Used guns - do you trust them?

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Most of my guns were bought used.
A good inspection before buying and knowing the gun shop reputation.

Only 1 had a issue, a shotgun with chokes that were stuck from lack of maintenance. But I "got em out" and it's been a great shooting gun.
 
Let's see - bought used -
Stevens Model 311 SxS 12 gauge;
Remington 700 BDL in .243;
Colt Hammerless of 1903 in .32 ACP;
S & W Model of 1905 in .32-20;
Ruger GP-100 in .357;
Ruger SP101 in .38 Special;
Marlin 1894 in .38/.357.
That is almost half of the ones I own that are still functional. One, a Colt that is an estimated 120 y.o., no longer functions. No problems with any except the .32-20 (ammo availability and cost) and the .32 ACP (worn barrel but still shoots).
 
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A couple of my "used" guns. They work fine.
 
I have heard over the years countless times on forums that when a guy has an inaccurate or faulty gun he sells it and I bet never says nothing about it. so you have to think of that
 
robin banks said:
I have heard over the years countless times on forums that when a guy has an inaccurate or faulty gun he sells it and I bet never says nothing about it. so you have to think of that
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I have seen that so many times as well. Knowing myself and bad luck seems to float above my head daily I can't see how I have not bought one.

Perhaps the inaccurate and faulty nature of the gun is not the gun but the guy.
 
Idahou said:
As always, im thinking about my next gun - this time Beretta 92 compact - and deciding between new and surplus.

So just for curiosity - assuming you chceked the gun, there are no red flags, round count is for reassobla numbers and you bought it from decent source: How much do you trust to used gun?
Would you carry, grab it in case of apocalypse or its just range toy for you or test before you buy new one?

I do have surplus Beretta M71 in 22LR, bought just for fun time at range but now i actually sometimes carry it when i cant/dont want carry my 9mm APX. I do believe it will shoot, so far it was reliable, yet im not that comfortbale to carry one in chamber - i would say thats little bit silly in this case, because its singla action only and with manual safety

My Vz 58 is also surplus and it fail me once (trigger group pin got loose and internals jammed bolt to upper while shooting), the stock and front handguard were wobly and overal i "upgraded" it with duck tape, anti slip plate, some junk metal and nickle wire. Still i do believe it will not blow in my face and its my primary rifle - mostly because i still dindt find rifle what would suit me better and this one was cheap

So how about you?
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Most of my guns are used, either bought or traded for. I have a couple of reputable gun stores that I buy from that I trust, but they do not have time to test all the guns they sell, but thru experience they can usually tell if gun is in decent shape before they buy/trade for them. Guns are like cars, some like one brand and others like the other brand. I bought a new Ruger 22/45 Lite, it was a jam-o-magic, finally traded it for a Buckmark. This doesn’t mean I think Ruger makes a bad gun, I just had bad luck with this particular one. I do a little light gunsmithing, and I can usually tell if a particular gun has been taken care of before I buy it. One thing I like about firearms is that most of them are built very well, most will last a lifetime or several lifetimes if taken care of, something I can’t say of just about everything else!
 
Bought an used Glock 19 that was a factory reburb - worked fine until the springs broke.
Bought an used SW Model 19 - the previous owner lightened the springs so about 40 percent of standard 38s wouldn't ignite. It was guaranteed by the LGS who fixed it.

Had a few new guns that didn't run also. That's life.
 
No real reason to doubt used over new unless its a model with a known point of failure thats not easily replaced, and you don't know the round count. I would not buy a used beretta unless I knew its history, or any other aluminum framed gun I intended to actually shoot.
My worry with used guns is when someone's mind starts to go and they don't remember selling it, and report it. Or the estate finds a missing firearm. If you keep a list of your serial numbers of anything of value, do you ever cross that off when you sell it? Few do. I also know people who bought stolen guns in private sales. Turning them in is a money loss, but also not a fun social experience either. Not much issue with surplus though.
 
mjsdwash said:
No real reason to doubt used over new unless its a model with a known point of failure thats not easily replaced, and you don't know the round count. I would not buy a used beretta unless I knew its history, or any other aluminum framed gun I intended to actually shoot.
My worry with used guns is when someone's mind starts to go and they don't remember selling it, and report it. Or the estate finds a missing firearm. If you keep a list of your serial numbers of anything of value, do you ever cross that off when you sell it? Few do. I also know people who bought stolen guns in private sales. Turning them in is a money loss, but also not a fun social experience either. Not much issue with surplus though.
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Not sure how it could not be an issue with surplus, if you buy from an 03 they usually want your DL. But what do you get from the seller....the rifle and a lighter wallet. Do you think he crossed it off his bound book....well he should but you don't know if he really did do you.

All things are solved by a sales slip. I keep that with all the other crap gun buy and sell related.
 
the bad part about buying a used gun is the countless posts I have read where a gun did not function all the time had bad accuracy etc the owner would sell it
 
I come up with ten handguns and rifles that are used; the rest were all purchased new. The used ones were all given a fairly brief but thorough going over before I got them.

