There's a major gun show here in Northern Virginia next week so I have decided to see if I can find a nice used pistol there. What shold I look at when judging a gun? I know the visual condition and barrel wear are important, but how can I determine if a gun has been abused or well kept just from a quick examination?
Going to a gun show...need advice on evaluating used guns
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There's a major gun show here in Northern Virginia next week so I have decided to see if I can find a nice used pistol there. What shold I look at when judging a gun? I know the visual condition and barrel wear are important, but how can I determine if a gun has been abused or well kept just from a quick examination?
Take a trusted knowlegeable (sp) friend. A matter of experience and good judgement - not "taught" in a few sentences. Mistakes give you experience - often a failure to really look a piece over carefully.
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Amen to the above. You'll look long and hard to ever find a pistol with a worn out barrel.
Trust your gut feeling... your initial impression is the one that is usually correct, so don't try to convince yourself or let the seller convince you that the gun is something that it isn't.
After going to gun shows for over 30 years I've found the "go with your gut" axiom to be pretty accurate and when I didn't follow it, I got burned.
How clean is the gun? Many gun show vendors when they buy a gun from someone at a show, while they may wipe it down the exterior before they put on their table, they usually will not do a field strip cleaning. The guns on their table could be weeks/months old or they may have just taken one in minutes before you arrived at their table.
If the thing is filthy inside it could be an indication of not being properly taken care of and could have more than the usual amount of wear.
The grip condition can sometime be used as a gauge too, if the tips of the checkering or a spot in one particular area looks more worn than the rest of the grip, it could mean it that the gun has been shot a lot, possibly in competition, which means there could be more than just normal wear.
The wear on the components of the the gun should all look commensurate with it's age, if there is something that looks newer or older than the rest of the gun, be cautious.
Knowledge is power!! As mentioned, take a knowledgeable friend or do some research about the gun(s) you are mainly interested in so you know what to look for.
Don't go there blindly window shopping, you'll get burnt, because gun shows are often used as a dumping ground for other peoples problems. Have an idea of what you want and learn as much as you can about it before shopping... that goes for gun shows, classifieds, gun shops... any place that sells used guns.
A prime example... a S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt, the early models had a problem with the cylinder throats being incorrectly bored over sized, measuring as large as .458 instead of the nominal .454 - .455, so accuracy in those particular guns is absolutely horrible.
The rule of thumb is that the pinned & recessed M25-5's, depending on where they were made could be one of the problem guns.
If you were to see a real cherry looking M25-5 and bought based on it's great appearance, without knowing about the issues with the early models, you could easily find yourself the proud owner of a problem that someone else dumped.
Hope this helps.
After going to gun shows for over 30 years I've found the "go with your gut" axiom to be pretty accurate and when I didn't follow it, I got burned.
How clean is the gun? Many gun show vendors when they buy a gun from someone at a show, while they may wipe it down the exterior before they put on their table, they usually will not do a field strip cleaning. The guns on their table could be weeks/months old or they may have just taken one in minutes before you arrived at their table.
If the thing is filthy inside it could be an indication of not being properly taken care of and could have more than the usual amount of wear.
The grip condition can sometime be used as a gauge too, if the tips of the checkering or a spot in one particular area looks more worn than the rest of the grip, it could mean it that the gun has been shot a lot, possibly in competition, which means there could be more than just normal wear.
The wear on the components of the the gun should all look commensurate with it's age, if there is something that looks newer or older than the rest of the gun, be cautious.
Knowledge is power!! As mentioned, take a knowledgeable friend or do some research about the gun(s) you are mainly interested in so you know what to look for.
Don't go there blindly window shopping, you'll get burnt, because gun shows are often used as a dumping ground for other peoples problems. Have an idea of what you want and learn as much as you can about it before shopping... that goes for gun shows, classifieds, gun shops... any place that sells used guns.
A prime example... a S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt, the early models had a problem with the cylinder throats being incorrectly bored over sized, measuring as large as .458 instead of the nominal .454 - .455, so accuracy in those particular guns is absolutely horrible.
The rule of thumb is that the pinned & recessed M25-5's, depending on where they were made could be one of the problem guns.
If you were to see a real cherry looking M25-5 and bought based on it's great appearance, without knowing about the issues with the early models, you could easily find yourself the proud owner of a problem that someone else dumped.
