What do you look for when buying a used rifle?

[RobertN]

One thing you may look at is ammo availability. I can still find it local, but that mat be different elsewhere.

FWIW, if I had the spare change to throw around, I would like to get another 99, in 250-3000; another classic cartridge(and parent to the 22-250; hence the 250 in the name).

 

[the old grind]

It's been my experience that crown condition and ammo preference are the keys to accuracy, while o'all bore condition has more to do with what's needed to remove copper fouling. Some of my best shooters have the roughest bores, esp pawn shop Mauser 98s. The bore-scope tells me when I've cleaned up the 'high spots' enough vs waiting to get a clean patch out, which btw seems like forever with some ...

SMLE No4 Mk1 is a favorite among those with 'sewer-pipe' bores tho' not particularly accurate with a throat leade a half dozen or so calibers long and mil open sights. The Mausers usually just have poorly fitted 'sporter' wood stocks and/or improperly tightened screws on them which doesn't take much to correct, and they're easy to scope or to drill for mounts if not done already. Always wanted a Sav 99 or a Win 88 in .358 Win but they're like hen's teeth and priced accordingly. :bawling:

Sometimes it's the gun/caliber combination that calls out to you. My Rem 81 is in .35 Rem, somewhat rare now compared to so many made in .300 Sav (post 1940) or the obsolete .30 Rem & .32 Rem cals. It was love at first sight. :heart:

What I look for is usually just something to hunt with, something to be taken in like a stray dog or cat to be nurtured and enjoyed, and gettin' 'er in shootin' shape is part of the fun of owning.

 

[k0ua]

It's been my experience that crown condition and ammo preference are the keys to accuracy, while o'all bore condition has more to do with what's needed to remove copper fouling. Some of my best shooters have the roughest bores, esp pawn shop Mauser 98s. The bore-scope tells me when I've cleaned up the 'high spots' enough vs waiting to get a clean patch out, which btw seems like forever with some ...

SMLE No4 Mk1 is a favorite among those with 'sewer-pipe' bores tho' not particularly accurate with a throat leade a half dozen or so calibers long and mil open sights. The Mausers usually just have poorly fitted 'sporter' wood stocks and/or improperly tightened screws on them which doesn't take much to correct, and they're easy to scope or to drill for mounts if not done already. Always wanted a Sav 99 or a Win 88 in .358 Win but they're like hen's teeth and priced accordingly. :bawling:

Sometimes it's the gun/caliber combination that calls out to you. My Rem 81 is in .35 Rem, somewhat rare now compared to so many made in .300 Sav (post 1940) or the obsolete .30 Rem & .32 Rem cals. It was love at first sight. :heart:

What I look for is usually just something to hunt with, something to be taken in like a stray dog or cat to be nurtured and enjoyed, and gettin' 'er in shootin' shape is part of the fun of owning.

I know what you mean about taking in a "stray"
I took in an old British .303 Enfield MK4 with a lousy bore that someone had "sporterized" in other words cut up the existing Military hardware. I cut about 3 inches of barell off including the original sights, put a cheap synthetic stock on it and of all things a B Square mount and a Tasco 3x9 scope on it. Re-crowned with hand tools and it would shoot 2 inch at 100 all day with Remington factory ammo. I know that is not really something to write to mamma about, but for what it was I did not think that was too bad, and it sure looked a heck of a lot better than it did in it's butchered mode when I got it.

 

[whistlepig]

Scoping a bore would be the ultimate test. For most of us this is not practical. Usually if the gun seems to be well taken care of on the outside the condition the bore has been taken care of also. Maybe. I have had more successes buying used guns than failures. But the risk of failure is always there. I have bought a couple of bad used guns. One of my most prized rifles that I own now I bought used. That was many years ago.

I wouldn't buy used these days. The price difference between used and new these days so very little.

 

[the old grind]

Scoping a bore would be the ultimate test. For most of us this is not practical. ...

I wouldn't buy used these days. The price difference between used and new these days so very little.

Good point, but that I can brag-up my gear should not be interpreted as having a leg-up on other shoppers. True, a b'scope can tell you what a bore's condition is, but that's easily over-rated as to a gun's o'all potential. Does it feed RNs or spitzers better? Trigger gritty or creepy? 'Free-floated' barrel/stock making contact on one side? Stock screws torqued properly? Ammo-fussy? Many of these apply to new or used. btw: I scope new guns, if ever, more than used when shopping, where I'm willing to risk 'taking what I get'. A good fit for the shooter trumps a lot of other considerations, too.

That said, yes, newer 'price leaders' often out-shoot our older 'premium' guns. Mossy ATR, Savage Axis II, TC Venture, Ruger American ... such as these have rewritten the rules as to bang for buck and accuracy potential. Buying used is ever more for those of us who seek what's no longer offered in action/caliber match-ups vs finding a 'bargain'. We're collecting older guns like old cars for their charm vs just their prowess as hunting tools, and I totally agree that they might not offer as much value in the long run, esp considering iffy past care. (a collector/reloader's viewpoint )

 

[whistlepig]

I didn't mean to brag up my gear. Just some reflections of my gun buying over the years. And I am still buying guns. Some of the old guns are very well proven. Some of the new ones good or are trying.

