This is a long response, but I feel it's quite accurate...... revolvers first, then semi autos....
Buying a Used Revolver
by Grant Cunningham
So you want to buy a used revolver? Good for you! The double-action revolver is a wonderful firearm, reliable and durable - but it’s still a mechanical device which can wear. Check for proper and safe function before you spend your cash!
The Quick-and-Dirty Checkout
First, make sure that the gun is unloaded! Except for those tests that require the cylinder be closed, leave the cylinder open for the duration of your inspection.
Carefully look the gun over. Check for any rust or corrosion inside or out. (Refinishing costs can be substantial.) Look at any screws; note any damage. (If someone is that clumsy with simple external parts, there’s no telling what damage they did to the more delicate interior mechanisms. Proceed cautiously!)
Check the muzzle: is the crown in good shape? If the crown is damaged, the gun may not shoot accurately until the crown is re-cut by a gunsmith. It may also be a sign that gun was dropped.
Of course, look down the bore and check for any pitting, rust, or damaged rifling. (A small piece of paper, held against the back of the frame, makes a great reflector to fill the bore with light.)
Look at the breach end of the barrel; is it corroded or cracked? If so, the barrel will probably need to be replaced at substantial cost. Look at the frame under the barrel - this is a common spot for cracks, especially with aluminum framed revolvers. If you see one, forget that gun - it can’t be economically repaired. In either case, don’t buy it!
Of course, the chambers should be smooth and shiny. Some tool marks are acceptable, but stay away from a gun whose chambers appear rough.
Close the cylinder; did it latch easily? Does it open easily? Check the gap between the yoke (the piece that the cylinder rides on) and the frame when the cylinder is closed - is the gap uneven? Any failure in these tests may indicate that the cylinder has been “flicked” closed, usually resulting in misalignment of the barrel and cylinder. This should be considered a deal breaker, so look carefully.
Hold the gun sideways against the light. Can you see a crack of light between the barrel and cylinder? If not, the cylinder is contacting the barrel and the gun won’t operate smoothly without gunsmith attention. The gap should, ideally, be about the thickness of two pieces of notebook paper.
Close the cylinder and grasp it firmly. With the gun pointed in a safe direction, gently attempt to move the cylinder back-and-forth - from the front of the gun to the back. If the cylinder moves more than the thickness of a sheet of paper, the gun may have excessive endshake, a condition that requires gunsmith correction.
While you’re at it, gently try to rotate the cylinder in both directions - it should remain locked. There will be a bit of rotational play, but it should not rotate freely. If it does, the gun is unsafe until repaired.
Double check that the gun is unloaded, point in a verified safe direction, pull the trigger, and hold it back. Try to rotate the cylinder - if it’s a Smith & Wesson or a Ruger, it should move very little to none. If it’s a Colt, it must not move at all (Colts require that the cylinder be solidly locked at the point of ignition.) Check this on every chamber; if one is slightly looser or tighter than the rest it’s not a big problem, but they should not vary tremendously. An overly loose cylinder at lockup will result in lead “spitting” from the barrel gap (a safety hazard) and degraded accuracy. Depending on the cause, correcting a loose cylinder may run into some expense - be wary.
Pull the hammer back, cocking the gun. Try pushing it forward; it should stay locked in place until the trigger is pulled. Wiggle the hammer sideways - it should still be locked. If the hammer drops during any of these tests, it is unsafe and needs to be repaired.
Very slowly cock the gun on each chamber and watch the little metal piece at the bottom of the frame (the one that drops into the cylinder notches.) As you cock the gun, that latch should drop into a locking notch a bit before the gun comes to full cock. (On a Colt, it will drop just as the hammer reaches full cock.) If the gun can be cocked before the cylinder is latched, the gun is out of “time.” This is considered an unsafe condition, and can manifest itself as anything from lead spitting to forcing cone cracking. Needless to say, it needs fixing before it’s shot!
While you’re pulling the trigger, notice if there is any severe “grit” in the action; it may be signs of deteriorating sear surfaces, which may need replacement. If the trigger is very light, especially in double action, it may be a sign that the springs have been altered - you can expect inconsistent ignition. Luckily springs are cheap, but factor their replacement into your offer!
