What would make you get rid of a gun that had nothing wrong with it? (Kind of a random ramble)

[CoalCrackerAl]

I had a keltech pf9. The slide bite was horrible. I sold it.

 

[drobs]

I had a Sig P365 that I didn't shoot well with. It felt too heavy for pocket carry and the grip texture rubbed my love handles raw.
Sold it.

 

[bannockburn]

Had an early HK P7 that I just couldn't get use to the squeeze cocker mechanism. The gun itself was very well built, extremely reliable, and accurate too!
But it always felt awkward even when I got a decent grip on the gun and I was afraid that if I loosened or adjusted my hold just a little bit the gun would stop working altogether. Never could get use to it so down the road it went.

 

[The Night Rider]

I would definitely sell the gun you're describing.

Other than that I'm really not a gun flipper.

The last time I sold off a bunch of guns I got rid of everything I couldn't carry at work.

Of the very few guns that I have now I have a Ruger LC9 and a Glock 43 that I would probably sell and put the money into a Shield Plus.

My rationale would be that the shield Plus is roughly the same size but has a higher capacity and is in my opinion a better gun

 

[goon]

I can’t speak for others, but it took me a long time to get decent with a handgun. I was mediocre with my first couple - 22 Revolvers. One Ruger and one S&W. They were excellent handguns but I was impatient. I got a Kimber 1911, then a SIG P225. I finally got competent with them, then tried revolvers again and got very good shooting DA by reloading any projectile that would fit in a .357 chamber. That’s still only a start with something like a J frame snubby. It takes a lot of work, and sometimes it helps to find mild loads that aren’t as intimidating to the shooter. Usually when I’m missing by a couple feet, it’s me.

 

[doubleh]

I have never been adverse to getting rid of a gun that didn't please me on some point or one I just tired of. Guns are tools like wrenches although some what more complicated. I would not keep either if I became dissatisfied with it. If I were you I would get the license and get another gun. My opinion only and you know what is said about opinions.

 

[Mike J]

If I decide I don't like a gun for whatever reason it probably wont be around long. I do have at least one that I keep around for sentimental reasons but for the most part if I don't like it it leaves. I usually sell & roll the money into the next one.

 

[goon]

I’ve sold a few handguns I regret. One was a really nice pre-lock S&W M60, 2” .38 Special. The recoil was a little snappy, but the real problem was that at the time I didn’t have the experience to really master it. Now I could shoot one well no problem. I’d start practicing with a couple hundred rounds of light wadcutter loads and maybe a new set of snap caps. By the time I worked through that, I’d be ready for some defensive .38 +P JHP’s. I’d expect fist sized ten yard groups from myself by the second range trip.

There’s no shame in rebuilding the foundation a little. My concern with telling the OP to sell this gun is that if he hasn’t mastered handguns in general, he’ll have the same problems with whatever he replaces this one with.

 

[RA40]

Life is short to deal with irritations that create excessive work for a low return of smiles. Better to sell a gun that does not work in your hands than be in a position that you sell something you like and would rather keep.

 

[Iggy]

Why would I get rid of a gun?
Old age.

 

[Old Dog]

In the past, I've gotten rid of perfectly good quality and high-performing firearms simply because I traded them off for something I thought (at the time) I needed or desired more... or sold them for cash for the same reason.

I cringe inwardly when I think of those instances, and wonder, WTH was I thinking? Especially the pre-lock/pre-MIM S&W revolvers, the 1911s, the SIGs, the Berettas...

Not anymore. Never again. I will probably downsize more as I grow older, but the guns will go to family members or trusted friends who will appreciate them and take care of them.

 

[lee n. field]

Please note: I am deliberately NOT mentioning a brand name here, because that will immediately sidetrack all discussion into arguments about that and other brand names. This is about personal tastes and aesthetics, which are not unique matters to any particular make, market niche, or model.

So, I fired my small 9mm handgun at the range the other day for the first time in a long time, and ... lets just say I'm not sure why I'm keeping this thing around. It IS very small, (though not the smallest) and it HAS been 100% reliable, with several hundred rounds since I bought it without a single failure of any kind.
But ...

The short barrel on this thing means it's loud. I mean, LOUD. But even worse, I can't hit the broad side of a barn with it, and I'm starting to think it's not just me. From about 10 yards I fired 8 shots at a 4-inch circle, and not only didn't hit the circle, but only two shots even hit the 2' x 2' paper the circle was on. (!) This gun has never been a tack driver, but with the muzzle blast and inaccuracy, I'm struggling with why I should keep it. One does that saw "never sell a gun" meant to be ignored?

Background: I now live in a state where I would have to get a license just to buy another handgun at all, but bought this gun before I moved here. I do not currently carry, nor do I really plan to do so, but I think a basic 9mm should be part of everyone's personal battery.

Lots of good usable small 9mm guns. If there is nothing special about it for you and no collector value or unusual historical provenance (ie., not your father's gun, or Hitler's), move it on down the road.

 

[hutch51]

Bersa Thunder .380.
Hard snap for recoil. Lasted about 40 rounds and sold it.
Bought wife a Sig P238. Real nice shooter, just needs the extended mag so I have a place to put my pinky.
It ain't the caliber, just the firearm.

 

[CapnMac]

Plenty of reasons out there.
For one, this is a bit of a 'Golden Age' in that a person can find a "just right" pistol (or pistols) to meet their singular specific needs.

I won a GP-100 in .308--this was a perfectly serviceable pistol. If a bit of a handful. It did not fit my needs, so it got used in a trade. No knock on its accuracy, utility, or function, it was just not my "thing."

I've had a couple of the S&W 4500 pistols. Fine firearms, but I just could not hit with them at all. They moved on.

 

[LV Gun]

I have moved on from guns I never thought I would get rid of and I am glad I did as I was not even shooting them. After they were gone I thought to myself you really never liked them all that well anyways so what was all the contemplating about anyway. I now have what I like and what I like to shoot and there is nothing wrong with that I think at times some of us feel guilty about it I know I did as some of them were ones I inherited but just didn’t like.

 

[balin]

I have never gotten rid of any gun. Hence the reason for the second gun safe.

 

[hey smepl this]

I see no reason to keep a gun that doesn’t bring you joy.

 

[Riomouse911]

Plenty of reasons out there.
For one, this is a bit of a 'Golden Age' in that a person can find a "just right" pistol (or pistols) to meet their singular specific needs.

I won a GP-100 in .308--this was a perfectly serviceable pistol. If a bit of a handful. It did not fit my needs, so it got used in a trade. No knock on its accuracy, utility, or function, it was just not my "thing."

I've had a couple of the S&W 4500 pistols. Fine firearms, but I just could not hit with them at all. They moved on.

I bet the GP recoil was a handful .

I bought a GP-100 4” .357 with the idea to have it made into a 6-shot .41 Special. The chosen ‘smith said it will become a 5-shot, so I haven’t done it. (Already have a 5-shot .44 Spl GP.) I don’t shoot the .357 GP as well as my 4” 686+, but I hang onto it anyway.

I have a Glock 43 that is no fun to shoot. I hit the targets ok with it, but it snaps in recoil and slaps my trigger finger. I hang onto it only so others can try it out and compare it to other guns.

Stay safe.

 

[Chief TC]

I like to shoot everything I have, so for me and it seems so for a lot of others - accuracy. I will put in the effort to keep working on it to get it to be a good shooter, but at some point, I am going to move it along. I had a beautiful Win Miroku in 44 mag and I could never get it to group worth a damn. So I sold it but technically there was nothing wrong with it.

 

[MechaDragon]

@WVGunman I sold one of my little plinker .22LRs the other day. Its legal in my state to do private sales, I just prefer to see a Conceal Permit to put my mind at ease that hes not going to go and rob someone with it.

The state even provides an Official Firearm Bill of Sale for private use under the firearm laws section of the state website.

I sold it mainly because I had 3 22LRs and in my opinion the most any one person needs is 2 - long and short barrel, thats it. I never touched the third one. After 3 years of ownership I only had about 400-500 rounds through it, and thats cheap a** 22LR that can be shot all day.

Another reason is upgrading. Like you, when I fist bought my CCW 9mm, I went extremely small with a barrel under 3.5 inches and realized quickly that the recoil sucked and it was so puny my pinky hung off the end of the grip unless I used a special extended magazine that features a pinky rest.

When the manufacturer discontinued the line of Handguns that I had purchased from, I decided to upgrade to the more typical "Standard Compact" size with a 4-in barrel and 15 round flush magazine with full grip that gave me an all-finger hold.

 

[JDeere]

For years I bought and never sold a firearm. Late 90s early 00s I got into buying and shooting Garands. Bought surplus ammo for cheap. Fast forward to today I have one left and a couple of crates of ammo. Just could not see to shoot them accurate any longer. I finally started thinning my herd of other firearms that just sat in the back of the safe. Replaced some with new firearms of interest though and the cycle continues...

 

[wayneinFL]

Pros:
You have it.
It shoots.
It uses a common inexpensive caliber.

Cons:
You don't have a use for it.
You can't hit anything with it.
It's loud.

There's no dearth of easy shooting 9mm full size handguns if you just want to have a 9mm for some reason.

Tough decision.

 

[stonebuster]

I sold a perfectly functioning Ruger DAO SP101 2.25" 357 that carried very well but I couldn't shot it well. After a year I bought the DA/SA model SP and took it to the range. Swallowed my pride and put the target out 5 yards and shot single action until I had confidence the gun was accurate. Starting shooting DA at 5 yards and gradually moved the target out to twenty five feet. I left shooting it much better than I had the first. In my case it was me not the gun. Since you're sensitive to your guns noise, maybe that's causing you to flinch.

 

[CapnMac]

I bet the GP recoil was a handful

A bit like a long-barreled .44mag. The bolt really set back behind your thumb as you grasped it. So the bore axis offset was not horrible. Not pleasant, either.
I can definitely see why the 308 versions were less-popular.
Back in those days, the selections in LER scopes were not as great (and red dots were not yet a "thing"). So, lighting off 308 with only a shotgun-precise scope was a bit of a conundrum. Now, had the 1x ACOG existed, that might have been a touch different.

 

[tws3b2]

Bought my 642-1 with 1.8" barrel back in 2000. Couldn't hit crap with it so it just laid in the safe till 2020 when I decided to get my carry permit. Got a g3c with a 3" barrel and couldn't hit crap with it either. I've always been a fairly decent shot with longer barrels but these short barrels were giving me a hard time. First I blamed the guns. Just not worth a crap. I got to watching others on the internet that were putting round after round on target using the same guns. So I decided to give the g3c another try. I shot nothing but the g3c at the range for about 6 months. First I had to get it into my head that it is not a target pistol. It has it's limitations and so do I. At about month 3 I changed the way I held the gun. That made a big difference. Then I added a fiber optic front sight. At month 6 I had built confidence in myself and the gun to where I feel comfortable in my ability to use it. I did the same with the 642-1. It took a little longer than the g3c but now I carry it full time. The guns still shoot like they did to start. They weren't the problem, I was. I still get to the range with both guns as often as I can cause I need the practice, they don't.