? about buying police trade in guns

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

what have your experiences been?

my only experience thus far has been a 870 police magnum that spent 25 years riding around in a radio car trunk , besides finish wear and a missing rear sight , a hole lot of cleaning and a bit of stock clean up , it is a very functional gun , but that was from a local department that brought it in to sell in the little shop in town so I could look it over

now I am looking a pistols , I won't get started on the glock vs M&P but one of the two i haven't fully decided yet but in 40s&w I already have, cast , load and shoot for 40 this will mainly be for action pistol shooting

I have a daily carry purchased new and an identical backup purchased for it almost new one owner and I know them , it was hardly broken in and in perfect shape , my daily carry looks like I have been carrying it for 3 years but I have , but it shoots very well back to topic .


most likely would be replacing the striker spring , trigger spring and doing some trigger work almost right away also recoil spring and probably a guide rod

does the 100-150 dollar savings buying a 3rd gen G22 or a M&P seem worth it for what I would be getting or should I just go new

when scoring is all minor anyway , I will be shooting 40 as minor it just seems to work , yes it is more lead but the powder is the same as 9mm and the primer is the same and 40 brass just seems easier to get right now

[mdr8088]

I don't buy used guns, I've seen to many youtube vids of stupid people doing stupid things to them. You might get a deal. Firstclassbulletsandbrass.com usually has brass cheap. He sends you some extra so you don't get ripped. There's always .45acp to consider...

[jugulater]

all of my guns are used.. most well over 60 years old.. and a couple are heavily used military guns. if all looks good and works good then go for it. if you have ANY doubts at all dont do it. used guns can be good guns.

[BrianL]

I have only had 3 or 4 new guns in 40 years. Look it over good.

[roverboy]

A lot of the guns I've had are or were used guns. Just give them a good look over first. I bought a new rifle a few years ago, and it was a piece of ****.

[Harry O]

I don't know how semi-automatic police trade-ins are, but I own several ex-police revolvers, mostly S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpieces. Every one looks like s**t. 20 or 30 years of holster carry shows. However, they are as tight as can be, with no rust, and shoot like new. They were well worth the money.

[shooting on a shoestring]

The only police trade-in I bought was a square butt Model 10. It was $235 because the nickel was starting to peel. Real ugly revolver. Action smooth as silk. Bore and chambers spotless. It's a real shooter. Ugly but shoots great.

I've known and do know several cops. None are gun guys. None reload. They don't shoot for fun. One didn't even buy a gun until he graduated the academy. Point here being I think most cop guns never see hand loads, are never hot rodded, and are fairly low mileage in terms of shooting. The finishes suffer from lots of holster wear.

I think if you're looking for a carry piece, or a rough duty piece, police trade ins are great. It doesn't hurt my feelings to get a scratch on an already scratched up gun.

[JWT]

One of my favorite shooters is a S&W model 10 that was a bank guard gun. Smooth and acurate. Wish I'd bought 2.
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[Epd230]

From what I have seen, there are two types of cops. The ones that shoot a lot, and will have put tens of thousands of rounds through that gun. Or the ones that do the bare minimum, which would be about 50 rounds a year.

You should be able to tell the difference between the two guns in the shop.

I, myself, would not hesitate to buy a used police gun. Just make sure it passes your inspection, just like any used gun you buy.

[Ben]

Most police guns are carried alot, shot very little , and poorly maintained.

Ben

[Jupiter7]

One of my favorite shooters is a S&W model 10 that was a bank guard gun. Smooth and acurate. Wish I'd bought 2.
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I bought 3 of these about 3yrs ago for $199 a piece. Was truly the last "good" surplus/trade-in deal. Mine were 10-11's so pre-lock but post MIM. I gave 2 away to my brothers for Christmas as they were fresh into new home ownership and owned zero guns for home defense. Gave them two speed strips and a box of hornady Critical Defense. Needless to say, that started their love affair with shooting for fun. One of us always brings one of the 3 when we shoot together.

