Buying used firearms and starting over
There is nothing wrong with buying used firearms. Some of the best deals you will ever get on handguns are used police trade ins. In recent years, buying a used Glock can save you $100-$200 dollars and if you factor in how much magazines cost, you can get a very good condition firearm and 5-8 gun magazines for the cost of just a new firearm which might only come with 1 or 2 mags. There are now 4 generations of Glocks out there, but I really don’t have a preference. If you like Glocks and the unique grip angle and your looking to enter into gun ownership of one, buy a used one.
If you happen to have one that you either A. wear it out B. got one with a shot out barrel you can start over by replacing the Glock gun parts. I suggest looking up Glock disassemble on youtube or get a Glock Armorers video to replace the smaller parts, but replacing barrels is as easy as clicking your fingers. Glock barrels will run you $100-$200 in general and if you are fortunate enough to have worn one out. I think wearing out a gun is an honorable as wearing out the frets on your Fender Bass, it’s a badge of honor.
My Sig 220 blasted its way through the first 8rds without a hickup. I did notice a mini cloud of lint around the gun, and maybe I should rethink some of the shirts I wear to try and prevent or reduce this, but I thought that lint can’t be any worse than dirt and these are combat pistols. I continued to put another 300rds of 45acp 230gr FMJ ammo and had a stopage. I had a friend tell me that the Sig Factory rep he dealt with says that the guns should run wet and that they are dependent on using more lubrication than something like a Glock. Although I’ve never gotten the bug to own a Glock, I guess I’ll have to acknowledge that Glock does have an edge over Sigs in this area. One thing I have considered doing is putting a little grease on all of my pistols, that way it won’t drain off as easily as CLP or similiar types of lubrication. That is something to think about for pistols.
We all know that Glocks are tough, I won’t say they are the toughest because there are other guns out there that may be as tough, but they are in the top tier of firearms. We know that everyone likes to talk and argue about all of the flaws in firearms and which guns are more reliable than others. Some handguns are meant for concealment and are not combat worthy and aren’t expect to put 500rds through them without cleaning to function flawlessly.
There are a lot of Police trade ins and used firearms out there that can be purchased and 30%-40% below what NEW prices are. There are a few online FFL dealers that pick up the police issued Glocks and Sigs and resell them for under $400. I picked up a few that had a lot of holster wear but once I opened the action, they were hardly fired and they ran flawlessy. Most of the time this is the type of condition most Police trade ins are found.
Something like a 1911 has a questionable reliability track record depending on the conditions they are used in and the type of magazines they are using. Pistol magazines have evolved and improved as much as firearms and the reality is metal guns aren’t in the same category as polymer guns just based on lubrication and climate conditions. There are many firearms out there that will function reliable if lubricated properly and cleaned properly, but polymer guns are the future.