Used vs New handguns.

There are very few new guns Id prefer to have over older examples of the same or similar guns. Just my personal opinion. New guns can be turkeys, as older guns can as well, including older guns that some seem to put on pedestals, like pre-64 Winchesters and old S&Ws. They probably have fewer examples of turkey-ism, but they exist. Life is short, decide what you want and get one, if it doesnt work out for some reason, sell it and move on, and try another.

Once in a while somebody sells a gun because its a problem, but they may not understand exactly what the problem was, or they sell it over something minor to fix like hard trigger pull etc.

One of my greatest regrets about gun stuff is not trying or not buying things in the past, followed closely by selling or trading off stuff I liked and now they are stupid expensive, like Colt Single Actions and original Winchester 1886s, and a few nice Smith revolvers.

I've bought both new and used firearms that had issues, and both new and used firearms that worked flawlessly. Neither approach guarantees any particular result.

To add, I tend to stick with guns I know something about when I am looking at used. Again, not a guarantee but you know better of what to look for and what is suspect.

I have owned over 100 different firearms - semiauto pistols, revolvers, rifles, & shotguns - and only about 10 of those were bought new. Probably 80 of those were bought through Gunbroker.com.

Some I bought as project guns, so I won't count those in the total, but I'd guess that about 5-10% of the used guns needed some work. And some of that group were OLD guns - I expected those would need work. I am NOT a gunsmith, but I am comfortable disassembling & reassembly down to bare frames & slides so I can do parts swapping and some minor fitting. And YouTube is my good friend.

If you are collecting as a hobby, you'll likely want to tinker on your firearms. If that's the case, used guns are great! Do your research, be willing to learn, and don't spend more that you can afford. It can become an addicting hobby, though.

'Used' is not an ugly word. Only real difference is the lack of a warrantee. It takes a great deal of abuse to damage a modern firearm of any kind anyway.
People sell or trade firearms for a host of reasons. Rarely because they damaged it or it's junk though. Usually because they bought the thing without trying it on for size or it's chambered in something they just can't shoot well. Sometimes because they think a new handgun should have a crisp, light trigger out of the box. No new firearm has that.

There is always some degree of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). I wholehearted agree you should be familiar enough with the model prior to purchasing to help spot obvious issues such as worn out parts and bubba trigger jobs. That said, some of my favorite guns were purchased used or surplus so don't let the used label steer you away. You would be downright amazed at how many guns are bought, fired a few times, then placed in a box or drawer and left until someone decided they had no desire or need to keep it. Applies to all manner of guns, even more so to anything that kicks much. An awful lot of 357 and 44 magnums show up for sale with the original box of ammo minus 6 to 12 rounds.

If1HitU said:

I have been buying my handguns new. I have always had my doubts about buying guns other people traded or got rid of for other reasons.

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Understandable, but having doubts about buying a gun (either new or used) because someone else didn't, or doesn't like it, is not real sound reasoning. For example, I've posted elsewhere on this forum how I recently traded off a barely used, Glock 43 because I thought it kicked too hard. Yet there's a lot of folks right here on this forum that like Glock 43s.
What I'm saying is - just because there was something about a gun that I didn't like, so I traded it off, doesn't mean you won't like it. Heck, for that matter, I've traded off perfectly good guns (mostly rifles) just because there were other guns that struck my fancy at the time. I've never been able to afford, nor do I have the room in my safes, to keep every gun I ever took a fancy to, and subsequently bought.
Besides that, my lovely wife of 46 years has done the same thing. Buying guns isn't exactly like vowing,"to have and to hold till death do us part," you know.

At this stage of my life and hobby, I favor used guns--handgun or long gun. I've generally had great success, and when on occasion I've bought something that I didn't like, I've generally been able to break even on resale. I prefer to buy face-to-face, but I will deal with reputable sellers on Gunbroker, or people with good reps on the forums. I have been disappointed with a couple purchases, but have never been burned by major misrepresentation. The disappointments got sold down the line--with full disclosure.

Not so much with handguns, but the long gun market is a bit weird right now, in that many new guns cost less than quality used guns. It makes the hunt for good deals a bit more lengthy, but also more rewarding.

I've bought plenty of both. My main consideration is the difference between the price of a gun that's new versus used. If the difference is minimal, generally between $50 and $100 I'll buy new. If it's greater than that I'll generally buy used. Another consideration is what it'll be used for. If it's a range toy I've mostly bought used. You also want to consider the manufacturer's warranty. Companies like Ruger offer lifetime warranties. I've never heard of them honoring it only for the original purchaser. Finally, we have a couple of LGS' in our area that will offer a lifetime warranty for a used gun for $25 to $30, which can ease the concern of buying used.

Except for my 9mm, every handgun I own was acquired "used".

• My 1911 was inherited from my grandfather who carried it through World War II and Korea.
• My S&W 38 Special was inherited from my grandmother who bought it for self defense in 1975.
• My RG-25 was bought on a street corner in 1976 from someone who didn't ask too many questions.

After appropriate care and - where necessary - refurbishment, all three have proven to be as useful and reliable as similar new guns I have shot.

Most of my rifles have been new, except:

• My Armi Jager AP-74 (.22 LR Cast Zinc wonder that looks like an AR-15) was bought used from a friend.
  
• I bought my Charter Arms AR-7 new but then sold it to a friend who later sold it back to me when he was short of cash, so I bought it both new and used.
• My Iver Johnson Carbine in 5.7mm Johnson was purchased used sometime in 1982/1983 from a gun store in Batesville, Arkansas.
• And I sort of bought a Browning 12 Gauge shotgun from my Father-In-Law right around the time I got married.

