part 2
So, they don’t make them like they used to? I didn’t really say why, well, for one, guns made before 1991 likely aren’t steel proofed, in other words, you cant shoot steel through them without risking damage. The problem with getting a non steel proofed gun is that if the anti gun crowd has their way, only platinum would be allowed in shotshell to financially prevent people from shooting guns at all. The reasons for steel shot are scientifically invalid and in no way benefit game being shot. Were trying to kill the animals with the shot, not wound them. Steel shot is less dense than steel and hence carries less energy per similar mass,,,,,, it has less killing power than lead and more chances to wound game animals. Lead ore is found in/on the earth,,,,,, I could go on but for sake of brevity on the subject, you’ll see more and more requirements to shoot steel as time goes on, hence a gun that cant shoot steel will be of little value to a game hunter.
Steels and steel alloys (Concerning gun action and barrels) are far better than they were 50 years ago, so is automated manufacturing so not only can the steel in the guns last longer, hold up to more abuse (New loads are more powerful than old ones, FAR more in some cases) but they are manufactured to more precise tolerances as well. A few things were better back in the day such as bluing, wood and color case hardening but these are really cosmetic items.
What will a used gun cost? Well I paid 800 for a used miroku than cannot shoot steel about 6-7 years ago and a new version of this gun runs slightly more than double that. My old gun is beautiful, has hand engraving, hard to open from hardly being shot, the barrels ring,,,,, but the issue is that if anything goes wrong like firing pins or triggers, im gonna have a heck of a time finding firing pins or springs for it. In England these things are highly regarded and treasured, here? nobody knows a thing about them.
Used isn’t sounding so good all the sudden, this is relegated to the discussion of shotguns, rifle, revolvers and pistols are even better chance of getting something bad. Semi auto’s are probably the worst for this.
So, should you buy new or used? You need to have very specific reasons for each and be realistic about what your going to actually do with it. Personally, Ive spent less on these types of things and regretted it almost every single time, spending double up front might actually mean saving more than double in the long run.
