Buying a Used Shotgun

The time of the year immediately prior to the opening of dove season is a busy time. There are fields to be scouted, dogs to be trained, and shells to be loaded. It always seems that work at the office finds a way to pile up around this time, too. In the midst of everything else, there are gun shows to attend. This is important. Everyone knows why you go to gun shows: Gun shows are where you find the guns! And there are few things a hunter loves more than working through tables of gleaming shotguns, smelling the gun oil and handling each one in turn.

One of the unique things about shotguns is that they are also pieces of usable folk art. Guns are beautiful things in and of themselves. The fact that they are functional tools that act as the key to unlock so many treasured memories makes them even more special. The fact that a properly cared for shotgun can help provide those memories for over a hundred years just like it was new makes them unlike most other tools that we encounter in our lifetimes. Your great-grandchildren can have just as much fun with your guns as you have had.

The simple act of searching for a good used gun is pleasurable in itself. The prospect of finding a bargain is also an enticement for many of us. The fine line is not letting our desire to find a good deal overwhelm our common sense. Although there are lots of fine, functional weapons at gun shows, there are also lots of sleeping dogs lurking. A gun that has not received proper care from its owners is going to develop problems, sooner or later. Your goal when selecting a new shotgun is to avoid the dogs, strike the best possible deal on a safe, functional gun, and come home with a winner.

How do you go about coming home from a gun show with a winner? The first step is simply to be prepared. In other words, know exactly what you are looking for when you go shopping. If at all possible, decide what you are looking for prior to hitting the gun tables. If you have a good idea of the model and manufacturer of weapon for which you have an interest, then you can shop from a position of knowledge. For instance, the Browning Superposed is a fabulous gun. However, you do not want to come happily trotting home with a late 1960’s Superposed and only then hear the words “salt wood gun” when you start showing it off. Likewise, you don’t want to bring home a nifty European scattergun and find out later you have to send it FOB to Italy for repairs or order your spare parts from Russia. Translators can get expensive. When buying used shotguns, knowledge truly is power.

If you have a good idea of what you are looking for on the front end, you will be in a much better position to know what the gun is really worth. This will greatly increase your chances of making a good deal. The most common reference for what a gun is worth is the Blue Book of Gun Values. However, I have found picking up a couple of copies of The Shotgun News or The Gun List to be invaluable in pricing guns. Both of these magazines are available at any good bookstore or magazine stand. Given that they have so many listings of guns for sale, you can get a very good idea of the going rate for a gun pretty quickly by paging through these publications.

In pricing guns, always be aware of the “value added” trick. This is most prevalent in competition or tournament shotguns, but also occurs in hunting guns, too. It goes something like this: “This gun has had the forcing cones lengthened, a custom trigger job, porting, back boring to .735 and cryogenic freezing of the barrel to lock in the point of impact. That is $1,200 of custom work.” Your reply should be, “So what?” For the most part, none of that stuff should affect the price you are willing to pay for the gun, unless you are specifically in the market for a tricked out “race gun.” Think of it like this, a $1,500 Volkswagen Beetle with leather upholstery, a hot tub, strobe lights and a built-in wet bar is still just a $1,500 Volkswagen Beetle. Get it?

Once you have a good idea of exactly what you are looking for in the gun department, and what it is worth, you get to the fun stuff. The fun part is actually looking at the individual guns to pick out your new friend. Your goal is to eliminate “problem guns” and only focus on the good stuff. So what is it that you should look for in examining a used gun?

The first thing that you want to look for is rust. Rust is the “gift that keeps on giving.” Once a gun has rust problems, it is a royal pain to get rid of the rust, and the same spots will always be subject to rust. You want to check the ENTIRE gun, so be prepared to look at the barrel, magazine, receiver, trigger group and the stock return spring in the stock. Check for pitting, too. You want to see the inside of the gun. Examine the guts -- the stuff that makes the gun tick. And, once you have done so, if you see any signs of rust, walk away.

