Gunshow item that didn't work for you

[jim 44-40]

Mine was this weekend, full bag of Remington 20 RP piston wads. Unfortunately I can't use them with any of the powders that I use. After I got home I found data for them using Win 571 with 1 1/8 oz shot.

[lightman]

I bought a Remington Model 600 in 222 that wouldn't extract the empty case. It was quite a bit cheaper than the going price and $40 or so got it repaired. Win Win!

[rockrat]

Bought a HiWall that someone had rebarreled to 375win. Whoever cut the chamber gouged it with a few chips left on the reamer. When you shoot it, you need either a screwdriver or knockout rod to get the case out.[smilie=b:

[Bloodman14]

I don't suppose you could have that chamber re-cut and set the barrel back?

[rockrat]

Could set the barrel back and re-chamber but would mess up the forearm attachment. Plus, its an Octagon barrel, getting it to "clock up" would be a pain.
Could re-chamber to another caliber, like 38-72 or 38-56 or 375 JDJ. Had a Marlin 375 so still have the loading stuff , thats why I bought the rifle. Has two gouges in the chamber, maybe .003"-'005" deep, but enough to cause extraction problems.

[blackthorn]

I bought a cute little 357 Magnum, Israeli arms, "Timber Wolf", pump carbine. About $150.00 below retail. The seller said it had never been fired. It came with a full box of 50 rounds. A couple of weeks later I took the riffle up to my cabin and found a convenient spot to try it out. Functioned fine but, it would not fire. On inspecting the box of ammunition that came with the rifle, each round had a very faint firing pin mark. Further efforts found the idiot who originally bought the rifle (or the original retail/wholesale seller) had failed to clean the shipping grease out of the bolt and it slowed the firing pin to the point it would not even put a significant mark on a primer. Cleaned it up and it works fine now!

[imashooter2]

Bought a bag of .357 magnum brass advertised as cleaned with Iosso liquid. About a quarter of the primers had the end break off and left a ring in the pocket. I suspect inadequate rinse or drying let the primers corrode. Queered me on the whole bag. Into the scrap bucket they went.

[Baltimoreed]

Bought a Belgian Browning T bolt an a Raleigh show. Looked ok for a used .22. Got home and pulled it out of the stock and I’ve got black grease on my hand? Turned out there was barrel and action damage due to the salt stock [never heard of it before] that the seller never mentioned and had concealed with the grease. If it had been a closer show it would have been returned. I did some research [pre internet] and found out about Brownings I’ll fated salt stock experiment. I tried to seal the stock which wouldn’t seal so the barrel/action got blasted and parkerized to cover the pitting. It sat in the safe for many years until my retirement when I bought a Boyds stock for it. Turned out ok.

[Geezer in NH]

Box of broke down revolvers. 4 Spanish 44/40 DA, 2 44 Belgium Bukk dogs, for 1 Marlin 1893 (?) 38/55 i/2 oct half round 24-inch rifle. 3 of the DA 44/40 were reassembled OK. Both of the 44 Bulldogs the same, 1 was in 44 Russian I kept that one. The 4th 44DA has taken a lot of work but almost ready to fire (20 years later or so)

The dealer was heard saying boy did I screw that guy by a friend of mine remaining in the background. Was the joke on the dealer, I had gotten the gun for 50 bucks salvage in a fire. The frame had been cracked by the previous owner shooting 375 Win's in it. All was obvious.

I made over $1000 on the trade plus the gas and lunch. Sometimes gettin taken at a gun show is worth it.

[higgins]

I read up on the Browning salt stock issue a few years ago when I was considering a Belgian T-Bolt. If the seller won't take it out of the stock for inspection (which would probably be the end of the deal) backing the buttplate screws out may indicate a salt stock if they're rusty.

[Winger Ed.]

Closest thing like that was with a Enfield jungle carbine that fell into my lap one time.

Beyond just being ugly--- the stock and flash hider had been chopped off, and that didn't improve its looks.
Then it shot so bad, I doubted it could make a decent group with a bore sighter.

I sold it cheap at a gun show, and it was the definition of a bargain-- both parties thought they'd screwed the other.