my most pleasant surprise in accuracy is the Isreali made Bul 1911 .45 pistol, not only super accurate but feeds and operates with any ammo I give it, bar none.

A Makarov in .380, with the terrible adjustable sight. It's pretty rough and definitely blue-challenged, but it has never jammed and it is incredibly accurate.

Over the years I can think of 4 that were real surprises.
1 An Astra Constable in .22 lr. amazingly accurate pistol for its size and completely reliable. Naturally I sold it because I didn't keep anything in those days.
2. A Henry .22 lever action. Amazingly smooth and accurate rifle. Easily as smooth as my Winchester 9422 and may be as accurate. I liked it so much I bought one of the short 16" barreled versions as well and its just as good.
3. Bersa Firestorm .22. Another very accurate compact .22 reminiscent of a PPK/s. Has been fully reliable and seems quite accurate. No one is going to mistake it for a 60s era Walther in fit, finish and even materials but its built well where it counts.
4. Bersa Firestorm .380 CC. I liked the .22 so much I bought one of these too. Bobbed hammer, thinned controls, very minimal sights. Has been completely reliable and easy to shoot. Amazing for something that sells for $300 at my local shop.

I have heard snub noses dissed for my whole life but I wanted one. I was killing some time and went to a store I had never been to. They had a s&w 637 NIB for $280 and I bought it just for the heck of it. The thing shoots to point of aim with everything I have tried. I shoot at 25 yards or less. Throws a good pattern with snake loads. I am as amazed at its utility as I am at how fast the price rises.

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olafhardt

When the CZ RAMI was being released, you almost could not turn on your computer without hype dripping out the ports. I had no interest whatsoever.

A few years later, I ran across a nice condition one in a pawn shop for $260. I bought it and have been simply delighted at how handy and functional it is, especially after I changed the stocks to super-slim plastic panels.

Here it is next to the Walther PPS, also a very nice gun.

Another vote here for the Makarov.

For the money I paid for mine I wasn't expecting much so I was a bit more than surprised when it turned out to be such a nice, smooth, reliable semi-auto.

Definitely a keeper, that's for sure.......

I continue to only hear good things about the CZ82s and they can be had at a good price. I plan to refinish one of these and keep the other as is. They are fun to shoot!

Mine is a AK Underfolder by Century Arms (A company a lot of AK afficianados sneer at). I was felling the need for a black rifle and just couldn't afford an AR. Always thought the AK's were junk, but I got a deal on this one, so I brought it home.

It is a great SHTF rifle. It's never malfunctioned, and I have no problem hitting a man sized target at 300 yards. It's crude compared to an AR, and not as ergonomic, but it's like a Timex...it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

My biggest surprise was a NEF Handi-Rifle in .44 Mag. I bought it new for $175 for the purpose of carrying it on my quad around the farm. It shot so well that I used it for deer hunting, forsaking my custom Remington 700's. I shot a 160's class, 11 point, white tail with it. The next year my wife killed a nice 9 point with the same rifle.

I liked it so well I sent it back and had a .357 bbl fitted. We sit on the porch of my cabin and practice bringing the gun up and shooting as fast as we can acquire the target using inexpensive hand loads.

I bought my wife one in 30-30. She has fired 4 shots in the woods and killed 4 deer with it, one 130 class 10 point and one 140 class 8 point. None of the deer went more than 30 feet.

I have since added several more of the Handi-Rifles but have learned that the most accurrate ones are in rimmed ammo.

gaf

A model 19-4 6 inch I bought for $150.00 about 12 years ago.It just wont let me miss.

I bought a stainless Savage Model 14 rifle in 308 Win as I had heard that Savage had really improved their rifles. I never owned one myself but I bought my son one and the rap on them in the past was that they horrible triggers and an almost crude fit and finish to the rifle. Anyway it arrived and their new accutrigger was really sweet set at 2.5 pounds and the really nice wood stock had an oil finish instead of a glossy varnish finish. I zeroed it in and went deer hunting and killed two nice does during the hunt and both were one shot kills. I really think this one is a keeper and a great whitetail deer rifle.

