# 1st Gun: New or Used?



## FeelingGood (Oct 8, 2016)

I'm sure this has been asked many times but I would like to try again. I'm looking to purchase my first handgun and I'm wondering if I go with the one found on Armslist or the one from the LGS? I've chatted with the used gun owner and he states there is roughly 300 rounds through it and it's about a year old. He has the original receipt for it. Asking 420. Or I go with the LGS and purchase it new for 550. Or actually purchase used from them for 470. 

Trying to decided what's the benefits of doing each besides the lower cost. Thanks. 


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## Darkstar888 (Sep 19, 2016)

The only time I would feel comfortable buying used is if I know the owner, have a chance to test fire it to ensure reliability, or from a gun shop with a return option. You never know if the seller is unloading a problem gun. I'd opt for new if I could afford to, or a used one with some assurance it's not lemon.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I have had great success in buying used guns.
All of the guns that my wife and I own came to us used, except two.
All of them are functional and useful. Some of them are pretty. A couple of them are historically important.

The secrets are: knowing something about what you're buying, buying from a reliable source (or a good friend), and having an established relationship with a good gunsmith plus return privileges at the place of purchase.
It is always the best technique to first establish a time-limited return privilege with the seller, and then to have your gunsmith thoroughly check the thing out well within the time limit.

The advantages of buying used are: a much better gun for the money than you could otherwise afford, or the acquisition of a gun with historical importance or other collectors' value.

I would not normally buy a used gun from a gun store, because of the profit margin that they must add to the price, in order to stay in business. The exception might be the purchase of a historically important or collector's-item gun, or something available nowhere else.
Any gun, new or used, bought from a seller who is otherwise unknown to you (for instance via Armslist or GunBroker) should be carefully examined by your gunsmith, well within the previously-established return-privilege limit.


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

As Steve said, having a gunsmith check any used weapon is a good idea. You could break the gun down in the store yourself, but you can only check/see the basic parts. A gunsmith has the option to break it down further (disassembly) and check for hidden problems.
I have bought used myself and have been happy with the purchase.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I prefer a handgun that someone else has gone through the expense of breaking in and testing, if it is a brand with a good reputation, if it has obviously not been abused, and if the price is significantly below a new price - say $100 or more for most, or less for one in superb condition. However, I have decades of experience in evaluating these things, and most (but not all) of the mistakes I've made were early on.

If you can afford it, a new gun with a good reputation for customer service is maybe a safer bet, but a bad gamble on a used one is usually not a disaster. Most problems can be corrected, and money spent on repairs is soon forgotten, if you end up with what you wanted.


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## pblanc (Mar 3, 2015)

Unless you can save a substantial amount of money buying used, you are probably safer buying new. Many, if not most manufacturers do not offer a transferable warranty. In this case, it sounds as if you can save a fair bundle so I would certainly consider the used pistol from the private individual if you get a good feeling about that person's honesty. Another obvious reason to buy used is to acquire a firearm model no longer in production.

Assuming the round count is accurate, 300 rds is really nothing more than a break-in. I would inquire of the owner whether there have been any malfunctions with those rounds, and if there have been, with what type of ammo. It is true that there is always a risk of buying a problem gun that the seller fails to disclose, but many firearms enthusiasts turn over their purchases for something different after firing a couple or few hundred rounds.

I agree that buying used pistols at the local gun shop usually does not yield sufficient savings to warrant not buying new. An exception might be some of the police trade-ins that sometimes sell for hundreds less than the comparable new pistol would cost.

I have purchased two pistols over the internet, sight unseen, and they have both functioned perfectly. Might have been luck.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

I've dumped all my unreliable guns off at the gunshop. 

Gave or sold my reliables to friends.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

FeelingGood said:


> I'm sure this has been asked many times but I would like to try again. I'm looking to purchase my first handgun and I'm wondering if I go with the one found on Armslist or the one from the LGS? I've chatted with the used gun owner and he states there is roughly 300 rounds through it and it's about a year old. He has the original receipt for it. Asking 420. Or I go with the LGS and purchase it new for 550. Or actually purchase used from them for 470.
> 
> Trying to decided what's the benefits of doing each besides the lower cost. Thanks.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


Nothing wrong with buying a used gun if you have the opportunity to examine it yourself. I would never buy anything used sight unseen. At least if you go to your LGS you can handle them and examine them yourself. If you do not know what to look for you may want to contact someone who does and bring them along with you. Most of the LGS at least where I am do not want to deal with customer dis-satisfaction and will be very up front about the products they sell and those products will be priced accordingly. Exclusive of normal holster wear. If a gun looks pretty beat up on the outside that's a good indication that the previous owner didn't care too much about what was going on in the inside either.

I'd be skeptical buying from some stranger who places an add. You'd never know whether the gun was used in a crime or not. But that's just me.


