Buying police trade-ins yea or nea

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ohiomossyoak

New member
Howdy!..I been a newb/lurker around here an have not noticed if this has been asked...Do you,have you or would/wouldn't you recommended buying a police traded semi or revolver?
 
Have I?

Yes twice- both times I received a good deal on a firearm that was in great functional shape with a smooth action and some finish wear.

Would I again?

In a heartbeat, as long as I was looking for what they were offering. They're generally in good shape but with finish wear- great for shooting and carry, but they won't be museum pieces.
 
I'm sorry - I can't help it. My first remark would be that "Yea - they'd be well oiled from all of the doughnut grease!" :D But that's just a smart aleck remark and disrespectful to all the LE who actually do work hard and put their lives on the line - which we all do greatly appreciate their efforts and sacrifices.

I've never bought one but I did have a chance to see some revolvers that a gun dealer I know purchased to resell. Yes, they had some scratches and handling marks, holster wear, etc. but they were actually all in very nice shape - crisp actions, good bores, etc. I'm guessing that they were probably turned in and the PD had gone to semi-autos. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a trade in - how is that any different than buying a used handgun that somebody has put a number of rounds through? Once in a great while, you might get a lemon but I think overall, you'd be fine.
 
One thing to consider with a turn-in revolver...it's very likely to be double action only. All you'd have to do is swap out the hammer to fix that if you don't want a DAO revolver. It's not hard to do, but it you can't or don't want to and want the traditional SA/DA trigger you'll need to factor in the cost of having it done.
That said, they can be and frequently are great deals. They'll probably have some cosmetic defects from being carried, but many won't have had a ton of rounds fired through them. I picked up a S&W 67 over a year ago, new grips and some polishing and it looked almost brand new for a lot less than it would have cost had it been in that condition to begin with.
 
If it is a good deal... in a heart beat. I don't care about scratches cause I will never own a safe queen. I want guns that are going to be shot and shot a lot. If I want to see a safe queen or museum piece I will go to a museum or look at pictures of other peoples safe queens in post online.
 
I have never purchased a police trade in, but I would not hesitate to do so. . . for the right price.

For some reason I have always felt that a firearm with history as a duty weapon should be priced lower than the average re-sale price due to a high number of rounds put through them, holster wear, and the fact that who ever used the pistol never "really" owned it.

Almost like purchasing a rental car if that makes sense. Just my opinion though.
 
Law Enforcement demonstration weapons are even better. They have been test fired by LE prior to placing big orders. Generally these guns are like new and have had only a few rounds fired through them. I have one of these. The manufacturer even accepted my new gun warranty application.

Then I have a former tactical shotgun used by the State Patrol and my Brother has one used by the State Prison. By tactical I mean short barrels (20 inch) with 8 round magazines. Otherwise they are wood stock and pretty much civilized guns. Both are great used weapons, although mine had a property identification number etched on the receiver.
 
I ask because I am looking at a few..I prefer 9mm at this time.But they have a few 40cal that I may like as well..
Glock 22 with 3 mags for 320$
Glock 17 3 mags 330$
Sig p229 40cal 3 mags 390$ black
sig P 226 40cal DA/SA 400$ 2-tone
And just for grins S&W model 10 38spcl blue 4inc heavy barrel 220$

I may start a poll on these..I am a bit new to owning pistols..But I have handled them..I use a 12ga for HD but I feel I could assess the pistol easier an faster if needed..Also I trying to factor in ammo cost because I have a 100 yrd range that I shoot firearms an archery gear on when I want to..
 
If you count my many obviously used C&R European police and milsurp guns. Yes, and happy with them all. I haven't bought a US police trade in, but would not hesitate if it were a model I wanted.
 
Mil-surp firearms are often shot a LOT and many were used under rough conditions where proper maintenance was only a wishful thought. Those often need to be sold at discounted prices because of use/abuse ... but I have never seen a police trade-in that looked like it had been shot even as much as a privately owned used pistol ... carried a lot? Absolutely! Holster wear? Certainly! But worn out? Nope ... I'd say that the chances of getting a lemon are even lower with this population as they were almost certainly shot before they were surplussed and they were "surplussed" as a group and not because of a failure of some sort. When an individual "surplusses" a firearm, I always wonder if it is precisely BECAUSE it is a lemon :eek: I have never hesitated on a trade-in and won't as I see these deals come up.

I suppose that the one exception I might make is that I would lump police trade-ins from developing countries into the same group as mil-surp weapons. From my travels abroad, I have seen that some police weapons in these places have not had the same loving care that police trade-ins from more developed countries are likely to have had.

Saands
 
I own a Glock 22 that was a police trade in. The gun has some finish wear and the mags that came with it were more or less shot. I replaced the mags and I have had no issues with the gun. Overall, it was a very good buy and I would do it again.
 
I have 5 currently, great shooters, great for carry guns,(don't mind any new carry marks) no loss in value by having any work or refinishing done, and they usually don't cost a lot. Other than finish I have never had a worn out pistol or any mechanical problems with any of the police trade ins I ever got.
 
I purchased a S&W 5909 from Gun Broker the gun was in Excellent + shape ...seemed fired and carried very little....it was listed in good condition $ 220.00 shipped....And a Ruger Speed Six 38 Spl...DAO ..it looked as if was thrown from a fast moving train..but it functioned well....can't remember what I paid for that one...
 
That's how I got my S&W 5906. Most police trade in's have quite a bit of holster wear but not much actual use. Mine has a bit of holster wear and some dings here and there but was never shot much. This can be a fun project to refinish or just polish out the blemishes. But you don't have to because on the other hand it's kind of cool to have the handling marks from police use it gives the gun character. You can save a lot of money going this route and end up with a good used pistol. The police keep their pistols in good working order. I'm all about getting the most bang for your buck and buying a police trade in is a big win. These S&W 5906 pistols in particular are excellent pistols as is almost all police duty guns and you can currently find them for about half of what they would have cost you new when they were still in production. Same kind of savings on the S&W revolver law enforcement or security company trade in's that are out there.
 
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I have one....

One of the refinished HK P7's from a couple years back that showed up in a lot of LGS's....great gun. I also think some of the used S&W's in 9MM from CDNN and the like for under $300 are fantastic bargains/would be great for first-time shooters.

J
 
Over the years I have picked up several excellent wheelguns which were police trade in.

My favorite was a model 15 smith that must have had some work on the action. It was as smooth as any revolver I have ever fired.
 
Best deals around. Police trades are well maintained (armorer) and shot little but carried a lot. Right now the 2nd Gen Glocks, S&W 3rd Gen semis (59xx & 915/910), & Taurus 82 revolvers are at great prices in the market.

On the other hand, mil-surplus handguns from overseas are a crap shoot and don't have any factory backing (warranty or out of warranty repair).
 
Bought a tradein g21Sf last year. Didn't look like it had even been fired.

Out of those listed, probably the Sig 229. My friend has one in 9mm and it has a nice natural feel to it. You can also get a 9mm barrel for it if you wish.
 
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