Buying and Collecting Used Guns Without Getting Burned:
A Dealer’s Secrets

Darrell Holland takes you inside the mind of a Professional Gun Buyer! Find out how you can best increase your chances of getting a good firearm for a fair (or better!) price.
           
      The Basics:
Learn

• the 85%-90% rule to maximize your resale value
• the advantages and disadvantages of Gun Show vs Gun Store purchases
• the 4 questions you should ask any seller
• what to avoid doing that will get you chased away from the booth or out of the store

Metal & Wood Condition

• What metal parts give the best indication of use?
• Has the stock been refinished? How you can tell
• What to be careful of with damaged stocks or metal

Bore Condition

• Good and bad bores shown and explained in close up video
• Why a Bad Bore is not usually a Good Buy

Mechanical Condition

• What do you need the owner’s permission to remove? Why would you want to and what should you look for?
• Why is the bolt root a good place to inspect?
• What other parts of the bolt do you need to check? Why?
• Do you know what the shape of an eroded firing pin means? An erosion ring around the firing pin hole?
• How to test a safety
• What to look for with extractors and ejectors, it could be a cheap fix…..or an expensive one. How to tell.

Optics

• Find out what quality, name brands, can add Big Bucks to the value of your purchase
• Why a poor quality scope is sometimes worth less than nothing. How to tell.

      Taking a Trip to a Gun Store

• Learn “Gun Store Etiquette”
• Why what makes no difference to a hunter/shooter buyer makes a BIG difference to a “Collector Buyer”
• See why you’d be wise to “Take a pass” on one Browning BA-22, and buy another one in the same store
• Checking out an SKS Carbine

         What to look for with:
Handguns: Revolvers

• What to look for in the areas of cylinder; Rotational Play, Endshake, Timing, Barrel /Cylinder gap
• How to test Single and Double Action Operation
• Grips
• Finish
• “Carry” wear/rust

Handguns: Semi-Autos

• Clear the gun
• What NOT to do
• How to check safety function
• What operations checks to perform and why
• What is “Push Off”? How do I check for it? Do I want it?
• How to check the grip safety if the gun has one
• General “Tightness”, is this good or bad?
• Back to the store to check out a “Good” Ruger Blackhawk, & a 1911 A1

Shotguns: Pumps/Semi-Autos

• Using a Remington 870, see how to clear and inspect a bore
• A common problem with veteran waterfowl guns
• How to inspect the action slide lock, what to look for
• Learn the proper way to function check the safety
• Why you should dry fire the gun, and how to check the action
• How and why you need to remove the trigger group
• What to look for regarding the stock finish
• Why you should “feel” the barrel
• What is the “dime check”, and why you should do it
• Why do the Europeans “see stars”? What do they mean?
• Staying out of trouble, how to check the barrel length the way the B.A.T.F.E does (it’s the ONLY way it counts!).
• With a Remington 1100 Darrell shows you what to look for on the fore end
• The infamous 1100 “O”-Rings
• How to determine action bar wear or, worse, bending

Shotguns: Pivot (Double or Single) Barrel Guns

• Using a Browning Citori, see how to check for hinge play
• How to inspect action operation
• What to look for on the breech face
• Does it have extractors or ejectors? What to look out for
• Why you need to check the stock length, and what to look for regarding wood condition
• What should you look for with the rib and tang?
• What is the proper safety check?
• Do you need to remove the barrel? Why?
• Is the fore end properly retained, and is the hinge condition sound?

     
Taking a trip to a Gun Show, Darrell emphasizes proper “Gun Show Etiquette”, and inspects and shows you what to look for on the following guns:

• Whitworth Mauser MK I0 (M-98)
• Savage 99
• Nickel finish S&W Model 19
• Norinco AK-47
• Over/Under Shotgun
• Side/Side Shotgun
• AR-15

      Back at the Store, Darrell shows you what to look for on a:

• Remington 700 BDL Varmint
• Remington 760 Pump
• Ruger 10/22 (Different!) .22lr
• Winchester Model 190 .22lr
• Winchester Model 61 Pump .22lr
• Abused Winchester Model 1906 Pump .22lr
• Well cared for Winchester Model 1890 Pump .22lr
• Poorly refinished Winchester Model 1890 Pump .22lr
• Remington Sportsmaster .22lr
• Winchester Model 52
• M-1 Carbine
• M-1 Garand
• Springfield 1903A3 (Remington)

If you don’t watch this course, you have no one to blame but yourself if you “Get Stuck”! Take advantage of his extensive knowledge and gun buying (and building!) experience. Don’t buy another gun without this information!!