How Do You Feel About USED Guns?

I have no problem owning used guns,,,

I have no problem owning used guns,,,
My only hesitation is evaluating a semi-auto.

With the help of the Sticky in the revolver section,,,
I feel competent to evaluate a used revolver,,,
I don't have that confidence with semi's.

So before I will buy a used semi-auto from anyone,,,
I get some kind of money back guarantee,,,
Or I ask to test fire it at my range.

A while back I was looking at a well used CZ-2075 RAMI,,,
The asking price wasn't bad at all for it's condition,,,
But he stopped dead when I asked to test it.

I said, let's go to my range which is 20 minutes away,,,
Let me run 3 magazines (that's how many he had with the gun),,,
If everything works out I'll pay you cash upon you signing a bill of sale.

He wasn't having any of this,,,
So I didn't buy the gun.

The Evil Pawn Shop Guy always gives me a buy-back promise,,,
If I buy it and don't like it or something is wrong,,,
He will refund all of my money with a smile,,,
It happened once and he did just that.

So yes, I will buy a used gun,,,
But I won't buy a pig-in-a-poke.

Aarond

.
 
Most of my guns were purchased used. If you know what to look for, they can be a bargain.

If you don't know what to look for, expect a good return policy.

For revolvers, there's a great primer here.

Semiautos are a bit different. Problems with a used Glock are usually readily visible. 1911's are tricky because many people have an uncontrollable urge to go under the hood and fiddle with things. There's a good guide to checking those here.

If the seller will not allow you to disassemble the gun, that's generally cause for concern.
 
About half of my guns were purchased used. Have only had one that I was not happy with and I swapped it back to the shop where I got it. I've found that if I buy from a reputable dealer I get very nice guns at a considerable discount vs. new.

The local gun store I generally buy from will repair any defect found after purchase.

I have absolutely no concern in buying used.
 
Sadly in my area ( N.E. Ohio ) sellers are asking retail price, or more than retail price, for used firearms & evidently are selling them.
There aren't any bargains anymore.
A used Smith & Wesson commands retail, and any Colt commands more than retail for a current production firearm.
I never paid more than $250 for a M-10 Smith and that no more than 3 years ago, now one would be fortunate to find one for under $400 bucks.
A clean one with box will be listed for over $500 bucks.
Ahhhh, the good old days.
 
How do I Feel(?) about used guns?

"Used" can mean a lot of things ....

In most cases, guns are not really "used" very much- this is a forum of firearms afficianados, and not indicative of the average gun owner- but i imagine most gun owners do not actually shoot their guns very much.

Even those of us that do shoot on a regular basis probably don't shoot all our guns regularly ......

Used is fine, long as it works ....... I'd rather have a used gun that has a history of working well than one NIB that has the cutting oil still on it and is a complete unknown. Even with a sew superficial scratches, the used one will be the better of the two, in all likelyhood: Pretty is as Pretty does.


The Evil Pawn Shop Guy always gives me a buy-back promise,,,
If I buy it and don't like it or something is wrong,,,
He will refund all of my money with a smile,,,
It happened once and he did just that.
Click to expand...

That is Customer Service that is worth paying a bit extra over Big Box store price.

Where is this store at?
 
The majority of mine are used and all were in very good shape when I got them. I have no qualms about used if I'm able to give it a good lookover.
 
I have bought used, sometimes even with just pictures. For the most part have been happy with what I got. Only issue is someone telling me that its something that it isn't. Got a Sig P220, well it was a 45 acp, but it was the >22lr frame with a 45acp kit. Now, that may not seem to be that bad,and it isn't, but it wasn't a true P220 45acp. the box will never change it serial number or model designation. Slightly unethical, but it shot just fine once I cleaned it out of all the gunk the previous owner didn't bother to clean. Other than that, I have traded for a Colt that had issues, disclosed to me,also a Thompson Pitbull 1911, with issues which I used to drive the price down where it was worth it to me. So I won some, lost some, but that's the game we sometimes play. But that said, I perfer to buy new unless it is something I really want.
 
