• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

new or used?

yotetrapper

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Northern Nevada
So I've been carrying a "well used" Ruger P85 and feel very comfortable with it, however I just recently bought a brand new Kimber Raptor II and I absolutely Love it. I mean Love it! I'm also very comfortable with it as well.

My new found dilemma is now that I have my beautiful new 1911, I'm starting to feel it may be too "nice" to carry. I'd hate to scratch her up or heaven forbid if I was ever forced to use it, have it be held as evidence.

Am I just over thinking/worrying things? I'd enjoy hearing everyone's input, thanks.
 

Brass Magnet

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
2,818
Location
Right Behind You!, Wisconsin, USA
So I've been carrying a "well used" Ruger P85 and feel very comfortable with it, however I just recently bought a brand new Kimber Raptor II and I absolutely Love it. I mean Love it! I'm also very comfortable with it as well.

My new found dilemma is now that I have my beautiful new 1911, I'm starting to feel it may be too "nice" to carry. I'd hate to scratch her up or heaven forbid if I was ever forced to use it, have it be held as evidence.

Am I just over thinking/worrying things? I'd enjoy hearing everyone's input, thanks.

That's why I always buy used when I can help it! It sucks being the first one to put a scuff or scratch on a gun. It's also nice to let someone else take the hit and get a nice firearm for way less than retail. That being said, carry the darn thing! Start out carrying it only on "dress" occasions if it helps you get past the worry. :D After the first little scuff or some holster wear you'll get past it and start thinking of it as "adding character".
 
Last edited:

Breadslinger

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
14
Location
Nevada
Performance is the bottom line. Carry what works the best for you. As far as losing a gun; I'd rather lose a gun than lose my life.
 

Cavalryman

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Messages
296
Location
Anchorage, Alaska
Well, I have a philosophy on that which differs from a lot of other folks. I believe if you're not willing to carry it, you shouldn't buy it (unless you bought it just for a range gun). My most-carried pistol is a Wilson CQB Elite. I hear all the time, "If I spent that much money on a pistol, I'd be afraid to carry it" but my position is that my life is worth the best I can afford (not necessarily the most expensive but the best according to my own subjective standards) and if it can't stand up to being carried, shot, and occasionally dropped, it isn't good enough for me to trust with my favorite life. My Wilson has dings and scratches on it and I don't give a darn! It isn't art (but it is a thing of beauty) and its value isn't judged by how it looks but by how it performs. A carry gun will show wear. That's just a fact. That's why when I look at a used gun, I look right past the outward appearance. I've bought some Smith and Wesson police trade-in revolvers that showed holster wear galore but had been meticulously maintained and as are smooth as butter and reliable as sunrise.

My advice is to carry the pistol you shoot best, exercise reasonable care, and forget about beauty. I promise, if you should ever need it in gravest extreme, you'll be glad you had the one you shoot best regardless of what it looks like.
 

yotetrapper

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Northern Nevada
Cavalryman, that was well written and incredibly insightful. I'd like to thank everyone for their responses and say I'm currently working on adding some character/holster wear to my new and beloved .45. I've also realized, this gun is too nice Not to carry! Haha
 
Last edited:

45acpForMe

Newbie
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
2,805
Location
Yorktown, Virginia, USA
I have a unique solution for you, buy two.

I love my Sig P220 Stainless Elite with Rosewood grips, Short Reset Trigger, Night sights and carry it a fair amount. I used to carry it more before picking up some higher capacity 45 guns.

After shooting it a fair amount and carrying it for a while I loved it so much that I decided to pick up a second one and keep it in the safe. I'm all for redundancy and if I ever lose the gun to an evidence locker I will have an identical one to carry. :)

Now I didn't say that my solution would be cheap, did I? :lol:
 

yotetrapper

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Northern Nevada
Buy a 2nd one? Hmmmmm...:idea: I LOVE IT!!! however ... my wife dosent think it's such a great idea haha. She has her heart set on getting a Glock 19 before I can buy any more pieces :cool:
 

Dreamer

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
5,360
Location
Grennsboro NC
I've never owned a new gun, with the exception of the .410 my dad gave me when I turned 16, and the Mossberg 500 I bought from a dealer a couple years ago. Every firearm I've ever owned has been used. And they all have worked well.

If you're going to buy a used firearm, be sure to have a competent gunsmith go over it before you carry it though. Just to check for wear and reliability issues. Parts DO get worn, and sometimes a VERY inexpensive part can cause a HUGE problem if it fails, like a mainspring, a sear, or a slide stop...
 

