Let me start off by saying that I've really had nothing but good luck with AoA in the past and always recommend them to others. I still will but probably not without a word of caution about the used stuff. As always their customer support was top notch and my issue was resolved in under 3 minutes. Regardless, I'm still leaving a review because this needs to be said.
I purchased a Walther LGV Special from AoA last week and today was the big day! Open the box and couldn't believe what I saw. A gun that was listed as being in 90% condition that I had paid slightly over Blue Book for had next to zero bluing, some rust and a few spots of heavy pitting. The stock has some scratches/gouges but honestly that didn't bother me so much. The gun had very clearly been used as a club gun for years and rarely if ever wiped down.
When I called to say something the gentleman who answered was very friendly and professional but what he said didn't sit right. "Sir we grade these guns based on age. You can't expect these guns to look perfect."
That's not how grading works.
I wasn't looking for perfect but I was at least looking for "pretty darn good" which is what the listing led me to believe. This isn't my first 50+ year old gun and it won't be my last. None have looked like this. I have never once recieved a gun in "90% condition" that didn't look basically new with a few marks here and there which is what 90% means. It looks 90% of brand new. This gun is 70% if I'm being nice. You can't look at this gun and think "That deserves an A!"
He offered a discount ($100) which I originally accepted but when I got home and unboxed the gun again I just couldn't do it. I called back and talked to the same guy (who once again was very professional the whole time) who promptly said "no problem, refund and return label are on the way. Someone will buy it eventually"
Here's your warning/heads up. An LGV Special is likely to pop up on AoA in a week or two. The following pictures are what it looks like. They actually make the gun look better than it really does in person. I can vouch for it being a shooter though. I took it for a test drive to see if I could get past the looks. I'm vain and I couldn't. If you're looking for a solid 10m gun and don't care about looks, here's your sign. AoA has one.
In fairness to AoA, here is a screenshot of the pic they posted. If you look very closely the barrel isn't blued. Thats not what I saw when I glanced through the 2 whole pictures they listed. What I saw was a glare, same as the glare on the back of the stock. You cannot see the blaringly obvious scratches on the stock though. Better pictures would have helped here. Long story short, I won't we buying anything used from them again without first calling and asking for better pictures.
I truly hope the rest of you guys who ordered from that batch of Walthers that AoA snagged had better luck than I did.
I purchased a Walther LGV Special from AoA last week and today was the big day! Open the box and couldn't believe what I saw. A gun that was listed as being in 90% condition that I had paid slightly over Blue Book for had next to zero bluing, some rust and a few spots of heavy pitting. The stock has some scratches/gouges but honestly that didn't bother me so much. The gun had very clearly been used as a club gun for years and rarely if ever wiped down.
When I called to say something the gentleman who answered was very friendly and professional but what he said didn't sit right. "Sir we grade these guns based on age. You can't expect these guns to look perfect."
That's not how grading works.
I wasn't looking for perfect but I was at least looking for "pretty darn good" which is what the listing led me to believe. This isn't my first 50+ year old gun and it won't be my last. None have looked like this. I have never once recieved a gun in "90% condition" that didn't look basically new with a few marks here and there which is what 90% means. It looks 90% of brand new. This gun is 70% if I'm being nice. You can't look at this gun and think "That deserves an A!"
He offered a discount ($100) which I originally accepted but when I got home and unboxed the gun again I just couldn't do it. I called back and talked to the same guy (who once again was very professional the whole time) who promptly said "no problem, refund and return label are on the way. Someone will buy it eventually"
Here's your warning/heads up. An LGV Special is likely to pop up on AoA in a week or two. The following pictures are what it looks like. They actually make the gun look better than it really does in person. I can vouch for it being a shooter though. I took it for a test drive to see if I could get past the looks. I'm vain and I couldn't. If you're looking for a solid 10m gun and don't care about looks, here's your sign. AoA has one.
In fairness to AoA, here is a screenshot of the pic they posted. If you look very closely the barrel isn't blued. Thats not what I saw when I glanced through the 2 whole pictures they listed. What I saw was a glare, same as the glare on the back of the stock. You cannot see the blaringly obvious scratches on the stock though. Better pictures would have helped here. Long story short, I won't we buying anything used from them again without first calling and asking for better pictures.
I truly hope the rest of you guys who ordered from that batch of Walthers that AoA snagged had better luck than I did.
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