20 Guns Nobody Expected to Become This Desirable

Photo credit: Icarryone/Youtube

Some guns are collectible from the moment they hit the market. Others spend years being treated like ordinary shooters, police trade-ins, budget rifles, or oddball designs nobody thinks twice about.

Then something changes. Production ends, nostalgia kicks in, clean examples start disappearing, or shooters realize the design was more interesting than they gave it credit for. These 20 guns were never supposed to become the ones people actively hunt down, but that is exactly what happened.

Ruger P89

The P89 was never glamorous. It was big, heavy, inexpensive, and built during an era when Ruger seemed more interested in durability than making a pistol look refined.

For years, that made it easy to ignore. Now the entire Ruger P-series has started attracting more nostalgia because nothing in Ruger’s current lineup feels quite like it. Clean P89s are still affordable compared with true collectibles, but buyers who remember these pistols when they were everywhere are starting to scoop up the nicest examples instead of treating them like disposable used guns.

Smith & Wesson Model 5906

The 5906 spent years being dumped onto the used market as police departments moved to lighter polymer pistols. Stainless police trade-ins were cheap enough that shooters bought them as range guns without giving collector value much thought.

That period is disappearing. Third-generation Smith & Wesson autos now have a much stronger following, and clean 5906 examples are no longer something buyers automatically expect to find for bargain prices. The same weight and all-metal construction that once made the pistol look obsolete now give it character.

SIG Sauer P239

The P239 looked outdated almost immediately after high-capacity micro-compacts took over concealed carry. It was relatively heavy for its capacity and held only a single-stack magazine.

Then SIG discontinued it. Suddenly the things that made the P239 old-fashioned became the reasons people wanted one. It has the classic metal-frame SIG feel in a compact package that the current lineup does not really duplicate. Owners who once considered trading theirs toward something newer are increasingly hanging onto them.

CZ 527

The CZ 527 was always a little different. Its compact action, detachable magazine, and chamberings such as 7.62×39 gave it an identity that never fit neatly into the mainstream hunting-rifle market.

That uniqueness became much more valuable once CZ ended production. Shooters looking for a compact bolt gun quickly realized there were not many true replacements. The little rifle that once sat in the corner of gun racks has become one of those discontinued CZs people actively search for.

Remington Model 788

The Model 788 was built as Remington’s cheaper bolt-action rifle. Nobody was buying one because they thought it would someday become a collector favorite.

Its reputation for excellent accuracy changed the story. Once production stopped, shooters began treating the 788 as more than an old budget rifle. Certain chamberings are especially sought after, and clean examples attract far more interest than their original place in Remington’s lineup ever suggested they would.

Ruger Security-Six

The Security-Six spent its life as a practical working revolver. Police carried them, civilians kept them for defense, and Ruger eventually replaced the series with the GP100.

For years, used examples were simply old Rugers. Now shooters appreciate the Security-Six for being slimmer and more traditional than the GP100 while still having Ruger’s rugged construction. Nice examples are increasingly treated like keepers, especially as buyers realize there is no current Ruger revolver built exactly like it.

Browning BDM

The BDM never became the service-pistol success Browning probably hoped for. Its unusually thin frame and selectable operating system were interesting, but the pistol disappeared before building a huge following.

That failure is part of what makes it desirable now. The BDM comes from a period when manufacturers were experimenting with very different approaches to high-capacity 9mm pistols. It is unusual enough to be collectible without being completely obscure, and clean examples are becoming much harder to overlook.

Ruger Model 44 Carbine

The original Ruger .44 Magnum Carbine was once just a handy hunting rifle. It was short, light, and useful in thick woods, so plenty were used hard.

Production ended long ago, and Ruger never truly brought the same design back. That has made good examples far more interesting. Hunters like the cartridge, collectors like the early Ruger connection, and almost everyone appreciates how unusual a compact semiautomatic .44 Magnum rifle feels today.

Smith & Wesson Model 3913

The 3913 was once simply a good concealed-carry pistol. Its slim single-stack frame gave shooters a relatively easy-to-carry 9mm before the modern micro-compact market existed.

That purpose has been replaced, but the pistol itself has gained a new audience. Collectors of third-generation Smith & Wesson autos appreciate its proportions and build quality, while shooters who remember carrying them have brought nostalgia into the equation. A gun that once looked outdated now feels increasingly distinctive.

