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| THE PANEL OF EXPERTS |
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| Walt, David, Dewey, and John share ...err....uh....knowledge |
SHOULD I BUY USED OR NEW?
The prospective gun buyer in the 21st century has more options than ever when it comes to purchasing rifles,
shotguns, and handguns. There are more models and styles available now than ever before. Furthermore the prospective
gun buyer must also choose whether to buy a new firearm or a use one. Hopefully this article will aide you in your decission.
The advantages of buying a new firearm are apparent. First and foremost the gun has only been test
fired at the factory so barrel condition and overall mechanical conditon is not a concern. Also the gun will include
all the neccesary operating, cleaning, and safety instructions. And lastly the gun will be covered by a manufacturers
warrantly. I acknowledge that on occaision new guns, like new TV's, cars, etc, can have problems. But for the
most part these issues can be avoided by purchasing a quality firearm. Notice that I did not say expensive. That
$299.99 Ruger P95 on my display will give a lifetime reliable performance. But I would be leary of that $189.99 Super
Wierd Special in Deer Gun Dan's display case.
All of the above said I am not advocating that buying a new firearm is always the way to go. There
are some truly good bargains on the used market today. Probubly the best deals are the police trade handguns that we
keep in our shop. Typically these guns show external wear from carry in leather holsters but are in excellent mechanical
condition. These guns will give years of useful service and often cost $150.00 to $200.00 less than a new pistol.
The slippery slope in the used market is and always will be hunting rifles. There are many fine vintage
sporting rifles on the market today. However most of these worth mentioning appeal more to collectors than casual
hunters. Pre 64 Model 70 Winchesters, vintage Remington 700's. vintage Sako's, and Older Brownings are rising in value
each year. Thus making them less and less of a practical investment for the casual hunter. On the other hand Winchester
rifles made in the 60's and 70's, Savage bolt action rifles, and many little known brand firearms are worth very little.
These firearms if obtainable at a low enough price, and in good enough conditon can make good inexpensive hunting rifles.
But this is where you need to be careful. A lot of folks do not realize that a Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 made in
1961 is worth almost three times what one made in 1971 is. I have seen folks get taken for hundreds of dollars.
And what really disgusts me is I have seen other licensed dealers in my own town knowingly do this to people. Come on
guys, this is supposed to be an honorable profession. When shopping for a use deer rifle I would advise everyone to
be vigilant. Inspect the rilfle thoroughly. These guns all have a story to tell, you need to pay attention.
A rifle that is five years old that shows serious gouges in the wood and scratches on the barrel has been abused. Do
not buy into the "Oh it's just normal huntin' wear" line. My dad bought a new Remington 760 Gamemaster in 1976.
He hunted with this rifle every year through 1999 when he quit hunting. For 23 years this rifle was in the woods
in the cold, in the rain, and yes even the snow. He still owns this rifle and the only wear showing are a few scratches
on the stock and some thinning bluing on the receiver. Folks that is normal hunting wear. If somebody beats a
gun to pieces on the outside what do you suppose it looks like inside? We have had rifles traded in our shop that it
has taken weeks to clean the copper out of the bore, weeks. And these rifles have looked good on the outside.
Frankly, we will not trade for something that is beat up. Another hazzard with used rifles is barrel abuse. Folks
high powered rifles get very hot when they are fired. Some calibers need to cool after only one or two shots.
I have personally witnessed members of our own gun club, members that have years of shooting experiece mind you, fire rifles
until you think the barrel will melt. One of our members, who has years of competetive experiecne fired a .243 seventeen
times in a ten minute period. Seventeen times! What do you think the throat life is going to be like in that one?
The bad thing about this kind of abuse is that you cannot see it without a borescope and most of use do not own these very
expensive tools. Nothing is worse than spending $500.00 on a use Remington 700 BDL .300 Win Mag only to find out that
the gun won't hold down a two inch group at 100 yards. Believe me I know, it was my rifle.
The only way to make out on buying a used deer rifle is to buy a fairly late model gun in very good or better
conditon at 75% or less than the cost of a new one. Our selction of used hunting rifles goes up and down. Reason
being it is hard to find quality used rifles at fair prices for our customers. Most are either over priced, or in very
poor condition. A customer of mine informed me the other night while in the shop that he has wittnessed people paying
$700.00 for a USED Remington 700 BDL in another local shop. Folks that is just plain stupid. Nobody should bitch
about the cost of ammo and primers if they are going to make boneheaded decissions like that.
The caual hunter looking for a deer rifle now has the option of a rifle like the Marlin XL7. These
quality Amercian made bolt action rifles sell for as low as $309.99. Even if you add a Nikon scope you are looking at
less than $475.00 out the door. Always remember, new does not always mean expensive and used does not always mean you
are getting a deal.
