Would You Buy A Dirty Gun from a Gun Store?

I was in a LGS the other day. I saw a stainless Smith&Wesson .44 Magnum with a six inch barrel. To me, the thing looked huge. I asked to look at it to see what kind of fit it might be for me, etc.

It looked as if the gun must've been sitting in the store for some while. The stainless looked smudged. This gun would very much benefit from a good cleaning. I'm not even sure if a store is allowed to clean a gun though. Is it still considered to be new if its been cleaned? I know if I owned a gun store, I would be very hesitant to clean an $845.00 gun if it was going to cause depreciation, etc.

My question is; would you be hesitant to buy a new but dirty gun from a gun shop? Is it possible that a gun that is dirty from being handled has taken upon a compromised finish? The gun didn't have rust on it or even looked like it was starting to rust. I'm assuming it has never been fired. I'm sure it won't be hard to clean a smudgy gun but I would hate to clean it only to find that it lacks the luster that a new gun should have, etc. Can you imagine bringing your wheel gun back to your LGS and showing discontent because its not as "shiny" as you think it should be?

I realize that a .44 Mag with a dull finish is going to take care of business the same as a nice new and shiny one will. At the same time, however, if its not going to look like a new one, then I'm not paying a "new" price for it, etc.

What are your thoughts? Am I being to picky? Do I have just concerns about the finish? Would you hesitate to buy a dirty gun or would you insist for the dealer to order you a new one that hasn't been on display if you were really serious about buying said gun?

Thanks,
DCG

I'd be suspect more of the gun store itself if they never wiped the guns down with a silicone cloth or something to at least clean the hand prints and oils off of the guns. I'd wonder how well the gun had been taken care of at all by theses guys.

Maybe one solution would be to ask the LGS to clean it and if it is to your satisfaction then you would buy it? Still not sure how being dirty for an extended period though would affect the integrity of its finish.

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Originally Posted by TN_Mike

I'd be suspect more of the gun store itself if they never wiped the guns down with a silicone cloth or something to at least clean the hand prints and oils off of the guns. I'd wonder how well the gun had been taken care of at all by theses guys.

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At the very least, it doesn't leave a good impression. I agree though, it makes me wonder how well the gun has been handled.

Since it is a stainless steel gun, the only worries with the finish would be scratches. A good wipe down with a silicone cloth should take care of any smudges and dust build up on it.

I'd be leery of a gun store that doesn't take normal care of their guns. A simple wiped with a cloth after handling the gun will take care of the outside, and if it has set for a long period and accumulated dust in the barrel a quick hit with a can of compressed air will it blow out.

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Originally Posted by TN_Mike

I'd be suspect more of the gun store itself if they never wiped the guns down with a silicone cloth or something to at least clean the hand prints and oils off of the guns. I'd wonder how well the gun had been taken care of at all by theses guys.

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Sadly this is very true.
With most new handguns being either stainless or "coated" a lot of places don't do this anymore.

Personally I won't buy a NIB gun that's been on display unless it's the only one in the store.

If it was a good deal, I'd jump on it.

For stainless, I like lemon oil, for pollished,
a touch of Simichrome will have it looking new.

Blued surface, I'd be cautious about aggressive cleaning. Let them do it.

If I had to blow the dust off to see the brand, but I saved $200, count me in.

Do some more research on the gun store, then go with what feels right to you. I have purchased both new and used guns from multiple sources in all kinds of conditions and feel that I have always got my moneys worth, with a couple killer deals to boot.

kinda what Concealed said--visit a store enough to know how the staff treat the merchandise.

i was in a store soon after it had an expansion and brought in some 'fresh' staff.
ex-luggage handlers.

playing twirly and wrist snapping a spinning cylinder....after seeing that i will only buy from them
if it comes from an unopened box. more than a few times its been a used or the last one there--I've passed on it.

------->as for handling marks on an otherwise good gun; much as already has been said--silicon cloth and a bore light

Was the gun being sold as "new" ?

A new gun should be just that ,"new".

I have bought pre-owned revolvers with burn rings on the front of the cylinder and powder residue around the forcing cone and top strap that just needed a little TLC with lead-a-way and a brass brush.

Sometimes that can work in your favor when negotiating on price if you are knowledgeable enough to know the firearm is mechanically sound.

OS

A high percentage of guns in gun stores have fouled barrels because they have had proof rounds fired in them so they arrive from the factory that way. I don't remember ever buying a new gun that the patch came out clean, they always come out with fouling on them.

Fitch

A Stainless S&W .44 Mag that had handling smudges all over it?

If it was priced low & priced right I'd buy it if it had yukky kooties and crusty boogers on it & I'd wipe it down & clean it up when I got it home.

You can get a new one for what they are charging 845.00 for that gun. Now, if its dirty, at least you know it was burning powder before it was traded in, as I assume this one was. A stainless gun is no problem to clean up, but. the price has got to be right.

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Originally Posted by Old School

Was the gun being sold as "new" ?

A new gun should be just that ,"new".

I have bought pre-owned revolvers with burn rings on the front of the cylinder and powder residue around the forcing cone and top strap that just needed a little TLC with lead-a-way and a brass brush.

Sometimes that can work in your favor when negotiating on price if you are knowledgeable enough to know the firearm is mechanically sound.

OS

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Originally Posted by glockman10mm

You can get a new one for what they are charging 845.00 for that gun. Now, if its dirty, at least you know it was burning powder before it was traded in, as I assume this one was. A stainless gun is no problem to clean up, but. the price has got to be right.

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I was at the shop to speak with the owner about other things so I wasn't really shopping for a gun. I couldn't help, however, to notice the gun sitting in the display case. I'm assuming the gun is new as well as the other pistols that were in the display case. I only briefly looked at the gun and didn't stay long to discusse specifics, etc.

I don't have the funds to go gun shopping for right now but I will have to admit that the thought of having a .44 mag in the house as my DefConGun is a rather appealing thought.

I'll put some more research in before I go out to seriously pursue a .44 Mag but after having seen this gun, it did make me wonder what I would do if I found a gun like this - when I'm actually in the market to make a purchase.

The shop is in a small town and the guy that has the shop has had it for a number of years. He seems to be a friendly guy and he seems to be really honest. I think the guy has integrity but also has a shop that might be a little on the messy side. He also sells fishing gear & tackle as well as archery products so this isn't a gun-only shop. The town is so small that if he didn't sell the other things, he wouldn't be in business.

It sounds like that if he still has this gun several months from now that you guys wouldn't hesitate to buy this gun if you could get it at a good price. To be honest, this is such a small shop, I doubt that the shop owner has much room to negotiate. While I was talking to him, he was telling me that although he can sell fishing tackle with a 25% markup that there isn't much profit in selling the gear. I would assume that the same goes for guns.

Over the years I have bought several guns that looked like they were drug behind a truck on a grave road.

I used the rough appearance of them to my advantage, getting them at a cheaper price because they were so ugly.

I clean them up. Some of them looked very good after just a little bit of tender loving care. The ones that didnt, I just sandblasted, refinished and used. In some cases the guys that sold me the guns and saw what I had done to them to improve their looks commented about how they wished that they had never sold them.

I got a beat up police trade in on a Sig 226. It looked like it was more to beat people with and throw through windows, but it appeared to have been shot very little. I took it to John Norrell and let him refinish it with his patented MolyCoat stuff that made him famous and that gun looked even better than a new gun. The finish was flawless and it was virtually rust proof. I carried that gun often and still do when I am going to be soaking wet with sweat, because it wont hurt it at all.

So, if I do see a gun that I want and it is filthy, I'll use that as a bargaining chip to get a better price.