Southern Ohio Gun: Quick Impression

[4095fanatic]

Got a few new firearms for my collection from SOG. Literally had time to sign for them and put them away safely after logging them in my bound book and then I had to head to work. Didn't even get to look down the bores on all of them However, from what I saw:

Izzy M44: Fine/Excellent condition. Didn't see any rust. Stock had the usual assortment of dings/dents, but no cracks or major chunks missing.

Chinese Type 53: Fair/Good. None of them struck me as KBs waiting to happen. That being said, the firearms look like they were dug out of swamp, shipped here, and rust slowly set in (or continued to set it). I've heard they clean up nicely and shoot better than their Russian counterparts, but personally if I lived near a location that had frequent gun shows or a shop that got C&R in at reasonable prices I'd wait and get one there instead so as to be able to handpick one in person. Regardless, at $99 I can't really complain in today's market about the quality, but adding something in the description such as "these guns show every bit of their 70 year age" would have been nice.

Shipping was amazingly fast (ordered Monday, arrived Thursday). I might be able to take some pictures tomorrow.

 

[toolness1]

That's strange, I just looked and there's no condition description on the Type 53 @ SOG. They are usually really good about stating the condition.

I once ordered a CZ82 from them, listed as "Good to Very good"

It was THE nicest one I've ever seen. Not a scratch on it, not even sure if it had been fired. I ordered a few out of that batch around the same time, and the worst one was every bit of "very good"- just a few areas with the finish scraped off or flaking.

Next time you might email them and ask if the condition isn't listed on the site, they will give an honest answer. Better yet-give them a call. Even if the condition is listed, they will go into more detail about how they truly look if you contact them. I was considering one of the FEG Hi Power "clones", which were listed as Good to Very Good. I asked them to elaborate and they told me most of them have pitting, so I went with paying more money on gunbroker for one I could see first.

I noticed they don't have a condition on any of the Yugo Mausers they sell, either. (They told me good to VG when I emailed them)

I've ordered at least 20 guns from SOG and have not been disappointed in any of them. They are my go-to for surplus & C&R. I find they are quite conservative a lot of times with the condition.

I got an M44 from SOG a couple years ago when they were 179 or so, it is in great shape.

The Type 53's- They seem to be pretty much the same no matter where you get them from. Good condition basically means they can be completely worn out looking, beat to hell, even some rust, but they will function. I've ordered 4 in the last year, from a couple different places, and they have all been in close to the same shape, some a tad better than others. All have had surprisingly good bores considering how the outside looks. I have one that you would expect to see a sewer pipe-bore judging from the exterior condition, yet the bore is insanely nice. And that one was the most rusty of all (had some sand/dirt between the barrel and the stock and was pitted and rusted pretty deep.

They have always shipped real fast for me, too. I find if I call them before 11am or so, they usually stick it in the mail that day.

I also like when they give you a discount when you buy two of one item. Allows you to get the best of two and sell one if you wish to enhance your collection.

 

[why2kmax]

Chinese Type 53: Fair/Good. None of them struck me as KBs waiting to happen. That being said, the firearms look like they were dug out of swamp, shipped here, and rust slowly set in (or continued to set it). I've heard they clean up nicely and shoot better than their Russian counterparts, but personally if I lived near a location that had frequent gun shows or a shop that got C&R in at reasonable prices I'd wait and get one there instead so as to be able to handpick one in person. Regardless, at $99 I can't really complain in today's market about the quality, but adding something in the description such as "these guns show every bit of their 70 year age" would have been nice.

Dont loose hope. even though it looks horrible it you can get it to clean up and look respectable. Here is a before and after for mine from SOG. I didnt refinish it, just cleaned it well.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

SOG is a top shelf company.

Every gun I've ever purchased was a grade or two above the listed condition.

I had very goods come in that were damn near new guns internally. Just some scraps and scuffs.

 

[4095fanatic]

I couldn't be happier with the M44s, I was just surprised at the extent of the rust of the Type 53s.

 

[bean93x]

The CZ82's they had a few years back were sweeeet. TGI imports with the import mark under the slide rail instead of the nasty billboard.

 

[toolness1]

The CZ82's they had a few years back were sweeeet. TGI imports with the import mark under the slide rail instead of the nasty billboard.

Yeah, I got one of those.

I would have to look it up, but the ones with the import mark on the front of the slide makes me want to vomit. I had a couple come in that would have had like-new finish except the billboard on the slide got the finish flaking off really bad. I ended up stripping one and bluing it.

