New vs Used

new or used, doesn't realy matter as long as the gun is in mint condition without modification (unless you desire this modifications).

The only Exeption are Firearms from a certain Chinese Manufacturer, in this case ALWAYS buy new...
Used once here on the EE are 20-30% more expensive than new for unexplicable reasons....

must be the labour Cost for all the professional break im services...:confused:
 
For your first firearm, I'd recommend buying brand new. It's going to be your first firearm! You're more likely to take better care of a new firearm and as a result you'll foster proper maintenance habits.

I picked my first firearm very carefully since I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my Grandfather. When I get old, I want to brag about my first rifle and how it still shoots great despite the age.

Try to find something that you won't regret, something that you'll enjoy when all your other firearms have failed or are constantly being replaced by 'lastest-greatest' products.
 
If you are not familiar with the brand/make that you are buying you should probably buy new first. Some of the claims I have seen on the EE have to be taken with a grain of salt as to round count and condition. The clues are there if you know what to look for but someone new might easily miss them. For example while it may be true that the current owner has only put 50 rounds through it the previous owner might have put several thousand rounds through it.
 
You might want to have a gunsmith get a look at a used gun if it was used for competition. Lots of guns have 100, 000 full-power rounds through them in a relatively short period of time (5 years) and some shooters are perfectly okay with the Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) mindset. Before I bought a new race gun I had an offer to sell from a guy who said his particular pistol had "maybe 25, 000 rounds" through it.

I didn't even get a chance to see it but as he was going in to a gunsmith I knew the next few days I asked him to take the gun to the smith. After inspection the smith phoned me and said "judging from the welded cracks (3) in the frame it might be more like 125, 000 rounds"

I don't even know a smith that would weld a frame...but how could this gun have multiple cracks repaired without the owner knowing about it...Kinda turned me into a skeptic.
 
The point system works in theory, but I think some people (myself included) took a couple raw deals at first to build up our rating.
Didn't want to rock the boat.

When I see $100 dollar gun "on sale" for $250, I pm the guy & ask "what color lasers it shoots"?

GO JOE!
 
cornelunc said:
With the centerfire I am ok to buy in VG condition and up BUT rimfire handgun I like to be new
Click to expand...

That's funny. My experience has been the reverse. Most rimfires are hard (not impossible mind you) to shoot to death, while its not impossible to find a centerfire rifle or pistol thats near warn out. IMHO a lot is the operating pressure as well as maintainance - rimfires last longer.

Unless you like to buy new because you are going to keep the rimfire for a lifetime, I can understand that.

Overall edjumication, as others have said, is key.

If you edjucate yourself to what new and the various used condition costs on an item are, you can make an informed decision as what's best for you.
 
I tend to buy used guns for a number of reasons:

-Well maintained used guns don't depreciate much in value (and sometimes they apreciate) compared to the initial depreciation on new guns. I like the idea of buying stuff that I can have fun with, but I could at least get my money back (or make a little extra) if I wanted to sell it.

-Some used guns cost much less than in new condition. For example, I bought my S&W Model 41 of the EE for $565 including shipping. I think these pistols run around $1200-$1300 new.

-Minor wear from normal use doesn't really bother me.

-Models or configuration that aren't available new.

-Older firearms often have a higher standard of fit and finish.

That said, I am not adverse to buying new guns that catch my eye.
 
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