what are some things i need to look / lookout for.... when buying a used gun... or should i just save up for the new....

I could write for hours, but basically I only buy used. The value won't drop 25% the minute you get the gun home. Just open the gun, & look inside for wear. Just Saturday I got a mint 30 year old S&W 645. Hardly any wear at all. Gun was carried by a cop. And don't base value on Gunjoker prices. That's asking price, not selling price. GARY

There are no currently manufactured S&W that I'd buy.

The best are all used in that they are not new from the factory to your FFL and then to you.

I prefer those manufactured before 1982.

Great question. I will probably NEVER buy another new gun! There are WAY too many great used classics just waiting for me to save up enough to buy them. The last new gun I bought was in 1996. If you want new, buy it, but there are better than new used guns for less money. Visit your LGSs and your pawn shops and maybe even G'broker and you will find as good or better guns for less. and that's not to mention the appreciation value! BUY USED.

Oh, I forgot to mention, welcome to the forum. Keep reading here and you'll soon know what you want and how much to pay.

"Gun" covers a lot of territory. With revolvers, you need to check for "end-shake-cylinder." A bit difficult to describe here but there may be a video on youtube.

With all handguns, you must watch for sloppy modifications. Even us more experienced shooters can get fooled or overlook something.

I too buy mostly used. I've only been burned once, with a Savage 99 and hidden defects in the rotary feed.

I prefer to buy new because I'm afraid of the "gunsmithing" Bubba might have done to his gun before trading it in.

Unfortunately, these things might not be noticeable until the gun is fired or disassembled.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I buy way more used than New,Most of the stuff that I want is no longer made so used is the only way to get those.

theres a gun shop near me that has a full sized m&p 9mm uesd for 350 comes with 2 mags.. im new to guns and i didnt know what to look for as far as inspecting it for flaws or damage ....... thats right in my price range... thought i might have been suspicious because the same gun was goning for around 600.... (as far as i know, it looked like the same)...

For revolvers, Google "revolver check out."

For semi's, I can't really tell you. I rack the slide, dry fire it, check the bore with a light, check for any loose roll pins, etc. I simply cannot tell if the gun will be a jam-o-matic by eyeball alone. But I've bought several and had no problems.

this is the type of info i was looking for.. i need more of this ??? thanks

I was offered a used 9c last year as my first non .22; was clean and complete and too good to pass up. I have well over 1k rounds thru it with zero issues since so was well worth it. But if i wasnt able to have it looked over by someone with knowledge i may have passed at the time. Now just recently bought a new fs9 to take advantage of the mag promo and frankly i wanted a new one lol. So i have gone both routes.
So for me if the price is right i would look at new. And if i was able to check out a used gun and it was clean and cheap i would consider that route. But definitely have no interest in a modded gun.

Most used guns will have very little wear. Most shooters don't really shoot that much and any part that breaks should be relatively easy to fix. I have bought many used guns the only ones that have ever had problems were over 40 years old.

The nice thing about is used guns is that they don't really loose value. If you go buy a new gun it will drop in value with one box of bullets through it. A quality used gun bought at a reasonable price shouldn't drop in value.

I like the old ones better than the new stuff that's out there. I've bought used but only after I either can inspect them first or I'm sure the gun is as described. Sometimes that can be a hard thing to do and you have to trust the source. The last one I bought was a Model 60-7 and was exactly as described by the seller. I may have just been lucky when I read stories of what some are buying.

Obviously make sure the gun is unloaded but ALWAYS ask the owner if you can dry fire before you dry fire any gun. It is the polite thing to do. Sorry if you knew this already.

My brand new S&W N Frames are as good if not better than the older ones.
Technology in steel making has changed since the last century. They use electric furnaces now over coke fired furnaces. This means a more even temperature. I own both new and used s&w revolvers. I have the best of both centuries.

Used revolver inspection.

Wear on the throat.
Canted barrel
Lock up on the cylinder.
looseness of the cylinder on the stud.
Lockup of the cylinder in the frame.
Cylinder gap to the barrel.
End play of the cylinder.
Line on the cylinder.
Finish what % is left.
Check for rust, corrosion, freckling in the corners were the parts fit.
Bore condition.
Fit and finish of the stocks.
The condition of the firing pin.
Hammer and trigger looseness, side play.
Cylinder timing.
Handling marks on the frame/barrel.
Inspect the rearward face of the frame where the firing pin goes through the frame. Look for the case wear on the frame. The amount of wear tells the amount it's been fired/used.

It's easy to see the cosmetic issue (which I hardly care beans about) as long as it is not worn or loose mechanically. Get what info you can from the dealer, if it's something like a police trade in it's bound to have a lot of wear. Aside from looks, they should be able to tell you what kind of conditions the internals are in. This isn't necessarily bad, because S&Ws can take a lot of wear. It's hard to wear out a barrel, so if the barrel rifling is worn the gun has been shot a LOT. This isn't necessarily bad either as long as you know what you are getting and what you want the gun for. Check out everything mechanical that you can. An S&W can be dry fired or fired with snap caps or something similar but a lot of people don't like their guns being dry fired.