Marlin Model 60

For decades, the Model 60 was one of the most ordinary .22 rifles in America. They were inexpensive, plentiful, and shot so much that plenty of owners barely thought about preserving them.

Now regular production is gone, and people are starting to appreciate just how much rifle Marlin delivered for the money. Certain older variants and clean examples attract far more attention than anyone would have expected when these rifles were stacked in sporting-goods stores.

SIG Sauer P228

The P228 spent years as a compact service pistol rather than a collector piece. Plenty were carried, issued, and shot hard.

Today, original German-made examples have become much more desirable. The stamped-slide construction, compact proportions, and connection to classic SIG production give it something newer pistols do not have. What used to be merely an older version of the P229 is now a gun many SIG collectors specifically want.

Smith & Wesson Model 645

The Model 645 looked big and heavy even when it was current. It was an early stainless .45 ACP service pistol built before polymer frames changed expectations.

That once made it seem dated. Now it makes the pistol interesting. Collectors increasingly appreciate early Smith & Wesson semiautomatics, and the 645 represents an important step toward the company’s later third-generation .45s. A pistol that once looked like an awkward old duty gun has become a legitimate collector target.

Remington Nylon 66

The Nylon 66 was designed as a practical lightweight .22, not as something people would obsess over decades later.

Its unusual synthetic construction is exactly why collectors care today. Different colors and variants have developed their own followings, while clean original rifles are becoming harder to find because so many were used heavily. The same futuristic plastic stock that once made the rifle look cheap now makes it one of Remington’s most recognizable rimfires.

Colt Mustang

The Mustang was an ordinary compact .380 in an era when small defensive pistols were becoming increasingly common. It never carried the same prestige as Colt’s 1911s or revolvers.

Older examples now have much more appeal. They represent a distinctive period of Colt handgun production, and original pistols have become attractive to collectors who want something smaller and less obvious than the company’s famous models. A pistol that was once just another pocket gun has become a genuine nostalgia piece.

Winchester Model 88

The Model 88 never achieved the legendary status of the Model 94. Its detachable magazine and rotating-bolt action made it almost too modern-looking for traditional lever-gun buyers.

That is precisely why it stands out now. Winchester never built another mainstream lever action quite like it, and collectors increasingly appreciate the rifle as one of the company’s more ambitious postwar designs. Clean examples have moved well beyond the role of ordinary used deer rifles.

Smith & Wesson Model 4506

The 4506 was enormous, heavy, and perfectly suited to the era of stainless law-enforcement pistols. Once polymer .45s took over, it looked like an obvious relic.

The market has come back around. Shooters now appreciate the heavy stainless construction, third-generation styling, and almost excessive durability. Police-surplus examples that once looked like cheap range guns are becoming harder to replace in nice condition.

Ruger Old Army

The Old Army was always a niche firearm. A black-powder revolver built with Ruger’s modern construction did not appeal to everyone even when it was still being made.

Discontinuation completely changed the equation. There is no direct modern replacement from Ruger, and shooters who appreciate percussion revolvers now recognize how unusual the Old Army really was. A gun that once occupied a small corner of the catalog has become one of Ruger’s most interesting discontinued revolvers.

Beretta 81 Cheetah

The Beretta 81 and other older Cheetah pistols spent years being treated like outdated European .32 and .380 carry guns. Surplus examples were often bought simply because they were inexpensive.

That attitude changed as shooters rediscovered compact metal-framed pistols and Beretta revived the Cheetah concept with the 80X. Older examples suddenly looked more interesting. Clean 81s now appeal to Beretta collectors and shooters who appreciate the old-school DA/SA pocket-pistol format.

Thompson/Center Contender

The Contender was a specialist’s gun for decades. Its interchangeable barrels appealed to hunters, silhouette shooters, and experimenters, but it was never a mainstream firearm.

That niche created an enormous ecosystem of barrels and configurations. When Thompson/Center disappeared for a period, owners realized how difficult some of those setups would be to replace. Interest in the brand’s revival has only made older Contender frames and uncommon barrels more desirable.

Browning BPS

The BPS was never as famous as the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. It was simply a very well-made pump shotgun with bottom loading and bottom ejection.

Once regular production faded, shooters started appreciating what had disappeared. The design works beautifully for left-handed shooters, the build quality is excellent, and very few modern pumps offer the same combination. A shotgun that once sat quietly beside better-known competitors has become one buyers notice immediately when a clean example appears.