I don't mind used guns, regardless of what kind we're talking about. I've bought a few new, and I've bought a few used, and never had any "real" trouble out of either. That may be because I don't tend to buy and sell much.
 
Hello jimbob86,,,

Where is this store at?
Click to expand...

The Evil Pawn Shop,,,
Also known as:

Best Pawn and Trading Company
229 S. Perkins Road
Stillwater, OK 74074

If you ask for The Evil Pawn Shop guy,,,
He will know I referred you to him.

Aarond

.
 
Nothing wrong with used guns. Sometimes there're better than new ones. As far as replacing springs, if it ain't broke, don't fix it
The last cpl 1911's I bought one was only test fired at factory and one had less than 30 Rnds through it. Of those two I saved $1000 over new
 
At the rate fire arms have sold in the past few years I would expect alot of nice used guns to show up in shops for sale , And with ths ammo prices and supply problems they may not have been shot much . You know when you buy a new firearm take it home and shoot it it is then a used gun .
 
At the rate fire arms have sold in the past few years I would expect alot of nice used guns to show up in shops for sale
Click to expand...
For anyone who's been waiting to buy an AR-15, this is a buyer's market.

Actually, it's more like a buyer's paradise. Shops are turning away used/unfired rifles, and prices on the secondary market in my area have plummeted.
 
My guns will be passed down to my grand kids

And they will likely outlast them too. Unless a gun has really been abused it ought to worthy of consideration on the second hand market.
 
Love Used Guns

"How Do You Feel About USED Guns?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Especially autos. When you buy a great used gun like a S&W 645, 659, 5906 or various 1911 models, do you feel a need to replace the springs? Have you ever bought a lemon that left you with little doubt about why it was being sold?

And how about revolvers? Have you ever bought one that had timing issues, excess b/c gaps or other problems?

When you buy from a dealer, he usually stands behind it. But some people sell on the Internet and hope the buyer doesn't know how to check over a handgun or, better, that they'll just stuff it in a drawer. (I bought a Davis .32acp years ago that I made the mistake of tucking away without testing. I'd known the previous owner who said it had less than a box of ammo put through it. [emphasis mine] Last year, I finally tested it at the range and it jammed every few rounds, w/two types of ammo. People suggested I buy a new magazine and try it while others told me it was probably just a little tight and that it needed to be broken in. I'd had several Ravens, based on the same design, and they were flawless, so I got burned.)

What are your experiences?"

There are a few lies everyone should know about...

The check's in the mail.
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
I won't ... (well, let's skip that one)
It's only had less than a box of ammo put through it.

I've heard that last one all my life and I've bought scores of used guns. Actually, sometimes it's true...mostly not, but that is usually not relevant when talking about most used guns. It's pretty easy to tell, with a little experience, whether a gun is used or used-up. I'm not afraid of used guns and even if you get burned occasionally, you learn! Next time you'll be wary and you'll have fun doing it. Most of the guns I buy are for a specific purpose. Shooting matches in a specific league. Hunting for small game, large game, dangerous game, birds, etc. Collecting antique guns, revolvers, rifles, etc., etc. Each category has it's own pitfalls and it pays to find someone who is expert in the area you're interested in and finding out what to look for. My area is pistols. I love looking at old, new and anything in between. I usually tell the seller what I know about the gun and they usually skip the BS and we can come to terms if I'm interested. It has taken some time to get to the point where I am and not without getting burned a few times, but I did learn and now I have what I like. I'd say jump in and buy a few. If it feels wrong in you gut, walk away, if not, buy!
I'll relate one experience from years ago. I wanted to build a Browning Hi-Power for IPSC competition and didn't have much money (story of my life), so I knew I'd have to trade for it. I had a S&W 19-3 Combat Magnum that I wanted to get rid of because it had malfunctioned and left me with a cylinder-flash tattoo on my left index finger. I'd sent the gun back to S&W for repair and then had the gun tuned by a highly regarded armorer and had replaced the grips with smooth rosewood that had been shaped by my childhood friend, Kenny Hackathorn. So I took it to the Ohio Gun Collectors show when it was still in Columbus, OH and started in at table #1 of over 1000 tables. As I went up and down the rows I traded for all sorts super neat guns. I found the T-series Browning I wanted but the dealer wanted something else besides my S&W, so I went and traded for a few different guns and finally for a S&W Model 41, the one the Browning dealer wanted. I walked out of the show with my Hi Power and still have it. All those guns I traded for that day were used but all felt and looked great. Everyone ended up happy and nobody got the short end of the stick. I saw a lot of junk that day, but anything that I felt in my gut wasn't a good deal, I walked away.
 