[ejcrist]

Probably about 1/2 of my firearms were bought used but didn't show much wear. I just made sure to look them over really well for things I could check like timing, end shake, cylinder gap, etc for revolvers, and bore, slide fit, etc. for semi-auto's. I look over new firearms the same way. I've never bought a used black powder muzzleloader from anyone because I've seen a lot of those neglected by not being cleaned timely, etc., however; I wouldn't think twice about buying a used modern firearm.

[khmer6]

I like the police trade ins I have bought. I wouldn't pay full price for a glock 9mm or 40sw when I know police trade in are easily 300-350 same goes for any other models police might carry such as Sig 226 or SW MP

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I have no problem buying used I think I have only bought 3 new guns ever I have bought used pistols, rifles, muzzle loaders and shotguns

actually I am apparently a real sucker for cheap pump shotguns used , but I know about them and have a chance to look them over in the store , most people never fire enough ammo in any gun to come close to wearing them out

this will be a online purchase basically blind , I suppose I have a 3 day inspection period at my dealer and If I don' like it I send it back , done plenty of gun shows and small shops consignment racks even an add or two in the company new letter and by word of mouth among friends and co-workers , I even did one gun broker purchase but the seller sent me pictures, but this Is different I guess this being blind and I wondered they have good reviews most sat very dirty some holster wear but clean up good . so I guess it's just a use the 3 day inspect reject period

thanks

[country gent]

Police trade ins can be a good buy. Most are maintained by the police department armorer so like any smith his skills determine the care given. Some sigs and others are factory reconditioned before sale. The big thing buying used is to look it over very good looking for not only cosmetic wear Ie dings holster wear and scratches but for uneven wear patterns heavy wear slop and or worn parts. A good inspection tells alot.

[Cmm_3940]

Parts that are honestly worn out can be replaced. I wouldn't expect too many bubba speshuls from a police trade in. If it isn't rusty or look like it's been used as a hammer, I'd go for it, especially if the ugly gets me a good deal. I can fix ugly (in a gun, at least).

[nicholst55]

A lot of LEA Glocks are either factory refurbed, or refurbed by a Glock armorer before they're wholesaled out. My understanding is that Glock doesn't want an 'iffy' gun out there with their name on it - except for the new ones they sell, anyway! I have looked at a bunch of police trade-in Glocks, although I've never purchased one. Some of them were in very good shape, some showed a bit more wear and abuse. I can get a new 'blue-label' (LE) Glock for not much more than a police trade-in, so there's not much incentive for me to buy one.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Well having just bought 2 police trade in , I can say both were well worth it , night sights , and hardly used if at all , now in all fairness these are the KSP glocks that are out there gen 4 , 3 magazines and was missing the mag loader that I never use anyway , nice , clean , very little if any wear, glock 35 for under 500 whats not to like , gen 4 glock 27 under 450 again I am happy , not going to join in the debates over whats better , as it is a each and everyone a unique like or dislike or what fits or does not fit. For the longest time I was no glock and no 40 s&w , now I have backslid and bought glocks and 40 s&w and am happily shooting and enjoying , as for the ongoing debate on geometry of grips and holds . I have placed glock on top of 1911 and 1911 on top of glock, wow to me they are almost the same . Back on subject the police trade ins are worth looking into . And yes I have owned and shot 1911 and 1911a1 for a few years and still like them , as a side note the browning high powers that are parkerized and for sale are some sweet guns , supposed to be police trade ins also.

[rintinglen]

Back in the 80's I had a shade-tree business buying and reselling police trade ins. I must have bought 2 dozen of them between 1985 and 1992. I still have 3 of them. Police 38 S&W's are virtually never badly used, and the same is true of the autoloaders I have encountered. They may have a lot of ruff edges from carry, but darn few were shot more than a couple thousand times. Thing is, the day before they were traded in, some Officer was gambling his life on it. They are usually very serviceable. I'd buy one in a heart beat, if I could look it over first.

