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What to look for when buying a used gun?
0oAKo47o0
Member Posts: 409 ✭✭
What are the basics I need to know when purchasing a used firearm?
Comments
Make sure it is what you are looking for...will it fill your needs.
Does it fit you; are you comfortable with it?
Is it in original condition, or has it been customized?
If it has been customized, was it customized professionally, or by bubba?
Is it chambered for common, available ammunition?(very important here in the USA, at this time)
Condition? Is it in at least, decent, servicable, good working condition?
Price...Does the price reflect, all of the above? Is the price better than average, average, or worse than average, considering everything above.
The above is just my opinion, and yes, I do have one of those otherthings too, that are like opinions.
Best
EDIT 1
Here is a copy of the user manual, from Ruger's web site for your P95D
https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/p95Decocker.pdf
Best
If you ever want to buy a pig-in-a-poke; a used-up gun is the way to go.
Is the barrel straight? Do the sights work? Does the trigger go back'n'forth? Is there a ragged hole where the muzzle oughta be?
Will it chamber and eject a dummy round? Has anyone ever heard of the caliber/bore? Can anyone find ammo for it?
Is it heavy for being made of iron? Any finish left? Ever see this particular sort of gun before?
IS IT STOLEN?
If you put your mind to it; you'll come up with a list of basic things to think about when shopping for a used gun that may stand out among other questions. Write them down. Take the list with you.
A person selling a used gun should be willing to answer them or at least let you know WHY they won't let you disassemble it for inspection of interior parts & fitment (in their presence).
Listen for that little inner voice that says go or no-go, and pay attention if your flags go up when they answer your questions.
Above all, check the going prices on the auction side; not the asking prices, but what they actually sold for.
Your Ruger semi probably has a barrel link like most auto pistols, and most of their barrels will "wobble" to some degree when the slide is retracted.
The important part is that it doesn't when the slide is in battery.
Ruger will send you a manual for your gun if you ask them for one; I suggest you do so, and then read it thoroughly before you play with the gun anymore (I think that's stamped on the side of the gun somewhere).
What are the basics I need to know when purchasing a used firearm?
Buy one that's good, that does what you need it to do and pay a fair market price for it. There is a lot more to it than that, obviously, but that pretty much sums it up.
If you want to make it a bit more simple, its hard to go wrong buying *lightly used* guns of *popular makes* in *popular calibers* that have been in manufacture a long time from the well known/top tier manufacturers. IE, its hard to go too wrong with a Remington 700 rifle, a Colt AR-15, a Smith and Wesson revolver, a Glock pistol, A Mossberg pump shotgun, etc.
The first thing is, what TYPE of used firearm are you talking about, and what do you want to do with it?
Concealed carry pistol? Competitive target pistol? Home defense arm? Hunting rifle? What are you hunting? Shotgun for hunting? What are you hunting? Shotgun for Skeet shooting? Etc.
Start with that, and then maybe you can get a little more advice in terms of brands and features.
On buying guns sight unseen, I've done that multiple times on GunBroker.com, and never been disappointed. If you know what you're doing, stick to quality manufacturers, and especially if you reserve the right to return a bad gun within a reasonable period of time, you probably won't be badly hurt.
I am always looking for old military firearms, for example, so I always bring a make-shift 30-06 inspection kit. It includes a 30-06 Go / No Go Gauge set to check head-space, an inert 30-06 round to check muzzle wear, 2 or 3 snap-caps to verify proper feeding/cycling of the action and, obviously, a bore light.)
Once you are satisfied that the rifle/pistol is a functional firearm, buy it if the listed price is acceptable to you or make an offer if it is not. Negotiating a price for a used firearm is standard. I have purchased used rifles out of Cabela's Gun Library for as low as half the asking price.
Brad Steele
I got a ruger P95dc and its kind of shakey.
the barrel seems loose when i pull the slide back.
Slide has some corrosion, and when i take out the
mag and pull the slide out sometimes it stays back sometimes it
doesn't. there is a little button on left side but I'm not sure
if its a button or a takedown pin. i need some help
familiarizing myself with this gun, its the first
DA/hammer semi auto I've owned, my other guns are revolvers.
good news is i traded a tec 9 i had only about $150 in.
it feeds good, but i haven't fired it yet...
You can have them reblue the slide fairly cheap or have it ceracoated in whatever color you wish. The P95's are not the prettiest guns but generally very reliable. I put over 4000 trouble free rounds through mine...sorry I sold it but they are cheap enough I can always buy another.
I think I may have messed up already.
I got a ruger P95dc and its kind of shakey.
the barrel seems loose when i pull the slide back.
Slide has some corrosion, and when i take out the
mag and pull the slide out sometimes it stays back sometimes it
doesn't. there is a little button on left side but I'm not sure
if its a button or a takedown pin. i need some help
familiarizing myself with this gun, its the first
DA/hammer semi auto I've owned, my other guns are revolvers.
good news is i traded a tec 9 i had only about $150 in.
it feeds good, but i haven't fired it yet...
That was a good trade!
I actually prefer Ruger's P89 -- essentially, the aluminum alloy version of the P95 (polymer framed) one you have -- but all Ruger's P-Series pistols are excellent firearms.
What others have told you about the barrel being "shakey" is correct; that is likely normal/proper. The corrosion on the slide would be just cosmetic; it won't affect function.
The slide not always locking back may be magazine related. Do you have a Ruger factory magazine for it? If you engage the slide-lock manually, does it stay locked back? Sometimes a slide stop needs adjustment on a semi-auto pistol; that's nothing major.
You'll probably find it will function with 100% reliability with most ammunition, IF you use factory magazines. There are aftermarket magazine that can work fine, but factory magazines are best.