In the vein of the current (revived) thread on the meaning of the term "NIB", I'd like to understand what the generally accepted meaning of "unfired" is. To me, "unfired" means that the gun hasn't been fired since it left the factory. I see a number of posts in which the author states that he bought an "unfired" gun from an individual or dealer. How does one actually know that it's unfired? Does "unfired" mean that it has the appearance of never being fired, or does it mean literally that it hasn't been fired since it left the factory? If a gun, particularly a stainless steel gun, has been well taken care of, it can be thoroughly cleaned to the point that it would take some sort of microscopic analysis to determine whether a cartridge had actually been chambered and fired.
So, does "unfired" mean literally that it has never been fired outside the factory, or is it a term of art used to describe a firearm that is so clean it APPEARS never to have been fired?
And, if "unfired" has the literal meaning, how does one know for sure that a gun hasn't been fired unless it's bought NIB from a dealer?
So, does "unfired" mean literally that it has never been fired outside the factory, or is it a term of art used to describe a firearm that is so clean it APPEARS never to have been fired?
And, if "unfired" has the literal meaning, how does one know for sure that a gun hasn't been fired unless it's bought NIB from a dealer?