Trading or purchasing used firearms

Guys, I understand about meeting in a good place, not concerned about being a shady person or area or anything like that. Just don't want to waste my time and trouble to travel to make the deal if the trader is not describing the gun properly.
Like I said the deal favors me.
You ever call a car dealer and they tell you how great the condition is and when you get there it has rust, a few dents, etc and the dealer says, well it's an 8 yr old car what did you expect?

Just want to hear that most have had positive experiences.
Listen to your wife.
 
Yeah, I'm sure that there's a guy somewhere that traded a Ruger P95 for a Hi Point C9 and feels like he's a king, yeah, we get it... but in the real world, we all know the guy got screwed. There's perception and reality... the guy with the Crap Point will figure out he basically got nothing for his gun, might take him awhile, though. And yes, every trade isn't nearly that horrible, but a lot of them are, it's just that the guy on the shitty end of the trade lacks the objectivity to see that he's getting screwed.



When smart people trade something this is probably the case. They don't settle for crap and they only trade for guns that are actually worth something. Still, I just find the whole thing inefficient and the process contains pressures that aren't present in a normal transaction. I'd rather just turn the gun into cash and then use the cash to buy something else.

Then again I'm probably jaded because I'm not interested in as many guns as some are. I used to impulse buy and be interested in the same kind of random crap that lots of other shooters buy. It took me like 10 years but I figured out this is a huge waste of money and the interest level in these one off/impulse buy guns fades quickly. At this point I go into a typical gun store and 75% of the inventory, in my eyes, is like cans of "hospital beige" paint. I don't impulse buy anymore either, or hardly ever, unless it's a gun that happens to be on my list, which could probably fit on less than 3 index cards. [laugh]

-Mike

And this is why we moved away from a barter society to a money society. Because barter sucks, and people have mostly known that for thousands of years. Ain't progress great? Avoid the trade. Someone is always getting screwed. No trade should be straight up. It should be "I'll trade you x gun for y gun and a pound of venison.
 
And this is why we moved away from a barter society to a money society. Because barter sucks, and people have mostly known that for thousands of years. Ain't progress great? Avoid the trade. Someone is always getting screwed. No trade should be straight up. It should be "I'll trade you x gun for y gun and a pound of venison.

I dont know man, Ive always dreamed of living in a world that operates on a BACON ECONOMY...
 
put on your big boy pants and do the deal--or don't.

i've bought and sold so many guns/items i can't even remember them all. it really isn't as big of a deal as you're making it.

you're getting all torqued about the deal and it hasn't even been done yet. if i were the seller/trader and i happened upon this thread the deal between us would be off.

This. In these days of pics over the Internet things should be a done deal
 
The guy is not a member here. the ad was on Armslist and I'm not familiar with that web page.
 
bigal, i'm sorry, i've had a bad day. i want to bitch slap you. just forget about it and listen to the wife and stay home.
 
Did my first ever EFA 10 a couple weeks ago when a member here messaged me about trading my Walther PPS for his Glock 33. I was weirded out at first as I had never done a deal like that but we met at his work office and looked over both guns very good. was very smooth. I was extremely leary at first but it soon got very comfortable after talking to him etc.
 
BigAl, you're making it to be more than what it is. I've done several deals with NES and they've been awesome, honest, and cool people.

Don't overthink it. If a dealer can't legally transfer it, then meet up at your gun club or somewhere public and do the eFA-10 on a smartphone and get it done.
 
Thanks for all the comments and advice. I did not go through with it. REASON: I'm looking for a 9MM semi and his was a .40. I was going to trade because it was a good deal and not for the reasons I want. Again my wife was right. [hmmm]
 
No offense meant, ( which is usually what you say right before you say something offensive ), but in general, I don't give a frogs fat ass what my wife or anyone else thinks/says about my hobby/ purchases.

I have taken my wife's advice exactly one time about firearms .I had to attend her work Christmas party and she said " You are not carrying a cannon to this event, you better buy a smaller gun". That is how I came to own a Kahr PM9. Of course, I had to buy a new 1911 at the same time to even things out.

I have made one trade and that was with NES member ToddDubya. He came to my home, is a great guy, and we both walked away as happy as could be.
 