GlockIt

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
45
Location
Warren, Michigan
So I've been carrying a "well used" Ruger P85 and feel very comfortable with it, however I just recently bought a brand new Kimber Raptor II and I absolutely Love it. I mean Love it! I'm also very comfortable with it as well.

My new found dilemma is now that I have my beautiful new 1911, I'm starting to feel it may be too "nice" to carry. I'd hate to scratch her up or heaven forbid if I was ever forced to use it, have it be held as evidence.

Am I just over thinking/worrying things? I'd enjoy hearing everyone's input, thanks.

Where I live the price of a used gun isnt alot less then new.

If my gun was going to have a scratch on it id rather be the one who put it there then have to see a scratch from someone else.
 

MainelyGlock

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
615
Location
Portland, ME
I feel the same way about carrying my new(er) Glock 22. I have a third and fourth gen 22, but really only OC the third gen because it is already showing quite a bit of wear. I have almost a grand put into my fourth-gen Glock (I know, I know), so I'm a little hesitant to carry it because I don't want a single scratch on it!
 

drew9

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2012
Messages
81
Location
Charlotte
So I've been carrying a "well used" Ruger P85 and feel very comfortable with it, however I just recently bought a brand new Kimber Raptor II and I absolutely Love it. I mean Love it! I'm also very comfortable with it as well.

My new found dilemma is now that I have my beautiful new 1911, I'm starting to feel it may be too "nice" to carry. I'd hate to scratch her up or heaven forbid if I was ever forced to use it, have it be held as evidence.

Am I just over thinking/worrying things? I'd enjoy hearing everyone's input, thanks.

I looked at a Ruger P85 and a P95 today at a pawn shop, and my thought is to A: buy used so I won't worry about scuffing it, and B: buy used, because I can't afford anything much higher than 300 dollars. :) That being said, I know you said you were comfortable with the P85, how do you like it overall? I haven't shot one, and the only Ruger I've fired (SR9) had some serious issues for a new gun. I've heard tons of good things about the p85, so wondered what your overall view was of the gun. Thanks!
 

yotetrapper

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
74
Location
Northern Nevada
I looked at a Ruger P85 and a P95 today at a pawn shop, and my thought is to A: buy used so I won't worry about scuffing it, and B: buy used, because I can't afford anything much higher than 300 dollars. :) That being said, I know you said you were comfortable with the P85, how do you like it overall? I haven't shot one, and the only Ruger I've fired (SR9) had some serious issues for a new gun. I've heard tons of good things about the p85, so wondered what your overall view was of the gun. Thanks!

I really like the p85, its comfy, reliable, and surprising accurate for what it is. Although it is big n bulky and a little sloppy in the action. I think of it as my "AK 47" of my pistols Haha. I do recommend it though but try n get it down to $250 if you can.

On the other side of things I'm finally over this controversy and now carrying my Kimber on a daily basis :monkey Its thinner, lighter, sexier and delivers a better package :cool:
 
Last edited:

drew9

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2012
Messages
81
Location
Charlotte
Buying used guns is similar to recycling! It's good for the environment and your wallet!

I've gotten "Used-Like new" guns before, those are screaming deals!

Thanks for the information guys. I still havent decided yet, but going to look some more tomorrow. Thanks!
 

MainelyGlock

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
615
Location
Portland, ME
I got my Ruger SR40 used for $250. REALLY good deal. Looked like it hadn't been fired at all, and was only a few months old too. I think they retail online for $400 plus transfer fees plus tax.
 

Xulld

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Messages
159
Location
Florida
I try to think about if I am ever going to sell a given hand gun first. If so, I might take care of it aesthetically, if not I call that good wear. An item well loved, ect.
 

dr4pat

New member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
7
Location
WI.
So I've been carrying a "well used" Ruger P85 and feel very comfortable with it, however I just recently bought a brand new Kimber Raptor II and I absolutely Love it. I mean Love it! I'm also very comfortable with it as well.

My new found dilemma is now that I have my beautiful new 1911, I'm starting to feel it may be too "nice" to carry. I'd hate to scratch her up or heaven forbid if I was ever forced to use it, have it be held as evidence.

Am I just over thinking/worrying things? I'd enjoy hearing everyone's input, thanks.



Just remember a piece can always be replaced, you can't=======dr4pat
 
Top