Check the trigger to make sure that it's smooth and consistent even if you stop short of firing it.

Do you plan to buy on line or from a brick and mortar shop? With on line you can only trust what the dealer tells you so make sure that they have a long and solid reputation. With revolvers you need every hole to come in line with the barrel whenever you work the action. If something is loose or shaky it may have to have money put into it to bring it up to standard.
Make sure everything lines up. We see a lot of canted barrels.

I and a bunch of other people here, LIKE older guns because the way that they were made using less shortcuts and better QC. A new gun is fine. S&W still makes good guns but some of us feel that they are using the customer as QC. If it doesn't come back to the factory for repair, it passes.

If you buy an M&P pistol, a 3rd gen pistol or about any old revolver as long as it's sound probably isn't going to be a bad buy. Just know what similar guns in similar condition are going for. Check COMPLETED sales on Gunbroker.com.

Things to ask yourself. Realistically, what is the gun going to be needed for? Defense, defensive carry, range, hunting, plinking. I made the mistake of buying a gun mainly for home defense, then later trading it for a better range gun because that's what I spend my time doing. Now I have several guns for carry, home defense and range, but I can't afford to get ALL that I need.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

WELCOME TO THE FORUM. I FULLY ENDORSE THE QUOTE ABOVE. THE NEW PRODUCTION S&W FIREARMS, WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, HAVE THE INTERNAL LOCK. QUALITY CONTROL, ACROSS THE NEW PRODUCT LINE, APPEARS TO BE AT AN ALL TIME LOW AT THE FACTORY. IT IS COMMON FOR EVEN REPAIRS TO HAVE TO BE SENT BACK MORE THAN ONCE BEFORE THEY ARE FIXED. I WOULD NEVER BUY A NEW S&W, UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES DRASTICALLY…..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I almost always buy used. Better deals. Most used guns have almost no use. The avg person doesn't shoot that much. People buy a gun, try it and don't like it so they sell or trade for it. Or they just add it to their pile until something else comes along that they'd trade for.

I just look them over to make sure nothing is broken or rusted. Other than that as long as the price is right I don't care if it has finish wear. I'd say 95% of my handguns were at one point police guns so they all have holster wear but the prices were too good to pass up

Unfortunately, that key hole next to the cylinder release would prevent me from buying any modern S&W revolver. GARY

I'm split right in the middle but unfortunately the last two used guns turn out to be a nightmare, I must say that I have bought and sold a lot of firearms over the years and sometimes even new firearms can be problematic but I will stick to new foe now.

I check for signs of inexpert gunsmithing, such as burred screw slots, mushroomed pins, dents in metal around pins, evidence that a magazine has had the feed lips messed with. A good gunsmith will not leave evidence like that behind. Usually, the worst things wrong with used guns are from botched DIY customizing jobs rather than actual breakage or wear. Evidence of home repairs also may indicate a problem that has never been correctly diagnosed or fixed. Most of my guns were purchased used, but I did just buy a new M&P 40c.

OP, the above is a very good point esp for anyone who is starting out. Myself, i didnt mind buying the used 9c as i wanted to get something to have as a "training tool" for potential self defense or even carry (thought it may be a good idea for all the time we spent hiking in the woods/mountains when we lived in SC lol). I ended up really enjoying the gun and it may be my carry gun when i'm ready. If i wouldnt have liked it or needed something else, easy enough to sell to get my $$ out of it.
As i love hitting the range with both my .22's and the 9, that's why i picked up a full size 9 and am glad i did. So for me, the collection slowly grows as i am finding a little variety in the range bag is nice. I now have a couple options in the 9mm caliber, and who knows what the future may hold for others to be added.
But if you can narrow down your wants for your first gun, that may help prevent a potential 'mistake' purchase and will make sure you get the most use and enjoyment out of it.

This right there^

People will do stippling or a different finish.

The only guns I stay away from are ones where the buyer did his own trigger job. Usually found on 1911s along with a mix of additional features that may or may not be made of airsoft quality materials

Sounds like you might have been comparing the used gun price to the price of a new M&P9 Range Kit. A $350 price tag on a used M&P9 FS with 2 magazines would not be out of line or at all suspicious in most states.

When considering a used modern plastic pistol, beyond its basic dry-fire functionality (which should be flawless or run!), I put a lot of trust in the cosmetic appearance of the gun. If it shows signs of "used & abused" or tampered with on the outside or nasty dirty, you can be pretty sure it's been bugged up or tampered with on the inside. A "slightly used" modern plastic wonder should not show any unusual signs of wear and tear. If it does, pass it up and go on to the next one. There are literally tons of used plastic guns out there to choose from.

I generally gravitate towards new. In my experience, you either spend money now or you spend money later. What happens to the M&Ps we read about in this forum where the owner has had so much trouble with it, they get fed up with it and sell it? They're on Armslist or Gunbroker, and someone buys it, and probably has a similar experience with it. In many cases, you only have to spend another 30-50 bucks to buy new, and you have a pretty reasonable assurance that you're not buying someone else's trouble or hack job.

