Advice on buying a used Shield?

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Vadi

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I've found a used Shield. 9mm w/ safety, under 300 rounds (allegedly), night sights (TFO), and a holster (Cross Breed knockoff).

Casing has a date of early 2012. DXE05XX.

Any known problems with that batch? He says the trigger is unaffected by the trigger bar issue. Anything other than that?

Is $330 a good deal? A new one is $340 (+$20 FFL), but I figure with the night sights (3 years), and maybe selling the holster for $20, that puts me at $310 for the gun.

I lose out on the warranty, but save $50 and get night sights.

Thoughts? Ideas? Guidance? Thanks in advance.
 
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How often will the night sights really be useful to you? I would go for the new gun with a known history and a lifetime warranty. Just my opinion. (Why is he selling it??)
 
The warranty is important. I had enough troubles with my Shield that I would have given up on it if it had not all been under warranty.

Now it is flawless, but that wasn't accomplished easily.

I use this logic - IF the manufacturer covers other than first owners, good (Smith is pretty good about that, others are not). IF the mfg covers shipping for warranty work, good (many only cover the first year / original owner). I figure that if I had had to pay just the shipping for my Shield adventure, I would have put out $300.

When I look at a used gun, I call the mfg CS line, and ask. Will they cover me if I arrive as the owner?

For my way of thinking, $50 saved is not enough. I would only buy new in that sort of gun.
 
I agree with J Frame. It sounds like you really have no interest in the holster because you're already thinking of selling it before you even bought it with the gun---if you can't sell it, you're stuck with it, and then maybe also stuck with the second thought that maybe you should have gotten a new one for a very modest amount of additional money. Used guns are a gamble in my opinion. I would get a brand new one, with a full warranty + peace of mind, that combination in my opinion is hard to beat. You may find the stock sights that come with a new Shield are perfectly fine for your applications, too.
 
Florida J Frame said:
How often will the night sights really be useful to you? I would go for the new gun with a known history and a lifetime warranty. Just my opinion. (Why is he selling it??)
Click to expand...

I've always liked the idea of NS. Not enough to actually put any on my guns though. I'd probably never use them, but like the idea of having them just in case. He says he doesn't shoot it much so he wants to free up some cash. Opinions are what I'm looking for. Thank you.


Saudade said:
Shields from back then were subject to a recall. You need to determine if it's been serviced.
Click to expand...

He said the trigger tab always reappears, so it should be good on that front. I'll definitely inspect it myself if I buy it.

hoc9sw said:
For my way of thinking, $50 saved is not enough. I would only buy new in that sort of gun.
Click to expand...

I always try to buy new. I'm just trying to save as much as possible currently. It's hard to pass up a lifetime warrant though. A year is one thing, but lifetime might be the deal maker.


rjm6120 said:
I agree with J Frame. It sounds like you really have no interest in the holster because you're already thinking of selling it before you even bought it with the gun---if you can't sell it, you're stuck with it, and then maybe also stuck with the second thought that maybe you should have gotten a new one for a very modest amount of additional money. Used guns are a gamble in my opinion. I would get a brand new one, with a full warranty + peace of mind, that combination in my opinion is hard to beat. You may find the stock sights that come with a new Shield are perfectly fine for your applications, too.
Click to expand...

I'm a lefty, so the holster (Hidden Hybrid) does me little good. I was hoping everyone would say I was overthinking it, but $50 for some peace of mind is a small price to pay.
 
I picked up a used 9c but knew the seller, it was a few months old and was a great price. But when it came time for my FS9 i went new. I have been tossing around adding a Shield but since they can be found at solid prices new that is the only route i'd go. To me a warranty and knowing i was the one who "put on all the miles" as they say; that is far more valuable than a few bucks saved in the short term.

But if used was my intention i'd only consider it if i could shoot it first and as it isnt some old or collectible piece i would contact the manu to see (as noted earlier) if it was under any recalls or what its status was for any upgrades (barrel, trigger, etc). Just my .02 of course.
 
S&W has a lifetime warranty, regardless of who the owner is..... Personally if it was me, I'd spend the extra 50 bux & buy new....
 
I did not think the warranty was that broad, so looked it up on the website. The key phrase is "original purchaser".



The Smith & Wesson Advantage™

In addition to providing some of the highest quality products available today, Smith & Wesson is committed to providing our customers with support and services second to none. When you purchase a Smith & Wesson handgun, you receive the Smith & Wesson Advantage™, comprised of four service features:


1. Lifetime Service Policy
We will repair any defect in material or workmanship without charge to the original purchaser for as long as you own the handgun.
 
Ouch. CaptRon - I promise, we were not ganging up on you. It took me that long to look it up!
 
I've sent in a few S&w guns and I was not the original owner. They never asked and I never paid a penny.
 
Well CaptRon956 is partially correct. It's up to S&W to determine if they will honor a warranty claim. I have seen many threads where they did make a warranty repair when it was clearly not the original owner. They (S&W) seem to pretty good about it.

As long as you, the buyer, understand the risks, you can make your own decision.
 
hoc9sw said:
Ouch. CaptRon - I promise, we were not ganging up on you. It took me that long to look it up!
Click to expand...


I would've sworn their warranty was transferable... I had to grab my Shields owners manual & look at the back & read it real fast... But in all honesty, I never experienced a warranty issue so I never thought much of it... But as I understand it, if you are not the original owner then S&W will still fix it, but it comes out of your pocket...
 