I cruised into a LGS and saw a Sig 1911-22 (made by GSG). I looked and handled so sweet I bought it on the spot.

I got home to google what I had just bought and read some scathing criticisms that gave me a bad case of buyer's remorse. I put off taking it to the range for a couple of weeks.

I finally took it to the range with tons of different ammo and after the first 300 rounds it eats anything (except sub-sonic) and is a terrific shooting gun! I am so happy with it, it stays in my range bag permanently. I have over 3000 rounds and counting, and by golly that thing shoots great, is a fully functioning 1911, and is fun as heck. Love it.

S&W 4044,at a gun show in OKC.Not knowing much about this gun or the shape.turns out to be a good shooter at a even better price. 300 was a heck of deal.

I bought a Sears/Roebuck 12 ga pump many years ago. It was a bringback, the original owner said the slug barrel wouldn't shoot buckshot. I didn't care about that. I figured the 28" modified barrel would. I paid $99.00 for it. I was right. The 28" barrel gun shot buckshot just fine. I killed a lot of deer with it.



A couple of people have mentioned the Hi-Point carbine. When I first started reading these boards, I heard a lot of people ripping Hi-Point in general. I had never heard of them. So I bought one just to see how bad they were. I got the 9mm one. I didnt know what to expect but it worked just fine. I put a couple thousand rounds through that silly, ugly gun, before I got bored with it and put it back in the box.



I've still got both of them BTW.

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John 3:16 .

I bought this about 20 years ago at a local gun show for $300. With its included repro wooden stock/holster it makes a surprisingly good & accurate shooter.

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Bill - SWCA #2327

I have three candidates for the honor. My 2 1/2" S & W 19-3, which just doesn't look like a shooter with its shiny nickel finish and its skinny service grips, will shoot the lights out at distances up to 25 yards. It may be the most accurate revolver I've owned.

Second, my CZ75B SA just keeps getting better and better with every trip to the range.

And, finally, and a true sleeper, is the Ruger SR9. I've fired several of these and they're all almost astonishingly accurate and reliable. They can still be had for around $400 and, in my opinion, may be among the best buys out there in a semiauto. I keep reminding myself to buy one.

Howdy folks, Surprizingly both my sleepers are
.22 magnums. The revolver is a High Standard
Sentinel MKIV(3in barrel) and the rifle is a Sears
Ted Williams (Marlin)bolt action w/ box magazine.
Both are exceptionally accurate.

Chipmunk6

Mine is a S&W 15-3 with some wear on the blue and much on the ejector rod, showing plenty of shooting. Someone had carefully put bright red nail polish on the serrations of front sight. Very tight and fine trigger. Seem to recall it came with rubber for shoes. Think I paid all of $175 just a few years ago. Put on a pair of magna PCs, which fit me well.

Wow. This is probably my most accurate .38 Special S&W at right around 1" or a bit less at 25 yds from rest. Group after group. Just a little beauty.

Regards,

Dyson

An 8 3/8-inch Model 17 wormed its way into my affections. I'd wanted a long-barreled Model 14 and sprung for a new one in 1980. There was a long-barreled Model 17 in the case next to it and I bought it on a whim, not thinking I'd really have much use for it. I even thought I might swap it away when I got through playing with it.

It's proven to be the most used firearm I have and the Model 14, while it is appreciated, probably has less than 2000 rounds through it by now.

Out of all I've ever owned, I had 2 CZ75's I bought when they were cheap ($199 for a military model and $250 for A factory NIB). I figured I'd keep the new one new and shoot the other one. Bought a Kadet kit. Shot the military one for 15 years, popping the top and shooting .22's for several hundred rounds then a couple hundred 9mm's. I waited for it to wear out. When I sold it, it had 20K 9mm and 2X that in .22. No observable wear, no malfunctions ever, more accurate than I can shoot. Kept the Kadet kit and working on wearing out the other one. Not likely in this lifetime. A favorite gun, shoot 2 guns and only clean 1 1/2. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster