The attraction of heavily "used & abused" pistols...

[TTSH]

I don't want to mess up anyone else's threads, but I'm starting to think I need an education about what others see in heavily worn pistols in general and heavily worn S&W all-metal pistols in particular. There seems to be an attraction to them that goes beyond (typically lower) initial price alone... and I'm not getting it.

Okay, I'll admit it. I like my 3rd Gens just as new and pretty and as clean as I can possibly get them. I'll even go so far as to "trade up" if I can find a particular gun that's cleaner and newer than mine... although so far I've kept all of them citing the important and critical need for 3rd Gen back-up parts. But that's going to have to change soon enough. Simple finances and not unlimited safe space will dictate that.

So what is it? Is it that the heavily worn guns have more "character"? More "history"? More "experience"? More "soul"? Better candidates for restoration projects or customizing? Or possibly a more appropriate purchase (i.e., "pre-distressed") for a gun bought specifically for expected extra rough usage?

Or is it really just a simple financial thing? I can see where there is some money to be saved initially... but it also seems like you will lose that financial advantage upon later resale. So what's the point?

I even go so far as to collect bright stainless (or stainless/alloy) 3rd Gens exclusively just so I don't have to deal with worn bluing. Lord knows I hate worn bluing. Or am I missing out on something really good and fun that I just can't see?

So educate me please. What am I missing? Help a poor, old, confused man to understand.

 

[Texasgordo]

I bought my police trade-in 59 and 5906 because of the cheap price. They had very little wear and no holster wear. At $200 for the 59 and $300 for the 5906, I couldn't pass up the deal. I just put 300 rounds in each one and both perform perfect.

 

[Dr Denby]

Are you talking about cosmetics?

The scars of usage? Holster wear, scratch marks, worn finish etc?

Or do you mean just normal wear and tear of a long fired gun?

Spring replacement is cheap. Revolver shims are cheap.

I have worked on my own guns for years and I can fix just about any minor issues, so if I get a huge discount on a well used gun that I like I might get it.

If there is actual damage to the structure, I wont get it, but there are others with the machinery that would be able to repair it.

It would have to be a very very low price if I have to replace a slide or barrel or cylinder etc.

But a $40 hammer, or $50 striker assembly, or $30 in springs, why not?

Doc

 

[Arik]

To me its a financial thing. Simply put, if I can buy the same thing for less I will.

But, to answer your question, there is a certain look you get from a worn gun that I would say has a beauty all its own. It's own uniqueness. Just like photos taken of old cars in front of aging barns with faded paint

 

[BAM-BAM]

Cheaper is nice...... most have just been carried a lot and shot little....... an excuse to get another of what you have...

Like you; most of my guns are at 95% or better......even my 20-25 year old 3913/14s and PC 6906 that are carry guns don't look abused.....just holster wear on the "high spots".....carrying concealed in a good Sparks holster and w/ a cover garment.... they have lived a protected life.

This "resale" concept you put forth .... does not ring a bell....... LOL

My couple of "heavily worn" guns are still at 90%.....open carry of 3rd gen "blued" guns is hard on the anodized finish.....little scratches or "chips" where bumped... police guns often have what I call " wedding ring wear" on the front strap.




IIRC I started my search/desire for a good but well used,cheap gun after my first float trip down the Allegheny River.....wanted to take a gun....but the only suitable one I had IMO was my 3" 65..........my favorite carry gun at the time..... and one I really didn't want to risk...... luck was with me.

I think that first gun was a used,but still minty 915... cus it was the "economy" model....... only about $250 OTD.

For me I guess it's a sub-set of the "I don't carry my irreplaceable Smith Model XXXX because if I have to use it I'll lose it to the Police/DA" syndrome.

Problem is if you do actually carry them ......you tend to become as fond of them as your "nice" guns..........

Oh well...............................

 

[arjay]

The attraction to fairly worn is recent thing for me,I've ways liked shiny and new! Cheap is part of the attraction,but being able to jam it in a holster,crash around in the woods and fall into streams without worrying about the gun is kind of nice.
I'm not as graceful asiustobe [emoji23][emoji41]

 

[N4KVE]

You don't have to worry about scratching it up. Many serious auto enthusiasts pay a fortune for a numbers matching Hemi Cuda, & the car will sit in a warehouse forever, but they'll buy a 383 Cuda, & throw in a crate 426 Hemi to drive, & enjoy. GARY

 

[BC38]

I'm rather.... ummmm.... frugal. So the lower price is quite attractive to me. However N4KVE brings up the second related, and equally important reason for me. Just as I don't have or really want a trailer queen car I won't drive, I also don't want a safe full of beautiful guns I can't shoot without lowering their value.