I am not a collector. I am a shooter. And if you think some of these newer guns better than the older well made older "premium" guns I wish you well. Perhaps you will shoot with someone someday owning one of these old dinosaurs.

 

[the old grind]

Heh sorry, I meant me bragging up the Hawkeye as an uncommon tool for evaluation, as I'm a dinosaur collector, shooter, loader. The Rem 81 went out of production the year I was born. (1950) I hunt deer up North with a '43 Czech made Mauser with re-contoured original tube, and favorite calibers include 9.3x57 ('31 Husky mod 46) and 7x57 (1925 Oviedo '93 Mauser re-barreled in orig 7x57 cal). My 'gimmick' is usually using cheapo scopes on guns that deserve better. 8x57 & 7x57 old mil hunters here, with Brng Safari & Husky 'Ltwt Sporter' in the boringly over-capable .30-06. (Old 'premiums'?)

(gotta update pics for insurance. thanks for the nudge! :thumbsup

I'm sure no expert on 'better', tho' IMO it's often about rarity/desirability as much as craftsmanship or design. Know what I like tho' & that's a mix. What the new breed can do is shoot well for the $$, and IMO that gives them an edge for shooters seeking value to put meat in the freezer. Craftsmanship may be better appreciated among shotgunners nowadays. I hunt with a Mossy (bunnies) or Benelli (birds), and the Red Label 20Ga is just for skeet with the Mod 21 buffs at the club. (my 'avg' is ~17 there ) My 'classic' SGs are Rem 11-48s in .410 & 20 Ga.

You'd have to say my collection is as oddball as eclectic, Handi rifles & all that, but if they weren't to be shot they wouldn't be mine. That said, what I take afield is often by seniority of build date. I guess that makes 3 of us fans of the classics. (OP, wp, tog) Got AR? Yeah, a safe queen or two ... :laughing:

 

[SPIKER]

Heh sorry, I meant me bragging up the Hawkeye as an uncommon tool for evaluation, as I'm a dinosaur collector, shooter, loader. The Rem 81 went out of production the year I was born. (1950) I hunt deer up North with a '43 Czech made Mauser with re-contoured original tube, and favorite calibers include 9.3x57 ('31 Husky mod 46) and 7x57 (1925 Oviedo '93 Mauser re-barreled in orig 7x57 cal). My 'gimmick' is usually using cheapo scopes on guns that deserve better. 8x57 & 7x57 old mil hunters here, with Brng Safari & Husky 'Ltwt Sporter' in the boringly over-capable .30-06. (Old 'premiums'?)
View attachment 381086View attachment 381087View attachment 381088View attachment 381085
(gotta update pics for insurance. thanks for the nudge! :thumbsup

I'm sure no expert on 'better', tho' IMO it's often about rarity/desirability as much as craftsmanship or design. Know what I like tho' & that's a mix. What the new breed can do is shoot well for the $$, and IMO that gives them an edge for shooters seeking value to put meat in the freezer. Craftsmanship may be better appreciated among shotgunners nowadays. I hunt with a Mossy (bunnies) or Benelli (birds), and the Red Label 20Ga is just for skeet with the Mod 21 buffs at the club. (my 'avg' is ~17 there ) My 'classic' SGs are Rem 11-48s in .410 & 20 Ga.

You'd have to say my collection is as oddball as eclectic, Handi rifles & all that, but if they weren't to be shot they wouldn't be mine. That said, what I take afield is often by seniority of build date. I guess that makes 3 of us fans of the classics. (OP, wp, tog) Got AR? Yeah, a safe queen or two ... :laughing:

Thought you said it was NEGLECTED that thing looks new to me lol...
Mark

 

[Tollster]

I didn't mean to brag up my gear. Just some reflections of my gun buying over the years. And I am still buying guns. Some of the old guns are very well proven. Some of the new ones good or are trying.

I am not a collector. I am a shooter. And if you think some of these newer guns better than the older well made older "premium" guns I wish you well. Perhaps you will shoot with someone someday owning one of these old dinosaurs.

I think he was trying to convey the new technology that has become available in the manufacturing process, with tighter tolerances and increased accuracy on many new rifles priced under 500 dollars.
I concur, because many of those "old dinosaurs" of yester year that shot sub MOA's typically cost a minimum of two times that, and even then, it typically was not constant though out production.. Or you had to do something to increase the accuracy, maybe loosen or tighten the forearm screws such as a Ruger No 1, or something more costly.

I'm a fan of older firearms, but sub MOA's under 500 dollars is beginning to be the new norm, but the beauty still goes to the older ones in my book.

 

[roadhunter]

I know this is purely subjective but that seems like an awfully light round for moose IMO. I'm sure it will do the job but you might want to look at something that holds more powder, especially if you are planning on shooting a heavier 150+ grain bullet, which you should for hunting moose.