocket pistol - my Remington M51 from 1919. Not a single screw in the design. Strangely accurate for any .380. Of course like most pistols of the era, sights suck, but the design is ingenious.
Good thread.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Mouse Guns?
First handgun I ever shot was a Beretta tip-up.
I think 22 short.
Now I have one in 22LR.
You need to keep it clean, shoot quality ammo.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Pretty much anything Canik makes and the SD9VE

I'm going to toss commercial Model 98 Mausers. I'm not talking about cut down and sporterized military Mausers, many of which ended up in some beautiful custom rifle, many not. Some of the finest rifles made on this earth are still made on Mauser 98 actions. But I'm talking about some of the much more affordable versions; some used and some new.

I'm talking about rifles like the J.C. Higgins Mausers, Interarms Mark X, Remington 798, Charles Daly Mausers, etc. These rifles wear and are made by manufactures like Husqvarna, FN, CZ, and Zastava.

They are great hunting rifles. They were and are made to last several lifetimes. You can find good examples of these rifles used and new for a few hundred dollars. Yes, these are all steel and walnut rifles with control round feed actions.

Here are a few Zatavas imported by Century Arms I bought new recently for less than $500. I know they aren't a $9000 Rigby Highlander which is a beautiful Mauser 98 actioned rifle but...

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Bill Bates

Probably doesn't qualify but, with regard to shooting, ANY quality single action revolver: SAA, Vaquero and Blackhawks

Anything in 16 gauge. There are some excellent shotguns gathering dust in shops because they're not 12s or 20s. It's a great gauge for upland game, and the ammo isn't that hard to find.

In my LGS....
Owner says "I'm don't wanna put this trade-in into the showcase, so gimme $10 and I won't have to"...
And I says "OK!!!"....
Paperwork done and straight to the range... ran like a top through 50 rounds... then into the safe...
Would I carry it?... NO!!!...
But for $10...what the heck!!!....

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Travel light..stay aware..

How's about ...

AMT Automag II
Liberty single action .22 lr
The Liberty was my first handgun and has been kitchen gunsmithed to keep it running. Good lessons into how a handgun works.

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Retired trap shooter

I have to agree here.. at the range one day, someone I had seen before was spanking the 25 yard steel. I stopped to say hey, he stood in front of his gun, embarrassed to let me see it.

I told him, may be a Hi-point but if you were pointing it at me I wouldn't tease you about it.

Beretta 84bb. Considered overlarge these days with all the small CCW 380s around, but it's beautiful and holds13+1...

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Maybe I live in the past. I miss the metal guns that Smith used to make (3rd gen, etc.)
Just my opinion

CZ82/83. My CZ82 has the best trigger of any DA auto I've owned.
They also feel great in the hand.
Too big for it's power level?
12+1 rounds of Buffalo Bore or Underwood HPs at over 1200 fps strongly disagree.

Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special. .38 snub weight. .44 caliber thump.

The old Bersa 83/383. Reliable to a fault. Good accuracy and trigger.

Daewoo K2/DR200. Takes AR15 mags.
Great shooting, and extremely reliable (even when dirty).
No, I will not sell mine and buy another AR15.(because, reliable when dirty + doesn't need to be run "wet" or need to have cottage industry coatings on parts to make it reliable when not clean/wet).

Old Mossberg .22 rifles made up until the 1970s.
Reliable and accurate. Usually can get them cheaply.

Anything made by Star or Astra.

EAA Big Bore Bounty Hunter SA revolver.
Built like an original Ruger Vaquero.
It's like a Ruger SBH that looks like an SAA.
Heavy trigger pull easily remedied with Wolff mainspring and trigger spring.
Will never sell my .45 Colt chambered one.

And, I love my Judge.
Then again, all of my Taurus handguns have been great.

Rossi .22 LR and Magnum copies of the Winchester 1890.

Tokarevs and Makarovs. Accurate, reliable fun.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I really like my Model 64-3, it's not underappreciated at my house.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

I had a Ruger P90 that I really liked. Of course, I needed money for something else and sold it. They don't have much of a following, but are built like tanks. So, a couple of years ago, I saw 1 for sale in classifieds for $350. Made contacts, and decided that I did not need it. Seller came back at $300. I COULD not pass on it. Will not make the same mistake again. Bob

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[QUOTE=Bill Bates;140248323]I'm going to toss commercial Model 98 Mausers. I'm not talking about cut down and sporterized military Mausers, many of which ended up in some beautiful custom rifle, many not. Some of the finest rifles made on this earth are still made on Mauser 98 actions. But I'm talking about some of the much more affordable versions; some used and some new.

CZ Rifles........................ Rimfire 452s and 453s.. along with centerfire 527 and 550.

$300-700 ... for the top of the line centerfire FSs/mannlicher many with unbelievable Turkish walnut stocks.

This list can't be complete without mentioning the Soviet Makarov. Not pretty. Not refined. Lots of tool marks and a utilitarian finish. Just solid, durable, and reliable. Comparable in size, features, and performance with the Walther PP series, but with half the moving parts and easier to maintain.

About 20 years ago there was a flood of Makarovs coming in from Russia, East Germany, Bulgaria, and a dozen other points of origin. People started asking for holsters, and demand indicated it wasn't a little flash in the pan, so I ordered one of the Bulgarian pistols (price at the time was about $80 with box, cleaning rod, spare mag, and military holster). Probably made a couple hundred holsters for the Makarovs.

Picked up a couple boxes of Russian ammo and took the Makarov to the range for a workout. DA trigger pull was heavy but controllable. SA pull was spongy but consistent. Had no trouble staying inside the 8-ring at 25 feet. Not bad at all, in my opinion. Perfectly adequate for personal defense.

