[Drjones]

How do you do this?

I mean, when you post your ad, do you say "____ for sale. Unreliable. Cheap."

Or do you just keep your mouth shut? (Of course that is unethical)

I don't get it.

I've seen SO many people say "____ gun was SO unreliable, so I sold it."

Well, I'm sure it was unreliable for the next person too, right?

:confused:

[Preacherman]

I don't. If a gun is unreliable, I send it back to the manufacturer for fixing. If they can't (or won't) fix it, I dismantle it for parts, or trade it in to a dealer for use as parts, in dismantled condition, with a written note on the trade-in slip that the weapon is traded for use as parts, and may not be sold as a functioning firearm. There are a couple of honest dealers I know who will honor this, and not just reassemble it and resell it - but I guess you'd better make sure of your own dealer before trusting them!

Having been "burned" with defective weapons before, I'm very careful not to do unto others as has been done unto me! I've twice bought used weapons that were not safely or reliably functional. In both cases, I took the weapons back to the dealers concerned. One dealer immediately refunded my money: the other sent it back to the manufacturer for repair. The manufacturer charged for the fix, as it was due to the previous owner's having modified internal components: so the dealer and I split the cost 50-50, and we were both satisfied with the result (although both angry at the guy who had traded in the gun without telling the dealer about the problem!).

[Skunkabilly]

I sold my Kimber that had an iffy extractor. It was a cheap fix but I was fed up with it. I sold it to the guy who didn't care because it was a cheap fix and he upgraded the extractor anyway.

We became friends and I still have visitation rights. I'm glad my Kimber found a loving owner as I ran back to my beloved Eurotrash.

[10-Ring]

When you get to the part of the sale where the buyer asks, "So, why you sellin' it?" I give them an honest reply.

[Monkeyleg]

I had a Walther PPK/S that wouldn't feed hollowpoints, only ball ammo. The gun had been back to the factory for feed ramp polishing, but still jammed with Winchester Silvertips.

I sold it to a suburban cop who wanted it as a backup gun. He was informed about the feeding problem, but bought it anyway.

The guy's pretty hard to forget. Came to my shop with his son. His car's vanity plates read "magnum," and he was wearing a hat that read "go ahead, make my day." :rolleyes:

[Pendragon]

1. Kareen MkII (BHP clone) had many problems but sold it to a TFL member who was aware of the problems but ust wanted te frame. Later he said it had worked out for him.

2. Colt Defender (3" Alloy 1911)
This gun was very unreliable with Colt magazines and Wolf ammo. I bought Wilson Mags and used better ammo and went nearly 200 rounds without a malfunction. I told the buyer that the Colt mags were not reliable, but that I had near 100% reliability with Wilsons which was true.

3. Remington 597 Heavy Barrel (.22LR semi rifle)
Sold this to a dealer who wanted it for his son. I told him it worked as long as it was clean and lubed and that the rails the bolt rides on are particularly finicky. I also mentioned that the mags had to be loaded properly or they would jam. He had read this stuff about these guns before and was not deterred - if anything, I think being up front was a positive for me.

Frankly, you should be honest, but you also gotta use a little salesmanship too :)

[firestar]

The only place I will sell a unreliable gun is to a dealer. It is also the only time I will willingly sell a gun to a dealer. They are going to rip you off big time anyway so use them to unload your junk.

Even when i have sold a gun that was unreliable to a dealer, I still felt that they had ripped me off!

If you sell a broken or unreliable gun to a private individual without telling them what is up, you are scum, period. That is how to turn people off to shooting.

Sell your junk to dealers only. They should be able to tell if it is not right (being as smart as they all are).:p Also, they don't care what they sell to you so why would you care what you sold to them?

[Kahr carrier]

I wouldnt sell an unreliable gun ,thats not cool ,but I have seen other people do it . I would get it fixed or disclose it as a problem gun .:)

[DeltaElite]

I got the Tauri revolvers fixed before I sold them.
I can't be held responsible for how they functioned after that. ;)

[Standing Wolf]

I figure if I'm not honest, I've got no right to ask that others be honest.

That said™, I haven't sold a gun since 1985, and don't intend to resume doing so in the forseeable future.

[Blackhawk]

I love getting "unreliable" guns. Doesn't usually take much to make them sweethearts, and they're great buys.

Not all sellers are honest about why they're selling, and since there's no reason to sell a sweetheart, I assume all used guns get put on the block for that reason.

[1badmagnum]

I dont sell I buy :)
seriously,I plan to keep all my firearms for a lifetime,I do extensive research and most always shoot them before purchasing.I will only buy a used firearm if I can personally inspect it before the sale.any problems and I fix them or eat the pistol,no use selling it to someone who may trust their life to the firearm.again,do onto others.

