Looking at buying a used MP45, Was wondering what to look for like cracks in the slide or any other problems?

i bought a used police trade mp 45 full size about a year ago. some said they would never buy a used guy blah blah blah. I saved enough money over new that I put an Apex trigger in it and did not feel like I had that much in the gun total. Also added some fiber optic sights, starting to rethink that move though-Bill

I bought a police trade in full size 45 a few years ago and am very pleased. The night were shinning bright and very little wear. I would love to find a compact 45 trade in now.

Tony P

Just spend the extra 50-100 bucks and buy new. Then you don't have to worry.

Just look the gun over very very well. I've bought several guns used, and I've never had a problem. If the seller won't allow you to at least field strip it, then I'd be majorly concerned, but if they will alow the strip, just look it over really good to check for any abnormal wear or defects, and go from there. My LGS has their own outdoor range that they allow test firing of used guns. That is the icing on the cake for me to know that it functions as it is supposed to.

I'm a regular wheeler-dealer on the local classified sites, and I (and many others I've found) feel it's better to speak with the seller/trader over the phone versus mostly internet or texting communication. Then have several questions written down and ready to go. While obviously not foolproof, you can often get a pretty decent feel for any possible deception by asking the questions verbally.
Way too often, people post ads that answer virtually none of the common predictable questions a buyer would have, so plan on asking them about any cycling or accuraccy issues, about the total round count, if they're the original owner, what happened to that 2nd magazine it originally came with, etc.
I also like to ask why they're letting it go. This one will sometimes incite a lot of, "uh...um, well, um...", which might be a concern. They should know exactly why they're selling it
(moving to larger/smaller platform or caliber, wife doesn't dig it, car needs new transmission, etc.)
Another one I like to ask is, "are there any external issues that would be apparant during an up-close visual inspection?"
This will sometimes bring up something like, "well, one of the tritium dots has fallen out....".
Any shifty waffling on any of these questions always tweeks my spydie senses, and you'd never get a sense of that via text or e-mail.
As for personally inspecting the gun, I'm usually more concerned about a crack in a part or the polymer frame than the slide, but obviously, check everything. I like to have some reading glasses and small flashlight handy to really get a good look everywhere.
Check the typical wear spots to see if it appears to have a much higher round count than claimed. This isn't necessarilly a deal breaker, but it can be an indication of deception.
Personally, I prefer to have had a previous owner pay for a few hundred break-in rounds, but I don't like to be told it's had less than a box through it, and then be able to see it's clearly had hundreds, if not more, run through it. Again, this indicates some deception that always concerns me.
That's all that comes to mind, hope this was useful. Good luck!