By Sam Hoober,
Alien Gear’s Sam Hoober describes why getting a police handgun trade-in or used law enforcement pistols can get you a decent gun for the money & what to avoid.
A police trade-in gun can be a way to get your hands on a serious handgun for not a whole lot in terms of cash expenditure – depending on whom you buy it from – and put a gun in the safe or in the home for defense, or in a gun holster for daily carry.
However, there is a certain amount of due diligence, a certain number of things to know, and things to look for before plunking down the cash on a police trade-in.
Police Handgun Trade-Ins – Just Like Any Other Used Gun
There really isn’t anything about a police trade-in that’s any different from buying any other used gun. A gun isn’t nearly as complicated as, say, a police cruiser (stick to highway patrol cars; highway miles and fewer hours idling) so really, a used law enforcement gun is a used gun. Basically, you want to look for the same things.
Inspect the frame. Look for any cracks (most police these days have some sort of poly striker gun) in the frame, especially anywhere near the firing mechanism itself. Likewise, inspect the frame and see if there’s any obvious damage. Also, check for any rust, especially anywhere in or around the firing mechanism and/or the barrel.
Have a look at the magazines. Does the spring seem worn? Are there any cracks in the magazine follower, the magazine itself, or the floorplate? Is there any rust visible? Granted, you may want to replace the magazines anyway – more on that later.
Pay attention to how the slide cycles. Does it offer sufficient resistance, and does it return to battery as it should? Granted, this is actually the least of your worries; recoil springs are easily replaced and, as it happens, exceedingly cheap.
What To Expect From A Â Police Handgun Trade-Ins
First, expect that most of the models are going to be familiar enough, as there are only a few common service pistols. Common service pistols in police service include the Glock 17, Glock 22 (.40 S&W), Beretta 92, Sig Sauer P226, Smith and Wesson M&P9, and M&P40. You’ll also get the odd S&W DA/SA pistol like the 5906 and so on, but these are getting rarer and rarer. The odd Ruger GP-100 or S&W Model 19 might be around as well.
Cosmetic damage is all but assured. Holster wear is going to be evident, and expect some nicks, scrapes, and scratches in the finish. These guns are carried for hours, bump into things and so on. So if you’re expecting a showroom finish…it’s just not going to happen. You may need to do a bit of cleaning and lubricating, but it will be a working gun.
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Glock Pistol Used G22 .40 S&W Gen4 15rd 4.49" - PG22502 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 599.99 $ 319.99 |
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Beretta Model 84 BB 3.8" 13rd .380ACP Pistol, LE Trade In Very Good Condition | Palmetto State Armory | $ 599.99 $ 299.99 |
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Beretta Model 84 BB .380ACP 3.8" 13rd 3.8" Pistol, LE Trade In, Used Surplus Condition - A5636000000000 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 599.99 $ 349.99 |
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Beretta LE Trade In 92 SB 9mm 4.92" 15rd Pistol, Black - 92 SB | Palmetto State Armory | $ 599.99 $ 399.99 |
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What about hours on the clock? How much shooting will have been done with these pistols? Actually, not much. Police rarely use their pistols in the line of duty (few officers will be involved in more than a few shootings in their careers, though there are certainly exceptions), and a lot of them actually do less shooting than a good number of civilian carriers.
A police pistol will often enough only go through a few boxes of ammo per month. Some are only fired a few times per year for qualification shoots. It really comes down to the officer who had the gun previously.
What you don’t know, of course, is how fastidiously it was maintained by the armory. It may have been stored with the action locked back and magazine(s) fully loaded at almost all times. As a result, you may consider replacing the recoil spring and the magazine springs(if not the magazines) as a matter of course.
One thing to look at, however, is the trigger. A number of departments only issue DAO pistols, which have a tougher trigger than you like. Granted, this can often be cured with a trigger spring kit, which – again – are cheap.
So, overall, you can actually get a lot of gun for the money. Usually, you’ll get a magazine or two, and night sights are incredibly common. You may also get an accessory light in the bargain, which isn’t unheard of. Police trade-ins routinely go for less than $400, which is not a bad deal in the least. At most, you may want to throw in a few springs…but those are cheap, and you get a solid handgun in the bargain.
As one final bonus, finding a concealed carry holster shouldn’t be a problem for all police handgun trade-ins.
About Sam Hoober
Sam Hoober is a contributing editor at Alien Gear Holsters, as well as for Bigfoot Gun Belts. He also writes weekly columns for Daily Caller and USA Carry.
I bought my P-226 many years ago for $400. Yes it was a bit surface worn, but it was in very good cosmetic condition other than the grips. I changed out springs, as recommended, the first week, and it has functioned flawlessly, and accurately every time I have used it. I have bought many hand guns since but I hold onto this one for my daily user.
((Sportsman’s guide warehouse.com)) has Glock trade in’s all the time.. I’ve never purchased one myself but have a few friends that have and they all were very satisfied with the firearms​..
When and where are the best locations to get access to police trade-ins? Is there an auction or some other forum?
I have picked up a couple of Sig’s that were trade-in’s. A P229 in.357Sig and a P225 in 9mm. Great buys, but condition varies from one to another. I have also found used S&W revolvers for really low prices. Apparently corrections departments sometimes get the old police guns, so they were still using 38spl model 10’s and model 65’s that were sold off. Best if you can inspect them and choose your own.
So Where exactly does one get to these auctions? How does one know where and when they are? Details please, Links to Web Sites, Etc.?
Many of the LEO Trade-ins, especially Glocks and Sigs that are being sold by online retailers are .40 S/W caliber due to many Departments going back to 9mm. If you already own a pistol or two in .40 S/W, and have lots of that caliber stocked up, this is a great way to pick up a Sig for significantly less than new. Many of them are first sent back to Sig Sauer for inspection, clean up and new springs, etc. replaced, then sold as Certified Pre Owned (CPO). I picked one up awhile back, and it looks and functions like… Read more »