[coleman]

I have bought glocks 22($315), 23($340) and 21($365) used pd trade ins, On the outside the normal holster wear on the inside it looks like less then 200rnd down the pipe all with night sights. at that price I can have a cheap pistol that will work, I make sure to strip pistols all the way down and give a good scrubbing. If you don't like it after you buy it put it up for sale local and get your money back and then some.

[altheating]

Our department traded in our old Glocks last year. Glocks offered them to us at a very good price, but not until they were returned to Glock to be refurbished. I think the price was $285.00 if you wanted one.

[Petrol & Powder]

Used police revolvers were often very good deals but the OP asked about pistols. Most PD guns are in fact carried a lot and shot a little, however there are exceptions. Many officers only shoot enough to qualify but some seriously train with their issued weapons, particularly tactical team members. If you come across one of those used guns it will have a much higher round count. The flip side is the same officers that shoot a lot also tend to be "gun guys" and the ones that maintain their weapons better. Regardless of the round count, the finish on most PD guns takes a beating unless the gun was issued to some administration desk jockey.
A buyer can get a general idea of the age of the gun if he/she knows the department the gun came from. Major charges in gun models can often be linked to particular periods in time. For example, the Virginia State Police used S&W 1026 in the early 1990's but then transitioned to the SIG P228 in 9mm and later a DAO SIG229 chambered in .357Sig. Just by knowing the chambering and model, one can get a decent idea of the gun's age.
It gets a little tougher to date one of the ubiquitous guns like a Glock model 22 but identifying the generation of the model will help a little. Glock has an aggressive sales program that offers police departments high trade in values for their old guns so there very few early generation Glocks still in service. Be wary of someone selling a first or maybe even second generation Glock as a recent police trade in.

If the seller will allow you to field strip the gun, look for rust inside the pistol. Police guns are carried in the worst weather and often neglected afterwards. A little rust is not a deal breaker but it gives you an idea of the level of maintenance and care the gun had. Know the difference between honest holster wear and abuse. Expect to see wear from countless presentations from holsters, wear from seat belts and general signs of use. Modern police pistols have good quality barrels that are stainless or chrome lined so a bad bore is a sign of neglect, not heavy use.

Used police guns can be a good deal if the buyer is careful. Never pay more for a used police gun than you would for the same non-police gun, in the same condition. There's nothing special about them other than the price.

[garym1a2]

Myself and two of my brothers got West Virgina hwy patrol S&W 686's about 20 years ago. These are great guns.
About 5 years ago my brother picked up a surpls Beratta 1200 or 1201FP. This is a very good shotgun and also quite reliable. Just a few straches on it.

[N4AUD]

When I was a police officer, our firearms (and every other piece of equipment) was regularly inspected. I went with the chief to the gun shop to pick up my brand new S&W stainless 686. I took very good care of it, and it was a tack driver. A factory trained S&W armorer polished all the mating surfaces for me and it had a fantastic trigger pull. It was a real tack driver. When we changed to semiautos I could have bought it but at the time I just didn't have the money, and I've regretted not being able to buy it ever since. We went to Beretta 96f pistols in .40, and I never really liked that gun. I paid for it myself and took it with me when I left. I joined the High Risk Entry Team, our version of SWAT, and I shot thousands of rounds through it. I took good care of it as well but as you can see it would have had a lot more wear on it than the S&W. As I said, I never really liked it and traded it for a nice semiauto shotgun. I would much rather have had the 686.

[twc1964]

I bought a nebraska state police trade in pistol at cabelas in fw tx. Its a glock gen 3 model 21 in 45acp. A bit of finish wear on the edges of the slide but no problem for me. It also has tritium nite sites already installed thst still glow bright. Shoots great and for 350.00 i saved a bit of cash thst i can spend on powder........if i could find any, lol

[hp246]

the guns usually look like **** because of holster wear, but in this day and age because of liability, most departments have armorer programs where the guns are gone through top to bottom every 6 month to a year. Most agencies are qualifying with duty ammo.

