Firearm safety inspections - Yes or No?

[gbeecher]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to throw this out there - what do you feel is the importance of having a used gun inspected by a competent gunsmith for safety and function? I myself tend to think that it's an absolute must. My only gun so far is a Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 rifle that I bought online in April 2010. It was 'arsenal refinished', but I had it inspected before shooting - only cost me $15.00 at my local gun shop/range. If I remember correctly, it came with a tag that said 'the seller bears no responsibility for the safety of the firearm', or something similar. I'm assuming that new firearms come with some sort of inspection tag and warranty. Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[Drail]

If you're not fairly knowledgeable about how firearms work mechanically then yes, having it checked out by a good smith is a really good idea. They can also give you an amount of value for insurance purposes. There are unfortunately a good number of unscrupulous "dealers" out there.

 

[clamman]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt if your not a nut and bolt guy like myself, especially if it was a surplus gun.

 

[deadin]

The most difficult part on this is finding a "competent" gunsmith.
I've seen too many shops that have a "gunsmith" that feels if they can succesfully field strip a gun (and get it back together) qualifies them as a gunsmith.......

 

[Caliper_Mi]

I can see the benefit if you are not confident telling on your own. $15 sounds like a very reasonable charge. I would ask exactly what they do however.

 

[AlexanderA]

If you do much buying of guns, these "inspection fees" could add up to a significant expense. Becoming knowledgeable yourself, and investing in headspace gauges, could be cheaper in the long run.

 

[Liberty1776]

deadin's got it - there's a whole bunch of incompetent gunsmiths out there, as in any profession. If you can find a reliable guy (why do I want to say - "older" - and preferably a retired machinist, that's great. And my 2 cents - if the safety check does not include competent use of a headspace gauge, you're wasting your money...

 

[Robert]

I just bought a rifle back that I sold to a friend to cover some bills. It is at the smith getting the once over right now.

 

[lloveless]

I have bought used weapons mostly in my 45 years of gun ownership. I was raised around guns. I started buying guns at age 15. I have never had a gunsmith look over a gun to say if it was ok or not. The biggy for me was to see if it functioned as it was supposed to sans ammo. Sloppy actions were passed, smooth actions were nice and usually bought.
ll

 

[GBExpat]

I am familiar enough with working on firearms that I do not require the services of a gunsmith for inspections.

I carefully inspect all acquisitions (detail strip, clean, closely inspect, oil/lube, reassemble), including firing the first rounds from a protected position and then closely inspecting the fired case(s).

 

[303tom]

Unless you are damn sure you know what you are doing, consult a Smith.................

 

[grendelbane]

Any gun you acquire should be checked before firing.

That doesn't necessarily require the services of a gunsmith. I check them myself. A gunsmith license is a gov't issued piece of paper which lets you conduct business, it is not a guarantee of competence.

Now, if you don't trust yourself, and can find a competent gunsmith, what they charge may be money well spent.

 

[MedWheeler]

Once, I took a car I was considering buying to a mechanic I had done business with for a long time before and had him do a "used-car checkup", as his shop called it. I watched and noticed that virtually all of the things they checked were things I could get a pretty good look at myself in the dealer's lot, with the partial exception of the brake pads (and you can frequently see most of them through the rim's spoke/hole pattern.) I was no newcomer to cars then; I had primarily done it to appease my then-new wife, as it would be her car. The car passed, and served her well for nearly ten years (until it was totaled in an accident.) The car we replaced it with I gave the close-eye to myself, and it seems to have done well, though it has been only nine months.
As with cars, I think I can find my way around virtually any handgun and most rifles to feel good about loading one up and pulling the trigger. I might read up a little on a new-to-me model before buying it, but I'd probably forgo the gunsmith check if it seemed tight to me at purchase.

 

[56hawk]

What do you feel is the importance of having a used gun inspected by a competent gunsmith for safety and function?