Vadi said:
I've always liked the idea of NS. Not enough to actually put any on my guns though. I'd probably never use them, but like the idea of having them just in case. He says he doesn't shoot it much so he wants to free up some cash. Opinions are what I'm looking for. Thank you.




He said the trigger tab always reappears, so it should be good on that front. I'll definitely inspect it myself if I buy it.



I always try to buy new. I'm just trying to save as much as possible currently. It's hard to pass up a lifetime warrant though. A year is one thing, but lifetime might be the deal maker.




I'm a lefty, so the holster (Hidden Hybrid) does me little good. I was hoping everyone would say I was overthinking it, but $50 for some peace of mind is a small price to pay.
Click to expand...

What you save now may end up costing you more later. Buy new you won't regret it. Don
 
Vadi said:
I've found a used Shield. 9mm w/ safety, under 300 rounds (allegedly), night sights (TFO), and a holster (Cross Breed knockoff).

Casing has a date of early 2012. DXE05XX.

Any known problems with that batch? He says the trigger is unaffected by the trigger bar issue. Anything other than that?

Is $330 a good deal? A new one is $340 (+$20 FFL), but I figure with the night sights (3 years), and maybe selling the holster for $20, that puts me at $310 for the gun.

I lose out on the warranty, but save $50 and get night sights.

Thoughts? Ideas? Guidance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Since you can buy one NEW for $339.00 with free shipping to your FFL why even bother buying used??
 
I was kind of faced with the same thing a while back. I had been looking for a small single stack 9mm for a long time - had really been looking hard at a Shield but kept an open mind to others. I ran across a used 9mm Shield - $330.00 for just the normal package.

I've always been a revolver guy for 50 + years. I have purchase used revolvers - vintage, etc. and am comfortable with that as I know what to look for as far as timing, lock-up, wear, etc. Semi-autos - not so much.

The cheapest I could find a 9mm was $399.00 (within driving distance). Yes, you can buy on on line for $339.00 with free shipping as stated but you still have the transfer fee which can vary quite a bit.

Putting S & W warranty policies aside . . . I opted to go for a new one and pay the extra. Yes, if it has a problem it can be sent back the same as the "used" one. But, there's also the hassle of doing it and the time frame to get it back, etc. People dump guns for a variety of reasons - it doesn't function well, not what they thought it would be, found something they liked better. There might be nothing wrong at all with the used one you're looking at and it could provide you with years of service. Or, it could have been dumped for a reason. If you knew the history of it, that would be different. Personally, I'd rather buy a semi-auto NIB . . . if there is a problem . . . then it's "my" problem . . not somebody else's. I got stung one time on a nice, like new Bersa 380 Thunder CC. Looked great, seemed to check out fine and the LGS (I'd done business with over the years many times) represented it as "like new". The first time I tried it out, after the initial DA shot, the trigger when in SA was so light that I had a number of "double shots" with just very light pressure on the trigger - not good for a CCW piece. I took it back to the LGS, they took it back and broke it down completely in front of me - the former owner - a "shade tree gunsmith" had done a "trigger job" on it that didn't show up until fired. They took it back immediately - no problems.

Those instances may be "isolated" but what bothers me most is that you just don't know on a used one just exactly what caused the owner to dump it nor what "post buy" work was done on it. Not everyone is skilled at doing "modifications" if they were done.

Just my thoughts which probably differ from others - especially those who have grown up with semi-autos. If there were a problem, I'm sure S & W would fix it but it's a decision the buyer has to make of used versus new.
 
It is personal preference but my Sig P238 came with night sights and I like them a lot. For a gun that may be used for self defense in a variety of conditions, you will always know you can site the target in. However, I've read that they do burn out after about 10 years. I have a Shield and while I'm not going to go to the expense of putting them on, I would have loved it if they had come with the gun too. And when I've priced night sights I remember them being over $100 so that's something to consider. But if they aren't important to you, I'd buy new. Regards, Elliot45
 
Last edited:
Vadi said:
I've found a used Shield. 9mm w/ safety, under 300 rounds (allegedly), night sights (TFO), and a holster (Cross Breed knockoff).

Casing has a date of early 2012. DXE05XX.

Any known problems with that batch? He says the trigger is unaffected by the trigger bar issue. Anything other than that?

Is $330 a good deal? A new one is $340 (+$20 FFL), but I figure with the night sights (3 years), and maybe selling the holster for $20, that puts me at $310 for the gun.

I lose out on the warranty, but save $50 and get night sights.

Thoughts? Ideas? Guidance? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Here's my opinion, and I base it on my own experience shipping guns for non-warranty work, etc. YMMV.

You said a new Shield plus FFL is $360.00.
TruGlo TFO's are about $80.00 on Amazon.
(I installed my TFO's myself, so I'm not including gunsmith fees for the instalation.)

I assume you'll want to carry your Shield at some point. If you sell the holster included in your deal, then you'll need to replace it. Depending on the holster you choose, wild guess around $50.00 - $100.00 for a new one. For the sake of argument, lets say $50.00.
So the gun, a new set of TFO's, and a holster is around $490.00, give or take a few bucks.
You save $160.00 to buy the used one.

If you ever need service and they don't consider it to be warranty, you have to pay your own shipping costs. The shipping alone can cost around $80.00 - $100.00 total to ship the gun both ways.
Assume you have to pay out of pocket for a repair and shipping, you'll break even if it only happens once.
If it happens twice, you're in the hole on the deal.

If you buy new, you have no worries.

With all of that in mind, for the potential cost of one single repair, I think I'd buy a new one.
 
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