The great conversations on here have made me want to buy countless new guns - however, my wallet does not agree that I should be buying countless new guns. In an effort to stretch the dollar a little further, would you buy a used gun?
If you would buy a used gun, what would you take into consideration about the gun?
I would never buy a used gun I couldn’t fire before purchasing. This is something I’ve done in the past and I’ve been screwed too many times.
Good point, @AdamJ - what was wrong with the used guns you didn’t shoot before buying?
For the most part, I will buy a used firearm. I will take it apart and inspect the barrel and components for wear. I’ve done it plenty. As long as the gun feels good in my hand I’m fine.
I will not buy used .40 because they have been widely known to “shoot themselves apart.” I also will not buy a .22, or any magnum rifle used, as .22s are shot a lot and poorly cared for, and magnum caliber rifles generally have a 1000 round barrel life.
Conceal carry pistols and police guns are perfect. Enough wear to drive down the price, and generally they don’t see many rounds go through the barrel.
Yes, but only from my preferred Gun store.
@Dawn I’ve had guns not fire at all usually due to light strikes on the primer. The barrel needs to be checked for straightness and the headspace needs to be checked as well. There are things that can be wrong and a person wouldn’t know unless the weapon is fired or completely disassembled, not just field stripped. Granted most of the time everything will be fine but you never know.
I have purchased a few used guns and so far have had only 1 experience that was less than perfect. The less than perfect experience was a Wards Western field bolt action 22 from the mid 40’s that I paid $60 for.
I bought my VP 9 used from a private seller. It was on a forum I belong to and he was local, but also had a few previous transactions that gave him very positive reviews. We met up and from looking it over it looked brand new. Racked it a bunch, dry fired the hell out of it, took it apart and found no obvious signs of any issues.
When I asked how many rounds he had put through it he said “You won’t believe me” I said “Let me guess, you only carried it to and from church on Sundays” He said “Pretty much” Haha.
I’ve decided to only buy new. I’d really have to trust the seller a lot. And that only comes with time and experience.
I currently have mixed heritage firearms in my stable. A Ruger P89DAC bought new; a Rg .22 bought new; a Daisy .22lr, new; a FMK 9C1 GEN2 new; 10/22 new; Tokarev used; cz82 used; Smith .38 used; among others. Yeah but know who you buy from, none are backroom out of trunk deals.
Yes. My favorite gun I own, is my Ruger GP100, that I bought previously enjoyed. It was in pristine condition, and a 200 bucks less than a new one. I’ve put thousands of rounds of full tilt boogie .357 mag through it without even a hiccup. On pistols, yes, I would buy used. Buy new mags, changed out the recoil spring, and viola, good as new.
I own the following
Glock 21 police trade in when my brand new Glock 21sf was obsconded with by my wife.
Glock 23 that was in almost perfect condition
Glock 26 that was in good condition, I replaced the plastic recoil spring with a metal one, and slide lock lever today as a matter of fact.
I’ve purchased used before as well and ran into no problems, all were purchased from/through reputable FFLs I have purchased from before I’ve never had a problem.
I’ve inspected them checking for functionality and excessive wear. So far I experienced/found two issues I’ll explain.
The first police trade in G21 was brought out and during my inspection the slide lock lever just fell out of the frame when I turn the pistol to the side. 2nd one brought out was in better shape and had no issues, that’s the one I purchased and have owned ever since.
The G26 was a bit off with the action when racking the slide I found the recoil spring was not holding in place and would wiggle its way out of the barrel seat and bind inside the frame channel, I also found the slide lock lever was installed backwards causing the barrel lock lug to not catch the notch in the lock lever as it was backwards. It was also taking a bit more effort to pull down to allow disassembling as it seemed the ends were barely clearing the outside if the frame slot. After replacement of both it’s been running like a champ.
As long as I do a check on the serial number, the person doesn’t come off shady and we go through a dealer for a background check. (When I’ve sold a couple) I also want to be able to at least field strip the weapon and examine it. It’s great having one brother that’s a dealer (for the background check) and another that’s a gunsmith. My brother that’s the dealer does a background check for all private sales at no cost. (We’re partners on the USCCA instructor side) We want to make sure that no one is getting a weapon that shouldn’t have one, if the private seller is inclined to do so.
I have made several purchases of used firearms from WWll to civilian. Education is your friend when doing so. Number one have the serial numbers run. 2. Brake the weapon down to make sure it’s all there. If it’s a reputable business or person they will have and do what you believe is necessary to sale the weapon. 3. If they won’t than don’t period! So if you find a good deal on a perfectly good firearm I say do your homework and don’t pass it up for usually you save money. So take that extra money to purchase the ammo!
I own a used Mossberg 500 (Magpul edition), 12G shotgun, and a used Century RAS47. With both before purchasing, I gave a thorough inspection of the Mossberg, in and out to make sure nothing is damaged or a safety hazard. 100% perfect. The RAS47 got the typical inspection of the rivets, barrel pin, trunion, rails, trigger group, gas tube, and corrosion check. All good. They both run as I want them to. A lot of new guns in my local shops are used, but never fired. If you choose a reputable, proven firearm, that is used, you usually will have no issues. But ALWAYS inspect before purchasing. Test the trigger, most importantly!
All this talk about buying used guns got me thinking. Are there knock-offs out there to be concerned about?
No, No and hell No.
I’ve bought several used guns over the years, (there’s been
a lot of years🙄). If your buying from a gun store, find out what their policy is, chances are you won’t get your money back, but if they’re reputable, they will usually either fix what’s wrong, or you can trade for another gun. If your involved with a private sale, make sure you check the gun out thoroughly, if you don’t know what your doing, have a gunnie check it for you, test fire it, make sure it’s the one for you. Usually a private sale is final. Be smart, they didn’t get rid of that gun for no reason, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth buying, make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
I don’t think I would ever buy a used gun nor used anything if I could help it. Too many things could go wrong with it and you don’t have the same guaranties that you would with a new gun. I try to buy everything new when possible.
I helped a customer with a gun sale this weekend - new gun. And it didn’t work brand new out of the box. I won’t say what gun it was - it’s a very popular gun (not what I carry 
).
Another thing to remind those who are new to shooting - shoot your firearm at the range ASAP after purchasing, and shoot it often.