Hi all, long time lurker here!
I was recently at a gunshow. At the very first table, I noticed a Mark 23 in a "Used, Make Offer" section, marked at $1399. I thought that was a very handsome price, considering that the best I've seen on the web has been around $1500, with prices sometimes going up to $1900.
I offered $1200, and they accepted it! I walked away with the Mark 23 (with tritium night sights, four 10-rd magazines, the case (complete with manual, warranty card, etc), a thread protector, and a baggie full of miscellaneous parts such as o-rings, spare sights, a tool, and so on, all for the price of $1284 after tax.
I immediately took the pistol to the range. I was limited on time, but I managed to shoot 150 rounds. The pistol functioned flawlessly, and seems to be very accurate (certainly more accurate than I am!).
The trigger is quite nice. It's not as good as a tuned 1911's, but it is very light and seems to have a pretty well defined breaking point. The manual says it is tuned to be 4.8 pounds in single action mode.
The pistol recoiled a bit more than I expected given its size and the recoil reduction mechanism, but it was still very manageable. I should bring my 1911 to the range and do a side by side comparison; hopefully I will find the time to do so in the near future.
The size isn't as bad as I had expected, from reading on the web. It is certainly big, and it certainly won't be a CCW type pistol, but it's not as if you need a sling to cart it around.
There are a few things that I don't like about it. The checkering on the grip irritates my hands, but I think I'll toughen up. The decocking lever is quite 'snappy' - when you press it down, it snaps back up and leaves your thumbtip sore. I'm not sure I like the mag release buttons going 'down' rather than 'in,' but I'm not going to sweat over it.
All in all, for the price, I say it's a great pistol. I don't think I would have paid $1700 for it, but certainly $1284. I guess it is possible to find good deals at gunshows!
Cosmetically, the pistol is in very nice shape. There's only two wear points, illustrated here:
On the barrel near the muzzle:
On the barrel by the ejection port:
Also, there's some minor wear on the controls. It's hardly noticable in real life, though - I didn't notice it until I saw the pictures.
Other than that, the finish and plastic is beautiful. There's not a single scratch on the slide that I can find, and the plastic has not been scraped or gouged anywhere.
I was recently at a gunshow. At the very first table, I noticed a Mark 23 in a "Used, Make Offer" section, marked at $1399. I thought that was a very handsome price, considering that the best I've seen on the web has been around $1500, with prices sometimes going up to $1900.
I offered $1200, and they accepted it! I walked away with the Mark 23 (with tritium night sights, four 10-rd magazines, the case (complete with manual, warranty card, etc), a thread protector, and a baggie full of miscellaneous parts such as o-rings, spare sights, a tool, and so on, all for the price of $1284 after tax.
I immediately took the pistol to the range. I was limited on time, but I managed to shoot 150 rounds. The pistol functioned flawlessly, and seems to be very accurate (certainly more accurate than I am!).
The trigger is quite nice. It's not as good as a tuned 1911's, but it is very light and seems to have a pretty well defined breaking point. The manual says it is tuned to be 4.8 pounds in single action mode.
The pistol recoiled a bit more than I expected given its size and the recoil reduction mechanism, but it was still very manageable. I should bring my 1911 to the range and do a side by side comparison; hopefully I will find the time to do so in the near future.
The size isn't as bad as I had expected, from reading on the web. It is certainly big, and it certainly won't be a CCW type pistol, but it's not as if you need a sling to cart it around.
There are a few things that I don't like about it. The checkering on the grip irritates my hands, but I think I'll toughen up. The decocking lever is quite 'snappy' - when you press it down, it snaps back up and leaves your thumbtip sore. I'm not sure I like the mag release buttons going 'down' rather than 'in,' but I'm not going to sweat over it.
All in all, for the price, I say it's a great pistol. I don't think I would have paid $1700 for it, but certainly $1284. I guess it is possible to find good deals at gunshows!
Cosmetically, the pistol is in very nice shape. There's only two wear points, illustrated here:
On the barrel near the muzzle:
On the barrel by the ejection port:
Also, there's some minor wear on the controls. It's hardly noticable in real life, though - I didn't notice it until I saw the pictures.
Other than that, the finish and plastic is beautiful. There's not a single scratch on the slide that I can find, and the plastic has not been scraped or gouged anywhere.