Do I "trust" them? Pretty much so, at least as far as I trust anything mechanical that I own. I have found that with regular maintenance (primarily cleaning) and replacement of worn or broken parts, I can get dependable service out of my used guns for many more years to come.
 
robin banks said:
the bad part about buying a used gun is the countless posts I have read where a gun did not function all the time had bad accuracy etc the owner would sell it
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This is very true, and I have no doubt it happens. However I have never had it happen to me. On the other hand I have taken guns from friends to look at because I am a "gun nut" and found them to shoot just fine when they could not hit the planet earth if they pointed it straight down.

I would say this happens more times then I can count. Some people are very quick to say something is not any good and they are the reason why it will not run. I have done it myself.

Story time:

I am not a 1022 fan, currently I own one, because everyone needs a belly button. The one I have will not run one magazine without a failure of some kind. Not long ago a guy I work with got tired of me bitching about it, and said bring it in and he will look at it.

I brought it in along with a few different ammo types from "good" to "bad" and said have a ball.

You know that stupid thing never once failed on him....not once. I get it back and it jams on the second round, not kicking the spent case out of the gun. I just think it does not like me.
 
Remington1911 said:
This is very true, and I have no doubt it happens. However I have never had it happen to me. On the other hand I have taken guns from friends to look at because I am a "gun nut" and found them to shoot just fine when they could not hit the planet earth if they pointed it straight down.

I would say this happens more times then I can count. Some people are very quick to say something is not any good and they are the reason why it will not run. I have done it myself.

Story time:

I am not a 1022 fan, currently I own one, because everyone needs a belly button. The one I have will not run one magazine without a failure of some kind. Not long ago a guy I work with got tired of me bitching about it, and said bring it in and he will look at it.

I brought it in along with a few different ammo types from "good" to "bad" and said have a ball.

You know that stupid thing never once failed on him....not once. I get it back and it jams on the second round, not kicking the spent case out of the gun. I just think it does not like me.
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the ruger is supposed to be so reliable. sounds like it only likes one or two brands of ammo. did you ask him what he used?
 
Ive bought quite a few guns used. While things can go wrong, its no where near the level or cars or machinery. Ive had more problems with guns new from the factory to be honest. Biggest issue I had from a used gun was after tracking down one of the somewhat rare ruger 96/22 lever actions in 22LR. The fella had advertised it as 22LR but when it turned up it was the 22 mag version. He was apologetic, didnt know much about guns and was selling off old family items. He offered to return my money but I found a buyer myself and made a tiny profit.
 
Since I collect (and sometimes shoot) firearms of the first half of the last (20th) Century, I have to trust used guns.

I do check them over prior to firing, and I don't fire them much (the 1894 Swede gets used a fair amount) I don't have much concern.
I have to admit, 'corrosive' primers were in use and many of my .32 ACP collection were neglected and have pitted barrels. But it doesn't really effect the safeness of the arm. Probably isn't good for the ballistics or accuracy beyond 25 yards.
 
JCooperfan1911 said:
I’d trust a decent condition surplus before I’d trust a normal used.

Generally, a not-too-abused police or military surplus firearm can give you a pretty good idea of the condition of the piece by external wear n’ tear.

With your average gun ship civilian trade in, you can have a pristine gun that may have had all kinds of crap done to it by the kitchen table gunsmith. Dremel tool trigger work, WD-40 soaked action, red loctited screws, the list is almost endless of the things I’ve seen dummies do to guns.

Nothing worse than buying what you think is a really nice unmolested firearm that looks great in the shop window, but has been touched by Bubba’s “wisdom” in some lamentable fashion.

Police and military, whether foreign or domestic, are unlikely to do these sorts of things to guns they handle. Beat them up, sure, but most guns in that role will survive quite a bit of that before issues arise.
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Do you think that applies more to handguns than rifles or shotguns? I've only recently begun my afficion for handguns, 1911s and other metal frame pistols after owning a couple of Glocks. But I've a lot of experience with ARs and precision rifles. It seems to me the kind of people who would bubba-ize firearms would be more likely to do so with handguns. I've seen lots of customization to ARs but almost all of it is easily reversible. Used rifles I've purchased, the upgrades have mainly been better triggers or stocks, no downsides so far. I have little hands on experience with military surplus rifles, though I've seen some AKs and SKSs at the range that have some iffy gunsmithing "enhancements."
 
Remington1911 said:
Not sure how it could not be an issue with surplus, if you buy from an 03 they usually want your DL. But what do you get from the seller....the rifle and a lighter wallet. Do you think he crossed it off his bound book....well he should but you don't know if he really did do you.

All things are solved by a sales slip. I keep that with all the other crap gun buy and sell related.
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Yes, definitely an issue with non-FFL sales. Not impossible with them, but less legal drama if you prove there's paperwork. I do know a guy who bought a used gun and was arrested when it came back stolen on a traffic stop. It was reported 9 years before he was born, but still time in court 4 counties over. But again, not much of an issue with a paper trail.
 
I've purchased a number of used guns. Most are in good working condition. A few had a problem or two and I fixed them....example1; a Marlin 39A with an "elevator" problem. Tightened a screw and it's fine. Example 2; a Savage 111 in 270 Winchester that I picked up for a song. It came with a scope and rings. The rifle shot fine; the rings were loose on the rifle and I'm sure it was sold because of accuracy problems. It's not rocket science.
 
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