I had a rather unfortunate experience purchasing a shotgun from Gary Downey at Osprey Armes. This is a bit long, but I want to include exactly what happened.
A listing came up for a 20ga Sauer shotgun on GI. I emailed the dealer, Osprey Arms, saying, "If the gun is in original condition, I'll take it." I didn’t negotiate the price because these little guns go fast. Mr Downey called the next day, and assured me the gun was entirely original except “The barrels MIGHT have been re-blacked," but he wasn't sure. I told him that was OK and sent a check.
Long after the check cleared, it was brought to my attention that Mr Downey had purchased the gun at auction and refinished the entire thing! The pictures from the auction listing (see links below) show rusted/pitted barrels. Cracked wood in multiple places, along with missing wood on the for-end. A severely dented left barrel at the muzzle and gouges and scratches in the stock. The finish had turned to a "Dull Silver," per the auction house's description. Mr. Downey not only knew the barrels had been refinished, he paid to have them done along with the rest of the gun!
When I called and told him what I had discovered, he immediately began yelling at me! A liar gets angry when you discover the truth. And boy, was he angry! I later told him that in 40 years of collecting, I had never been yelled at (or lied to) by a dealer before. He apologized for yelling and said, "We will work something out."
Well, he ignored me for the next few months. I finally sent him an email telling him I wanted to return the gun and to make sure he reimbursed me for the return shipping. He agreed and asked me to send the tracking information.
(I'll gladly provide our email correspondence.)
I shipped the Sauer and didn't hear from him for several weeks. I sent another email, and he eventually replied and decided to dig in his heels. He sent several bizarre, rambling rants questioning my knowledge and collecting acumen, basically telling me it was my fault for getting burned, and said, "Sorry, but you bought a used gun!" He is correct; I bought a used gun, a used gun that he assured me had most of its original finish!
I understand the three-day inspection period had long passed. But when an expert like Gary Downey outright lies about a gun he's selling, that's something else entirely! Whoever refurbished the gun did an excellent job. Unfortunately, it's worth about 1/3 less than what I paid.
I get it. It's my fault for not having the gun checked out. I just assumed there wouldn't be any issues when dealing with a 40-year-old company like Osprey Arms. Unfortunately, my eyesight is slowly going away, and I rely more and more on dealers to be honest about what they have.
We must speak up when dealers misrepresent what they are selling! I started collecting when you didn't have to worry much about fakes and refurbished guns. Nowadays, some experts are even getting fooled.
Below are links to the auction house and the original Osprey Arms listing for the Sauer. Unlike most dealers on Guns International, Mr Downey did not mention that the gun had been completely refinished. He has ruined a hobby I have loved for a long time.
It takes years to build a good reputation, but only minutes to lose one.
Sorry for the bad news,
Pete
Link to the Sauer at Eldreds Auction house:
https://www.eldreds.com/auction-lot/*-j.p.-sauer-sohn-side-by-side-shotgun-early-20_CA8418CA75
Link to the Sauer at Osprey Arms:
http://www.ospreyarms.com/product/j-p-sauer-20-gauge/
