Always be careful when purchasing used guns!

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Atom Smasher

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I had a slam-fire on my Win 70 30-06 when I flipped the safety from middle-safe to fire. I was surprised, as I had never had a malfunction like that in the ~600 rounds I'd fired through it since I purchased it last August. Thankfully no one was hurt, but I immediately took the gun to the smith. He told me that someone had mucked around with the trigger to make it extra-extra-light and through my repeated use (which was probably considerably more than the previous owner's 20 rounds a year) finally wore down the catch that held the firing pin in place. He reset everything and made the gun safe to operate, but it taught me an important lesson: even if everything looks good at the time of purchase, it can always be a good idea to get a second opinion!
 
Almost makes you wish firearms had something similar to Carfax for vehicles. Like entries for Bubba gunsmithing :D Thanks for the reminder.
 
Remington got their butts sued off about this exact same flaw in their M700. Millions of $, because some employee let it be known that management had known about the danger for decades, but didn't want to give up their trademark trigger pull to fix it.
 
Yessir, learned that lesson the hard way. Brazilian contract 1917 had a hitch in its gitty-up when I got the zip tie off at home. Decent deal turned into, ahem, more than it shoulda been once the gunsmith fixed her up. But I wanted a 1917. That's what I keep telling myself.

New guns aren't immune either. My brand spankin' new Thunderer was quite hinky once I got it home. Warranty work from Mr. Ryan Hoover at Hill Country Precision Gunsmithing got her runnin' right. Now it's one of my faves.

How's that go? Burn me once, shame on you...
 
"Custom trigger job" always sends off warning lights, especially with no documentation of the work, yet some places use this "undocumented" modification as a positive selling point.

I once had a luger type .22 that was famous for a mag dump when you fired the first round. bought used of course.
 
Always get a warranty, testfire before buying, or get it dirt-cheap, or you'll be sorry, and it will happen sooner rather than later.
 
I won't buy a gun I am not confident hasn't been mucked with. Even then, I am very hesitant as most stock "bad" guns get traded in for something else when the owner realizes they got stuck with an inaccurate or malfunctioning lemon.
 
If you have shot 600 or so rounds through the rifle, if the trigger did not seem right, why did you wait so long to get it looked at? Sounds like the new owner mucked around with the trigger to me.....chris3
 
You shot 600 rounds and couldn't tell the trigger had been worked on and was exta-extra-light:what: Oh and a gun firing when you take the safty off is not a slam fire!
 
Mine was an Interarms PPK; first two shots, bam-bam, one trigger pull. Second two shots, bam-bam, one trigger pull. Gunsmith charge brought a "low" price up to ~~ normal. Could have probably returned where I bought it but dang, I really wanted a PPK and hadn't seen one in months. That was years ago and I'm all better now.
 
heck in the last few years ive seen more posts dealing with problems with brand new guns than with older guns.

i dont buy new guns rarely if ever. i cant even remember the last new gun i purchased.

before i decide to buy a used gun i research it and look for problems and parts availibility.the internet is great for this. and i dont do impulse buys. ever. if i dont know everything there is to know about a certain gun then i dont buy it.

a used buy on a common gun like a win 70 doesnt scare me at all because i already know i can get about any part i need for it.as the OP said it was a easy fix on his rifle.

a used gun is like a used car, look for evidence of buggering.messed up screw heads, scratches around pins and screws, does it look like its been werked on a lot?check the bore well with a light, if its dirty make the seller wipe it out. is the front site way off to one side?the rear site? if your buying from a individual id ask to shoot it with your known ammo.you got to do your home work.
 
heck in the last few years ive seen more posts dealing with problems with brand new guns than with older guns.

i dont buy new guns rarely if ever. i cant even remember the last new gun i purchased.

before i decide to buy a used gun i research it and look for problems and parts availibility.the internet is great for this. and i dont do impulse buys. ever. if i dont know everything there is to know about a certain gun then i dont buy it.

a used buy on a common gun like a win 70 doesnt scare me at all because i already know i can get about any part i need for it.as the OP said it was a easy fix on his rifle.

a used gun is like a used car, look for evidence of buggering.messed up screw heads, scratches around pins and screws, does it look like its been werked on a lot?check the bore well with a light, if its dirty make the seller wipe it out. is the front site way off to one side?the rear site? if your buying from a individual id ask to shoot it with your known ammo.you got to do your home work.
 
I bought a PF-9 that had a P-11 barrel on it. KT basically rebuilt the gun when I took it to them.

Probably 60% of the guns I own were purchased used and that's the only one I had a problem with other than just cleaning and lubing. One of the first things I check on a used rifle is the trigger. If it's very light then I assume "bubba" and immediately check it out or, if I don't feel comfy, I take it to my smith. Homemade trigger jobs are fairly easy and can be downright dangerous.
 
As a collector, I buy a lot of used guns. For the most part, i take them to my gunsmith to be checked out before I fire them.
 
I bought one very nice looking used revolver that ended up needing work. The second time I took it out I was having light strikes, so I ordered a set of Wolff springs and had my 'smith go into it.
Even with repairs, I'm ahead $150-$200 on it because I bought it at a good price.
 
Every used firearm that I buy (mostly milsurps) is detail-stripped, cleaned, carefully-inspected, lubed and reassembled prior to firing the initial one or two shots from a protected position ... and then I closely inspect the resulting case(s) for sign of any problem.

... but ...

It sounds like I might have missed the mod on the OP's Win70 if it was a clean job.
 
Gee wizz, people buy used guns all the time, and I'd bet 98% are in fine working order.
 
JRH6856 said:
Seeing as how something like CarFax for guns would need a registry of some kind, I don't think so.
Click to expand...

Yes but I am thinking more along the lines of what I do with firearms. For example, my Ruger had a manufacturer's defect on the barrel feed ramp. Nothing major, just a small burr that I took off with a file and smoothed with sand paper. I put that on a piece of paper inside the Ruger box, just in case I ever sell that firearm.
 
Yes but I am thinking more along the lines of what I do with firearms. For example, my Ruger had a manufacturer's defect on the barrel feed ramp. Nothing major, just a small burr that I took off with a file and smoothed with sand paper. I put that on a piece of paper inside the Ruger box, just in case I ever sell that firearm.
Click to expand...

That works. I keep a record of anything I do or have done to a gun, including things done beofre I got it when I notice it. I also note the things I can easily reverse if a buyer so desires.
 
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