Law Enforcement Trade-Ins

[Achilles]

Does anyone have any experience, positive or negative, with law enforcement trade-ins? I've been looking at picking up a H&K USP compact or a Sig 226 that is CPO. I imagine the CPO Sig may be of better quality since it's been back to the factory for reconditioning. I'm alright with cosmetic wear but I'm just worried about buying a pistol that will break 100 rds later. Part of the downside of the H&K is I won't be able to inspect the pistol until I've already purchased it. But the dealer says that the firearm can be returned as long as it hasn't been officially transferred into my name. Does anyone know if this would allow me to inspect the pistol at my local dealer before transferring the pistol into my name?

 

[GroundPounder]

I can't answer the main part of your question, but I would bet that any pistol that you would buy as LE trade it would in good condition. The gun that you buy will probably get shot more by you than it was while it was used by the PD.

Most departments will qualify 2 - 4 times a year with a 30 - 50 round course of fire, other than that you would be surprised how many weapons are never otherwise fired. In the past few years as ammo has gone up the courses have trended down, and I would think that the average would be closer to 30 rather than 50.

I'm sure that you could find cases where Officer Tackleberry put thousands of rounds a month downrange, but it will be the exception rather than the rule.

What kind of pricing are they giving you?

 

[navy09]

I looked into it for my first gun, here's what I found:

-Good chance it's not been shot too much. Most cops only use their duty weapon to qualify once or twice a year.

-On the other side of that coin, most cops don't take very good care of their guns.

-Chances are it's taken a good beating, getting knocked around and being exposed to the elements 40 hrs a week for however many years. Plus cops tend to find themselves in some pretty disgusting places...

The gun I was looking at didn't cost a whole lot more to just buy new, so that's what I did. YMM(and probably will)V.

 

[PropAddict]

The red band Sig will be awesome. It's literally guaranteed. It's been back to the factory and anything that looked skosh was replaced.

I have one that was an LE turn in and went back to Sig for a red band. No problems, no regrets, and I saved a bundle over the new one. A collector might grip about the holster wear on it, but I use it as a shooter, so it's a non issue for me.

On the HK: I'm leery of buying guns I can't see and touch first. Especially when they look like a great deal online. <<drops 2 pennies on table>>

 

[NozeMan]

I thought Sig was having some problems w/ their refurbished pistols. I looked into those a year ago and found out those that had been sent back to the factor for refinishing had some issues. I guess the finish on the frame was flaking off.

Check over at Sigforum on the issue.

 

[C420sailor]

-On the other side of that coin, most cops don't take very good care of their guns.

I'd be willing to bet that you are 110% wrong here.

Now, that being said, I won't carry a used weapon. Cop or John Smith, doesn't matter. I need to have 100% faith in my sidearm, and I just don't have that faith if someone else has owned and maintained it. That's just me though. I would have no qualms buying one for a range piece though.

My $.02

 

[NozeMan]

I'd be willing to bet that you are 110% wrong here.

Now, that being said, I won't carry a used weapon. Cop or John Smith, doesn't matter. I need to have 100% faith in my sidearm, and I just don't have that faith if someone else has owned and maintained it. That's just me though. I would have no qualms buying one for a range piece though.

My $.02

Keep in mind this is your approach, not the average cop's.

What is wrong with a carrying a used weapon? Reliability is reliability. If it works flawlessly with your carry ammo......who cares if it's "used"?

 

[GroundPounder]

-On the other side of that coin, most cops don't take very good care of their guns.

-Chances are it's taken a good beating, getting knocked around and being exposed to the elements 40 hrs a week for however many years. Plus cops tend to find themselves in some pretty disgusting places...

V.

I'd have to disagree with you on that one, we tend to keep a pretty high standard when it comes to weapons. The weapon will usually be inspected by an armorer at each qualification as well as by sergeants between range sessions. There will be holster wear if you get a turn in, to some thats issue for others it isn't.

One thing that I always advise is to get to know at least one cop wherever you live. We tend to have a cycle where we aquire cool guns, boats, motorcycles etc, then sell them to finance an ex-wife. There are great deals to be had at our expense. My most recent purchase was an early 80's Colt 1911 NIB for $300.00 with 7 Colt magazines and 200 rounds.

