Cured of the "Buy New Flu"

[Diamondback]

No earth shattering questions or observations in this thread......however I discovered something remarkable about both of the used Smith and Wesson 9mm pistols I bought recently. I had my eye on the CS9 for several years now and wanted a reliable compact 9mm for concealment.....I passed on quite a few until the planets aligned.......opportunity, price, and means.....and bought a used one on Auction Arms for about $320. It was represented as being "like new" but when it arrived it was evident the little Smith and been carried a lot......some scratches on the aluminium frame and some discoloration on the front strap....like what happens on a weathered screen door...what do you call it ?......is it galling ? Any who....I was a bit disappointed but the price was right and after debating on whether to call the seller on his description I settled down and let go of my resentment. Not long after I came across a used S&W 9mm 908....the "economy" version of the 3913. ( The "Ladysmith" 3913 I have read many good things about and have "lusted" for one on and off. I wanted a new one of course. ) This 908 is two tone , and the blacked slide was visably worn in spots but the rest of the pistol checked out ok.......the seller wanted $225. I bought in a fit of impulse.

Today I just broke the two of them down to inspect, clean, lube ect. and discovered several things. Although I still remain mechanically challenged and have never disassembled let alone shot a semi automatic pistol before I was pleasantly surprised to find the process is pretty straight forward and even I can do it with a glance now and again at the manual. Everything comes appart and then goes back together pretty intuitively. The only time my heart skipped a beat is when after getting the 908 reassembled I unwittingly inserted the CS9's mag. in the 908...the mags. fits, but the CS9 mag. is one round shy of the 908 and does not lock the slide back. My initial thought was.."oh no...here we go.....deja vu all over again......my 'mechanical ineptitude' rules once more ! " By the grace of the Fates however, I somehow switched mags......and voila !

Now here is my primary observation : neither of these S&W's had been shot much. While the out side of both looked a bit "tired".....the insides were "crystal" clean. ( however the 908 was littered with....of all things.......crumbs !.....it looked like the previous owner had used a cracker box for a holster. ). Since both pistols are designed for carry it may not be very remarkable the two guns have been carried but hardly used, nonetheless these two purchases have gotten me over the "buy new flu " ....and I am now convinced that "beauty is as beauty does", ect. and it's the insides that matter on a working gun.

Also I am pleased to have joined the ranks of semi owners and look forward to participating in further discussions.

As I said....nothing earth shattering ! ...just glad to be "aboard".
REGARDS

 

[BigG]

Good insight. Many guns are hardly ever fired and can be had for a great price compared to a similar new model. Welcome!

 

[GigaBuist]

I was trying to figure out why the Glock M23C was so darned cheap at a gunshop once. I'm a little slow so I didn't realize it was used.

Wouldn't know it by looking at it though. The barrel looked like it wasn't cleaned the last time out, but everything else was perfect.

I like used guns. If it's a POS after one owner what the heck would I want with it?

 

[Diamondback]

Yep....now see I felt the same way......."if the seller wants to get rid of it...there must be something wrong." I don't think it was until I sold several of my used revolvers that I began to see that used guns are worth considering. "After all I take care my guns... do you suppose someone else might too and arn't just trying to pull a fast one ?"

 

[halvey]

The best are the "just shot a few times" ones. It's usually a personal preference why they are getting rid of.

My most accurate gun is one that's seen a lot of shooting, but I took a chance and bought it anyway.

 

[faustulus]

As a general rule, new guns are like new cars to me -- someone elses problem. Let them take the butt kicking I'll grab them a bit later.

 

[stans]

Carry guns, especially police trade ins, are frequently carried a lot, shot very little. Guns get sold for a variety of reasons. Shooter traded up for something better or different, shooter did not like the recoil, shooter was dissatisfied with the caliber, shooter just lost interest in the gun, shooter is short on cash, shooter wore out the gun, shooter screwed up the gun, gun had problems from the factory.

 

[rappa]

My last 3 guns I bought used (642, 220 and 225). The 642 and 225 were well worn on the exterior, but both shoot very well! The 220 looked like it was never taken out of the case!

 

[kidcoltoutlaw]

me i look for SIG'S than are a bit ruff

it gets the price down and they still shoot great.im going to carry the one that is the most beat up any way so why does it matter so much.the new one will look like the old one if you carry it all the time any way,thanks,keith