The vast majority of my guns are all used. I've bought a Para 1911 new, a frankenstein AR build with all new parts, and just paid off a Sig C3 that I haven't received yet. All of the guns I've purchased have generally worked as expected, with the exception of a cheap Cobra 380 I bought (and quickly sold back) off of a reservist buddy of mine that was total junk, but I already knew that I wouldn't like it. Lo and behold, the thing just didn't run due to misfeeds, stovepipes, double feeds, bad extraction and light primer strikes. The very definition of junk. Every other gun I've had runs like a champ because I sought quality every time, besides that lemon of a Cobra that I took a chance on and I knew better. I did buy and give to my brother an old FIE Titan .38 that suffered some light primer strikes but it was so cheap to buy that it never bothered me much. As far as Davis and Jennings; I've heard several stories good and bad about them. If the price is right you might be right to take the plunge, but you do so at great risk. Get something that you know is good and used shouldn't be that much of a concern.
 
As long as the gun is in good shape both mechanically and cosmetically, I'm fine with used or "pre-owned" guns. Not to say I haven't had my share of lemons. Then again, I've had my share of lemons when bought new as well.

Many of my favorite guns that were bought used.

My Ruger 22s.

ruger_family.jpg


My Colt Delta Elite.

delta_elite.jpg
 
Lately I have bought exclusively used guns off of Gunbroker.com. Most of the time they are former police service weapons. I have never had a bad experience. There are some excellent values out there. I have never bought anything that didn't shoot fine. Some of the things that I choose to upgrade over time are springs, magazines, grips, and sights. I have never had any luck finding a used gun locally that I want at a good price.
 
Buying a used gun is mostly common sense: If it looks and feels clapped out, it probably is.

Just a general once over with a simple function test can tell you volumes about a used gun. Make sure everything works the way it's supposed to: Safeties, hammer drop ("push offf test), disconnector, bore condition, etc. If everything works OK, and the gun doesn't look abused (other than maybe holster wear) it's more than likely an OK gun.

The only fly in the ointment here is that the gun may have some esoteric feeding problem, which you have no way to deterine beforehand unless you have an opportunity to test fire it.

A note about "like new" guns that have been traded in: Two major possbilities are that the owner bought the gun and simply didn't like it, OR he bought it and had immediate problems and "dumped" it.
 
Almost all of the guns I've owned over the years have been bought used. And the number is at least 200-300. I've gotten 1-2 that had problems, mostly bought when I was younger and not as knowledgeable about what to look for. But the vast majority were as good, if not better than new. In fact I've had to send more new guns back for repair, than used.

I don't trade as often as I used to, but would often buy a gun just to try it out, never expecting to keep it. I've found that I can almost always sell a gun I bought used for exactly what I paid for it, often at a profit, rarely at a loss. A gun bought new, will sell used for exactly what I could have bought it for used. I've never made a profit on a gun I bought new.

This has allowed me to own and try a lot of guns I could have never afforded to buy new. In fact most of the guns in my safe right now would easily sell for 2X-3X more than I paid for them. In recent years I've been selling off quite a few I've owned for years at a decent profit. I've used this to upgrade to much better quality, with no additional expenses. I would never have been able to do that if I'd bought new guns.
 
Well, I've been doing this a long time...

I'd wager that overall, 15% of my guns were purchased new. That means 85% of my guns were used when I bought them...

6240522001_e7ce443c9e_z.jpg


This is the family picture of my K frames - all used on purchase. I don't have any "group" pictures of my autos.

As I think about it, I would say 95% of my long gun purchases are new and I usually look for pistols and revolvers that are used.

I can't think of any one I've purchased that had an issue that I wasn't aware of on inspection and couldn't fix.
 
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