Buying a Used Revolver

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Uncle Buck

New member
A friend of mine asked me to look at a revolver he wants to buy. While looking at it, he asked me where I learned what to look for when examining it.

I told him that most of the stuff I was looking for I had learned here at TFL, such as:

The Crane: How loose is it? Does it have wobble, is it bent? A good revolver does not have much play.

How much carbon/lead build up is left in the cylinder? Is the inside of the cylinder scored?

Barrel/Frame: Is the barrel well affixed to the frame? Is there any firing cutting between the cylinder and the cone?

If you take a piece of white paper and place it under the barrel with the cylinder opened, and look down the muzzle, does the rifling inside the barrel go the entire length of the barrel? Is it pitted or full of lead?

Is there slop in the trigger? Any sideways movement?

Slop in the hammer? Sideways movement? What does the pin on the hammer look like, if there is a pin?

Screws: Are they buggered and deformed? (If so, someone probably took the gun apart and did not have the right tools. Who knows what else happened inside the gun.)

A few years ago, when I first returned to shooting, it was all about looks. If the gun looked good, I bought it. Now after reading and learning more and more, I have realized there is more to a gun than just looks.

I prefer to shoot revolvers and mainly pay attention to them more so than other types of guns, so I have picked up info on them more readily than I have, say, AR15 platforms or shotguns.

What other types of things do you guys look at when considering a purchase of a revolver?
 
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MrBorland

New member
Condition of the crown.

Alignment of each chambers with the barrel.

Push-off of the cocked hammer.

Truth be told, though, I don't buy many revolvers, so the first thing I look at is whether a particular revolver suits my needs, i.e. whether it's the right tool for the job.
 
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Uncle Buck

New member
I knew I had seen an article like that before (The posted link; Jim is a great source of information), but could not remember when and where I read it.

But I did remember what to check for.

The revolver was not worth what the guy was asking (Actually, it wasn't worth anything as a shooter) because you could take the cylinder and twist it so as when looking down the barrel it was partially blocking the view. Also, there was a gap of about .005 between the front of the cylinder and the cone.
 
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BigJimP

New member
In addition to the things you mentioned:

I check the timing and ...

if the gun can be fired by pushing on the hammer when its cocked ( indicating an amateur trigger or action job )...

I've bought about 10 used S&W's in the last year or two ( model 19's, 66's and 27's or 28's in .357 mag ) and a few model 29's in .44 mag .... and I've probably looked at close to 200 guns to find the ten guns I bought. I still think there are an awful lot of very nice used guns around / that have spent years in safes ....with a minimal number of rounds thru them. Prices are up a little / but I'm still seeing some good quality guns coming out collections.

Tell your buddy to be patient / and I think he'll find a good gun.
 
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sourdough44

New member
I don't have a problem buying used. When you think about the cost of ammo, a place & time to shoot, many guns sit around with few rounds through them. I have a good number myself. I have a few that I use most often, & allow others to sit. I recently bought a used Redhawk in 45 Colt, not to many around & they usually don't get shot much. I bought a Sako 243 off a guy a few years ago. He ordered it from the factory in 1966. Looking at the guys lifestyle,where he lived, & how much & where(shotgun only) he was able to hunt I don't think he had 100 rounds through it. The gun looks new. I also base it upon the age of the ammo he threw & his stated gun history. I'd rather go used in many instances.
 
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n7qvu

New member
Stolen

Slightly off-topic, but how does one insure that a used gun wasn't stolen sometime in its past?

I'm a FFL and have asked the same ? to the ATF/FBI and their answer is there is NO national database to determine this.

I cannot imagine the bad press I could get if I sold a stolen(unknown by me) firearm to somebody that was pulled over and find out thru a 'local' stolen gun check that it was stolen.

This problem applies to gunsmiths, FFLs that take in used guns for trade and of course Pawn Shops.

Still looking for a decent answer to this issue.
 
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sourdough44

New member
To the 'stolen issue'. I consider who I buy from,where, the price, & whole picture. Lets say you bought it legally in a FTF state, both a resident, & the price was ballpark for that gun used. I usually keep them but suppose you sold the gun later and it went through an FFL, in or out of state. Eventually it comes back that it was stolen. As long as you bought legally in your state & the price was reasonable, I don't see a problem. I usually write a little note in my records of where,when,who, & maybe a phone number of who I bought it from. Now if you bought a $600 gun off a guy for $100 you may have some explaining to do, maybe not.

If you did mistakenly buy a stolen gun FTF you could/will lose that gun with no reimbursement if it later shows up as stolen(later sale or whatever).
 
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