Info you've kept to yourself as you sold a gun to someone

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Kimber45acp

member
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
290
Location
Utah
I know of a guy who sold an AR upper that was nothing but mysterious problems. Feeding/extraction with this upper was a giant pita for years, but he didn't say this to the buyer because he didn't know of anything actually wrong with the upper. Should he have disclosed more?

I know of another instance where a person bought a .30 carbine from a pawn shop, found out it had a busted and protruding firing pin :what:, and only found THIS out when they were test cyclying LIVE rounds :what::what:. This person bought a new pin, replaced it, but lost a spring for the bolt in the process, but changed the ugly wood furniture on top of the barrel with a ventilated shround and added a bayo lug to the gun. Sold it for cash and disclosed nothing, but figured that the gun was a net improvement beyond the condition that HE originally found it in. Good? Bad?
 
Yeah, this is interesting to me too. There's a thread about the most disappointing pistol you've bought. The standard response is to describe something that has major flaws and then reveal they sold it to somebody at a gun show or traded it in. I guess some people are a little shady when it comes to stuff like this.

I've only got a few guns, but I mostly knew what I was getting was a quality item. I did buy a P22, but I knew going in what it would take to make it right based on the RFC forums. I can honestly say anything I have works well if I ever need to sell them.
 
One of the lowest things I think a person can do is sell a gun knowing it has problems and not tell the buyer.

Right now I have a SKYY that I will not sell because I don't trust the gun. I'll probably just destroy it one day.
 
I’m not truly responding to your question because it’s something I wouldn’t do.

I recently bought a new pistol for pocket carry. It’s small, it’s strong for its size, and I can carry it in the pocket of anything I wear without printing. “Wow!”, thought I, “Just what I need.”

I also bought a bag of reloads at the same time because the manufacturer said it needed quite a few rounds through it to break it in. I got a jam on the very first rack of the slide. I worked with it and got several magazines through it but with intermittent jam, jam, jam. I checked the reloads and found that some were about 1/64th inch longer than others. Ah ha! Bad ammo.

Bought a box of factory ammo. I can live with that! It’s just too much the right size to fuss about having to use expensive ammo.

Yeah, right! Jam, Jam, Jam. Sometimes the slide hangs up and the manufacturer’s help said to force it?!?!? HUH???

I can’t use it for self defense because I’m not sure the BG will loan me his strong knife to pry out the jammed cartridge nor idly stand by while I “force” the slide.

I won’t sell it even though I’ve been offered enough to get back a good portion of my money. Someone might buy it and have to use it and, they too, cannot get the BG to loan them a strong knife to clear the jam.

Its only purpose is for concealed carry for self defense, there is no other valid use for it.

So here I am with a gun I can’t trust and it’s too light to be a good boat anchor. I will probably, and I’m serious as a heart attack when I say this, take my Sawzall to it and cut the gun into pieces in order that it never be used for the purpose of its very existance. It won’t be the first time I’ve lost a few hundred on a deal but I can guarantee it will be the last time that manufacturer will cost me a dime.

It would be ethically and morally wrong to sell or even give away that gun because someone’s life might someday depend on it; even if I disclosed the problems I’ve had with it.

It is never right nor excusable to hide known defects of anything sold or traded. Sometimes it isn't even right to let a defective item get out of your hands.
 
I have never withheld information on any firearm ever sold. It was done to me and denied after the fact. An M1 carbine with a new winchester barrel replaced without being headspaced. How do I know? He threw in the very same .30 cal carbine cartridges the tested the gun with.
I rented a pull through reamer and set the headspace.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is part and parcel of being a gentleman.
 
I always make full disclosure, and might even disclose something that's not really wrong. I always want the buyer to get a fair deal.

I've never had a real problem gun like some described here. However, before cuttting one in half, I'd offer to sell it with full disclosure of all the problems. Somebody out there may be able to fix it and would appreciate it at half price. YMMV
 
NMGonzo said:
My things work

If they don't, I fix them till they do.

Then they are fit to sell.

Except ex-wifes ... that one I left well alone.
Click to expand...
Awesome :D.

It's a shame we can't give guys a heads up about her "failure to feed" {us} or tendency to go full auto ;)
 
I've always tried to disclose problems or issues, but not every little thing about the firearm. For example if I've had something like a spring break and replaced it I don't feel obliged to tell the buyer that, provided I've subsequently test fired it and ensured functionality. That's with workaday guns. With collector's items it's a different matter.
 
I also bought a bag of reloads at the same time because the manufacturer said it needed quite a few rounds through it to break it in. I got a jam on the very first rack of the slide. I worked with it and got several magazines through it but with intermittent jam, jam, jam. I checked the reloads and found that some were about 1/64th inch longer than others. Ah ha! Bad ammo.
Click to expand...

