A lot of the pistols I prefer are not available new any longer or the new versions are not made as well or like they once were.. So I end up purchasing used quite often. Price is not as important to me as condition within a few hundred dollars. Scarcity plays a part as well.. Especially here in CA.

.22 pistols I will almost ONLY buy new, I don't want some gun ranges used .22 that has had 200,000 rounds through it. I will buy used guns if I come across something I'm looking for in a timely fashion. If not, I'll buy new. If it's a new model I'll buy new as well and not wait until a used one pops up a few months later......A lot of used guns I've bought were not guns I had to have right away (those I bought new) but the used gun was a gun I always liked and just happened to stumble across the right one at the right price.

I almost always buy used. In the last ten years I have obtained only three new handguns- one a Colt m45A1 when they were a fairly new release and no one knew if they we going to keep it as a production item, and two glocks that I won as prizes at shooting matches.
I have over the decades bought probably well over 100 guns ( sold a bunch too) and can count on my two hand with spare fingers the number that were New.
Things are a bit different here in Arizona, but when I lived back east in communist New York there were tons of mint to beat used pistols.
More towards mint. Here is the explanation:
People get the required ny handgun permit then go out and buy a full size handgun to carry, without a decent belt or holster. Within a month they find carrying it intolerable, but can't afford to keep it and get a smaller carry gun so they trade it for something smaller. This results in the ny shop I used to frequent being swamped with used pistols. I would not exaggerate to say this particular shop had a minimum of 200 used pistols and 100 used revolvers on display at a time, and often more stacked in the back room. I once asked the owner about buying a particular used pistol, and I made an appointment to visit. He brought a plastic milk crate type bin out of the back room filled with the model I requested and he said sort through them and pick one.
As a general rule I like older stuff made prior to 1970 and the build quality back then was such you don't have to worry much after a decent inspection about functional issues with used.
As far as new, if S&W came out with my dream revolver(what I call a 919- 6 shot moon clip k 9mm without the lock and old school blued steel- never going to happen sadly) I would buy New no problem.
Based on production and QC these days it appears you are just as likely to get a new lemon as a problematic used gun.

I buy mostly preowned. Never had any lemons. Much better deals on used.

Mostly buy used. Some things I have bought new just because I wasn't patient enough to wait and find a used one configured as I wanted it.

As I've mentioned on the forum before, many of the younger folks I know don't believe in used.

I like the old stuff. Last year I found a 1971 Marlin 39a 22LR from a collection that had never been fired in the original box. Also, there are a lot of safe queens out there to be found...

I buy both. Used is a good way to go. There are hoards of peoole out there that buy a gun to have one, shoot a handful of times, and then down the road say "hey, i could get some money for that." Then there are people that buy and sell always looking for that gun that fits better. I have been guilty of that many times myself.

Used, pretty much always, because: initial depreciation is for others.

In the 90's I knew a doc who loved to shoot new stuff. So about every three months he would buy a new piece. After a box of ammo or two he would usually tire of it and decide he didn't want to keep it.

He would then offer it at a significant discount and I would usually oblige. It was a great arrangement for a number of years.

ALWAYS used! When I read too much and find something used for a great deal its usually $400 for something that cannot be touched for less than $600 I buy it.

For selling I look at top dollar pricing of what I might want to move because I just don't shoot it as much or something I have acquired competes with it. If I were to get top dollar out of it, would I go out and buy it again. If the answer is NO, its now for sale. Sometimes it takes up to a year to move it but I am always glad its gone.

I usually never own two of anything that does the same job. When I acquired my Sig P320C and handled it compared to my very nice Browning H.P., I sold the Browning. The Browning is a super nice pistol but the Sig just does so much more. Like most of you I only shoot one at a time mostly in the right hand so why train to different pistols. I would much rather own a Marlin 45-70 lever that I don't need than have two Sig 320's.

