Used guns safety concerns / safety check

[halberg]

G'day,

Can anyone tell me, when you buy a second hand gun and do the transfer through your dealer, is it customary for the dealer to do any sort of safety check on the second hand gun before transferring?

When advertising stuff I guess people aren't likely to mentioned if they've been shooting super hot loads. Or they will understate the amount of rounds fired> they could have dropped it on a hard surface... Whatever... You get the idea...

I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the subject of trusting the safety of a second hand gun you don't really know anything about?

[Guliver]

Your dealer is just handling the paper work, I'm sure he is just responsible for seeing the paperwork meets all legal requirements.

You are purchasing from the dealer who is selling the gun, not your local dealer. Perhaps you can come to come an arrangement "for a fee" to have the checks you request.

[Member-Deleted]

Unless they are qualified gunsmith they really shouldn't be checking anything. It's like any second hand item, it may be cheaper but it comes with a risk.

[meek]

I think caveat emptor is the motto for these kinds of things.

[swedeadmirer]

I've found the average dealer is pretty average about safety, on the other hand most rifles are built very safely.

A dealer in Melbourne was selling a DP 303 (DRILL PURPOSES ONLY) rifle as a normal rifle which can be really dangerous...

You should be able to get the rifle inspected by a gunsmith of your choice before you commit... If you discover a fault afterwards he'll tell you you did it so its your problem

Good luck, you should be right

[reddog]

Funny how a car has to have a roadworthy certificate to be sold, not here in SA but. But you can buy a gun that could have been sitting unfired for 30 years sold by someone who doesn't know the history of the gun, go to a range, sit at a bench and fire away with hand loads, that no-one knows anything about.

Now I'm not saying that anyone sensible would do such a thing, and I'm not advocating any more red tape for second hand guns.

Its funny how you have to jump through hoops to get your license but after that, you are on your own pretty much.

You only have to see some of the questions that get asked on forums to see some people have had no experience with guns at all.

I thank my uncles and their friends for a well based childhood with guns it must be really hard for some people whose family have no experience with firearms at all, I think I might be rambling now, better go make a cup of tea.

[yoshie]

I bought a second hand rifle from a gun store that had a head space problem and a burnt out barrel, they didn't come to the party and offer a refund or repairs.

Some times you get a lemon.

In the end I had it rebarreled and it's now my favourite rifle.

My advice is to get a bore light and have a good look in the shop.

[Grated]

I bought a second hand rifle from a gun store that had a head space problem and a burnt out barrel, they didn't come to the party and offer a refund or repairs.

That's weak...

[BBJ]

Yeah that sucks.

The problem too is that even though you probably had some recourse through consumer affairs or whatever it's called it's probably not worth your time to do it

[yoshie]

Yeah that sucks.

The problem too is that even though you probably had some recourse through consumer affairs or whatever it's called it's probably not worth your time to do it

Their argument was why did you think it was such a good price and it still works, the fact was that it split more cases than not, bolt lift was nearly impossible and most of the primers were falling out wasn't really a concern because "they're a really strong action" all with factory ammo. The gunsmith said that with each shot it would get worse and probably fail. I didn't feel good about trading it (which is probably how I ended up with it) so I had it rebarreled and kept it.

[Ade]

Here in WA you can't buy, transfer a fireRm without a firearm worthy certificate from a gunsmith at a licensed dealer to ensure all firearms are fit for use

[creet]

That's the way it should be I guess.

Can't take that long for a competent gunsmith to give a rifle the once over to look for any obvious problems?

[halberg]

I bought a second hand rifle from a gun store that had a head space problem and a burnt out barrel, they didn't come to the party and offer a refund or repairs.

That's the kind of thing I'm worried about.

I wouldn't have any idea what to look for in those kinds of cases.

If it's shiny it looks ok to me