Do you clean a gun before selling it?

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tjhands

New member
Every gun I have ever sold had me hovering over it for a half hour, cleaning it with patches and Q-tips, oiling the barrel and slide rails and just polishing it up in general.

I wanted the buyer to be impressed when he field stripped it and couldn't get dirt on the patch, no matter where he dug for it. To me, that's something that falls under common courtesy, but it's unfortunate that I can honestly say that I've only once bought a used gun in a private sale where that courtesy has been returned to me.

Am I too anal? Too eager to please? Too.......something? Go ahead, give it to me straight here. :)
 
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a7mmnut

Moderator
You must be as old as I am!!:eek: Thank God for guys like you. Respect, common courtesy, honest dealings with other people--that's just the way I was brought up, I guess.


-7-
 
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Tikirocker

New member
In my world, not cleaning a gun before sale is like giving a dinner guest dirty plates and cutlery - bad form and just plain rude.

Tiki.
 
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grymster2007

New member
I take it out 3 weeks ahead of sale and put 500 rounds of corrosive primered ammo through it, dunk it in a bucket of dirty dishwater and throw it under the seat of my truck, where there's coffee, beer, cigarette butts, dirt, pine cones, cheeseburger wrappers and used dental floss. A couple days later I pack the action with wet sand and cook at 200F for an hour, dump out the sand and it's ready to go. :)

Actually, I don't recall selling a gun. When I do sell something I make sure it's in as good a shape as I can reasonably make it.

I've noticed over the years that many people don't really care about what they sell. It's all about them and tough crap if you don't like it. Goes back to my pet peeve about irresponsible parents.
 
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dm1333

New member
Same thing as with selling a car, a little sweat equity can go a long way towards getting a good price. Of course I have only sold one gun in my life and that was well over 10 years ago. I still wish I had just saved up some extra money and kept it.
 
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Trapp

New member
I just bought a GP-100 from a local gun store. My ammo wouldn't even load freely until I took a bore brush and cleaned the cylinder...
 
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johnwilliamson062

Moderator
No I don't.
I have only sold three guns.
2 I had never fired(I bought both b/c I got pretty good deals. One I decided I did not like the other I already had one of and quickly realized having a second was stupid no matter how much liked the first). Were they clean when I bought them? Pretty much, I didn't white glove them or anything.
THe third was a bolt action rimfire. I would never clean a bolt rimfire unless it was malfunctioning.
 
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223 shooter

New member
Yep - sure do , especially when I trade something in. Had dealers ask me before - "Has this thing even been fired?" I always try to present the gun at its best.
 
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TonyAR308

New member
I clean any gun I sell or trade as if it were going to be inspected by a drill sgt. IMO I shows a little pride and respect.
 
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Chris_B

New member
I have purchased four handguns used

And three were filthy. Bizarrely, the one that had been a military issued pistol from WWII came to me whistle clean, and it was not from a private seller either.

But it ****** me off that each of these filthy ones were like that. I inspected each enough to know they were probably good purchases (and they were) but the lack of care given by the seller bothered me

If I were to sell, of course they would be clean. I want as much money as I can get, yes? How does a dirty pistol help me sell it?
 
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albsch

New member
Funny that you bring this up. I have been looking at picking up a 357 revolver for the past couple of weeks. I have been to several gun shops looking at the used ones available. I have yet to find any of the ones I looked at being even close to clean. One dealer was upset when I told him that the gun was filthy and he grabbed the gun to look at it. He asked me what I thought was so bad. I ran my finger around the muzzle and let him look at the nice black ring, his response was to put the gun back in the case and walk away. Guess I won't go back there! If I had a gun shop and took in a dirty item it would be clean before it ever saw the show case! But then I can't come home from the range without cleaning whatever I took that day.
 
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Rich Miranda

New member
Mr. Flamebait reporting for duty, sir!

I don't bother cleaning a gun prior to sale. That's like washing the car AFTER you sold it. A waste of time. If they agreed to buy it as is, then it's a done deal.

Before y'all flame my patooty out the door, the guns I sell are not disgustingly dirty, just not cleaned immediately prior to sale and/or delivery. But I do NOT shoot a gun once its for sale or after it's sold.

I don't care if a gun I buy has been cleaned or not. I'm going to tear it down to see how it runs anyway. That's when I do the cleaning.

A clean gun does make a good impression and if I were a retail store I would do it, for the repeat business.

Ya wanted the truth, you got the truth. :)
 
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THEZACHARIAS

New member
The only time I would sell a dirty gun would be if I was about to leave the range and someone offered me a buttload of money. Outside of that, everything is immaculate, oiled and stored. I refuse to let an investment as expensive as a firearm get corroded or rusted or nasty. Besides, I think hoppes #9 smells great.

I have seen some handguns at the local pawn shop that where utterly disgusting. Its to a degree that I will never buy a gun from them. The inside of some of these guns have so much residue youd think they where spray painted black.
 
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ZeSpectre

New member
Like most things in life...it depends.

if I decided to sell a gun that has been in my safe then it's probably already pretty damn clean (I'm just like that). Though I'll usually give it an additional wipedown or whatever.

on the other hand the two times I've sold something I've been shooting at the range I basically scribbled out a bill of sale, and then handed them the gun. (admittedly both were folks I knew well anyway).
 
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Hellbilly5000

New member
I keep mine pretty clean before I sold my old H&K vp70z (wife's hands to small to shoot it accurately so I got something she could shoot) I cleaned it pretty good. Now bear in mind this was imported in 1984 and still in nib condition with original box and manual in German) and target it came with.
 
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Chris_B

New member
Mr. Flamebait reporting for duty, sir!

I don't bother cleaning a gun prior to sale. That's like washing the car AFTER you sold it
Click to expand...

Err...no...what are you thinking??? :confused:

The logical analogy would actually be washing the car before you sold it.

The only way your analogy works would be if the thread was about cleaning the gun you just sold for the person you sold it to, after money changed hands
 
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dabigguns357

New member
yep i just sold a 4046 .40cal that was spotless when i laid it in his hand,i even cleaned the mags from top to bottom.The more you make something look good to the buyer the quicker they will buy it.

I'm a clean freak,i don't like to get dirty nor do my guns.:Dall's well when things are bright and shiny:cool:
 
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