Best guns to buy used?

S&W revolvers for sure. The old model 10s and 64s were once LE and security staples, so there are a bajillion of them out there. Most can be had in the $200-300 range in really good shape.

Old Mil-Surp rifles are many times a great value as well. So long as they've been maintained, you can get years of good shooting out of them for just a couple hundred bucks in some cases. Some, like the '03s and M1s, can get pricey, but are worthy investments, in my opinion. You won't find better-made rifles.

Pretty simple if you ask me.

All of them.

Surplus French military rifles. Most have never been fired and if you are lucky, only dropped once in surrender.

As far as revolvers go, Ruger is a solid bet.

Fore semi-auto's, I'd go with Springfield and Ruger. The M&P pistols are also pretty solid.

Semi-auto rifle.....its tough to beat the durability and reliability of the Mini-14.

All of the bolt action rifles are pretty good, save the newest Remington's.

Big caliber revolvers and rifles. So often folks buy these and after shooting rthem just aa bit realize they bought mkre bang than they care to shoot. Whereas something like a 22 LR may have been shot thousands of times.

Of course, there will be exceptions.

In 2013, I was shown a Ruger 10/22 at my LGS that was old, but still in the original box with all the original paper work and with the anti-rust wrapping. It was claimed to be unfired and inspection suggested that was correct. The SN dated the gun to likely pre 1982, but uncertain as it was limited run bull barrel thumbhole stock factory special that did not carry the normal SN series. I paid a little premium and it is a good shooter, and gets a lot of looky loos at the range. That thing sat around for over 30 years waiting to be shot, and I obliged. I thought about sending in the Ruger paperwork registration just ti see what happened, but decided to just keep it complete.

I wonder if this thread might be more valuable if people said why they think said guns are better bought used i.e. S&W revolvers because they are pre-MIM or no-lock, or Hi-points because of the awesome warranty.

Smith & Wesson model 41 if you can find one under $800. Older high standards or a nice Colt Woodman.

Eastern-European Bloc surplus pistols, such as Makarovs and FEG guns.

Discontinued pocket .25 and .32 pistols that were likely bought, shot a couple of times, then stowed away due to discomfort in handling and availability of ammo at the time.

Anything else you see that you want..

I would like the old Winchester model 70' in a 30-06 or 7mm. They had great actions than.
Also a a& w 686 before the locks.

Any gun that is reliable, functional, fixable and priced right.

I got my EDC used. It was an unfired, LNIB Taurus 709 slim, at used cost because the previous owner couldn't rack the slide.

S&W 2nd and 3rd gen auto's, although the price on those is increasing to the point they are not such a great bargain. Still amazing guns, though.

Trade in police revolvers are experiencing the same thing. Used to be you could get a S&W model 10 for dirt cheap, now when I see them, they're upwards of $300 or more. Not worth it to me when I can buy a brand new 642 for not much more.

The used market is a crap shoot. Prices have increased to the point where there aren't a lot of great deals in handguns on the used market. I don't know where they find used Hi Powers for $250, maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

I can't even find milsurp bolt rifles at decent prices anymore. Run of the mill 91/30s are creaping closer to $200 every day. SKSs are $350 or more.

From what I see, the best value in the used market lies in shotguns.
A lot of people dump off their older Mossbergs and Remingtons (and their dime store counterparts) at this time of year, wanting to "upgrade" prior to deer season. Easy to snatch a slightly dusty older 870 for a decent price.

Online sales like Armslist... I rarely find deals there. People asking full MSRP for used guns ($650 for a Gen 2 Glock 17 with night sites) Probably easier to haggle with a local seller than with an FFL.

Most of the hidden gems have long been discovered.

Depends on a lot of factors, but nearly any used gun can be a good buy.

The factors? Current market, gun condition, new cost, availability, chambering, parts availability, how I feel about it, how you feel about it, how my wife feels about it (don't tell her if you can), how the bank feels about it and many many more.

Love my twin 4" DAO S&W 64's bought from J&G for $250 apiece. The factory DAO makes them less costly, but the smooth hammer is a plus for carry. They require no love whatsoever. J & G often has LE/security trade in S&W wheel guns at reasonable prices.

Mine are -6's--so have transfer bars, some MIM parts and no locks. I'm not too hung up on the pre/post MIM thing, pinned barrels/firing pins vs. transfer bars, ect. The value is that new a mod 64 (or similar) is a $6-700 revolver---and the LE trade-ins were purpose built to take abuse and have tons of 'life' left for less than half the cost new.

Over the years, I have purchased several used long guns and pistols. My favorite LGS is also a pawn shop. I treat the potential purchase in a similar fashion as purchasing a used car. Check out things that are critical to a good functioning gun; fit, barrel, etc. you can usually tell if the gun has been taken car of. So far, I have not been stuck.

Remington 870's. Remington hit the 10 MILLION mark five years ago, so there's deals to be had.

Steel frame Kahr pistols. Kahr's polymer pistols are middling and otherwise lost in the current subcompact 9mm craze. But the steel frame models? Steel frames and DAO triggers are so unfashionable no fashionista pistolero would be caught dead with something so behind the times. So the price of a used one drops and drops and drops. Even though they tend to be absolute jewels as far as pistols go.

Those Lothar Walther match grade polygonal rifled barrels give downright impressive accuracy, and the heavy steel frames that everyone whines about make them so pleasant to shoot that you can (and should) shoot them all day long. The triggers are ball bearing smooth, the ergonomics are wonderful, the design is clever, and the styling is classic. And no one even cares.

Marlin/Glenfield Model 60

Buy one off the used rack for each grand kid you have (or think you might have someday). Prices range from $30 with a broken spring or two to $150, like new

Same goes for any Remington Nylon 66 you might see while browsing out there.

Marlin 39A ... if you can ever find one out there.

I only buy Glocks used. About $8 worth of springs turns an old one into a practically new pistol.

And who cares what they look like? They are ugly to begin with.