Used firearm warranties

[Jim]

Not knowing exactly where to post this, I guessed this would be as good as any place to start.
When I was living in Charleston, SC, I dealt with a fine gunshop called Carolina Rod & Gun. If you bought a used firearm from them, they gave you 60 days to hold it on "lay away" if you so desired and they gave you a 30 day warranty on the gun. Anything went south with the gun in 30 days after purchase, they stood behind their promise and made it right.
In April, I moved to Columbia, the state capital. Whole new game, gotta find the gunshops. There's one not too far away that caters to the law enforcement community as the academy is right down the road.
Yesterday, I was in there looking at the used handguns. I asked if there was a "house" warranty. Nope. "So, if I buy one, walk out the door and it falls apart, I'm stuck with it?". "Well, the gun ain't gonna fall apart, but yeah, that's about the size of it" sez he.
Am I expecting too much or is the offer of an in house warranty a rare thing that I've gotten used to getting? The guy caters to law enforcement, for cryin' out loud! Seems to me he'd give me at least 48 hours to test fire the thing and confirm that it works right!
Needless to say, I won't be taking up too much of his time anymore.

[Bret4207]

IMO the business should provide some sort of warranty even if it's only 24 hrs. There may be a State business law requiring it. I'd check around and see.

[No_1]

Charleston is not that far a ride for you. I moved to Jacksonville from Charleston and still stop in Carolina Rod & Gun when I visit a couple of times a year. I would still continue doing business with them if I was you. A day trip to Charleston would do wonders for you and SWMBO. A side trip to CR&G should not be that difficult to swing and if you get there too early, just hit the Krispy Kreme for a little while to fill up on donuts / coffee till they open.

R.

BTW, Scott is a great guy, I did my apprenticeship with him at the old shipyard.


Not knowing exactly where to post this, I guessed this would be as good as any place to start.
When I was living in Charleston, SC, I dealt with a fine gunshop called Carolina Rod & Gun. If you bought a used firearm from them, they gave you 60 days to hold it on "lay away" if you so desired and they gave you a 30 day warranty on the gun. Anything went south with the gun in 30 days after purchase, they stood behind their promise and made it right.
In April, I moved to Columbia, the state capital. Whole new game, gotta find the gunshops. There's one not too far away that caters to the law enforcement community as the academy is right down the road.
Yesterday, I was in there looking at the used handguns. I asked if there was a "house" warranty. Nope. "So, if I buy one, walk out the door and it falls apart, I'm stuck with it?". "Well, the gun ain't gonna fall apart, but yeah, that's about the size of it" sez he.
Am I expecting too much or is the offer of an in house warranty a rare thing that I've gotten used to getting? The guy caters to law enforcement, for cryin' out loud! Seems to me he'd give me at least 48 hours to test fire the thing and confirm that it works right!
Needless to say, I won't be taking up too much of his time anymore.

[broomhandle]

Hi N0.1,

Try Shooters Choice in Columbia. They were good in the past.

I bought a few rifles at ATP in Charleston about two years ago.

Most better gunshops will repair or take the firearm back. True in that case they will give you a credit on something else.

Look for the Jamil temple Shriners gun show, held about four times a year, right off I - 26
The new Sportsman Warehouse has some killer deals on guns & reloading stuff on occation!

Best of luck,

broomandle
PS I'm over in Augusta, but visit Columbia & Charleston often.

[BD]

I recently bought a safe from Shooter's Choice. The guy seemed decent to deal with and his prices on safes were good enough that the 2 hour drive was worth it. His primers were quite high though so I made a quick trip to Sportsmans warehouse and bought all the LP primers they had, (other than CCIs).
BD

[buck1]

I have never bought a used gun with a warranty. Over the years I learned to look quite closly at the gun before I bought it. If theres any trouble in it, you can most often find it with a -good- looksy. Not always but almost you can avoid a broke gun.

[Scrounger]

Very few places offer a warranty on used guns and I have yet to see one. Most have a sign posted informing you that there is no warranty. That being said, a lot of these places will work with you on such problems if you act like a gentleman and don't go in screaming at them. If they don't, it is a civil matter and you can take them to small claims court where you MAY win. Once again, how you conduct yourself in front of the judge is a big factor. When a dealer buys or takes in trade a used gun, he can do little more to judge it than you can. He may have facilities to test fire it but in the end, he won't take it in if he thinks there is anything wrong with it, he is as much at risk as you are. If a part breaks 5 rounds or 500 rounds later, that is not his fault. At that point it is more likely your fault. These are factors you have to take into consideration when you buy any used merchandise.