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## rustygun (Apr 8, 2013)

What Gun! Taurus NO! Glock, S&W, berretta, colt, Maybe.


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## SamBond (Aug 30, 2016)

Buying used, brand name can make a BIG difference. 

Ruger does not care if you are the original owner. If you got the gun you got the warranty. 
As long as the gun has not been modified Ruger will take care of any problems it my have. NO time limit!
Also, CS at Ruger is very easy to deal with.

I'm told Beretta will not touch a gun that you did not buy new. 
Their warranty expires in one or three years depending on "did you register it" with them after purchasing new. 
In my experience Beretta's CS could use an upgrade.

I believe Sig will warranty theirs for the original owner without a time limit, but this I am not sure of. 
They offer service / repair of used guns for a price.

What brand and model are you considering?



Sam


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## AirForceShooter (May 6, 2006)

Used upscale brand with a lifetime warranty.

You can't go wrong.

Buy it at your LGS not on line.
You want to be able to fondle the gun and see if it fits your hand.

You also build a relationship with the LGS.

AFS


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

SamBond said:


> Buying used, brand name can make a BIG difference.
> 
> Ruger does not care if you are the original owner. If you got the gun you got the warranty.
> As long as the gun has not been modified Ruger will take care of any problems it my have. NO time limit!
> ...


if there is a big difference in price between new vs old. Or rarity is the issue, (hard to find). Then buying used in my opinion can easily be justified...

who wants to mess around sending guns back n forth because of reliability issues.

Buying used is fine , shooting the gun first for reliability assurances is mandatory in my book.( As a base line ) other variables may come into play. 
Inheriting a gun, etc.


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## auskip07 (Oct 18, 2016)

Ive bough 3 surplus rifles and 2 handguns that were well used and broken in or gunsmith special. Most of my collection is used with the exception of my 1911 and Arcus DAC 98. 

All my guns are pick up and shoot reliable with steel jacket ammo or brass. 

I got my browning hi power for 225 used in bad condition. Restored it with parkerized finish and it looks pretty good minus some minor pitting. 
My Surplus Beretta 92s i got for 179 and spent 60 in parts to get it functional
K31 was a great pickup for 275
Mosin Nagant Hex was 175 shipped. 
Marlin 336 (35rem) from auction Was in beautiful shape hardly shot. 300 i believe. 

Non have failed me in 100's of rounds of target shooting.


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## CW (Mar 20, 2015)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> .....The secrets are: *knowing something about what you're buying*, buying from a reliable source (or a good friend), and having an established relationship with a good gunsmith plus return privileges at the place of purchase....


Defiantly the key. My inventory is about 50/50 new vs used. The only gun I had a problem with was new, yet it was cheap enough that I braved using it to learn some gunsmithing skills.

The more you know about a firearm, the easier it is to look for know issues - even if new - and it will help you gauge a real price for the gun. Often you can dicker price on a used gun (or at least get a holster/ammo thrown in) simply by knowing that you will likely have to spend $$$ on a trigger job/D spring [that's your sob story] while countering the sellers fact that 300 rounds through an M9 is nothing.

Also some guns are impossible to find new, like my Beretta 87T was a couple years ago, and when a local shop marketed a used one, I ran to snap it up. Price was fair but still salty.

In the collectors world - coins, stamps, model trains, guns.... there is a saying: K I K. Knowledge Is King.

And knowing about your subject matter can cull the junk from the "steals" especially if the dealer/seller has poor knowledge of what they are "unloading" on you.


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## bykerhd (Jul 25, 2012)

Of the handguns I have owned over the last 50 years, probably about 1/2 were bought new.

Most, almost all, of the issues I have had were with brand new guns.

The only real advantage I see with new guns is the factory standing behind them, when they do have issues, usually anyway.

Save 20% to 50% buying used.
Look for an honest dealer and patronize them as much as practical.
That tends to pay off sometimes with unexpected offerings and sometimes better deals.


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## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

FeelingGood said:


> I'm sure this has been asked many times but I would like to try again. I'm looking to purchase my first handgun and I'm wondering if I go with the one found on Armslist or the one from the LGS? I've chatted with the used gun owner and he states there is roughly 300 rounds through it and it's about a year old. He has the original receipt for it. Asking 420. Or I go with the LGS and purchase it new for 550. Or actually purchase used from them for 470.
> 
> Trying to decided what's the benefits of doing each besides the lower cost. Thanks.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


The price difference between the two guns you're posting about is not great enough to justify buying a used gun. Keep in mind that some individuals consider themselves "gunsmiths" & try to modify or "improve" the gun. When they screw it up, they sell it as "customized." A friend may not do that to you; someone else might. With a new gun, at least you have a warranty & some recourse if the gun is defective - with a quality gun, you may have a lifetime warranty.


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