Advanced Tests
To get a complete picture of a revolver’s condition you’ll need a simple feeler gage (sometimes referred to as a thickness gage) set from your local tool or industrial supply store. Get a set with blades between .0015” and .025” (or .035”). Cost should be between $10 and $15, at least where I live.
Recheck that the gun is unloaded. Push the cylinder toward the muzzle and hold; starting with the thinnest blade, insert the feeler gage into the barrel/cylinder gap. If you can insert and remove it without noticeable drag, move to the next thickest; repeat until you feel a light drag on the gage. That blade’s thickness is the cylinder gap.
For a target gun a gap in the .002” to .004” range is acceptable. For a defensive gun you want a gap of no less than .004”, and no more than .006”. (Keep in mind that factory tolerances may be a bit looser than this.) Narrow gaps may give problems with cylinder binding when the gun is hot or dirty; larger and you may give up a small amount of velocity and accuracy, and increase the incidence of unburned powder spitting.
Now let’s check headspace. For this, you’ll need to “stack” several blades to build up the necessary thickness. I start with the .019”, .020”, and .021” for a total of .060”. Insert the stack - holding them tightly together - into the gap between the back of the cylinder and the frame. Just like the barrel gap, try different thickness combinations until you find the one that inserts with a light drag. Add up the blade values; the total is the headspacing of the gun. (Note: this does not work on cylinders with recessed chambers, as in old S&W guns and most Dan Wessons.)
On a .357/.38 revolver, the industry generally agrees that headspacing can range from .060” to no more than .065”. Smaller numbers may result in rounds dragging on the frame, while larger can result in insufficient case head support - a dangerous condition.
Finally, go back to that cylinder gap and remeasure - this time, holding the cylinder to the back of the frame. The difference between this measurement and the first one is the cylinder endplay. On a Colt, it can be no more than .003” under any conditions. For other brands, it’s generally accepted (the factories have published different specifications over the years) to have no more than .005” play - preferably, though, all should be under .003” for best accuracy and frame life.
Perform these quick checks and you’ll be in a position to know whether that revolver is a creampuff or a doggy biscuit. Offer accordingly!
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About the author:
Grant Cunningham is a gunsmith specializing in repair and customization of the classic double-action revolver. To learn more about his work visit
GrantCunningham.com - Home
Buying a Used Semi-Automatic Pistol
by Patrick Sweeney
Buying a used pistol for defense is not difficult. It just takes some persistence and a bit of work.
There are two easy ways to stay safe: shop at a store you know with a good reputation, and buy a model you are familiar with. Buying from someone you met at a gun show can net you a deal. Or a bench queen. Also, if you have no familiarity with a model (Glocks, Sigs, 1911s) then you have to do your homework before buying one. Otherwise you risk finding later you’ve bought something that seemed like a deal but wasn’t.
First, open it to make sure it is unloaded, then give it a look-over to see if it has been abused. I call this the “hammer marks and tire tracks” test. Literal hammer marks, file marks, etc. should be automatic cause for rejection. (Unless what you’re looking for is a gunsmithing project, in which case it may be perfect.) Are all the external parts on it factory, or have some been replaced with aftermarket ones? Open the action and lock it open. Is there daylight coming down the bore? (I kid you not, check for this.) Does the bore look clean and shiny? If not, ask for a brush or patched rod to clean it. If the seller assures you “It will clean up fine” ask again. If he has none, put it down and walk away.
If you’ve gotten this far, ask if dry-firing is OK. If not, again, walk on. Any pistol you are considering for defense is one that will be up to the challenge of being dry-fired. If it isn’t you shouldn’t be looking at it. If the seller is against dry-firing, take a hike. If he truly believes it is bad, you won’t change his mind. If he’s trying to hide something, he’ll never agree that dry-firing that particular model is OK. If at this point you get the impression that I do a lot of walking at gun shops, gun shows, and dealer get-togethers, you’re right. Not only does it reduce the odds I’ll pick a lemon, it improves my negotiating position. As many gun shows now either insist or encourage the use of cable ties to keep actions closed, you’ll have to get the seller to cut the tie off. In gun shops, that won’t be a problem. If the seller tells you that you cannot cut the tie until after you buy, walk not just from the table but out of the show. Tell the ticket-taker on your way out why you’re leaving, and that you won’t be back.
