{"id":214601,"date":"2025-04-06T15:14:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T20:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=214601"},"modified":"2025-10-21T07:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T12:47:27","slug":"guide-to-buying-second-hand-handguns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/guide-to-buying-second-hand-handguns\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Buying Second-Hand Handguns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>10<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying second-hand handguns is a great way to save a little money or to add to your collection. There are a lot of reasons to buy used guns, and today we are going to make it even easier to buy used guns. We’ll dig through the pros and cons of buying second-hand handguns and how you can get the best bang for your buck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Buy Second-Hand?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two main reasons why someone will buy a second-hand firearm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saving Money<\/strong>\u2014Guns are like cars. They depreciate as soon as they leave the gun store, and only a few ever appreciate. A second-hand handgun will be cheaper than a new handgun. A lot of times, the savings can be significant, and money saved means more ammo purchased.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Gen
The Gen 3 Glock 19 is a classic fighting pistol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It’s the Only Way<\/strong>\u2014If I want to buy an S&W 1006, I can’t go to any S&W dealer and pick one up. It’s been out of production for years and years. If I want one, I’m not finding one new, so I must hit the second-hand market.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pistol<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The same goes for historic handguns. I’m only getting a Savage M1907 on the second-hand market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros
<\/strong>– Cheaper Guns
– Out-of-Production Guns<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are Our Downsides?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Problematic Guns <\/strong>– Guns can be problematic. Most modern guns are built quite well and often backed by warranties. I’m not that concerned with getting a factory dud but with getting a Bubba special with ‘custom’ mods from a guy who shouldn’t be allowed to own a Dremel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worn Out Guns<\/strong>\u2014I would never buy a second-hand competition pistol from a serious competitor. Those guns have seen miles of lead and are likely to give out sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broken Guns<\/strong>\u2014Guns do break. If you own a West German P220<\/a>, you know the roll pins need to be replaced more frequently than other guns, and if you don’t, bad things can happen. This can apply to any number of guns, and if you can’t visually inspect or test-fire the gun, it can be tough to know what you’ll get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our cons all have to do with the condition of the gun, and that’s where people get hung up on buying second-hand guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts On the Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let’s mitigate those problems and start by identifying your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n