I'd rather have two blemished shooters than one perfect safe queen for the same price. I have ONE true safe queen that I bought for investment/resale because the deal was too good to pass up. Every other gun in my safe is a shooter. And that's the way I like them.

 

[Muss Muggins]

If I find a well used shooter in a model I've been looking for, I'll buy it if it's mechanically sound and the price is right. Just bought a pre Model 10 with a 6" barrel that looked like a couple miles of bad road but ran like a Swiss watch. It cleaned up some, and it's a favorite at the moment.

 

[solomon]

This "resale" concept you put forth .... does not ring a bell....... LOL

I came here to post the same thing! Even when I know I need to (e.g. my extra 1006) I somehow never seem to get a round tuit when it comes to actually post something up to sell...

I've gone looking for well-worn guns to refinish but haven't ever really made through that either

I think the only really worn gun I have is a just-pre-GCA PPK as I'd always wanted a PPK and not been willing to pay cubic dollars for a nice one or big dollars for a worn one. When I found a worn one for a reasonable price I snapped it up.

 

[spistols]

I have found the well used guns are my most favorite. Like getting past the new car fever, and actually parking next to others in a parking lot. It's just more fun now.

 

[solomon]

I have found the well used guns are my most favorite. Like getting past the new car fever, and actually parking next to others in a parking lot. It's just more fun now.

Oddly enough I never had this with guns, and I got over it with each successive new car - now I'm parking wherever I darn well please on day 1.

 

[F75gunslinger]

I have old knives, old coins, and old guns. Some are in very good condition, while others are a little rough around the edges. The ones that are rough..I often look at them and wonder what stories they'd tell if they could speak. Whose pocket the coins were in, what was bought with them. Who carried the gun , and for what reason. Quite honestly I like to hold something that makes me feel small in the grand scheme of the world. An old 50 cent piece I have is from the mid 1800's, and it is kind of humbling to think of how people thought of that coin back then. 50 cents today is a minor thing, but back then it was a fair amount of money.

 

[gwpercle]

Don't forget the do-it-yourself project gun. We used to buy beat up war surplus rifles just so we could fix them up and give them a new lease on life. I've still got four , a 7X57 Spanish Mauser, 1903-A3 Springfield in 30-06 , 7.5 Swiss K11, and a BSA No4 MKII British Enfield in 303 of course. Have had a lot of fun working on those "project guns " .
Gary

 

[Ed Fowler]

Used or new, the only thing that matters to me is "How does she shoot?"
I own plenty of firearms, there is not one that I have not shot.

If they shoot well they get to stay, if they do not, they are gone at the first opportunity.

I have purchased only 10 new fire arms in my life, I still own 7 of them and they have been shot many times. I hated to pay the new price, but bought them new because no used ones were available. I would much rather someone else pay the new price and I pay the used price after they trade them off for the "New and Improved".

I love the challenge and opportunity to get rebuild a "piece of junk" that someone else has messed up and make her shine. All that matters is how well she shoots.

I have absolutely no use for the new plastic stuff, or the S&W with the locks. I have never owned or worked on an older S&W that would not develop a great trigger with a little work. I have no use for a "Combat Trigger" that knows the true meaning of creep, backlash, heavy pull.

Many of the older ones have that shine that only comes when one it developed with purpose (function) in mind, call it soul, many of the old ones on the market shine with beauty that is not there for me in the new ones.

 

[TercGen]

A large portion of my guns have been purchased heavily used, and I'd be lying if I didn't say price had something to do with it.

But, I also don't care one bit about how my guns look, so functional, beat-up guns are right up my alley. The only exceptions to that are the few nice/pristine guns that I tell myself are an 'investment;' otherwise, I buy guns that get carried.

 

[Inusuit]

Function over form for me. And lose the emoticons. Anything can be over done.

 

[rust bucket]

I like to buy95 to98 pct.myself so i can shoot them without to much worry. did buy a model 10 that had a good bit of wear. this will be the one i carry around the property and won't worry about another scratch.

 

[johnnyflake]

I do not know how to explain it, but for lack of a better term, there is something very sexy and attractive, about a blue steel gun, that's in great condition, but shows it's age from holster wear and simply being handled.

As far as "abused", I have zero interest in abused looking guns.