Hope this helps.
armadillo66
Member
I buy used guns and rehab them for resale and collecting. Here is my protocol for handguns in a show. Carry a small notebook and mark the location in the show of anything that catches your eye. Divide the show up into sections and take little breaks so you don't get gun eyed stupid and confused. It can be dang frustrating at 15 minutes before the show closes to remember where exactly you saw that good price on a used model 28.
1st thing I look for is if it has blatant screwdriver damage on the grip screws, sights, etc. If a nimrod has been screwing with it, you need to take a closer look before taking it.
overall condition of the finish. If it looks like it laid in damp conditions for awhile, you can count on hidden rust in the action.
Handgun bores can be a little deceiving, carry a little borelight in your pocket and illuminate the forcing cone and cyinder walls and take a good look for cracks, swollen metal or erosion.I like to bring a single action gun to full cock and see how much wiggle the cylinder has, also I usually put my thumb betwen the frame and hammer and see how the trigger break is without dry firing. Do not dry fire any gun at a show without asking first, some people get real pissy about even turning a cylinder, so always ask. Don't get pissy, there are lots of tables and lots of future shows, pawn shops, friends being broke and needing money, etc to locate good gun deals at. Don't hurt yourself by overpaying
I have gotten real lucky and scored correct stock grips or sights or original packaging y just paying attention and asking the seller, sometimes you can score a bunch of freebies along with your gun.
Another thing I do is to look at one, if it catches my interest, I will mark the location and go to another table until I see one similar and then start comparing quality and price, etc. Good practice to develop. You occaisionally miss a great buy, but you make fewer poor buys.
My best gun show score was a Mag Na Port arms 4 5/8 Super Blackhawk 44 Mag "Tomahawk" I picked it up for $400 without the box and when I looked in the dealers area, I saw a wooden box and asked what it was, it was the correct box for the Tomahawk and they guy told me, "oh I took that gun on trade and forgot about the box, here, it goes with the gun". I eventually traded that gun for a Ruger Redhawk in 41 Mag. Sure wish I had kept it after seeing how much the Mag Na Port guns go for these days.
1st thing I look for is if it has blatant screwdriver damage on the grip screws, sights, etc. If a nimrod has been screwing with it, you need to take a closer look before taking it.
overall condition of the finish. If it looks like it laid in damp conditions for awhile, you can count on hidden rust in the action.
Handgun bores can be a little deceiving, carry a little borelight in your pocket and illuminate the forcing cone and cyinder walls and take a good look for cracks, swollen metal or erosion.I like to bring a single action gun to full cock and see how much wiggle the cylinder has, also I usually put my thumb betwen the frame and hammer and see how the trigger break is without dry firing. Do not dry fire any gun at a show without asking first, some people get real pissy about even turning a cylinder, so always ask. Don't get pissy, there are lots of tables and lots of future shows, pawn shops, friends being broke and needing money, etc to locate good gun deals at. Don't hurt yourself by overpaying
I have gotten real lucky and scored correct stock grips or sights or original packaging y just paying attention and asking the seller, sometimes you can score a bunch of freebies along with your gun.
Another thing I do is to look at one, if it catches my interest, I will mark the location and go to another table until I see one similar and then start comparing quality and price, etc. Good practice to develop. You occaisionally miss a great buy, but you make fewer poor buys.
My best gun show score was a Mag Na Port arms 4 5/8 Super Blackhawk 44 Mag "Tomahawk" I picked it up for $400 without the box and when I looked in the dealers area, I saw a wooden box and asked what it was, it was the correct box for the Tomahawk and they guy told me, "oh I took that gun on trade and forgot about the box, here, it goes with the gun". I eventually traded that gun for a Ruger Redhawk in 41 Mag. Sure wish I had kept it after seeing how much the Mag Na Port guns go for these days.
I appreciate all the advice. I'm going to be looking primarily for a used or NIB Walther P99 but may consider something else like a 3rd generation S&W or a Sig P6. With a striker-fired pistol like the Walther or a Glock is there anything in particular I should be looking at?
I'm also not dead set on buying something at a gun show, I tend to look around until I find exactly what I want for a good price used or barring that I will buy something new. If I don't find anything I want at this show I'm likely going to order a new M&P40 so I'm not going to purchase anything without careful consideration.
I'm also not dead set on buying something at a gun show, I tend to look around until I find exactly what I want for a good price used or barring that I will buy something new. If I don't find anything I want at this show I'm likely going to order a new M&P40 so I'm not going to purchase anything without careful consideration.
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