All that said, this is posted to the M&P pistol forum, under the semi-auto forum, so I assume we're talking about semi-autos here. If the OP really is considering revolvers, then I agree that used guns can often be very appealing, but then I figure that this question would have been posted in the revolvers forum...

Same here!!! I used to think Glop was the ugliest pistol on the face of the earth, but S&W, HK, FN, et al have handily surpassed that honor. Not my cup of tea.

As I stated in my post above, I'm firmly in the "USED" camp. I never buy new, I never buy online and I never buy a gun from pictures. With that being said, I have to add that I'm VERY LUCKY to have loads of shopping opportunities that many of you may not have. My area is blessed with many well-stocked gun stores, pawn shops and private FFL dealers that specialize in used and trade-ins and that's not to mention numerous big gun shows (that I don't attend).

So, the bottom line is that my opportunities to buy/collect great guns in like-new or excellent used condition (even classics from the 50s and 60s) is probably greater than many of the members here. And to be quite honest, I've even had to ban myself from just looking! Perhaps if I lived in a different area or state my perspective might be quite different. But as it is, it makes no sense for me to buy new.

Buying used vs new is the same in guns as it is in most any item. You have to do some research and be careful
when you buy!
I just checked a retail chain SG store for a new vs used S&W SD40ve. Used was: $399 and new was: $319.
This is on line at GM.
mb

I guess a lot will depend on your area. I don't see a lot of guns that were mechanically tempered with. Most of the trades I see are ...

.to heavy to carry
.to big to carry
.to much recoil
.caliber war (not powerful enough)
.to small to grip
.don't like it as much as I thought I would
.wife said no
.need money
.want another gun more

What I see that has been tempered with are 1911s and sometimes revolvers. Modern polymer guns have aftermarket parts that are plug and play, just drop in and go. 1911 and revolvers do not. Not long ago I saw a model 19 that had the tip of the grip ground off to make a round butt, different sights installed, trigger job and refinished in some sort of matte black. Then there was a model 51? (45LC) that looked beautiful until you pick it up and see where someone had tried to file the frame down where frame meets the barrel. I guess in an attempt to make it look like one piece.

My favorite gun shop has a resident gunsmith who inspects all guns traded in or sold to the store. After that deal is made, the gun gets a very close inspection (so the store knows for certain what they are selling and can honestly describe and price it) and is test fired. A fired case from the used gun is included with the gun for my inspection. This store has had a very long standing reputation for selling guns that work correctly. Nothing or nobody is perfect, but if you can find a similar gun dealer, that's the way to go.

These days, there are fewer and fewer gun shops that handle used guns, it seems to me. Many that do are older shops, and many of those have good reputations. If they didn't, they would not still be in business. Always ask if there is an guarantee that comes with the used gun. Many older stores will give some kind of guarantee and allow for a return within a reasonable time, especially if there is some kind of real problem. In my case, they are pretty sure that will not be the case, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get what I pay for there. I'll always buy a good used gun that's priced right. I'm pretty confident with my own inspection process. But you can guess how I got that experience. It happens over time and by being burned once in a while. Fortunately, most problems I've had were easily solved because the gun store wants a good reputation. I've been stung a very few times (which I could have prevented if I'd been more experienced, and which did not happen again after I'd had my lesson!), but thankfully, very few times. New stuff can go wrong as well, and these days, it seems that happens more often than not. But then again, we mostly hear about problems here. In the process of reading, there is much to be learned from the experience of others who share very good information for the rest of us to learn by. Learning from the mistakes others have made is the easiest way to avoid the pain!!! But every one has to start somewhere, sometime. Just pay attention and learn every thing you can as you proceed. Good luck!

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So long ... Ken

YES … but …
Biggest watch out from my perspective is the ridiculous prices people are asking and getting paid for a used gun that is still in current production. I start out that I will pay a private seller 75% of the lowest current new at retail, not MSRP, not including tax, and including new gun internet prices that I can find, for a moderately used gun in average condition. Then +/- from there. Discount any additions for mods to 50% (or subtract if there are mods that I think will decrease value), and at least 50% discount any accessories like holsters or extra mags, or just expect them as throw ins. I will only go 80% for a lightly used gun in excellent condition.

I won't go 85% or more, because then I might as well buy new and avoid potential risks.

Sadly, I see people asking and getting close to the same price locally used as you can find the gun new for on the internet like at Bud's.

Also, I end up trying to buy from the original owner of the gun more often as they know the history, age, a guess on round count, etc. if they will share that info, and most local sellers have shared with me. I take "works perfectly" with a grain of salt of course. I've bought 3 semi's used. One has been flawless, one very good with only bad mag followers … a simple fix, and one ended up back at the factory but has been great since.

I only buy new as i can find deals on slickguns or locally that are at worst just a few dollars more than a used one and I don't have to worry about abuse or basement dwelling do it yourselfers.

Went to a police auction once in the 70s with a friend that had a FFL. Had to laugh people were biding more then they could have went to a LDS and bought the same gun new. Know the prices when buying used.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

My M&Ps were all gently used. I apply the cost savings to upgrading the sights and trigger.