Does the manufacure date of a gun matter?

[kazaam]

Should I try to get a gun with the newest manufacture date I can, or is it not really important/doesnt matter at all?

Is a few months difference a big deal? For example, I can get a new stainless elite p226 with a really recent manufacture date if i wait a bit (out of stock at the site I prefer), or I can wait and get one now, which might have an older (probably a few months difference) manufacture date.

I'm pretty new to all this gun stuff so I'm trying to see if newer = better like it does with a lot of todays stuff.

 

[Nushif]

Short answer: Depends.

Some models are "better" (I really don't know what "better" means to be honest) in some ways than olders, depending on what you want.

As an example take S&W revolvers. Want a new one using the latest greatest doodads? Get a new one. Want one without the lock? Get an old one.
Another example is the PT92. Want a deocker model? Need a newer one.
Want a single action "Beretta 92?" Get an old one.

So to answer your question: Depends.

 

[rcmodel]

Is a few months difference a big deal?

No, it isn't.

The only thing I avoid is being the beta tester right after a new model or design is introduced.

rc

 

[firesky101]

With most guns a few months wont be any difference. Now there is a difference in 30-40 years (ie model 70's, P&R S&W's, etc.) The only reason I like to know my guns birth date is because I keep a detailed chart of my "inventory" on hand.

 

[RickMD]

Guns aren't like cars. The time tested and proven models usually remain the same for years. A 1911 Colt or Browning Hi-Power made today differs little from the same gun made 30 years ago.

 

[silicosys4]

All other things being equal, I'd rather have a gun in the low serial range than one in the high serial range, just because the tooling and machines would have been fresher and sharper, technicians not burnt out yet from looking at millions of the same gun, etc...
but then again you risk running into as-yet unfound gremlins that way.

 

[Guillermo]

Tacti-cool plastic... Newer is better
Revolvers,..older is better (MUCH better as there are no widely available high quality new revolvers)
P226? Probably doesnt matter

 

[FireInCairo]

Yes, it depends. For instance, if you're looking for a used Walther PPS, you want to avoid the older ones before 2011 because they improved an issue that was prevalent in the older versions.

 

[Jim K]

Unless there has been some major change, for good or ill, or there is a legal concern (e.g., as to whether the gun is a C&R or not), it doesn't make any difference.

Contrary to what I have seen posted, gun designers and makers usually select the proper material at the beginning and rarely change unless there is a major reason, like the adoption of smokeless powder. But there is no validity to warnings like the one on another site that a 1970 S&W was made of old and inferior steel and would blow up if fired.

Jim

 

[MachIVshooter]

Unless there has been some major change, for good or ill, or there is a legal concern (e.g., as to whether the gun is a C&R or not), it doesn't make any difference

This. The age of a firearm does not matter, only the condition. Until you get back far enough to worry about the matallurgy of black powder guns or twist steel shotgun barrels, anyway; Then you do have to understand exactly what you're getting into. But a 1970's vs. 2000's Colt 1911 or something similar? I'd just choose the one that was in better condition.

 

[Sam1911]

Yeah, "it depends" is the best answer. Guns last a LOOOoooooong time. Condition is far more important than age.

EXCEPT, if you know what you're looking at and you know that certain manufacturers made changes to models along the way and you're looking for features available only during certain year ranges. Some manufacturers have made the same product in different factories or even countries, depending on the year, and one factory is known to have been better than others. Some brands have changed ownership over the years for better, or worse.

(Example, if you were shopping for a Marlin right now, you'd most likely want to be looking for one that is several years old. Since Remington bought them, quality has been very suspect.)

 

[jad0110]

Yep, depends on the specific model.

For example, most AR-15s manufactured today are of higher grade materials (the bolt comes to mind) and include better QC techniques (MPI of all bolts) than they did just a few years ago.

OTH, a lot of folks who know the differences prefer pre-1964 Winchester 94s to those that followed.