 

[C420sailor]

Keep in mind this is your approach, not the average cop's.

What is wrong with a carrying a used weapon? Reliability is reliability. If it works flawlessly with your carry ammo......who cares if it's "used"?

I should have separated my comments better. From my experience, officers take very good care of their weapons. I have a lot of friends and family who are cops, and they keep their weapons in pristine mechanical condition. After all, it IS their first and last line of defense.

You are right, that is my approach. It doesn't really make much sense, but I just don't feel comfortable relying on a firearm that I don't know the complete history of. Kinda like how I'd feel more comfortable driving cross country in a car I've had since it was new, as opposed to a car that I bought used off of someone else. It is very important to have complete faith in your sidearm. If you have faith in a used weapon, fantastic. My "new gun only" rule is odd, but that's just how I do business.

 

[Achilles]

I can't answer the main part of your question, but I would bet that any pistol that you would buy as LE trade it would in good condition. The gun that you buy will probably get shot more by you than it was while it was used by the PD.

Most departments will qualify 2 - 4 times a year with a 30 - 50 round course of fire, other than that you would be surprised how many weapons are never otherwise fired. In the past few years as ammo has gone up the courses have trended down, and I would think that the average would be closer to 30 rather than 50.

I'm sure that you could find cases where Officer Tackleberry put thousands of rounds a month downrange, but it will be the exception rather than the rule.

What kind of pricing are they giving you?

The pricing on the H&K is $529 for the USP compact in .357. Comes with no box or manual, but 3 magazines and night sights. According to the dealer the night sights still have some good glow and the pistols only have slight cosmetic wear.

 

[rare21]

GroundPounder is right, in my dept our supervisors can inspect our weapons at any time so we tend to keep them clean. In reality I only shoot my weapon once every few months for qualifications. They are banged around a bit since they sit on our hips everyday, but i'd trust one of these weapons over any other one. I got my H&K .40 cal from my dept after we switched to Glock 22s, I dont have any regrets even though it was once used by another officer before it was handed down to me.

 

[navy09]

I'd be willing to bet that you are 110% wrong here.

My info came from talking to a police officer in my family. Then again, he's a former Marine, so he has a pretty high standard for firearm maintenance.

His main argument against me getting a LE trade in gun for a CCW piece was that most cops- contrary to what many may think- aren't big gun nuts. They don't necessarily treat their guns like kids, as some of us do

Again, I'm sure it's a YMMV thing, he was just speaking from experience in his own department.

 

[lmnop]

Now, that being said, I won't carry a used weapon. Cop or John Smith, doesn't matter. I need to have 100% faith in my sidearm, and I just don't have that faith if someone else has owned and maintained it. That's just me though. I would have no qualms buying one for a range piece though.

Interesting. You do realize that relying on a used weapon in a shitty neighborhood is a standard military deal? Whether it's a GAU-8 or an M9, odds are that someone has used it before. I'm pretty sure that there's a higher likelihood of using a carry gun in Mosul than P-Cola, and it seems to work out alright for those guys. Inspect it when you get it, and maintain it like you would a new gun and everything should be alright.

 

[gaijin6423]

My P220 is a used, factory reconditioned gun. Talking with a buddy who's attended or taught most of the SigArms Academy courses, their refurbishing process is very thorough, and all his Sigs are preowned. My 220 has never malfunctioned, despite my feeding it mostly shit ammo. It stays either on my hip or in my nightstand.

I guess you could refer to my issue M9 as a pre-owned pistol. I'm not sure I would trust that thing as a club, let alone fire reliably. It was an abused stepchild before I got it, and lugging it around Afghanistan (not to mention MEU workups) definitely didn't help it. I'm not really looking forward to going to the range next time with it.

 

[PropAddict]

I guess the finish on the frame was flaking off.

Yeah, I've heard people talk about that, but it's always been 3rd hand.

I will say that all my Sigs (new style included) seem to require more upkeep to keep the surface rust away. But I'll take the little extra oil demand for the reliability and tight groups any day.