By the way...quality reloads don't come "in a bag".

Why don't you give the manufacturer a chance to make it right with your pistol?

I also see nothing wrong with selling a gun like that if you fully disclose the information about it. I'd try to fix anything dangerous, but a case of "just not working" I'd disclose the information on and sell it without disturbing my conscience.
 
Red Tornado,
I agree with you that if a gun is merely broken there is no reason not to sell it with full disclosure. All that particular gun needs is a new whatchit and it’s serviceable.
________________

Avenger29’
You’re right, quality reloads don’t come in a bag. That’s why I didn’t fault the gun for the reloads. I faulted the gun for its performance with new factory ammo that came in a factory box from one of the best ammo makers in the U.S. of A. and retailed by a dealer of unassailable reputation.

Please refer to my first post. I did talk with the manufacturer, although I did not disclose to this forum all that was discussed—it was quite a bit more than just the slide.
________________

I suppose there are many persons who believe it unreasonable to destroy a gun because “it’s just not working” but I don’t consider the gun to be “fixable” and there are some things I shall not allow to be marked against me.

This is now getting to be a bit off-topic and I shall not make additional responses about this.
 
iv sold one gun without disclosing a jamming issue - I have felt guilty about it ever since. It was a cheap little .22 that jammed at least once a mag - I sold it at a gun show and wished ever since that I would have kept it and just used it as a conversation piece(or a paperweight) Since then i try hard to disclose anything out of the ordinary about a gun I sell - usually there isn't because most guns nowadays are made decent enough - but if i have a scratch on it or holster wear or have had any issues with it i try to be real upfront - I like to think about it this way: i wouldn't want to buy a used gun that had issues without first being made aware of them. Its easier to sleep at night i guess.

On a side note: a few years ago i walked into a local pawn shop and was looking at some old military bolt rifles. I found one I liked and asked to see it. As I started to look close at the action i realized something wrong with it. I worked the bolt and it literally came apart in my hands. I dont remember what was wrong with it but it should not have been on the shelf - When I pointed out the problem to the shop owner he became upset and blamed me for breaking the bolt - I tried pointing out what was wrong and he started yelling and took the gun away- Im not sure if he is like that in all of his business dealings but, needless to say I would not like to find out - I have no intention of ever going back - he's lost my business and all of my buddys also are aware of the incident.
 
Didn't catch the conversation with the manufacturer first time around. I wouldn't mind a PM of the manufacturer's name so I can avoid them.

By the way, the comment about the "quality reloads don't come in a bag"...I didn't make it clear that it would be wise to avoid them for safety reasons. The only "remanufactered" ammo I even halfway trust is Black Hills...everything else I shoot is factory new, from a reputable manufacturer (Federal, Winchester, Remington, etc)
 
The name of this forum is the high road. It is an honor to deal with people who have that code, and sure makes everybody's life a lot easier.
 
The buyers of anything I sell are aware of them and the price is set accordingly. Even if the firearm is repaired completely the new owner is told of the repair. It's only fair since his or her life may depend on it. Actually, anything I might sell goes that way. It's a way of life. I've fixed cars and trucks (as long as the repairs didn't go nuts, then alter the price and inform the new owner) for sale.
 
I have refrained from mentioning my personal taste or opinion on a firearm I have sold ("trigger is awful", "I can't hit worth beans with it", "it only feeds expensive ammo"), but I have disclosed any actual mechanical problems I was aware of, like worn springs or other slight issues.

I have bought firearms from people that had minor issues that they may not have even been aware of. Even that situation has been rare.

Like many previous posters, I'd prefer to keep the positive karma flowing...
 
I've always strived for accurate descriptions on the 3 or 4 guns I've sold - because having been burned I wouldn't want to do that to another.

First gun I ever bought was an M1 carbine. They'd taken two demilled receivers, tig welded them together, then fly cut the sides of the receiver and re-parked it. I cleaned that rifle after every use for about 5 years and never even saw it! Headspace was never right, but the thing worked, kinda... when it finally let go it sheared off the last 1/4 or so of the last cartridge it fired. I still have the end of that cartridge and the back half of the receiver somewhere.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

WVGunman
  • Locked
Oddball guns you liked and wish you had kept . . .
2 3 4
Replies
90
Views
10K
ccoyle
ccoyle
Tony50ae
  • Locked
Guns you almost sold or traded...
Replies
2
Views
307
Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
D
E
  • Locked
Stupidest things you've ever heard about guns?
2 3 4 5
Replies
101
Views
6K
Izvitz
I
J
  • Locked
How much does your dealer discolse about you?
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
The Freeholder
The Freeholder
Z
  • Locked
Toy Gun Sold in U.S. Can Easily be Converted to the Real Thing
2 3 4 5
Replies
110
Views
7K
Roccobro
R
Back
Top