Is buying a used gun worth it?

I have several Weatherby's, including Mark V's, that I bought used. I doubt they had more than a box shot through them. They look brand new (safe queens?). Ammo is just to expensive for the average person to shoot them on a regular basis. I bought them for around 30% of retail. One is a 30-378 Accumark with the original box of ammo that I got for a song. I handload, and a buddy of mine had a break-in and they stole most of his guns (including a 30-378) so he gave me all of his brass and dies. So, there are all kinds of variables to consider. Be careful with rifles that use a gooberment caliber (.308/7.62 and 5.56) that look "tactical". They may have a lot of rounds through the barrel and some clown may have run them hot too.
 
I use a bunch of different auction sites, except Armslist. I backed out of something there once and will never go back. The REPUTABLE auction sites have seller/buyer ratings Used guns are pretty much all I have ever bought.
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Armslist is not an auction site. It is a classifieds site.
I have had the most success there. Can inspect in person and negotiate price.
 
Who wants to drive a couple states away to "Inspect in person"? Armslist brings in scammers and losers just like Craigslist.
 
Who wants to drive a couple states away to "Inspect in person"? Armslist brings in scammers and losers just like Craigslist.
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No kidding ... Jeez-Louise, if I can't inspect a used firearm in person and within a reasonable drive, forget it. I've never bought anything sight-unseen that was pre-owned.

Moreover, the internet has quickly become the favorite hunting domain of scammers and frauds, .... not to mention weirdo-creepy types who ask for your home address so they can "drop buy and show it to you." :rolleyes:
 
From the very top of Craigslist warning page:
Avoiding Scams

Deal locally, face-to-face —follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.
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How is a couple of states local? Do you look at the classifieds ads in papers from a couple of states away to buy things? I would never go a couple of states away to investigate a classifieds ad. Do you realize what it costs to drive a vehicle? Gasoline being a small portion of the cost to operate a vehicle. For me going a couple of states is going to cost me a couple hundred extra dollars. I meet within ten minutes of my home, work, or somewhere I am going to be anyways and that is it. I try to dissuade people who want to drive from far away to my area. There are a dozen or more guns listed on armslist in my city daily. I am fairly patient. Unless something is really rare, it will pop-up locally. If it is really rare I have to hunt at OGCA or take my chances with a sight unseen gun off of gunbroker.
If you are considering having things shipped on armslist where you have none of the credit card, user rating, account registration, or other protections offered by dealing through gunbroker you are just as far off as if you are driving hours to pick something up.

It is a classifieds ad. Look in your area. Buy in your area. It works fine.
 
Buying a used gun is like buying a used car. There are great buys if you know them, and know what to check and look for, but not such a great idea if the only knowledge you have to rely on is what the seller tells you.
 
I use GunsAmerica. They have local listings, but not being from the big city like you, none are ever local. I doubt I see 20 guns a year listed in the newspaper. 5 is probably a realistic figure. The listings you do see are to BUY guns. The dealer I use is reasonable and accepts guns from a non-FFL with a copy of a drivers license. If you can't ship to a dealer with me paying for the transfer, forget it. I am not buying a gun out of the trunk of a car in a parking lot. I would not worry that much about the gun's condition as much as where it came from. This ain't the 60's anymore.

And yeah, I do look at adds from other states. I drove to the other side of Jersey to pick up a surface grinder that was a good deal. 
 
I don't bother with Gunsamerica. For me there is less than one firearm a day listed there and multiple times when I have found a firearm there the person has already sold it elsewhere and simply did not delete the ad. Many people live south of me and commute to work north of me. I catch them at an exit by the highway.

Meeting at a parking lot is no big deal as long as you choose the right parking lot. Many police stations have an area for FTF exchanges.
 
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