Peeve- CLEAN YOUR DARN GUN!!!!

[fat tom]

Yep,two sides to every coin,as is evidenced by the replies in this thread.
f.t.

 

[PR24]

If I was smoking something to make me drop 3 Benny's on a revolver, I would get a Korth. It's not like the 610 was 'all that'. Those prices are crazy! And yea people don't maintain their guns. You oughta see some of my coworkers' sidearms.......wow!

 

[AveragEd]

Funny, I see it exactly the other way around. I have bought many dirty guns at pawn shops, etc. where I thought to myself "if they had spent half an hour cleaning that thing, they could have easily gotten a couple hundred more". Lucky for me, they didn't.

Very true when you are considering a firearm for sale locally and can put your hands and eyes directly on it, not when your inspection is limited to photographs. Then it's "better safe than sorry."

Ed

 

[DEG]

"clean" is very subjective

 

[rwsmith]

Just because a gun has......

Just because a gun has crud all over doesn't mean it's a cruddy gun. Tell the seller that the gun is in horrible shape and that you'll take it for a lower price. If they bite, take it home laughing and break out the Hoppes, oil and brushes.

 

[varmint243]

I feel the other way completely.
I prefer used guns that have had no more than a wipe down.
When I see a gun that has been cleaned too much before selling, I fear that it has been over cleaned, cleaned incorrectly, damaged by aggressive cleaning, or something is trying to be hidden, or the gun is trying to be passed off as "shot very little"
sends a big red flare up for me.

 

[keithherrington]

Cleaning any more of the "stain" off the cylinder than what is shown here makes no sense to me. More damage has been done to guns by over cleaning or not cleaning them correctly, than for any other reason



Now, if all you're talking about is crud buildup and deposits of lead and such then careful cleaning makes sense. I agree that selling a dirty gun makes no sense. But cylinder staining is all part of shooting. Clean it but don't obsess over it.

Keith

 

[Watchdog]

I've purchased a few guns online only to have them come to me absolutely filthy.....

I'll go out on a limb here and say I'm pretty sure this falls under the heading of "Buyer Beware". You pay your money and you take your chances.

 

[bluetopper]

I've got some gems well worth the money on gunbroker due to filthy guns or especially very poor pictures.

 

[gman51]

I bought a gun online and I did get burned because the barrel had been ringed. The gun had a lot of patina and it hid the ring good enough that I didn't notice it when I picked it up at FFL. This gun taught me a good lesson about doing a good inspection. If I had checked the bore better I would have seen it. No doubt the seller knew it was ringed. I even asked the seller the condition before I bought it. I didn't notice it till later when I stripped the gun for refinishing. Glad I didn't pay high dollar for it but I no doubt paid more than it's worth. I probably would have a hard time selling it since I won't sell a gun without telling buyer the flaw in it. I have been told it is not dangerous shooting it and actually it does shoot good.
Some sellers, maybe like this one, don't clean the guns so it is easier to hide the flaws. Like they say "buyer beware".

 

[AveragEd]

I've got some gems well worth the money on gunbroker due to filthy guns or especially very poor pictures.

I have too. Here's a prime example of how a dirty gun, poor photos and/or a poorly-worded description can cost a seller money.

That Model 66-4 and those two photos of it were listed on GunBroker a few years ago with a minimum bid of what I considered a very reasonable $416 and the gun was described as being in "average" condition. No matter how hard I looked at those photos - and I even downloaded them so I could blow them up on my 27" HD monitor - I couldn't see anything that couldn't pass for "like new." The side plate screw slots appeared unmolested, the gun looked to be very clean and it was offered with a return option so I was puzzled by the lack of bids. When the auction was a day or two from ending with no bids, I entered a $416 bid to, I thought, do the seller a favor by getting the bidding war started. I fully expected to see someone pay $700 for that gun but two days later, I became the proud owner for that $416 bid.