At Commonwealth Arms we want our customers to get our moneys worth. I hope this article helps you
each make your shooting dollars go as far as possible.
AFFORDABLE HOME DEFENSE
It is no secret that over 65% of our business at Commonwealth Arms is handguns. Some customers are
looking for target guns, some are looking for hunting handguns, but the majority of our handgun buyers are looking for something
for home pretection or personal defense.
The most important consideration in a personal defense handgun is reliability. If you cannot count
on it to work ALL OF THE TIME then you cannot count on it when you need it the most. The second consideration is comfort,
if it does not feel good in your hand, you will not shoot it. And if it is not comfortable to carry you will not carry
it. I often get asked, what do I reccomend? My reply is always the same. Come on down to the shop and look
at some of the different models available, there is no "one size fits all" in this market. I only stock quality
handguns, but I stock a large variety of models. What do I sell the most of? Springfield XD's,, Glocks, and Smith
& Wesson Airweight revolvers. These are all well made 100% reliable fireamrs, but not everyone has $400 to $500
to spend on a new handgun, I realize this. All to often I see dealers take advantage of unknowing handgun buyers on
a tighter budget. Offering them something like a Hi Point semi auto pistol for $150.00 and telling them something like
"Well ole buddy this is a good gun, I sell more of these than any other model." Folks this can be convincing to a lot
of potential handgun buyers. I am not out to down another manufacturers product, but these ultra cheap off brand semi
auto pistols simply cannot be considered a viable choice for self defense.
So what to buy if you need a personal protection handgun and are on a budget? Lets say you have $300.00
to spend, your SOL right? No, not the least. Charter arms sells a line of quality American made .38 Special revolvers
for UNDER $300.00. These are well made, lightweight small revolvers with a lifetime warranty. Commonwelth Arms
also typically has a variety of used police trade in fireamrs on hand. These are typically Smith & Wesson, Glock,
and Beretta semi auto pistols, and Smith & Wesson and Ruger revolvers. All of these guns have seen use, and show
some wear from carry, but like most police guns have seen little actual use, and are in excellent mechanical conditon.
We typically sell these guns for between $250 and $350 depending on the model, a fraction of their new cost. Now you
may also ask, what if I cannot even swing $300, what if I need a gun for $250 or even less. The situation is still not
hopeless. Bersa and Kel Tec both make reliable .380 ACP caliber semi atuo pistols for not much over 200.00, again, these
are solid, reliable guns that you can count on for personal protection.
If you are in the market for a handgun by all means come by our shop and look at the over 75 handguns
we have in stock. We are always happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have.
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| All Of These Quality Concealed Carry Handguns Are In Stock For $425.00 Or Less |
GLOCK VS SPRINGFIELD XD
Now this is a hot topic of late. How do the Springfield XD pistols compare to the Glock semi auto
pistols? Well, lets look at a few things.
ACCURACY
Is typically very similar between both guns. Glocks and XD's are capable of very respectable accuracy
for a combat pistol, and I did say "combat" not "match". If you are looking for a gun to shoot sub 1" groups at 25 yards
I would suggest something like a Para Ordnacne 1911 style pistol. That is not to say the Glocks and XD's won't shoot
groups that tight, I am just sayng not to expect it all the time. Glocks and XD's typicall are capable of two inch groups
at 25 yards fairly consistantly with good ammunion. Although not marketed as a match pistol, both of these guns are
an excellent choice for practical style shooting competitions such as IPSC or IDPA.
RELIABILITY
Superb in both. The Glock gets a very slight edge here only because it perfoemed better in the militaary
sand test. You know the one where they bury the pistol in the sand, shake it off, then shoot it. The XD is a bit
more likely to fail here, but unless you are planing on burying your $500.00 pistol in your kids sandbox I don't think it
is anything to worry about. Under normal circumstances I would expect either of these guns to outperform just about
anything else on the market in just about any conditons. And remmember, faulty magazines are the culprit in over 80%
of semi auto handgun malfunctions. Poor reloading habbits can also make a gun jam, and jam often.
EASE OF MAINTAINANCE
If you have been in my shop you have probubly heard me say that a monkey could field strip a Glock.
Nothing could be closer to the truth. I would go so far as to say a Glock is easier to clean than an AK-47 (and if you
come by the shop I can tell you a good one there, but I am not positng it on this site). XD's take down a bit different
than Glocks, not any more complicated, just different. I honesty can say both of these guns are two of the lowest maintainance
handguns that money can buy.
As you can see these pistols compare very favorably. I think a lot of the decission to go with either
a Glock or XD is a matter or personal preference. Either way you go, you are getting a class one handgun
Robert Floyd
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