[lock n larry]

Tom, I bought one of the IMA Sniders (Hand Select) a few weeks back and was amazed at it's excellent condition. Compared to the "untouched, battlefield pick-up, etc." P53s from IMA and AC, it looks like it was put straight into storage and never issued. These Sniders were recovered from the Tumu Tpkhana Army Headquarters Armory, not from the Lagan Silekhana Palace, and were obviously stored under much better conditions. After removing the very light "preservative" and cleaning the metal, I ended up with a rifle in pristine condition, with only a few minor wood "dings" and some very light pitting. There is also very little, if any, wood shrinkage in the stock. See the attached before and after pictures. I haven't fired it yet and maybe I was lucky, but I couldn't be more pleased with this rifle. -- LnL