Fencer,
no offense taken, but sometimes it's like I'm a 21 yr old where my brain is in my pants and not in my head. [laugh]

This is where my wife comes in to rescue me.
I really want a 9MM not a .40
 
Fencer,
no offense taken, but sometimes it's like I'm a 21 yr old where my brain is in my pants and not in my head. [laugh]

This is where my wife comes in to rescue me.
I really want a 9MM not a .40

Just for your future knowledge, just because a gun comes in 40 doesn't mean you can't convert it to 9mm for very short money. You then have a two caliber gun. Case in point. My Sig 229 is a three caliber gun. It came in 40 and I added a Sig 357 Sig and Barsto 9mm barrels to the mix. All three rounds feed properly from the same mags. I've also added a Wolf 9mm barrel for my G22 that came in 40. I had to get som G17 mags but the guns run great. Some say you need to swap recoil springs but that has not been my experience. Looking to do this on my M&P soon. Very inexpensive way to get the most out of your guns.
 
Just for your future knowledge, just because a gun comes in 40 doesn't mean you can't convert it to 9mm for very short money. You then have a two caliber gun. Case in point. My Sig 229 is a three caliber gun. It came in 40 and I added a Sig 357 Sig and Barsto 9mm barrels to the mix. All three rounds feed properly from the same mags. I've also added a Wolf 9mm barrel for my G22 that came in 40. I had to get som G17 mags but the guns run great. Some say you need to swap recoil springs but that has not been my experience. Looking to do this on my M&P soon. Very inexpensive way to get the most out of your guns.

There is much wisdom here. There is also the added benefit of having more ammo options when there are scarcities. I also picked up a 9mm conversion kit for my 229. I prefer .40 but will swap over when I am shooting with someone who is more comfortable with 9mm, like new shooters, girls and guys with weak wrists.
 
Just for your future knowledge, just because a gun comes in 40 doesn't mean you can't convert it to 9mm for very short money. You then have a two caliber gun. Case in point. My Sig 229 is a three caliber gun. It came in 40 and I added a Sig 357 Sig and Barsto 9mm barrels to the mix. All three rounds feed properly from the same mags. I've also added a Wolf 9mm barrel for my G22 that came in 40. I had to get som G17 mags but the guns run great. Some say you need to swap recoil springs but that has not been my experience. Looking to do this on my M&P soon. Very inexpensive way to get the most out of your guns.

I don't have any Sigs, but I've done this exactly with my Glock and M&P .40 cal to 9mm conversion. It works really well when you keep the barrels in your range bag and your gf is still working her way up to the .40 cal.

Also, it helps when you want to buy cheap ammo for short money.
 
I have done several face to face purchases with someone I didn't know. Every time the gun was as described. The seller / trader most likely doesn't want to waste their time either. I usually make a decision on if I am going to proceed after talking to the other party on the phone. If I cant talk to them on the phone I am not interested in dealing with them. You can tell a lot about someone by how they carry a conversation.
I have driven 70 miles to buy a gun that I wanted when the price was right.
 
I usually make a decision on if I am going to proceed after talking to the other party on the phone. If I cant talk to them on the phone I am not interested in dealing with them. You can tell a lot about someone by how they carry a conversation.

This is the best advice in this whole thread. I'm the same way, I want to talk to them before I meet up. Trust your gut feel when you do, if it says this doesn't feel right then don't do it.
 
go threw a dealer or get the numbers if you know a police officer ask hi to run the serial.

Dealers can't run S/Ns and check if stolen. Regardless of how you obtain a gun if it ever learned that it was stolen, you lose it. Same thing happens whether it was a TV, car, etc. So dealer transactions are no guarantees and no protection there.
 
I have done several face to face purchases with someone I didn't know. Every time the gun was as described. The seller / trader most likely doesn't want to waste their time either. I usually make a decision on if I am going to proceed after talking to the other party on the phone. If I cant talk to them on the phone I am not interested in dealing with them. You can tell a lot about someone by how they carry a conversation.
I have driven 70 miles to buy a gun that I wanted when the price was right.
This ^^
Best,
Mike
 
Back
Top Bottom