The AP-74 has been a joy to own and shoot (using factory magazines). The AR-7 looked to have left at the bottom of a cesspit for some months and never was the same again. I'm still trying to figure out how to load for the 5.7 and I've never shot the Browning. Every other rifle/shotgun has been bought new.

Except when it is being transferred to me as "collateral" for a loan both of us know will never be repaid, I buy a gun because I have a reason for buying it beyond simply because I want it. So long as that reason remains, the reason for keeping the gun remains. And that means most of my gun purchases will be a concern for my heirs. And since they will usually be lifetime purchases, I like to buy them new, get a factory warranty, factory support and someone to sue if it blows up in my face. But, if a gun is in good condition, I have a use for it, and the seller isn't asking more than what I could buy it for new, I'll consider a used gun. For the most part used guns have worked out for me.

Basically I have only purchased used revolvers that are no longer available. EX: Purchased 2" and 4" Taurus M94 revolvers used since they were not made anymore. If they were still available, I'd have purchased new.

I am always a little hesitant to buy used 1911s. I have had a couple of used ones that have been problems, I think because both had had bad work done on them by other owners. Otherwise, if a gun checks out when I look at it, I don't mind it being used. I far prefer a gun that appears to be in original factory specs and hasn't had Bubba do work on it.

I have never knowingly sold a gun that was defective. All the guns I've sold have been in good working order and the only questionable one was a S&W Airweight that apparently had a crack in the frame. Neither I, nor the purchaser knew this at the time of sale, and I never saw the crack afterwards.

All the guns I've sold have been sold because I either didn't like them after shooting them, or I had thoroughly explored the design and decided I wanted to try something else. I have, on occasion, just bought a particular model or style to see how it functions. For example, the AR I had was bought out of curiosity. Once that curiosity was satisfied, if the gun wasn't particularly to my liking, I would often sell it. Good news for the buyer.

I prefer new, but will also buy used. I thoroughly inspect a gun before purchase when possible, be it used or new. I familiarize myself with the design (via the Internet) as much as possible before I buy, so I know what issues to look for. There's no reason not to consider a used firearm, but as has been said, buyer beware. Great deals can be had, often simply because that gun didn't please the previous owner.

I mostly like used better, as the price is frequently less painful. Sometimes I buy new because I can't find what I'm looking for used. Buying new is no guarantee of fewer problems, though I guess a warranty isn't a bad thing. My used-to-new ratio is currently running about 8:1.

The vast majority of guns I've owned in my life have been purchased used. I've never gotten a used lemon. The advantage of buying used is that if you just don't like it you can sell it for very near what you paid for it, sometimes more. If you buy new and just don't like it you will have to sell it for the same price as you could have bought it for used. I've had very few bad guns in my life. I've had a lot that I found I just didn't like as much as I thought I would.

As long as you stay away from used guns that have been used in competition you'll find none that have been shot enough to be worn out. Sometimes stuff gets out of the factory that shouldn't. I've had more issues buying new than used. Several have had to go back to the factory.

Most of the handguns I buy are used. I do know how to check out a gun so that helps.

You can get your best deals by buying used from private parties. I'm not talking about ripping off widows. Many just want to reduce the number they have or get rid of guns.

Outside of buying new guns, I've bought used and factory refurbished.

The used guns, including surplus guns, I've come across tend to be heavily used with apparent high round counts.

The low round count used guns I've seen have asking prices near the price of a new gun.

The one factory refurbished gun I bought looked new, but sold at maybe 80% of a new price.

The stuff I want isn't made anymore....

If you can show me where I can buy a new Sauer & Sohn Model 38h or an S&W 3rd model, I'm all ears.

EDIT: Oh, and compare a 1958 - 60 vintage S & W Model 39 to one of the last production models of the 3904, you will see a vast difference in workmanship.

I can honestly say I had few real problems with my firearms either new or used. One old double was off face and a few weren't as accurate as I wanted.

Maybe because I avoid low tier brands or I'm just lucky but those I sold were because I needed money or no longer had a use for the gun.

I don't buy new firearms anymore. The vast majority of mine are surplus or used. I have bought so many really good-shooting, solid, reliable surplus/used handguns for $300 or less that buying new just seems ridiculous to me. Recently I have gotten a very nice Beretta PX4 and Model 96 for $179 and $236 respectively. They are more accurate than I am and will both last longer. They were both apparently police turn-ins. There is no way to get that kind of deal new.

I tend to gravitate to the older used guns simply because the newer guns are really not anything that interest me. This is true in my rifles and handguns. The way to buy a used gun is to know what you are looking for, have a good feel for the going prices and know how to completely inspect the gun you are considering. I have avoided online sales simply because I want to handle a gun before I pop a hefty price. Plenty of people have done very well with online sales.

Just My Take....
Ron

The majority of the guns I've ever bought were used.
The best advise I can give is to never buy a 1911 used unless you can shoot it first or know for certain you can get your money back if it's a POS.
Buy new and you hardly ever recoup your money if you decide to sell.
Buy used/shop wisely to ensure that you can sell the gun and not take a loss.

Majority of mine are bought used, except for my recent Alaskan 454, Toklat 454 and Kimber K6S.

Higher the caliber, higher the cost of the gun, or more expensive the ammunition, the lower likelihood that it has been shot much at all. I've gotten 1911s, various Glocks, my Sig Sauer Legion, all preowned.

Guns whether they're new or used can have issues. It's a luck of the draw. But if it's a Ruger, the parts are usually cheap enough to replace. If it's a Glock, there are so many aftermarket parts, you can virtually rebuild it.

I am an opportunistic gun buyer. I will buy new or used it doesn't make a difference to me. A couple of my favorite guns were purchased in the LGS parking lot after the LGS declined the opportunity to buy from the seller. I have had very few real problems with any of my guns and most of those problems were with the new ones.
Like the others have said, inspect thoroughly.