[lefty o]

i just went through a g22 my brother picked up about a month ago. police trade in, well worn, shot much. besides finish the gun was overall in good condition. had to clean tons of crud out of the top end of it, and replace the spring cups. if you dont mind the well worn finish, its a good buy. the gun had been obviously dropped hard once on the muzzle, big flat spot on the outer edge of the barrel crown. should still shoot well, if not a quick recrown will fix it.

[Lloyd Smale]

I bought a number of the smith 10s, 15s, and 64s that were on the market years ago. All were great guns. Some almost like new others that had finish wear from being carried but mechanicaly were about like new. Carried a lot and seldom shot. I sure wish some more of those 150 dollar smiths would come to market. I foolishly gave away and traded all but one 15. Best bargin ive seen on handguns anywhere. I doubt your going to get a lemon because someone who relies on there gun like a police officer is probably going to take care of any problem with it and keep it clean. Who cares if some bluing is wore off

[FergusonTO35]

I'm not against used guns, in fact that's how most of mine are purchased. However I would not buy most of the used PD guns that show up around here. 90% of them are very high mileage and it shows: frame texturing worn shiny with scratches and gouges, huge patches of finish rubbed off the slide, little evidence of frequent cleaning and oiling. Some have no mags and even missing rear sights, and shops still want $350-400.00 for them. No thanks!

Someone mentioned buying an ex-Kentucky State Police Glock 35. KSP pistols turn over about every 5 years. Glock likes to keep our state's flagship agency happy so KSP trades in the pistols on new ones for free or close to it. Additionally a very high percentage of troopers are hunters and gun enthusiasts so they are likely to take good care of their guns.

One of my favorite pistols is an ex-Lexington PD S&W 10-5 from the estate of the copper that carried it. It has lots of honest holster wear but no rust or evidence of neglect. Mechanically it is at the point where it is just broken in. Sweet trigger pull and spot on accurate with any 150-162 grain load. This old workhorse still stands guard in my bedroom.

[Outpost75]

In the 1980s when US police departments started wide-scale conversion from revolvers to auto pistols, there were bargains to be had and I purchased several used Colt, S&W and Ruger revolvers and Ithaca and Winchester pump shotguns with which I've been well pleased. I am a wheelgun type of guy and can't tell you much about the 9mm and .40 cal. crunch & tickers except that I wouldn't trade my Colt Official Police, S&W Highway Patrolman or Ruger Service Six for a whole train load of them.

Old dinosaur talking.....134433
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[Char-Gar]

During my lifetime of gun buying and shooting, I have bought 20 used guns for every new one. I have never been bit doing so. I have never been bit, because I knew what to look for and how to tell a good serviceable firearm from one that was not. I have seen plenty of semi-junk guns for sale, but I never bought one.

I have bought several dozen police trade-ins over the years, and buying one is like buying any other kind of used gun. I have been happy with all of them I owned. Today, I own the following former police guns;

1. An Ithaca Police Special 12 ga shotgun. It first saw duty with the New Mexico State Police and then the Luna County New Mexico SO. Now it is mine.

2. A Smith and Wesson Model 10 that was used by the Montreal PD.

3. A Glock 17 used by who knows which department

4 A Beretta 96, also from an unknown department.

Here is my Montreal PD S&W 10. A great sixgun!

[Nicholas]

Hey Outpost 75, I tend to agree with you. I am thinking the old dinosaur might be a T. Rex. Revolvers seem to be way underappreciated by many shooters today, that is, until they try a good one.

Per the OP, I have a S&W snubbie that was a back up gun for a deputy and it is the cat's meow for a smooth DA and accurate fire in SA. It was well cared for and cosmetically fine.

