Well, not that many years ago I picked up the following for $100 or less:
Lakefield Model 64 rimfire rifle
Stevens bolt action .22
Baikal single shot 12 gauge
A Czech 98k
An Israeli 98K rifle in 7.62 NATO
Lithgow SMLE
Ishapore SMLE
Refurbed #4mk1* Longbranch sporter for $99
Polish M44
Swedish Mauser 96 (no stock, but got a sporter walnut stock for $20)
Most of the guns above were in VG plus condition or new.
For just over $100:
First Norc SKS (new) for $135
Swedish Mauser 38 for $110
New Norc Take-down .22 (browning clone) and JW23 (.22Mag bolt), $115 ea.
M95 Mannlicher rifle and Carbine for $210 total.
Remington 870 Wingmaster (Econo stock/fixed choke, but milled parts) $125.
Turkish M93 Mauser for $125.
I was just PMing another member last night about a pump shotgun with Polychoke that was selling for $130, and have seen some plain Mossberg 500 shotguns with fixed choke sell for just over $100.
I purchased these guns anywhere from 15 years ago to just one year ago, and have purchased a fair share of good quality milsurps (Mausers, Enfields and Mosins) for under $200 in the past 4-5 years. My first Norc M14 kit gun to my door for went for $260 shipped back in 1996.
The point is, that for all we know the Chinese were already sitting on arsenals of these pistols that had been around for decades. Add a cheap production run of 9mm barrels, a few mods to satisfy US importers before an import ban kept these pistols stuck in China for another ten years, and now with China full of a surplus of manufactured goods, it's no surprise that they might just want to dump these pistols wherever someone will take them.
Sure, it's possible that these pistols were carelessly slapped together, but it's also very likely that they're made of all forged parts, or gathered from a supply of un-issued service pistols, or just reflective of the consequences of Chinese overproduction. I can't stand the newer plastic stocks, but would love one that looks like the original.
Cheers,
Frank