What to expect when you buy a "new" gun

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MusclesMcGee

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So, I just went through the registration process with my new Kimber. I am a bit worried though, when the dealer brought it out, the box was open and the gun was out of the sealed packaging. Is this normal ? I may sound paranoid, but I have this nagging worry that the guy ordered a number of Kimbers, opened them up, and is passing the crappiest one on to the new guy.

When I originally went in, he said he had none in stock and that I had to order one. I came in a week later, and he just happened to have one in stock when I complained about the wait. Should I be concerned ? The gun still had grease on it and looked like it hadn't been shot. The trigger was rougher than the model they keep on display, but I figure thats from being handled by the customers and kinda sorta been broken in. Anyone else think this is fishy ?
 
I don't know what to think as this is all knew to me. I am more concerned about the condition of the gun than the bullsh*t run around with the order. So, with that in mind, when all you experienced folk purchase a gun, has it been sealed in the box ? Or is it ok for it to have been open ?
 
Maybe fishy, maybe not. Every time I've ordered a firearm through my FFL, it is thoroughly inspected by him when he receives it. If something isn't right, he calls, complains, and sends it back. If it's O.K., then and only then does he call and let me know that my new toy has arrived.
If in doubt, ask the gentleman why the box is open and the handgun is out of its packaging. He may very well give you the reason I just stated. Best of luck.
 
I've never seen a new gun "sealed" in the box at a gunshop. In many cases the gun is inspected upon arrival not just to look for problems, but to verify serial #'s and such. My dealer once told me about being shipped an order of guns whose serial#'s didn't match those on the shipping order. It led to a lot of unwanted red tape (I would think doubly so in a state with registration). In other cases, the box may contain warranty or other documents meant for the dealer. And sometimes... the guys at the shop just want to play with the new toy for a little bit. I wouldn't worry about it too much. A "rough" trigger on a new Kimber, however, that's not good.
 
When I got my P220 a few months ago, the salesman had to hunt through the other P220s in boxes to find a manual to go with mine. I think they play musical parts sometimes to make a complete package when they sell a new gun. I don't really care, as long as I am getting what I'm paying for.

Then there's the trick of taking the extra clip out of the box the gun comes in, and charging extra for it, when the manufacturer intended the piece to be delivered to the customer with two clips.

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“The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals. ... It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.” -Alexander Addison, 1789
 
MM, it's not unusual to find a Kimber out of it's blue pastic baggie! The dealer or FFL will normally inspect the piece to make sure that he/she got what was paid for.

I'm not certain what you mean by rough trigger , but my experience with my Kimbers is that they come very tight and somewhat stiff. This goes away the more you fire the Kimber. The trigger will normally smooth out, but I have had luck with following Layne Simpsons trigger tweaking suggestions. My Kimbers have 3.5 lb. triggers with no creep and just a tad of take up. Not one part was replaced. The McCormick sear and hammer in your Kimber is used by many smiths to do a trigger job.

It is my understanding that Kimber does a fantastic trigger job at their Custom Shop, but the new shipping fracus has negated that option.
 
I've had only two occasions where a dealer gave me something that I had ordered in an opened box. The first was an HK91 that I'm sure that the dealer opened and racked the bolt once, maybe twice. He was a small time dealer and probably didn't see this type of weapon pass through his hands often. The other was an Astra A-75 that looked to have minor use (bought 'new').

All of the other times I have had to order a gun it was still sealed either in its box or in its shipping box.

As JJR says, it could be that your dealer just opened it up to check for flaws. I prefer to have the box still sealed when I pick it up and then opening it up and inspect it together.

- Ron V.

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Like others, I've never picked up a new gun that was still in a sealed package. I think the serial number check theory is probably the correct one. Check the hammer for repeated use, it may have circular marks on one side or the other if the gun was used a lot. Also, MM, you probably know this but all guns from good manufacturers are test fired and not cleaned. So if you run a patch through the barrel and it comes out dirty, that's normal.

The vast majority of dealers won't attempt to screw you on a purchase. They depend a lot on repeat business, ammo sales, etc. So if they pull a fast one on you, they know they can kiss an untold number of bucks goodbye.
 
What else did he do to put you on edge?
I dunno about you, but when I get that "feeling" about someone, it usually right.
I would say that normally he'd check the gun when it arrives, that is reasonable. I've never bought a gun that was sealed. But if the guy was acting strange, maybe something was wrong.
 
If it's ANY pistol that comes with full-cap mag or mags from the factory with the pistol, then it is a very common practice for the distributor or retailer to strip out the full-caps and sell them separately, and replace with a low-cap, to maximize their profit. I only mention this because I believe Kimber offers a polymer hi-cap version .45. I think it comes with one mag, or perhaps a coupon for the mag, to send in to Kimber to get it, precisely because of the practice I describe. You didn't say what kind of Kimber, so...
 
I don't think I've ever seen gun a in a sealed box or container, etc. Most of the time, weather the weapon is new or used, the dealer might have it on display, for customers to look at, etc.
When I bought my Glock 22, I did not realize till I got home, that one mag. was the appropiate .40 S&W, and the extra one was a 9 mm (I would suppose this usually happens if they're showing several weapons, and sometimes the magazines might get swapped, specially if they're the same brand).
No big deal, just went back the following day and exchanged it.
Hope this helped,
Cowboy
 
A very informative thread, so I just decided to add a post here instead of creating a new thread. I've recently purchased a new Sig P229 that came, of course, in a case with an extra mag, trigger lock, and a manual booklet. There was an empty place in the case for the cleaning kit, but no kit itself -- I had to purchase it separately. This is a question for people who ever bought a new Sig: is it normal for Sigarms not to include their cleaning kits with new pistols (I'm talking about the one that comes in a blue pouch with "Sigarms" written on it)? Could it be (I very seriously doubt it, though) that the dealer simply took it out to make additional dough on it? Thanks.
 
Well, I was waiting at the Gun Store I was so excited for the Beretta I ordered to come in. I saw them check it in and hand it over and there was nothing sealed about it... and they DID have to take down the serial number on it. It Was in a plastic baggy, but it was just open on one end, never sealed, so... As far as what you described being sneaky, I say no. As far as you picking up on something ELSE that was sneaky and you didn't describe... TRUST YOUR FEELINGS

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"...you're thinkin was that 5 shots or was it 6? Well, you've gotta ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky??? ...Well, do ya PUNK!?!?
 
It really gets down to whether you trust the gun dealer or not. You will find out if a dealer is trustworthy, either by word of mouth, or through your own transactions, soon enough.

What irks me is how much more expensive one deaier may be than another; many really jack up the prices, and many customers will get shafted if they don't keep up with the current market price for a particular gun model.
 
I order 2 Handguns From my local dealer, When i went in to pick them up he took then out and clean and inspected them in front of me. All accessory were included. The dealer has a good reputation, has good prices, gives good trade-ins. And the more you buy the better the prices are.
The bottom line find a dealer that you trust, has a good reputation and that you feel comfortable dealing with.
 
I have worked part time in a gun store for eight years. All new firearms are inspected when they come in and the serial numbers are checked as well as the accessories. We have never taken an "extra" magazine out of the box to sell. When we tag the firearm for sale the tag has written on it how many mags. come with the deal. Most of our customers know ahead of time how many come with the package. Especially if we ordered it for them.
I do know of a big dealer who would special order a bunch of semi-custom firearms and take them all out and fire them himself to find out which ones were the better ones. He used a code of colored dots to ID them.
To the best of my knowledge, ALL firearms manufacturers test fire ALL of their firearms. I doubt if any of them are cleaned before shipping.

Neil Casper
 
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