Quote: "The above suggestions are of course good ones, but the first words that came to mind when I saw your post were "police trade-in". If you look around there are many companies carrying various police trade-in pistols that are priced way below the original cost of said guns. You can get a Sig, Glock, Smith and Wesson, etc. for a bargain. My third gen. G22 for example was around $350 as I recall with three factory 15 rounders and night sights. I have owned several such guns through the years and typically found they had seen few rounds. Mostly police pistols are carried and not fired. So if you do not mind some holster wear and perhaps some PD markings, you can get a quality pistol at a good price.
John" (Grayrider)
I totally agree. I have bought police trade-ins at my local gun shop and haven't disliked any of them. I purchased a Sig-P220 .45, Sig P-226 9mm and a Remington 12 gauge 870 police Wingmaster with 18 1/2" barrel and the police walnut furniture. Each weapon was an ex-duty gun that had been lightly used and all had been routinely maintained by department armorers. My 870 looked like something off the set of "Adam-12" and save for the worn bluing on the trigger guard from the patrol car latch, was pristine inside. My gunsmith said it looked brand-new. The pistols shot accurately and never failed. I sold the P-220 to buy a Colt 1911, but still have the P-226 and the 870.
There is a certain amount of holster wear on the pistols, but not objectionable, just honest working-man's guns. The 870 has electric lettering engraved on the receiver showing she belonged to "SPD" with a department serial number.
If you need to buy at bargain pricing, why not get the best? Guns both the public and their defenders relied on to be the best money can buy? Because these weapons served to defend, they have a special place in my rack.