 

[Ed Fowler]

This is a J frame 22 Mag, engraved by nature while laying under the seat of a pickup for many years in a leather holster. Evidently someone found it, wire brushed off the rust and cold blued it. Actually I feel it is pretty nice looking and inside she is perfect, bore mint and spent cartridges do not stick. She is as accurate as any of my other 22 mag pistols and a delight to shoot. I got a real good deal on her because of her condition.

I she will be the last 22 mag I would sell.

 

[timn8er]

I'm with you, Tish. I like my guns shiny & unblemished, & I do my best to keep them that way. For the longest time the only blued gun I owned was a BHP. I could never find a blued 3rdGen that didn't look worn out, even if the internals were perfect. Recently I found a near perfect Model 5904 at a reasonable price & snapped it up. I don't buy beat up ugly looking guns;I have no need of a "truck gun". For carry I have two poly pistols so that I'm not scratching or scuffing up my 3rdGens or my 1911. To each his own, this is what works fo me.

 

[mainegrw]

I would say that living on a budget has ingrained the instinct to pass by the new case and head straight the the used guns on my trips the gun store. This habit has instilled a curiosity for the old, odd, and unique, characteristics you often don't find in brand new guns.
Buying used has also let me buy more. I have bought, sold, and traded more guns in the last couple years than some people do in a lifetime. (All were legal transactions with proper paper trail if inquiring minds need to know) Sometimes I find something great like the 39-2 I picked up this summer, or the 637-2 I picked up just the other day. Sometimes I end up getting something not so good like a Nagant M1895 revolver that didn't shoot straight, or the H&R 929 that I really wanted to like, but just couldn't. It's excitement about trying something different for me. I rarely look at reviews when I decide to buy a firearm, I would rather find out how well a gun shoots by actually shooting it. Unsurprisingly, I have grown to like a lot of guns that generally don't get good reviews, or have low appeal, and have a strong dislike for a lot of guns with high acclaim.

Maybe in a couple years after I finish grad school and I have a higher income, I may change my interests and habits, but I doubt it.

Oh, and in keeping with my interest with used guns, tomorrow I will be adding a beautiful 5906 to my collection.

 

[armorer951]

restoration

As a S&W armorer, the challenge of servicing and rehabilitating an old revolver, or 3rd generation stainless steel workhorse is almost irresistible. Part of the enjoyment is the up front price, and the other part is the enjoyment found in restoring the gun itself. To me, the 5906's like the one in the attached photo are truly the Sherman tanks of the S&W semi-auto boneyard.

I bought this old 5906 trade in three years ago for cheap. Found a new OEM grip, stripped the gun down to the bones and replaced all the springs and the rusted sights. After an ultrasonic bath, the frame and slide were sprayed with silica, and I installed a "de-cock only" spring loaded safety lever. The gun was re-assembled, function checked, etc. After the 3 hours of work, the pistol functions and fires like a new one.

All the years of previous service, and the resulting work on my part make it more valuable to me. Win-Win......I not only have a "reference" gun to refer to when members have questions, but I have a gun to shoot and enjoy.

 

[Ed Fowler]

Very nice, I think, as I did not see a before and after photo but she is beautiful!

 

[arjay]

Picked this one up a month or so back.It was wearing Triangle adjustable sights,a ground down mainspring housing and a standard trigger.I replaced the MSH and trigger,fitted a new rear sight and and whittled the front sight down into the right neighborhood.The trigger feels great and I like the worn blue and old grips.

 

[i1afli]

I like guns with a been-there-done-that look...not sure why. Lower cost is just a bonus.

 

[okiegtrider]

I'll borrow that well used line, If you have to ask, you won't understand.

 

[Dr Denby]

There was a King of the Hill episode where Hank, who loves working on projects and stuff had nothing to do one time.

So he purposefully made a mess so he could clean it up.

I am almost like that with guns. LOVE working on them and am without a project for a little while now. Buddies have nothing they need me for.

So I plan to hit the pawn shops tomorrow or Tuesday specifically looking for an old beater to work on.

That the shop owners want to be rid of them and there is the sport of haggling the lowest price is just gravy.

Can't wait to get into another project.

Doc

 

[BAM-BAM]

I would say that living on a budget has ingrained the instinct to pass by the new case and head straight the the used guns on my trips the gun store.

Maybe in a couple years after I finish grad school and I have a higher income, I may change my interests and habits, but I doubt it.

O

So much to learn...... and ....... in this case........ so much time to learn it....

 

[Texasgordo]

One of my best shooting guns is my very used P226. All I did was replace the springs and add the SRT even though it ran great before that.