[Frank46]

I bought a used M10 heavy bbl in 38 special for $100 many years ago. Yes it's been shot some but the bluing and general condition of it seems to reflect the care it was given. When the West German sig p-6's came out I bought one. Top of the slide has lost some of its finish but that was due in part to the holster it was carried in. The German made AKAH holster for the P-6 covers just about everything. Then there were the two rem 870 police turn in shotguns. At first glance I wouldn't have given you 25 cents for either of the two that I bought. Covered with rust both receiver and barrel. Spritzed everything with just plain old motor oil to get the oil onto the rust. 4/0 steel wool and some clp and in about 6 hrs work had all the rust gone on one shotgun.Same procedure for #2 soak and scrub. funny thing was what with all the rust you'd think there would be a large amount of pitting. Nope, just a few light scratches here and there. I took one of the guns back to the same dealer and introduced myself. I said this is the shotgun I bought off you the last time you were here. He was dumfounded by the change. He even went so far as to try and give me a couple to cleanup for him.Which I wanted nothing to do with. He said if I ever change my mind let him know. I redid the wood on the first one came out pretty good. Both shotguns came with the mag extensions think I paid $195 for the first one and about 4225 for the second one. He had a parkerized Ithaca with the full mag extension rusty as all get out. Was kidding him about him letting me take it home and if it doesn't look 100% better I'll buy it. But if it is over 100% then its mine free. Wouldn't buy that one. Frank

[FLINTNFIRE]

Ksp glock , was factory new in late 2012 , barely 2 years old . They can trade in even sooner for the cost savings at my end , I also have several smith and wesson revolvers , and had a colt trooper , all ex police , great prices and good pieces , missed on some of the shotguns as shipping and transfer costs added to no savings, research what you are buying and see what the description is and what kind of reputation for accurate descriptions dealer has , good luck.

[Petrol & Powder]

All of the great guns mentioned in this thread are making me nostalgic. My acquisitions of used guns outnumber my purchases of new guns by a large margin. While some like the newest and coolest; I tend to gravitate towards the slightly older models. There was a time when you could hardly give away used police model 10 or its stainless brother the mdl. 64, those days are over. I have several used police guns and they are some of the best guns I own.
Outpost75 shared some great examples, a model 12 shotgun, the 2" Detective Special and my all time favorite service revolver - The Ruger Service-Six.
Frank46 mentioned the SIG P6. That former West German wonder is one of the most under-rated police trade-ins on the market. The P6 [225] is often overshadowed by the double stack models but it is a very reliable compact pistol and often can be found for a good price.
The OP seemed to be focusing on semi-auto pistols but I must mention the pump shotgun. Police shotguns can be good deals but the margins are tighter. FLINTNFIRE is correct that with the lower priced shotguns; shipping and transfer fees can eat up the savings but if you find a local one don't be afraid to take a chance on it. The most popular police shotgun is the Remington 870 and it is just about indestructible to start with. If there is a problem with a 870, parts are plentiful and cheap. I've picked up a couple of inexpensive ones over the years and they are outstanding guns for the cost. The Ithaca 37 is a great design (and my favorite pump shotgun) but the bolt locks to the receiver and not a barrel extension so you have to inspect those a little more closely before buying. An Ithaca that has been shot loose is not easy or inexpensive to repair.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I was out with the wife and my niece and stopped by gander mountain to hold the M&P and the Glock , I learned I do not have a glock hand , it just didn't feel right the M&P was like shaking hands with an old friend so M&P moves up

[W.R.Buchanan]

The thing about most used police trade in's is seldom have they been fired that much. They obviously get carried everyday and that is where most of the wear is.

A used G22 or 23 is almost assuredly going to be a serviceable pistol. Plus you can rebuild a Glock for $20-30. New springs and maybe a new trigger assy and striker.

I bought two ex Czech Police CZ82's last year. both looked like hell as they came with a painted finish and lots had worn or chipped off after being carried daily for many years. However I also found out that the Czech Police were given exactly 2 mags 12 rounds each of ammo to shoot each year. Now they could practice, or carry them, whatever they chose.

Bottom both of the guns I have have had less than 200 rounds thru them and they refinish real nice with Cerakote.

See before and after photos .

Randy