[felix]

Art, I agree with you 100 percent if that dealer is nothing but your next door neighbor having a garage sale. But, if he is in business as a gun dealer, pawn shop dealer with a gun operandi, then I disagree with you 100 percent. It his business to know his merchandise inside and out. Now, if you have a used product dealer who feels like we do, that dealer will let you take the used gun home for trials, say one week or so, with 100 percent cash back for the same gun in same condition as when left the store. That dealer (person) is someone I will do business with. ... felix

[Scrounger]

Felix, I think you misunderstood what I was saying. A dealer will do everything he can to check out a gun before he buys it or puts it up for sale. If the buyer is satisfied that it works, the dealer's responsibility has been met. I think most dealers try to make that point clear to buyers. I think even then they will make every effort to correct the problem. But things that occur after the buyer starts using the gun are his responsibility alone. In a lot of cases the manufacturer warranties the gun. I do not like to sell guns to people who do not know enough to thoroughly check a gun before buying and I would not not make a blanket warranty to a person like that, even at the cost of the sale. Needless to say, I would not offer to sell a gun that I knew had a problem without telling the prospective buyer about it. Mostly because of the Internet, many new gunbuyers and reloaders have joined our hobby field and they try to do things at a level they have not yet been trained for. There are questions posed here everyday that they should have learned with their first reloading and by reading the recommended books. They need to do their homework and get their very own hands-on experience without trying to skip some of the levels. The same is true of buying used guns. There very few dealers who will give you a guarantee unless you are a consistent visitor and buyer. Recently at the little shop I go to they told me about one of their customers. By the way, they have a posted sign to the effect that used merchandise is sold as is. I've never had a problem with any of the guns I have bought there. Anyway, one new customer bought a used cheap 22 revolver; two weeks later he brought it back, claiming it wouldn't shoot. They tested it out back and it fired 3 cylinderfuls perfectly and showed evidence he had shot it a lot. Nevertheless they took it back in and worked a trade on a 9mm. Two weeks later he comes back claiming it malfunctioned. They again successfully test-fired it but refused to take it back from him. Haven't seen him since. They believe he just wanted to shoot a lot of different guns without buying them. I agree with them 100%; pay for your own education. This is in no way an attack on the member who started this thread; I'm just saying you were lucky to find a dealer who would give you a guarantee, there will be some others but most won't, and I hope you understand their reasoning. I'm not a dealer but I know it is a hard business to make a living in. Maybe someone could invent warranty insurance on used guns.

[TAWILDCATT]

JIM:is that sportsman guide warehouse.I do order from them and if their in Columbia I will make a day trip.I go to DORN VA about twice a yr. Also my take on warrenties is that they should do the job their sold for.the factory may make repairs for free if they feel it is good policy.loading tool co.do so why not guns.I went to last show in Columbia.there all getting to much jewlry and knifes.and the attitude of some is disgraceful.like their doing you a favor.I used to go to the Springfield Mass show 1500 tables.Moved from Mass to Manning in 2000.glad I did.
:coffee: :Fire: :coffee:

[9.3X62AL]

Scrounger succinctly summed up my experience with used guns and the conditions under which they have been sold to me just about everywhere. A dealer like that described by Jim in the initial post is a rare animal, and I would drive the distance to deal with him, happily.

Art also alludes to a big issue with newer/younger shooters, their attempts to fast-forward or short-circuit the learning process on many firearms disciplines. Not their fault, really--that is how the digital generation processes their world--faster faster faster is the whole of the law. What works in cyberspace does not always translate to real time/real world very well. Many of these folks don't have dads, or uncles, or grandpas to show then safe and skillful gun handling--much less handloading or boolit casting, and FORGET assessment of firearm wear or quality. I would submit that boards like this one by default become that mentor figure for a lot of people, like it or not.

[warf73]

I find this an interesting post.

I'm guessing most of you folks that want/expect a warranty on a used firearm don't go to Gun Shows? I've purchased many firearms at gun shows and never seen/heard anyone offer any warranty on guns being sold may it be NEW or USED.

Don't get me wrong I would buy a used gun with a warranty but never heard of such a thing.

On a side has anyone ever bought a gun from Wal Mart? They tell you if you have problems with the gun DON'T contact us call the manufacture. This is on a NEW firearm and I have bought new guns that didn't work.

I'm happy that there is some gun shops that sell used guns with a warranty just never knew they were out there.