Buying used handguns good or bad idea?

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Woegie7.62

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Hello everyone! :ar15:

I am looking at options for my first handgun because of the high price of new firearms I am looking at used handguns. I am interested in either a glock 17/19 or a beretta m9/92fs. My question is would these pistols still have a warranty or is the warranty nontransferable? Lastly would I be taking a big risk in terms of parts wearing out and would I be able to buy parts easily if I needed to?

Thank you all for the help have a good one guys! :)
 
when you find a used handgun you wish to purchase ask for the manufacture date and approx how many rounds were put thru it. and lots of pics. i bought a used glock 17 and used S&W m&p9 and was very happy with them both. i dont think warranties are transferable but i could be wrong. as soon as you receive it take it apart and inspect it thoroughly and give it a good cleaning. buying replacement parts is fairly easy.
 
Research, research, research!

I've bought most of my pistols (and other guns) used, and the best thing is to research each one individually. Some may have warranties, some won't. Some will have warranties that are such a pain in the ass you won't care to use it and just fix it yourself. If you're ever unsure, you can always search for threads here too or make a new one.
 
Most folks don't put that many rounds through their handguns, others, however, do. I have handguns that I won't sell because they have tens of thousands of rounds through them, and to be fair to any buyer, I'd have to replace a ton of parts, and virtually give them away. Don't buy the story, buy the gun - if online ask for specific pictures of the locking surfaces, the ejection port, and ejector and breach face. If the sellers says it only has a few hundred rounds through it, but you can see where the cartridge head contacts the breach face, or where the finish has worn of the locking areas, or there's obvious wear around the e-port, move on. Go to a local gun shop and ask to see the most worn gun they have, that will give you an idea of what wear looks like.
 
I was going to say "absolutely not, stay out of the EE,more for me!!".. but it's obvious you a newbie and your innocence is showing. Aside from used fitness equip/weights, firearms are without a doubt my favorite used purchase. I'd say over 90% of my guns are used purchases. Had almost no issues.

Guns like glocks are almost bullet proof. So long as it hasn't been used in a youtube torture test and run over by a bulldozer and your satisfied with the online pics, it should be good to go. Any problems you run into will be cheap fixes.

I will say this though, all firearms are different some brands are known to be not as high quality and others quality has dropped in recent years. With most polymer wonder pistols the most you should worry about is if the barrel has been completely shot out. That takes alot of rounds (atleast 20,000+, usually alot more).

As for the beretta and glock. Buy em used and don't worry about a warranty.
 
Buying used is just fine, you usually can save a few $100 doing so.

Most people never shoot a gun enough to break or wear out anything anyways....and your two choices are both very popular, that means spare parts/upgrades are easy to find and cheap...example a complete spring kit for a Beretta 92 is $25. You can check out Brownells and Numrich, they both will ship parts to Canada.

Doing any gun warranty issues/work SUCKS in Canada and is dead slow.

I have a Beretta 92A1...only part that has broke *touch wood* is my trigger spring (a $4 part) and that was after approx. 4,000 rounds fired and an easy 20,000+ dry fires (I do it all the time, yay for double action!!!) along with many, many FULL detailed strips as I like to know the gun really well. I put an upgraded part to replace the original spring style that cost me $20 and should last much longer then the normal spring style.

The trick is to order parts BEFORE you need them, that way your gun is not out of commission for long, I have an almost complete spare part kit for my Beretta and some parts I have 2-3x of because they are so cheap and/or are "high wear" parts, and when I put upgraded parts in I keep the stock ones as extras.

Spare parts that are NEW will always hold their vaule, maybe eve more so here in Canada.
 
If this is your first handgun, is warranty the true determining factor? Like others have said, most restricts in Canada are in much better condition then their counterpart in the US because our hand guns are primarily range toys. A Beretta 92 for example is a pretty robust design and chances are, a use one (not the LEO trade in ones) will be in good shape. As for warrenty, like others have mentioned, it does not existent in Canada so why not save yourself a few dollars and buy used!?!

The bigger question, is that for your first handgun, one that will posibly keep forever, will your personality tolerate the little scratches, dings and ware marks that is enharent to buying used? I have bought used handguns that are exceptional shooters but with holster ware and I have always said to myself that I should have bought a nicer example. On the flip side, I have also bought expensive pistols that I wish I bought used because they are such bad shooters that a couple of scratches would not bother me.

In the end, I said do your research and buy a good design. Really consider buying new if it is your first handgun because it is the one that you might keep forever or pass down to family. Less chances of something going wrong when buying new, both with the gun and the transaction. Every other handgun after your first purchase could be used. As for the warrenty, sucking in Canada, it is true but chose your store wisely because there are a couple of businesses out there that has a customer service satisfaction guarantee that is up and above the manufacture warrenty. I have a 2 year old 22/45 with a bulged barrel that got switched out, no questioned asked and a one year old pistol that was replaced with a new one, no questioned asked because it wouldn't lock open. I continued shooting it up to the day the transfer for the new one came through. Pick you gun and gun store wisely, even when buying new. Good luck.
 
I think I have three handguns I bought new. The rest have been off the EE here. You get some very good buys there. The Glock 17 and the Beretta 92FS are pretty much bullet proof. Of the two I would go with the Beretta for my first handgun. The gun will last you a life time, they are extremely accurate, reliable guns with a long history of service in the US Army. They are well made and parts when they wear out are readily available. Lastly for a new shooter the DA/SA design is a much safer platform. You will not regret the purchase.

Take Care

Bob
 
Pick a used gun that there are a lot of parts available for it Then buy
some of the parts that will keep it going
 
Nothing wrong with used, I have a couple new but the rest are used, never had a problem with any used gun I have purchased
and almost prefer buying them used to save money and like others have said they are for the most part in great shape and the
people on the EE tell you if there is an issue and the price reflects that.
 
Buying used = good idea [most of the time, if you've done your home work].

:cool:

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You're better off buying a used pistol (providing its a 1911 Colt or a clone there of) than a used car. In my younger days I bought used cars and used guns .... once I was able to buy new vehicles ... I bought new vehicles because I'd been "stung" too many times by unscrupulous car sellers ... guns on the other hand ... have bought lots ... long guns and handguns ... never been "stung" by a seller ... always was given an accurate description of the gun's good qualities and what was in need of some "fix'n". Having said that I will admit I was only interested in Win rifles and Colt/Colt clones and was dealing with like minded shooters ... I have a suspicion that both buyers and sellers of the "modern rage " of black guns and pistols have come from a different "mold". And yes I'm an "OLD FUDD" but I didn't get old by being STUPID.
 
Buy used = you don't have to pay taxes or the shop's overhead

<95% of my guns were bought used, never a problem.

When I buy a new gun, I have the feeling that I wasted money.
 
It depends.

Buying used makes sense when you buy an older gun that is not made anymore, or when you buy an older gun that is still in production but "they don't make them like they used to" (this applies to Colt, S&W, Remington and many other American brands). Buying used also makes sense when the used gun is considerably cheaper than new.

Buying a slightly used gun that is marginally cheaper than new is questionable. Yes, you save a bit and you don't have to pay sales tax, but you typically don't get the warranty and there is a risk that the seller is unloading the gun because there is something wrong with it.
 
Buy used but know what to look for, as stated most people don’t shoot enough to wear out a handgun. But there are people out there that will scam you. The EE is usually a good place for restricted firearms. Remember if the deal does not feel right run.
 
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