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Gun buyers guide. Tips on what to look for when buying firearms.
- Thread starter sovietak474u
- Start date
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this....But you might want to make sure the gun you are receiving is the one you committed to in the pictures in the add....Had a few bad aplpes come on here and try and bait and switch on people.
D. What to look for when buying bolt action rifles. : bring bore light to check for cracks in the bore especially with magnum and large caliber rifles. Does the bolt lock up tight? This can help determine locking lug wear or possible bolt misfit. Does the bolt handle feel loose like it is being worn out? Indicates slapping of the bolt like in movies and can lead to the bolt handle screw stripping out or possible breaking. does the stock show any cracks around the pommel? Could indicate the rifle being dropped length wise putting undue stress on the screw in the pommel. It could also indicated dropping of the rifle, bad wood in the stock, and bad maintenance. Is the forearm cracked? Can indicate the rifle being dropped barrel first, can indicate improper sling mounting and it can also indicate structural wood failure in the weapon. If you can remove the recoil pad on the butt stock, look to see if the wood underneath the pad is pitting out or cracked. reference above to look at the wood problems. Is the finish murky and not clear? Finish is compromised and needs to be redone, this may lead to the wood being damaged. It also points to excessive water exposure to the finish.
Synthetic rifles - look at the screws that go into the stock. Do they have cracks near them or bad threading? apply all of the above to synthetic rifles and look for any modifications that do not look as if they came from someone other than a trained hand. When looking for barrel area modifications look for uneven cuts, warped lines, uneven sanding and things of the like.
How cracks in the stock can appear in wood stocks - cracks will run the grain pattern in the rifle. If they protrude through the finish they can be easily identified by running your fingers over them and feeling them. If the wood is cracked and it does not got through the finish it can look like an uncharacteristically dark line in the wood. sometimes you can see where the wood color is different where it could be chipped under the finish. Normally a solid crack will come all the way through the wood and finish and either end at or originate at the screw for the fore arm.
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If there is a lighter welded to it, walk away.
unless that lighter has light up tata's. Nice avatar btw buddy. I am loving it.
Here's what I look for when purchasing semi-auto pistols:
1. Does the slide move smoothly along the frame rails? If it does not, then something may be misaligned.
2. If buying a polymer gun, is the frame cracked, discolored (especially around the barrel)? If so, could be due to misuse of the firearm or over-excessive shooting.
3. Remove Slide from frame: Look at barrel to see how much wear is on it. If there are the tell-tale "smiley faces" on the barrel, how deep are they into the finish on the barrel? If they are starting to show more metal than coating, this means that it has been fired a lot, or someone is just rack happy....haha.
4. Look at the slide hood (inside underneath side of the of slide). This part of the slide comes in contact with the top of the barrel chamber; if it is starting to show wear (as well as the top of the barrel chamber) again, this could mean lots of firing or racking.
5. Look at the slide rails on all sides. If they are starting to show wear, then there has been a lot of firing. Usually, more coating is placed on the slide and frame rails of a handgun because of the constant contact and wearing that should happen on a handgun. Coatings/finishes are much thicker on rails and are good indicators of how much a gun has been shot/handled. These should wear down over time as a result of shooting but, if metal is beginning to show, it might be too far beyond that "break in/wear in" stage that most shooters are looking for from their firearms. From my personal opinion, I find that anywhere from 150 rounds to 300 rounds should be a good general purpose break in for most handguns (semi-auto). At this point, again for my firearms, just enough coating/finish has been removed to optimize the action and function of the firearm. Once bare metal begins to show, you have far surpassed the break in period and have started working on the daily maintenance phase; you may even have to have the firearm re-finished.
6. Look at the frame rails on all sides.... see #5 for more info.
7. Sounds simple but, always check: Does the magazine release work and does the trigger work when pulled (take snap caps with you to test this). Also, test whether or not the slide locks back after the final round has been ejected from the firearm (again, use snap caps to test this).
Those are the steps that I take to assure myself that a semi-auto pistol has been taken care of by the former owner. If these items do not check out, I usually walk away from the deal; unless of course it's a collector piece. In that case (I probably won't be firing it very much if at all) I will certainly offer much less than the owner is asking. I will describe what I see wrong with the firearm and offer my suggested price. If we can't work it out, then I'll walk away. I'd rather purchase something that I can fire safely and comfortably regardless of whether or not I plan to actually fire it.
1. Does the slide move smoothly along the frame rails? If it does not, then something may be misaligned.
2. If buying a polymer gun, is the frame cracked, discolored (especially around the barrel)? If so, could be due to misuse of the firearm or over-excessive shooting.
3. Remove Slide from frame: Look at barrel to see how much wear is on it. If there are the tell-tale "smiley faces" on the barrel, how deep are they into the finish on the barrel? If they are starting to show more metal than coating, this means that it has been fired a lot, or someone is just rack happy....haha.
4. Look at the slide hood (inside underneath side of the of slide). This part of the slide comes in contact with the top of the barrel chamber; if it is starting to show wear (as well as the top of the barrel chamber) again, this could mean lots of firing or racking.
5. Look at the slide rails on all sides. If they are starting to show wear, then there has been a lot of firing. Usually, more coating is placed on the slide and frame rails of a handgun because of the constant contact and wearing that should happen on a handgun. Coatings/finishes are much thicker on rails and are good indicators of how much a gun has been shot/handled. These should wear down over time as a result of shooting but, if metal is beginning to show, it might be too far beyond that "break in/wear in" stage that most shooters are looking for from their firearms. From my personal opinion, I find that anywhere from 150 rounds to 300 rounds should be a good general purpose break in for most handguns (semi-auto). At this point, again for my firearms, just enough coating/finish has been removed to optimize the action and function of the firearm. Once bare metal begins to show, you have far surpassed the break in period and have started working on the daily maintenance phase; you may even have to have the firearm re-finished.
6. Look at the frame rails on all sides.... see #5 for more info.
7. Sounds simple but, always check: Does the magazine release work and does the trigger work when pulled (take snap caps with you to test this). Also, test whether or not the slide locks back after the final round has been ejected from the firearm (again, use snap caps to test this).
Those are the steps that I take to assure myself that a semi-auto pistol has been taken care of by the former owner. If these items do not check out, I usually walk away from the deal; unless of course it's a collector piece. In that case (I probably won't be firing it very much if at all) I will certainly offer much less than the owner is asking. I will describe what I see wrong with the firearm and offer my suggested price. If we can't work it out, then I'll walk away. I'd rather purchase something that I can fire safely and comfortably regardless of whether or not I plan to actually fire it.