If you ever don't appreciate it, PM me and I'll gladly take a 3" 64 off your hands!Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I just jumped onto the Beretta 92 band wagon 5 days ago. Before that, I couldn't even spell "Beretta"!

A friend of mine bought one a few years ago, and is now suffering from Parkinson's disease. No recovery from that, so he is retiring, selling his house, art work, and other things. He told me he wanted to sell his Beretta for $350, which had hardly been fired, and came with original box, tools and papers. A few days later I bought it.

I always kind of liked them, but had other pistols which did pretty much the same (P 226, CZ-75, etc). I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it or not, but now I really like this gun.

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Savage rifles are appreciated as much as Remington, FN, and others.

I acquired this Axis on a Trade. It shoots sub MOA for me.

So, I decided to thread my barrel for a Suppressor.

These rifles deserve more credit than they’re given. I have 5 Savage rifles.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Much like my story with the Star M45 Firestar .45 ACP.
Bought one. Loved it.
Sold it a few years later to buy an Egyptian MAADI AK that I never bonded with.
Sold the MAADI at a profit and bought another M45.
Every time I shoot it, I'm reminded of why I'll never sell it.
It always works and is a great shooter.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

This is an excellent ( ca. 1921) example of the fine German Ortgies pistol. Made for only 6 years ( 1919 to 1925), the Ortgies is exceptionally well engineered and machined with a unique design. Firearm export controls placed on Germany in the decade following WWI spelled its demise. They were made in .25 acp, .32 acp, and a small number in .380 acp.

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John

The French MAB PA-15

They are outstanding pistols...

I think the Hi Power is the most important gun no one thinks about.

First use of double stack mag
Great ergonomics
Very good trigger (once the mag disconnect safety is removed)
Popularized the use of a frame pin and slotted barrel rather than the 1911's pivoting link (basically every modern auto apes the HPs design)
Perfect size - the 1930s version of the Glock 19
Many are ambidextrous
Good sights

Here's a pic of my beat-up FN HP that I've been carrying a lot lately.


The CZ75 and Makarov also don't receive the credit they deserve, though the blowback design of the Mak is truly antiquated. That said, the Mak is the best of the 380/9mm MAK blowback designs; I sold my PPK but still have my Mak.

The CZ75 carried Condition 1 is every bit as good as the HP. The ergos are phenomenal, size of the Compact is perfect, outstanding trigger, and CZ makes very high quality guns.

Finally, the poor ugly Chiappa Rhino is just a monster of a gun. Shooting it is night and day compared to a older revolver design. The muzzle flip is non-existent, the grip angle is perfect, it comes cut for moon clips, and the beveled cylinder makes it conceal like a J frame. The recoil from the hottest 357 I could find locally felt like 38 SPL in a K frame. EPIC.

To put the pic in perspective, I have medium large hands that are about average for a grown man.

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The 431PD (below) and the 432PD.

Plus everything else in 32 H&R Magnum.

6 shots, 38 Special +P muzzle energy level, and less recoil.

What's not to like?

"House brand" guns. For a long time, I didn't know there was anyplace to buy a gun except for Sears and Roebuck.

A couple of Sears 12 gauge pumps.





Someone mentioned the Stevens 311 SXS shotgun. The first gun I ever bought myself was a "Sears" 12 SXS. It was simply a Stevens 311 with a different name on it. I wish I still had it, but I sold it years ago.

So, I replaced it with a 20 gauge version.



And they're not well thought of here, but I've owned several Taurus revolvers and have never had a problem. The second handgun I ever purchased was a Taurus 82, a K sized 38, with a 4" barrel. I put a pickup load of 38 wadcutters through that one. I traded it off for something else, but later replaced it with a 3" version from the mid 70's. A nice little gun at about half the price of a Model 10.

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John 3:16 .

Now that's an attractive firearm. It reminds me of the H&K USP Elite.

Winchester 24 - some call it homely but feels solid and very simple with reliability. American made at a time when cheap foreign imports were flooding the market. Feels great in the hands.

Smith Wesson 645 and 4506 - so reliable it is scary and feeds empty cases on demand, absolute winner at digesting slightly out of spec ammo. Similar size to 1911 that hold 8 rounds of ammo and has second strike capability and one of the shortest trigger resets on the market.

FN 1910 - one of the smallest and reliable pocket .380 ACP pistols prior to 1930s.

Beretta 84 / 85 Cheetah - accurate and reliable full size .380 ACP pistols that are super simple and reliable.

Probably the most underrated gun in my opinion:


Dan Wesson .357Mag, this one is a target model. It has the best out of the box trigger I've ever used. The single action breaks at exactly 2lbs. The accuracy is amazing. The design of the barrel shroud and how it holds the barrel under tension is truly inspired.

I wish it had been more appreciated while in production and was still available today.




I wouldn't tease anyone pointing any gun at me, but if it's a High-Point, I wouldn't be to scared either. I've never seen one make it more than a few rounds with out a malfunction.

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Freedom isn't free.

H&R rimfire revolvers come to mind. They are owned by many who love them but some do scoff at them. Hi-Point as mentioned earlier also even though many who own those think they are great and always go bang and work. The carbines are owned by many who when someone points out the ugly factor it is the same, they just work.

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KM
S&WCA 3110 S&WHF 625

A new gun I recently bought is turning out to be a real winner! I have always been a CZ 75 fan and have heard good things about the Tristar 9m/m S-120 which is an all steel version of the original CZ-75 design. I bought one on the net for about $380 and added some checkered walnut grips and a Cajun Gunworks lighter main spring and it is really an accurate shooter. Its pretty heavy with 18 rounds in it so it holds steady on target and looks pretty good too with the shiny blackish Ceracote finish and the checkered walnut stocks.