[Schuey2002]

You know, I've never had an unreliable gun of any sort..
I've had guns that I didn't like for one reason or another but, no lemons.. [knock on wood !] ;)

I guess that I need to buy more guns..

[Kframe]

I've done it twice.
I dismantled the gun into the major subassemblies (usually not much more than field stipping) and attached a tag to each chunk marked "Parts Gun, Not Working".

I don't do anything to destruct the gun further, as somebody could get it working safely if they wanted.

The bill of sale is also clearly marked as Parts Gun.

That takes care of the liability, and nobody can just load it up and get dangerous.
-Kframe

[V-fib]

Had a Taurus PT-22 that I bought from a dealer new, It literally fell apart after only two weeks of use. The dealer sent it back to taurus for me (dealer paid the shipping) and after 8 weeks when it was returned I looked at it and promptly traded it towards a Ruger. Got nearly what I paid for it in the trade, and the dealer threw in 100 rounds of .38 for the ruger. The only time I would sell a unreliable gun is when I would have it repaired first then I would sell it.

[Ala Dan]

I would never, ever sell an unreliable firearm
to a perspective buyer. Why? Cuz he and/or she
may come back with a reliable gun and do
you in! :uhoh: (LOL)

Naw, its just not the right thing to do! But I'm sure
their are lots of folks out there that get their kick's
doing this. Shame on them, cuz if the buyer happened
to get killed because of that unreliable gun,
chances are you could be sued under the wrongful
death act!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[Pendragon]

I seriously doubt you could make a civil case for wrongful death because you bought someones 1911 that jams once per magazine.

Certainly you could bankrupt someone trying this...

[mini14jac]

Hey guys,
It is really refreshing to see so many honest people here!

If I am having trouble with a gun I'll either get the factory to fix it, or fix it myself.
If both of these fail, then it has to be sold cheap, with an honest explanation.

I had a FN Browning Hi Power that wouldn't feed hollow points.
(Big surprise. :rolleyes: )
When I sold it, I told the guy this.
He was ok with it, so we were both happy.

I've been shafted before, so I'll never knowingly do that to another person.
Whether we're talking guns, cars, or whatever.

[DAL]

What does the United Nations have to do with reliable guns?
DAL

[Kframe]

The procedure I referred to dealt with one gun that would occasionally go full-auto, and the other would slam fire.
That's why I took them down and labeled them like I did.

If the problem was just a feeding or extraction issue, I'd disclose the fact, but not disable the firearm.
:) -Kframe

[seeker_two]

What does the United Nations have to do with reliable guns?

You can get guns in pretty good condition from them--esp. from the French peacekeeping troops...

Never fired...only dropped once... :D :D :D

[ahenry]

I love getting "unreliable" guns. Doesn't usually take much to make them sweethearts, and they're great buys.

Not all sellers are honest about why they're selling, and since there's no reason to sell a sweetheart, I assume all used guns get put on the block for that reason. What he said.

[Onslaught]

So far (knock knock) I have never purchased an unreliable pistol that wasn't covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

The only one I ever got rid of outright was an AMT45 Backup. I sent it back to AMT for fixing, they repaired it and sent it back, and I traded it for something else without retaking posession of it from the Dealer. Since he was the one who sent it off, he knew that it had been unreliable but was "factory corrected".

The other two lemons I had were both replaced by the factory (both were Kahrs, both were "P"s).

[sm]

I've not owned one that was UNreliable. IF I did I would send to MFG to make safe.

If unable to make safe, give to a gunsmith for parts. We did find a RG years ago for sell cheap...took it apart to use as instructional tool...eventually dismantled and kept cylinder to hold pencils.

Gunsmith has found some 'bargains" minor stuff due to owner monkeying with it, lack of maintenence...so the J frame is badly rusted on the outside, internals fine...$75 OK...refinish, its a carry tool anyway...

[Keith]

Oddly, I don't remember ever owning a gun that was totally unreliable or "broke". I must have had hundreds of guns pass through my hands, so maybe I'm just lucky?

Some guns were only reliable with ball ammo, others had badly regulated sights that shot high or low, etc. When I sell such a gun I adjust the price accordingly and tell the prospective buyer the reason it's so cheap. Just be honest and you'll never have a complaint.

Keith

[bad_dad_brad]

When I sell anything, car, house, guns, etc. I am completely honest about the pros and cons of the product. I find that works best. That said, I have never sold any of my guns. I buy and collect, and would not sell unless I needed the money.

Honesty is the only way to go.

[Sean Smith]

I had a Para-Ordinance P14-45 that seemed to be incurably unreliable. I sold it for scrap parts.

[M58]

1. Have it fixed if not expensive.
OR:
2. Sell it to dealer with notice.

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

I asked this question over on TFL once.

An interesting, and similar, set of replies.

Referenced thread. (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98082&highlight=lemons)

Seems most of us have good scruples, at least the ones who admit it, anyhow. ;)