I guess (as an importer) if you don't care how it looks and know they will still sell, you're gonna put it in the easiest spot possible...

 

[Machodoc]

I've had very good luck with both SOG and Classic. They tend to be consistently the best of the usual suspects in quality, price, and accurate description.

I'm surprised that SOG didn't describe these well ... but maybe they figured that most experienced collectors would realize that a $99 Chinese T53 wasn't going to be a beauty queen ... especially if they could assume that these were part of the batch that went through Albania.

As noted, they should clean up well. They're still going to look like battle veterans, though, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. They lived in some rough country for awhile. The info in this link applies to conserving the stock on your T53, even though it was written for the SKSs that came out of Albania.

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=96658&highlight=Albanian+SKS

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Yeah, I got one of those.

I would have to look it up, but the ones with the import mark on the front of the slide makes me want to vomit. I had a couple come in that would have had like-new finish except the billboard on the slide got the finish flaking off really bad. I ended up stripping one and bluing it.

I guess (as an importer) if you don't care how it looks and know they will still sell, you're gonna put it in the easiest spot possible...

You ain't a kidd'in.

Their font was so small, you had to use a magnifying glass to read it.

Great quality too.

 

[cz27jim]

I've bought C&R from SOG twice. Both times I was thrilled with the guns.

The first was a CZ-82 that was advertized as "Good to Very Good, with two mags." What I got: a pistol that had to have been someone's holster queen. It looked almost like new with very few marks on it, and the bore was perfect. It came with the two mags AND a holster that looked like it had lived in someone's dresser drawer, like it has never been worn.

The second was a Romanian Tokarev pistol. Again, listed as Good to Very Good. What I got: I seriously doubt this pistol has ever been fired. It is FLAWLESS. Not a mark anywhere, and mechanically tight like a brand new gun. The firing pin still has its nice bevel under the hammer.

I always look to SOG first. If I find it there, I buy it there.

 

[dre271]

I really like SOG. I placed an order online asking for a matching bolt, they called me to let me know that was no longer an options. The extra charge for a creditcard is a little annoying. Great customer service, very responsive and available!
VERSE
Classic Firearms - I have paid for extra mags with two separate pistol orders. The pistols arrive without the mags and I have to call to find out that they will refund me when time permits, they were not proactively refunding or reaching out to me. Their review section is a joke, they hand pick the positive reviews. If you are going to put a review section up, at least make it legit...
SAMCO - I was told the rifle I was ordering was only offered with matching bolts. Arrived without a matching bolt. Good luck trying to talk to a customer service agent.

 

[4095fanatic]

Well, it took me 7 hours but the firearm cleaned up rather nicely. Most of the rust came of as well. I will say this much, the bore was filled with grease, they certainly didn't skimp.

 

[budman93]

That's strange, I just looked and there's no condition description on the Type 53 @ SOG. They are usually really good about stating the condition.

I once ordered a CZ82 from them, listed as "Good to Very good"

How much are the CZ-82's from SOG going for? I am still a week or two away from my C&R so I can't see what they have. Does anyone know if they will ship the mags out of state for MD?

 

[LargemouthAss]

Only great experiences with SOG. Recently ordered a Romanian RPK and a PPS43C. The RPK was gorgeous! It did not have the original bipod (it had a clamp on bipod) but I was still thrilled for the price! The PPS43C looks untouched (except for the welded stock) but was covered in cosmoline. The CZ82s/M44/M91-30 Hex/Tok/SKS/FN49 Parts gun I have ordered from them in the past have always arrived in great shape.

 

[AssMan]

I have also had great experiences with SOG. The only thing I don't like is the odd-ball latent shipping calculator. Seems odd to place an order, then modify the order, cancel it and then create a new order that includes shipping. I'd like to know what the charges are going to be when I place the order.

 

[4095fanatic]

You can call or email them for shipping charges. They also will cancel and re-order your item with a 3% fee if you use a credit card.

 

[budman93]

How much are the CZ-82's from SOG going for? I am still a week or two away from my C&R so I can't see what they have. Does anyone know if they will ship the mags out of state for MD?

anyone?

 

[Streetgang]

I've had some great dealings with SOG.... BUT I've read on more than one C&R site their pre 1898 Martinis are fakes. Otherwise... GTG

 

[MacGuns]

How much are the CZ-82's from SOG going for? I am still a week or two away from my C&R so I can't see what they have. Does anyone know if they will ship the mags out of state for MD?

$280 but don't know about the mag issue.

 

[budman93]

$280 but don't know about the mag issue.

Thanks, so they're the same as wideners except I know they will split up the mags