I believe the descriptive "average condition" scared off would-be bidders. We all know how prices for those Model 66s have skyrocketed so there can be no other reason for no one else daring to bid on it. I figured that even if there was some hidded gremlin I couldn't see, I wouldn't be into the gun too heavily at that price. I've not shot the gun - snubbies aren't my passion - or even cleaned it as it was and remains in nearly unfired condition but I did dress it up a little for its family photos.

I paid $125 for those combat stocks and even with that added to the purchase price of the gun, I don't think I have too much invested in it. So yes, dirty, poorly photographed or badly described guns can be good buys but I still prefer to pay a fair price for something and be certain of what I'm getting.

Ed

 

[Arik]

Define dirty! Dropped in mud and let dry or shot a few boxes through it? If it's the latter I couldn't care less. A few boxes doesn't mean anything and won't effect anything. There are no more corrosive ammo in modern centerfire handgun ammo and 99% of handguns can handle what little crud a few boxes may leave. If not I'd expect they would need to be cleaned after every mag or cylinder. I will say this though. If it's a typical gun it's one thing if it's some rare expensive one that a different story.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[AveragEd]

Define dirty!

Not clean. Why do you think used cars that look like new sell for more money than ones that don't?

Ed

 

[Arik]

Not clean. Why do you think used cars that look like new sell for more money than ones that don't?

Ed

My question still stands. What is clean....or dirty. To me dirty is when it was dropped in dirt. IE....mud puddle, pile of ground/earth/soil.

Cars are cleaned because they actually get dirty. Step in from the rain and you may leave mud and dirt inside, dust, old food, spilled coffee, ..... None of that is in a gun. Just some powder residue from using the gun. Like a cars engine internally isn't clean from using the car.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[44wheelman]

Gosh, simple solution... don't buy dirty guns.

In the past I have gotten good deals from an online dealer because he sold filthy guns...OBI of NY - remember them? They used to sell a ton of stuff on Auction Arms?... I guess they didn't think they had the time or manpower to do it. But good cleaning and good pics will pay for themselves many times over.

What's worse are the people that take stainless & nickel guns, polish the snot out of the cylinder face, and try to pass them off as unfired.

 

[serger]

Since I'm a pawnshop and gunbroker bottom feeder, I buy guns to shoot.

I've bought several in the last year that went for the opening price because they were used and looked it. Most people never shoot a gun enough to put anything other than the minimal amount of wear on them. If they are dirty then they don't sell as high. Fine by me.

I've had 2 that were so dirty inside they were sold as "gunsmith specials" . One of them had carbon fouling the consistency of toothpaste in it and was so sluggish it had light primer strikes. The other had the broken end of a hammer nose that would not allow the trigger to go to the home position. Carbon fouling on that revolver was caked on and required a couple days in an acetone bath to get it clean. I'm quite happy with both of them.

 

[arjay]

My favorite deal was listed as a model 29 on gunbroker.It was dirty and the photos weren't the best.It was wearing 70s era targets,but I was pretty sure I could see a 4th screw in one photo.The opening bid was $700 with no takers so I waited for the end of the auction and bid the minimum.A good cleaning and a pair of cokes from eBay and I had a nice 4 screw pre 29 for $1K.

 

[jtcarm]

the photos weren't the best.

That's where I find the best deals.

If it's stainless and the pictures are sufficient to show no major damage, so what?

I'd check the sellers return policy just in case there's a cracked forcing cone or something. But I always do that.z


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fat tom]

I can attest to the fact that poor pics cost a seller money. I'm a prime example. Only consolation is that I get feedback stating "Better than described."
f.t.

 

[AveragEd]

The simplest way I can "Define dirty!" is "not clean." If a gun has been shot and hasn't been cleaned, it's dirty. As easy as it is to clean a gun or a car, if a person is trying to sell one he is too lazy to simply clean, one has to wonder what else he was too lazy to do.

Ed