Usually I purchased new because when I find use guns I do not see that much of a reduction in price from a brand-new one. Since I am unable to work on guns myself and replace many of the parts that some form members seem to easily do on their own, it is cheaper for me to pay a little extra money and have a good warranty.

I only have 2 used handguns. The 1st handgun I bought which was a Ruger LCR 22 LR and I got a good deal on it for $250. The 2nd was CZ83, 32 ACP which one cannot buy new anymore.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SSAreGreat,

I try to buy used as often as possible. Just got a Legion P229 that the prior owner purchased new two weeks ago for $795 plus tax.

Most guns don't get shot much. Warranties don't mean much to me. I have had about the same number of issues with new guns vs used ones. And living in AZ means most guns have to go all the way across the country for service and many mfg. no longer cover shipping.

So $75 for shipping vs. fixing the problem myself often comes out to a wash. Plus many companies don't ask if you the original owner or not.

I will buy new or used, many of the guns I like are only available used.

One thing about buying used though, condition is everything. I tend not to buy abused or modified weapons.

I tend to buy new for new productions guns. I have no problem buying used for discontinued models and in fact, have had no problems at all with any of them. I love the old surplus guns.

In fact, I like that my OCD seems to vanish when I take possession of an out-of-production, well used, nicked-up all-steel gun; an added bonus of getting a break from my stupid obsession of keeping it new!

Used for pistols and M1 Garand rifles. I handled one of the newly built S&W 27s, and it was not as nice as one of the classic, pre ILS examples. AR15s? Yes, new only. The Sig 400 I bought new was far superior to the used preban crap.

I always buy used as long as the gun is in good condition, finish-wise. How often does anyone actually wear out a barrel?

The savings are too large to pass up buying a gun that someone fired 200 rounds out of and wants to sell versus buying the same gun brand new from a gun shop. We are talking $100+ on many guns and $200+ savings on more expensive guns like Sigs.

Unless you are purely a collector and want unfired guns, I can't believe shooters aren't buying used as much as possible.

Just think about it... someone paying the premium for a new gun is usually going to take good care of it prior to selling it. And most gun owners just don't have time to shoot all that much anyways. The odds are definitely in your favor when buying used.

I have a blast buying used. I picked up a commerative M9 Beretta with the sweetest trigger pull you have ever felt for $430 in the box. Also got s like new M11-A1 for $750. Not a mark on it, or smiley on the barrel. Not sure it had one round through it. Also got a used Shield 45 for $349. Before the rebates that was pretty good. Picked up a 1006 last week for $750 with 3 mags.

If it's a gun I feel confident in working on I will definitely buy used. Only reason to buy new, you can't find what you want used. Some of the most popular guns are extremely hard to find used. No one wants to sell them.

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:

When would you buy a NEW firearm?

When would you buy a USED firearm?

I buy used when I find a firearm that I like and the price is right and the condition is good. I like a good deal.

I buy new when I find a firearm that I like and the price is right. I like a good deal.

quote:

Originally posted by SSAreGreat:
Since I am unable to work on guns myself and replace many of the parts that some form members seem to easily do on their own, it is cheaper for me to pay a little extra money and have a good warranty.

If you get a chance, take a look at some of the gunsmithing videos for SIGs. I'm a complete mechanical idiot, but either the AGI video or the Grayguns video and a few tools has been enough for me to be able to completely disassemble 22X series SIGs and then reassemble them into safe, properly functioning pistols. The people who filmed the videos generally did a very good job of making sure that you can actually see what's going on, how everything works together and how to do a particular job. That can take a lot of the intimidation out of doing the work.

Mostly used to save a little money. Here in utah you also have the benefit of buying private party which bypasses the registration fees and paper trail. Or so I've heard.

quote:

Originally posted by amc:
Mostly used to save a little money. Here in utah you also have the benefit of buying private party which bypasses the registration fees and paper trail. Or so I've heard.

There is no firearm registration in Utah.