Do I buy another gun, that’s not really a question, is it?!! The real question, especially in today’s economy, is where and for how much $$ do I buy that gun? THAT answer is often long and convoluted so we’re only going to delve into a portion of it here today. Today we talk about used guns and some of the places to buy them.
Buying a used gun shouldn’t be hard but it should be an informed process. I’ve bought used guns from surplus stores, retail gun stores, online surplus and retail stores, and private sales. I’m not a big fan of the last one because I’ve learned to rely on the retailer for a good inspection and grading process. You pay for that in the price of the gun but you DON’T pay for losing your hard-earned money on trash. I’ve learned to do my research ahead of time on my possible purchase before I push the button, no matter what the price or grade of the gun I’m thinking of purchasing.
Certain stores are more reliable than others, and some aren’t. Depending on what state you live in you may be able to buy certain surplus guns at a store similar to Big Lots or another discount department store. I bought an Enfield .303 at Roses (?) for $30 some years ago and got lucky with a good condition, well-maintained rifle that functioned properly and still does today. Some people aren’t that lucky. I’ve bought Mosin-Nagant’s from online dealers and in person and have gotten good deals, albeit covered in cosmolean.
Some people like to buy certain guns because of nostalgia value and/or they are familiar with them and can repair them no matter what condition they arrive in. For them, price is the major factor because parts are available and they can fix the gun to do whatever they want. Whether I like it or not I can still take apart the venerable 1911 and replace the majority of parts, like thousands of other Military Vets. For some people, that pistol will forever be the end all of side arms, with good reason.
What works for me is I follow a simple process or set of rules.
First, I have to research and be able to rely on, where I’m buying the gun. My last 3 online purchases have all been from the same place, AIM Surplus.
I haven’t been disappointed by their rating system, they have highly rated reviews and I’ve spoken to numerous gun owners and gun shop owners who recommend them, so I’m pretty confident they are ok. Also, their customer service was decent the two times I’ve had to use them, fast and responsive.
Two, I’m picky about the type of used guns I pick. I’ve had good luck with Law Enforcement trade-ins and I’ll continue with them because they seem to have minimal use. That seems counter-intuitive but I’ve only seen 1 handgun out of 8 that has had more than minimal wear and that was only the grips. Easily solved problem but even after that, the odds are ever in my favor.
Three, the brand of gun matters. I’ve bought 2 Glocks and a Sig Saur all because of the factory warranty. Someone at the gun store today started to fuss because I was picking up my used Glock 30 from Aim Surplus and the owner and clerk both said, “Dude, it’s a GLOCK! IF there’s something wrong, Glock will fix it”. In the words of the immortal Stan Lee, ‘Nuff said.
And it was $200 cheaper so….!
Garfield out.
