Just got this from Classic Firearms

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Wonabe
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Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by Wonabe »

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Picked up another p64 from Classic Firearms, no hand select option. They where a little generous in describing the quality, at least in the ones I and several friends received this week. Mine is a '68, it has moderate holster wear, a small amount of pitting on and near the rear of the slide as well as the gash pictured. The bore is excellent and they where accurate in saying they are ready to fire out of the box though they are NOT clean and the magazines I received where filthy. For 200 bucks I'm happy but I really dislike how loosly a definition "very good" seems to be in the surplus world.

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I'm going to try my hand at re-bluing it even though I hoped for a better start and I'm not sure how well I will be able to blend the pitting and gash to the rear. Dennis Marschall grips are on the way, pretty excited to see how they turn out. Thinking about trying to improve the double action pull but I really disliked the "hair trigger" feel that comes with the Wolff springs. Going to shoot the crap out of it now that Academy has monarch back in stock for 10 bucks a box.
robhic
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by robhic »

"For 200 bucks I'm happy but I really dislike how loosly a definition "very good" seems to be in the surplus world."

I felt the same with one of the pistols I purchased from Classic. My first purchase was fine and I asked a favor and got it. Second purchase of "good to very good" pistols got me one looked like it had laid in water for some time. Bluing was brown and safety/decocker was FROZEN! Polished out the brown spots but lightened the finish so it now looks silvery. I admit I kinda like it silvery/light blue/blackish and I got the safety out, clean and freed up. Works great, looks interesting but not my definition of "good to very good" and I wrote them and said so. Boilerplate response.... :x
- Robert

"Giving Money and Power to Government is Like Giving Whiskey and Car Keys to Teenage Boys" - PJ O'Rourke
Wonabe
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by Wonabe »

Ouch, I feel lucky now. Thankfully everything I've received from them has been acceptable. AIM seems to be to be more consistent with the quality but I love the within-days delivery I get from Classic being so close to my location.

I really hope this refinish turns out good, the gash is too deep to level out with high grit sandpaper :(
robhic
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by robhic »

Agreed about AIM Surplus. I got 3 pistols from them - no hand pick and all 3 were in good shape. Now this was when they first started selling them for $250 including shipping so these guns were probably some of the first and better of the batch. I bought from Classic because a friend was their FFL approved contact in this area so I figured I'd just as soon pay him the fees instead of the pawn shop AIM used. I'm re-thinking that now. If I buy more (unlikely but ya never know... :mrgreen: ) I think I'll go back to AIM. My friend says the paperwork is a PITA and he only does it for friends, anyway, so no big deal.
- Robert

"Giving Money and Power to Government is Like Giving Whiskey and Car Keys to Teenage Boys" - PJ O'Rourke
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herr mario
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by herr mario »

....this is why I got a Class 03 C&R license way back in 2001....has save me mucho bucks and hassles finding a good FFL for transfer over the years- and it gets delivered right to my front door..... :)
...typical bitter clinger...
Wonabe
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by Wonabe »

Just got my last p64 from Classic. Never giving them my business again, I thought the first one I received was rough but the one I picked up today was absolutely horrible. It is a weird muddy color inside and out, literally every part is stained this color. The gun was FILTHY and still had large amounts of cosmoline. The action is markedly "grittier" than my good ones both in DA and SA. The end of the barrel has a chip in it and the grips are split and broken.

I now consider their grading a complete lie as I've handled close to a dozen of the current batch between myself and friends and all fall short of "vg-e". Hand select offered no benefits to those who bothered with it. Dishonest company and I really hope no ones throwing down 500 bucks on those "mint" sks they are peddling which are also, surprise, NOT mint
petesimon
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by petesimon »

I recommend Gunbroker.com auction site instead of retail online sites for mil-surp type guns. Photos of the actual gun which you will bid/buy are often on gunbroker, and you can of course send email to the seller. If either of those are not available, then just avoid that auction listing. My P-64, P-83 and other pistols from there were very good, or had been as I expected. No surprises there. Photos of my recently sold P64 are here on google drive (link here). -Simon
Last edited by petesimon on September 9th, 2015, 9:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
cobber
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by cobber »

petesimon wrote:I recommend Gunbroker.com auction site instead of retail online sites for mil-surp type guns. Photos of the actual gun which you will bid/buy are often on gunbroker, and you can of course send email to the seller. If either of those are not available, then just avoid that auction listing. My P-64, P-83 and other pistols from there were very good, or had been as I expected. No surprises there.
I dunno. I bought an SKS on GB that looked good on the photos, but the thing had been cleaned in gasoline, and someone had ground on the part of the bayonet you can't see when it's closed. Plus the trigger group had been abused. Other things I've bought on Gunbroker were in great shape, better than expected.


As far as the 03 License is concerned, nice for incoming, but no benefit to mailing out... FedEx and UPS will soak you, and USPS won't take handguns AFAIK from private persons (non-FFLs).
Wonabe
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by Wonabe »

I'd prefer to buy everything in person so I could simply refuse what I please instead of having to eat all the fees the seller never comps. Gunbrokers seller rating is a lot better to go off of than a store front website like Classic as I've learned the hard way. Still, I think I'm about done with used weapon shopping on the Internet.

Noticed in the Google reviews for Classic they responded to one persons gripes by confirming that they do, indeed, cherry pick positive reviews with their "moderating" and only post less than positive reviews long after they've actually sold out. Again, very poor business practices and they bank on people just living with whatever they ship. If I where to return the rusty piece of crap I received I'd be out shipping BOTH ways as well as both transfer fees with NO guarantee I'd get a good one (they refused to send pictures for approval, guess that's too big a hassle for them) with those fees/charges totaling to be just under $100 bucks.
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chestertnted
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Re: Just got this from Classic Firearms

Post by chestertnted »

Great topic. I buy my pistols in person. Do a monthly 9×18 run.It is fun and you never know what you will find. Looking for another P-64 and an FEG P-63!
"For the Founders, the right of the citizen to be armed-they never imagined a world in which they would be disarmed for the supposed benefit of preventing access to weapons by madmen."
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