Try the trigger. Do the full drill: ease the slide forward, press the trigger until it drops the action, hold the trigger, cycle the slide, release the trigger to re-set, and dry-fire again. Do it at least a couple of times, and as many times as you need to, to satisfy yourself that the trigger is what it should be. And what would that be? That the trigger pull feels the same every time. That it is within the acceptable parameters for the action. That the re-set distance is the same each time.
Now you’re to the sticking point. To tell more you have to take the slide off. Again, ask. To some dealers you have now become an official pain in the butt. Too bad. We assume that you’ve done your homework and know how. (You should have learned how before getting to this point.) What you’re looking for is evidence of gunsmithing (which may not be bad) and to get a sense of the round count. Look to the feed ramp area. Polished or not? If polished, have the angles been changed? On a 1911, you look to see that the top edge of the ramp in the frame hasn’t been rounded-over.
On pistols with integral ramps, look for the same, and look to see if the bottom edge and sides have been ham-handedly polished. Look at the breechface. There should be burnishing, where the case heads have hammered the finish off in a circular pattern. The area around the firing pin hole should be smooth. If it is pitted in a circular pattern the diameter of a primer, the pistol has seen an impressive amount of ammo, or a lot of high-pressure (+P or +P+) or reloaded rounds. You’re seeing the results of gas leaks around the primers, eroding the breechface. If the seller asserts “It has had a couple of boxes of ammo through it” while you’re looking at erosion around the firing pin hole, you have a collision between observed reality and sales PR. If I’m feeling particularly cruel, I’ll ask the seller “How much did the guy before you shoot it?” Answer A) “I don’t know” has me bargaining for a high-mileage pistol. Answer B) “I’m the only owner” has me putting it down before walking off.
Look at the trigger parts for evidence of disassembly, polishing, replacement parts, etc. If you see any, ask. As with the round count, the answers you get determine your continued participation.
OK, what you’re looking at has all original parts, hasn’t been messed with, has a bright, clean bore, and is in the caliber and configuration you want. This is where shopping where you know works for you: Does the seller offer any kind of a warranty? Will they fix it there, or send it back to the factory? Is the agreement in writing? What shops can and cannot offer depends on the particular State you live in, and the manufacturer of the product in question. Some States require that any warranty be a full one, and thus no one offers you any help. They can’t. While all manufacturers will fix obvious defects in craftsmanship or materials, some will be more pleasant than others, and some will only do the absolute minimum. Does it come with the factory box? Paperwork? Lock?
If you need a holster, magazines, etc. for your pistol, the time to get them is at this sale. You will be able to drive a better bargain now, rather than coming in a week later. “Hey, I got that Sig last week, and now I need some magazines. Can you knock a couple of bucks off the price?” You’re more likely to get those magazines at “a buck off” while buying the gun.
Immediately go out and test-fire your pistol. (Not in the parking lot, but at the closest range, as soon as possible.) Again, a 30-day warranty means 30 days from the sale, not 30 days after you finally get around to shooting it and finding out that it bites your hands worse than a manic puppy. If something untoward happens, document it. Use your cell-phone camera if you have to, write detailed notes as well. Don’t diagnose, simply observe what happens, or doesn’t happen. Take it back right away.
If everything works just fine, be sure to mention that. Building a relationship with an established gun shop can go a long way to eliminating the chances of buying a lemon.
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About the author:
Patrick Sweeney is author of a number of authoritative gunsmithing books, published by Krause Books, and covering topics ranging from handguns to rifles and shotguns. For a list of titles by this author, check
Collector Guide Books for Coins, Guns, Knives, Cars, Antiques & more! | Krause Books
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