Do you buy most of your guns new or used?

[hometheaterman]

Just wondering what most of you guys feel about used guns vs new ones. In general I do not at all like used stuff. I've tried buying quite a few things used and almost always feel ripped off. I usually get decent deals but then I usually have it break or something happen to it shortly after I get it. I just don't have luck with used stuff. Yet when it comes to guns so many seem to be used out there and there are so many I like that they no longer make.

I've had decent experiences with used guns but it's about the only used thing I've had a decent experience with.

What about you guys? Do you usually buy used or new? If used do you usually feel you get a good deal out of it?

 

[22-rimfire]

I tend to buy new or as-new guns. It is pretty tough to buy a new Remington 541-S, 513-T, Model 37 or Winchester 52 new. So if you want these kinds of guns or any gun not currrently made, you need to use your expereince to make as good a choice as you can. I have not had a problem with any used gun purchase other than years ago when I didn't know much buying a Colt Woodsman that was re-blued and not recognizing it as such or another Colt that turned out to be a jamamatic. But all companies make products that are just "quite" right when they leave the factory from time to time.

I tend not to look back on what I paid on a used firearm. If I paid $20 too much, I don't worry about it for long. But I do my homework as best I can and use my instincts on things that I don't have a good sense of price/value. All I ask for are Fair prices, not necessarily good deals unless I simply don't want a gun and buying it to do someone a favor who needs some money. Then I buy at prices that allow me to re-sell it down the road which is pretty much dealer pricing at about 50 to 60% of market.

 

[codybrown]

I'm a fan of both new and used firearms. You can pick up a used rifle in like new condition for quite a bit less than new price if you search for it. I have bought quite a few of both, but a great deal on a lightly used firearm just takes a little patience.

 

[John Wayne]

A mix of both.

Sometimes people want more for used guns than new ones cost ($550 Glock 22, for example). Other times, they can be an excellent savings (my model 10-7 for $189).

In other cases, the prices are comparable but the model I want isn't being made any more (my Ruger Mk. II for $299).

I'm not opposed to either; just depends on the situation.

 

[chris in va]

I mostly buy used guns. Can't justify spending $850 on a new Sig when I can get a perfectly good one for $450. Provided you inspect it properly, used is the way to go IMO.

 

[PT1911]

I buy on opportunity.. new or used is rarely of any importance.

 

[lechiffre]

used

there are few currently manufactured handguns that i am interested in.

the last time a bought a new handgun was in the 20th century.

 

[owlhoot]

I think I probably have more guns that I have purchased used than purchased new. I prefer to buy used. I have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances and almost every one of them is a gun guy. We tend to buy from each other. So I can borrow the gun and shoot it before I buy or else get a very honest appraisal of the gun and any fault it might have from the owner. Over the years I have bought at least a hundred used guns and I've never had a problem with any of them. I have had problems with new guns.

 

[Wingnut13]

Even if it's new when I get it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours before its "used" anyways. Opportunity and price, Haven't had a problem yet with a used firearm.

 

[GRAYRID3R]

I buy mostly new handguns, but mil surplus rifles. I like to wonder what the Garand or the Mosin did during their past lives.

 

[sheepdog]

Used...

...being an old fart, I like the features and design of the old ones better...no extra holes, decockers, etc...

 

[Dr.Rob]

Both. I probably have more used than new purchases. Just depends on what I'm looking for.

 

[evan price]

Used. I like cosmetically-challenged but mechanically intact. Get good deals on ugly guns that shoot good. That way I don't care if I shoot the heck out of them and don't spoil a 99% condition rare museum piece.

If it needs work, I fix 'em. I learned Colt revolvers by picking up a cheap one with problems and taking it apart.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I prefer the term "pre owned".

 

[woad_yurt]

I'm a used-gun guy. I like the extra TLC they used back when. The only new thing I'm sort of interested in would be the new 30 round .22 WMR pistol from Kel-Tec. That is, if it works well. It seems like a good idea, though.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // I have both

Used:
For me it depends on condition. I always carry a flashlight, feelergauge and small magnifer. I've seen alot of used double barreled shotguns with fractures in the hinge area for instance.
Next would be price and how much I want it.

New:
Its all about the deal, rebates on sale items seem to win me over.

GREYRID3R I wonder about the history of my Mosin also, it has some interesting battle scars. (I asssume)

 

[45Badger]

I buy on opportunity.. new or used is rarely of any importance.

This fits nicely. I mostly buy used, but sometimes the shiny new toy comes home.

 

[Sav .250]

I go to a lot of Gun Shows mostly to look around but I do have some money set aside for that, "there`s what I`ve been looking for" rifle.
Haven`t bought "new" in awhile as I don`t think there up to par with the old ones. Course, condition is everything in a used weapon of any kind. Plus, you get to barter about price when you zero in on a piece. Win some,lose some.

 

[22-rimfire]

I tend to rely on the 80-90% numbers posted in the most recent Blue Book when I am either buying or selling. I don't expect top dollar unless it is a museum piece when I sell.

 

[MMCSRET]

I buy used, there are very few new production items that hold any interest for me.

 

[The Tomcat]

opportunity buyer, though most of my purchases are used. a friend told me once that it was unwise to purchase used that you saved money by not having to spend money once the purchase is made. i can tell you that the gunsmith we use is happier with his purchases than mine! and i shoot a hell of alot more than he does.

 

[Tinpig]

Always used, usually pre-1960.

Tinpig

 

[Tommygunn]

Mixed.
If it's something on the market now, I prefer new. But OTOH there are guns I have that are second hand as well. Back in 1994 I lucked into a Browning B-92 in .44 magnum. Used, in good condition; couldn't pass that up!
Also, I bought a old Smith & Wesson revolver that was made in 1869. They just are NOT made anymore; ya want one, it's GONNA be used!
The first modern revolver I bought was a used Colt Official Police in .38SP. It was in good condition; finances at the time made that purchase more attractive than buying a new revolver. Most other guns I would now consider buying for SD are new. Yeah new guns can malfunction -- but they do have a manufacturer's warrantee.
So really, the answer is: It Depends .......

 

[SaxonPig]

As a youngster in the 1960s and 1970s I bought a lot of new guns, maybe 50% of my first 100 purchases were brand new. But as guns got more cheaply made in the late 1970s and 1980s and beyond I became increasingly disinterested in the new products. I think of the 200 or so guns I have bought in the past 20 years only 5 or 6 were new.

 

[mcdonl]

Whatever I can afford. I am an oddball, if I have $300 I go looking for a gun in that price range, if one strikes my fancy I buy it. I could care less about any given brand, style or caliber.