Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Police Trade-In Pistols

Bluedreaux: As with most all broad and sweeping generalizations yours is NOT correct!
I spent 29 years being and interacting with all manner of law enforcement types then spent twelve more years doing body guard and robbery suppression work with more law enforcement (mostly retired) types!
I NEVER once saw a gun in the possession or use of any of these MANY hundreds (thousands!) of law enforcement types that comes anywhere NEAR what you show/allude to/contend!
NEVER ONCE!
And as I review my firearms inventory I see 6 (six!) pistols that I purchased over the past 4 decades from Law Enforcement agencies two are Glocks and four are Smith & Wessons!
All, let me repeat, ALL of them are in excellent to new unfired condition!
NONE, let me repeat, NONE of them are in the condition you depict!
Nor have I ever seen a police surplus arm that was for sale in the condition you depict!
Sheesh!
I run with about 35 ex-law enforcement types (F.B.I., D.E.A., State Patrol Officers, County Sheriffs, City police and two Military Police Officers - most all of whom are retired now like me but some active) currently and without exception they are safe gun handlers and take VERY good care of their firearms both handguns and long-guns!
Like others posted buyer beware - and sure look for signs of over-use and holster wear but finding an example like you depict is rare!
At least I have never seen such.
That gun you depict is suffering for poor or long term storage among other things IMO.
I completely disagree with your premise/contention.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

With that I wouldn't buy anything used from a police agency. The stuff has a life cycle for a reason. To me buying a used pistol from a police department is like buying an old police car. What do you think you're going to get. Cops are hard on equipment because they use the hell out of it.

Bluedreaux: As with most all broad and sweeping generalizations yours is NOT correct!

That gun you depict is suffering for poor or long term storage among other things IMO.

I hear a lot of people recommend police trade-in guns as a good value, and I've even suggested that people consider them myself.

But I've got a couple of pictures I thought could serve as a good warning for buyers. If you are considering a police trade-in just know that it might not be all you expect. I'd get some sort of guarantee from the seller about the quality of the gun before I bought one sight unseen.

Remember, MOST cops aren't gun guys. And SOME cops are lazy and entitled beyond belief. When those two categories collide you get a cop who, even at his own peril, will invest ZERO energy into maintaining the gun he was issued--That you're going to buy.

Unless the inside of the barrel is rusted, the magazines look like a bigger problem than the gun. Did you shoot it?

No. Those magazines actually don't belong to that gun. Since I already had pics of a rusted gun I only took mag pics with the second "find".

I did try to insert the magazine. I got it about halfway in and stopped because I thought it would take a tool to ever get it back out.





(That's what she said)

For reference, I know know for a fact that this pistol isn't suffering from long term storage in anything but a holster (in a relatively dry climate). It came from a duty belt into my hands.

Ask one of your many, many retired LE / bodyguard / coffee shop buddies about the rust line on these magazines.... As they sit in this picture, what would that rust line coincide with?

JFC.... This thread's beyond idiotic.

As to the rust lines; that seems pretty easy to figure out.

Plural has you all f*cked up?