How do you find a really good source of well-priced, quality, used handguns?
One thing we're doing in our replies is that we're being generic in answers... "check pawns a lot", "check gunbroker" etc.
There are many, many guns being sold used, that are imported by one of several importers, and if you chase the trail back to the original importers, you will often find the best deals, by eliminating the middle man.
Century Arms (CAI),
Interarms, etc- these guys do the actual importing and selling to the middle-men. If you find a gun with that stamp on it, the seller itself doesn't matter, it's the price you get.
Cole's Distributing (CDISales)- they bring in a ton of stuff over from Israel, and the import mark tends to be hidden. Usually runs a storefront on gunbroker; oddly I just searched and they don't have anything listed. It was from them, that I bought the $305 CZ 75, the $199 CZ 99, and the $210 FEG Hi Power. They were also the ones with the $300 P228's listed.
R Guns- also has a storefront on gunbroker, it's where I got the Beretta 92S.
Another tip on Gunbroker- try to learn actual gun models, instead of using generic terms for searches. For example- "Hi Power" will give you lots of options, that lots of people look at and bid on. The recent Hi Power clone I bid on did not appear on that search... it was listed as
FEG P9M. The seller listed it as that, it wasn't viewed a lot. It sold for $255, I was willing to go $250 since I already own a couple. This was a blued finish with some wear, with wooden grips, and basically 100% Browning parts compatibility. They also will list as
FEG 9HP, etc.
If it doesn't show up in the broad generic searches, you will be competing against a much smaller pool.
Before anyone tells you "you get what you pay for", remember that we are discussing metal-framed pistols that are often still in production (or recently so), and almost always have parts readily available. They are not disposable items like cellphones. You are REALLY going to have to work to harm a steel framed pistol. 99% of the time, something might have surface rust or even some pitting. With steel, that can be polished away and refinished. Aluminum doesn't rust, it just seems to wear and scratch. That can be touched up if black. All metal frames and slides can be bead-blasted and then painted (cerakote, etc). As for parts, springs and mags for popular guns are usually one click away. I replaced the extractors on both CZ 75's over the years with factory new (crom CZ USA), $30 and they drop right in. Wolff springs, find the correct mags, good to go.
The P226, it had extensive loss of finish on the slide, with some pitting. I very carefully cleaned that up with a small file at home, sanded the slide by hand with 600 grit wet/dry paper, and have some cold blue on it. Bought a new recoil spring and a couple grip screws, some mecgar mags, it also is back in the game.
The Daewoo DP 51 is a pretty obscure gun, but there are parts around if you look. And the Lionheart LH9 is very simply a new manufactured DP 51 with some customizing- slide has some front serrations milled, gun has been cerakoted, there are different grips and options for Novak sights. The core gun is the same, parts should fit either.
The Zastava CZ 99 is also obscure, but has evolved into the the EZ9 and CZ999. Again, same core gun, mags should fit, springs (if you get the same barrel length) should also.
The FEG- the key is to get the HP clone, if you get that Browning HP parts all fit. If you are ok with a non-Colt 1911 (such as Ruger, RIA, etc), then an oldschool forged frame and slide Hi Power with a different rollmark shouldn't be too big an issue.
Regarding metallurgy and off-brands- we're not talking about Khyber Pass guns. Companies like FEG, Star, Zastava and Daewoo have a long history of making firearms that are intended for actual military use, in areas that used them. Warranties aren't really an issue, since these usually were already extensively quality-checked in the real world, and at this point standard maintenance is the only concern.
Certain manufacturers have strong followings, and checking their forums can lead to information on good used deals. CZ, Sig, Beretta, S&W all have strong forums where people discuss these guns.