That is something I have never done. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but I would think most people should be able to do it themselves. Any gun you buy should be field stripped and cleaned before it is shot, and other than head spacing any other problem is likely to be obvious.

 

[X-Rap]

If I remember correctly, it came with a tag that said 'the seller bears no responsibility for the safety of the firearm', or something similar.

That phrase must have worried you, did your smith put his tag on saying that he bore all responsibility for the safe function of the firearm?
I'm not trying to jack with you only pointing out that I don't think someone is going to put his butt on the line for $15 bucks.
My advice is to learn as much as possible if you are going to stay in this hobby, you don't need to be able to build a gun from blank stock but you should know enough to evaluate whether or not the gun needs further attention.

 

[FROGO207]

My personal technique.
Factory new firearms get a quick field strip, inspection, and lube before firing.

Used and especially surplus military get a complete dis-assembly, thorough inspection for wear, and a head-space check. Then reassemble, lube, function check, and finally live fire testing.
If you are not comfortable doing and know enough about this firearm to do this safely by all means seek out a professional that can. I have a local FFL that will bring them to me to inspect/clean because I am so thorough after the first time I showed up at his place and "checked out" a recent purchase in his shop before accepting it and running it through a 4473.

 

[One_Jackal]

I vote no!! We have enough regulations now. If anything the gun owner should have to pass a safety course. Not a one day yawner - more like hunter safety...

 

[WardenWolf]

If I know it was shot by the previous owner, and it appears to be mechanically sound, I figure it's safe enough since it didn't blow up in the previous owner's face. I do inspect my guns, though. I field strip them, clean them, and examine all wear surfaces. I only worry about headspace if the gun is mismatched. If the gun hasn't been screwed with since it left the factory, and has been shot and therefore tested, there's really not much to worry about as long as it mechanically checks out.

 

[lagnaf41]

When I go to my gun shop i always take my bore lite, and a small magnifying glass with me, I buy mostly long arms, used, check the bore, action for sloppiness, and use the magnifying glass to look at all the screws in the reciever, if any screws are nicked up or rounded, or the bore shows any sign of pitting, rust etc., its stays in the rack,if it goes home, its completely torn down, cleaned, lubed, then to the range to test fire, done this for years and never gotten a bad one.[yet]

 

[GBExpat]

An interesting thing that I found one day during a detail-strip inspection of a newly-acquired 03A3.

 

[Sam1911]

If I know it was shot by the previous owner, and it appears to be mechanically sound, I figure it's safe enough since it didn't blow up in the previous owner's face. I do inspect my guns, though. I field strip them, clean them, and examine all wear surfaces. I only worry about headspace if the gun is mismatched. If the gun hasn't been screwed with since it left the factory, and has been shot and therefore tested, there's really not much to worry about as long as it mechanically checks out.

Precisely my own view of the matter. Well said!

 

[Remllez]

GBExpat,

Barrel bulge bad!!! Good thing you saw that....bad part is seeing it after you bought it.

 

[Owen Sparks]

If you know what to look for you can do your own inspecting. It is not rocket surgery.

 

[Jim Watson]

Thanks for asking gbeecher, I was thinking about starting a thread myself.

You cannot read a gunboard without being told that any second hand, inherited, or surplus firearm should be inspected by a gunsmith.

My position is that you should know what you are looking at - these "What did I just buy?" threads really mystify me - and have an idea of its condition. Also the difficulty of finding a gunsmith competent to evaluate the safety and functionality of random guns. As said, most gunsmiths are either rather specialists or they are parts changers who might not be a good source of information.

So my question is, if you tell people to go to a gunsmith at every transaction, what do you do for yourself? And how many duds has your shop discovered?

 

[GBExpat]

Barrel bulge bad!!! Good thing you saw that....bad part is seeing it after you bought it.

Not a barrel bulge ... this barrel was torch-cut during Drill Rifle processing. Some miscreant did a weld-repair, recut the chamber and then tried to hide the evidence.