Manufacture date can matter for other reasons. When I acquired my M1 Garand, I knew I wanted one manufactured during WWII. So I bought a Springfield Armory M1 with a receiver made in Jan 1941, the barrel made by Springfield in Oct 1940, and most of the parts on the gun except the rear sight assembly and the stock dating to the same S/N range.

 

[Wil Terry]

ABSOLUTELY it matters ! I prefer guns made about 200PM of tuesday afternoons as they're noticably the best.

 

[toivo]

All other things being equal, I'd rather have a gun in the low serial range than one in the high serial range, just because the tooling and machines would have been fresher and sharper, technicians not burnt out yet from looking at millions of the same gun, etc...
but then again you risk running into as-yet unfound gremlins that way.

What he said. I think a complex manufactured item like a firearm has a "prime of life" zone -- a kind of sweet spot where bugs have been worked out but tooling is still fresh. I can't begin to imagine how you would determine that exactly, but I wouldn't want to be one of the first buyers of a brand new model, nor would I want to buy one of the last run of a discontinued model. However, I have done both of those things at one time or another.

When you talk about tooling being worn out, though, you're not talking about a few months: you're talking about decades of production.

 

[BYJO4]

Assuming guns are in good condition, age is not a factor to me. Sometimes I prefer an older version for one reason or another. As someone already mentioned, I won't buy a brand new model until I've read enough positve feedback that there aren't problems that the manufacturer needs to correct on future runs.

 

[doc2rn]

I prefer classics with a smooth action from a time when gunsmiths made guns not CNC machines.

 

[Pistol Ranch]

I would avoid guns produced on Mondays (hungover people are mistake prone).
Also, I would stay away from guns manufactured on Fridays (people planning for weekend frivolity are apt to forget a vital component..firing pin??etc..)

P.R.

 

[S&Wfan]

It does for me!

I prefer the more "modern" but vintage S&W revolvers these days. It's about all I buy.

 

[19-3Ben]

Revolvers,..older is better (MUCH better as there are no widely available high quality new revolvers)

Guillermo- You really know what your talking about so it pains me disagree with you here, but I might have to. What do you count as being "high-quality."
Is it an aesthetic thing? pure function?
If you mean to say that there is no widely available wheelgun today that rivals a Python, or Model 28, then yes. I agree 100%

But I do consider Ruger's revolvers to be high-quality in today's world.

 

[skt239]

Guillermo- You really know what your talking about so it pains me disagree with you here, but I might have to. What do you count as being "high-quality."
Is it an aesthetic thing? pure function?
If you mean to say that there is no widely available wheelgun today that rivals a Python, or Model 28, then yes. I agree 100%

But I do consider Ruger's revolvers to be high-quality in today's world.

Agreed. I'd like to hear a bit more on the comment. While I agree that "they don't make em' like they used to", there are plenty of high quality revolvers made by S&W and Ruger being sold these days.

 

[Sam1911]

Ugh. That again?

Guillermo is of the opinion that S&W is no longer S&W and that they make no products of quality.

That is his opinion and he's welcomed to it, but I'd rather this didn't devolve into another S&W love/hate fest.

 

[coalman]

Guns can be like wine or like milk. But, a few months won't matter on a production blaster like the P226.

 

[murdoc rose]

As stated it depends is the best answer. The short answer is yes. A fine example is Tuesday I bought a tula sks just because it was dated 1955. That is the last year that tula produced the sks rifle. A 1963 model 94 will sell for more than a 1965. As far as new production guns go a few years or months shouldn't make a difference unless there was a change in the design or a new way of labeling them.

 

[19-3Ben]

Ugh. That again?

Guillermo is of the opinion that S&W is no longer S&W and that they make no products of quality.

That is his opinion and he's welcomed to it, but I'd rather this didn't devolve into another S&W love/hate fest.

Ahhh ok then. Never mind, and if you want to delete my reply (and this one) I won't take offense. Sorry to have inadvertently taken the bait.

To answer the OP's question, I'm with the majority on this one that guns change at a glacial pace. A gun from April of this year is realistically no different than the same model gun made yesterday.