Mechanically, you want to check and make sure that the action, including the bolt, is smooth and non-binding. This is especially true on pump guns. You don’t want a bolt that is loose when the action is closed, or a bolt that is hard to open. Are there any loose or worn-out parts? If so, let the gun be someone else’s problem. Screw out the choke tube and check to see if the counter-bore that the choke screws into is clean and not rusted. Pay special attention to the threads to make sure that nothing has galled or has been cross-threaded. Be sure that the barrel is not bulged, especially right before the counter-bore for the choke. Always check the barrel ring for signs of cracking or a weak weld. Duck hunters will want to pay special attention to the return spring and tube in the stock. This is the part most prone to get wet on a duck gun without proper maintenance.

One thing to be especially vigilant for is to make sure that there are no scratched up or wallowed out screw heads. This is a sure sign that the gun has been taken apart, probably for a repair by an amateur gunsmith. It also indicates that whoever took it apart to repair it did not really know what they were doing or they were not careful with the gun. In any event, the presence of scratched up screw heads should immediately raise a red flag to the discerning buyer. You don’t want to buy someone else’s old problem.

Is the gun all original? A gun with the original paperwork, box and owner’s manual is worth more than one without these items. Look at the recoil pad. It is much more common to change the recoil pad on a gun now than it was in the past. On an older gun an obvious replacement pad may be a sign that the stock has been modified. Check the length of pull and be very suspicious of anything less than 14 inches, or more than 15 inches. Be sure to check the stock at the grip on a wood stocked gun for cracks. If a stock cracks, it is almost always at the grip. Also, be sure the wood is not soaked with oil from sloppy cleaning which will make it soft. See if the serial number on the bolt matches the receiver. This does not work for all guns, but is worth checking. Never be afraid to ask “why?” if you have a question about something on the gun. And ask “why” for any obvious non-factory modifications or accessories.

Most gun dealers are good hard working folks trying to make a little money off something they love. A few are con-artists and should be hung. Any good gun dealer should not bat an eye if you ask permission to take a gun apart. To know if you are buying a pig in a poke, you have to disassemble the gun. You know it, and they certainly know it. If they do have a problem with you taking the gun down to check under the stock and the like, ask them to do it for you. If they will not do so with a smile, simply walk away.

Any reputable gun dealer should be selling clean guns. If you see a shotgun with a filthy barrel, be on guard. One of the best ways to hide a rusted and pitted barrel is to let lead, powder and plastic build up in the barrel over the rust. Guns offered for sale should be squeaky clean. On a gun that you have ordered via mail, a reputable seller should be willing to give you a 3 day inspection period on a gun, so long as you don’t fire it. He has no idea what kind of hell-cannon reload you might stick in the gun, which is the reason for the usual "non-firing” stipulation.

Never let yourself become a victim of car salesman pressure selling tactics. Be especially leery of “one day only” deals. A gun that is a good deal on Saturday of a gun show should be the same good deal on Sunday, unless it has been sold. Remember the old caveat of the legal profession: If they have to have an answer today, the answer is always “no.” Also, beware of the “project gun.” If someone offers you a “deal” on a gun as a “fixer-upper,” don’t take the bait. Let it be someone else’s project, not yours. Project guns almost always become budget busters. We want you to spend your money on other fun things, and not a money pit disguised as a shotgun.

A gun is a thing of beauty. And things of beauty are fun to look at, handle and just be around. Hopefully, you now know enough to be a more knowledgeable purchaser on the used gun market. There are fabulous guns and great deals waiting for you out there. Enjoy your time working your way through the racks of guns at the next show. Do not be afraid to ask “why?” and show off your new skills. Knowledge is power. So, be prepared, examine the goods carefully, deal with the dealer with confidence and go forth and conquer!

 Copyright © 2003 by Mark Edwards at WaterfowlReview.com.