The more a gun is handled the more bluing will probably be worn on edges etc. In spite of owning my XD service black finish, it still looks pretty new. A carry weapon will show wear after awhile for obvious reasons. Since appearance is an important factor I don't know why a gun shop would allow it to happen to new merchandise. I was in a small but very friendly shop Friday, looking at Kimbers. All new, and everyone looked like they'd been bouncing around in my trunk. The guy said that's because every gun was removed from the display nightly for secure storage. I suggest casters on the cases so the whole display could be secured instead of just the gun.

I don't care what the story is, if I buy a new gun, I want it to look like new! BTW, stainless guns do the same thing, it's just not as noticeable.

Originally Posted by SpyderG6

I was looking at a few different Buckmark pistols at a local sporting goods store. I noticed that for new pistols they seemed pretty beat up (scratches on the slide and barrel). I’m not sure if the wear was due to poor handling at the store or if the bluing was prone to wearing off. What have been your experiences with the blued finish; and are the stainless steel barrels more durable?
Thanks in advance for the info.

The personnel that work at most (not all) gun stores that I am familar with, do not seem very concerned with the care and appearance of the guns and other merchandise in their store (remember to most of them, it is JUST merchandise and is not something that most of them have any care or respect for).

I have seen clerks in those stores just take a gun that a customer had handed back to them and BAM, it gets either placed or slammed onto the hard surface of the counter or table with no apparent thought or regard as to what affect this was going to have on the finish of the gun.

My advise is to go to those gun stores to look at guns only to get an idea as to what you might or might not want to buy and then when you have made your decision, have that gun store or some other independent FFL holder that you trust to special order your gun from a wholesaler. Even then, of course, there is no guarantee that your gun is going to arrive in pristine condition. Heck, the Kimber 1911 styled 22 target pistol that I order a few years back came from the factory with a couple of minor scratches on the left hand side of the slide. So either it came from the factory like that, it was scratched by the wholesaler or was scratched by the FFL dealer that took delivery for me when he took it out of box for recording serial number, etc. My vote/guess that was that it came from the factory with the scratches on it, in spite, of Kimbers insistence that it could not have left their facilities in that condition.

So basically, unless you can hold it in your hand just before you give the seller of the gun your money, you have no way to absolutely guarantee that you are going to get a firearm with a pristine finish on it. It is really a shame that most (not all) people don't take much care and pride with craftsmanship and esthetics any more.

Thanks.

While I like the look of a fairly worn gun, I don't want it to look like it's about ready to fall apart either. If it doesn't shoot right though, THEN you'll hear about it!

Originally Posted by wpshooter

The personnel that work at most (not all) gun stores that I am familar with, do not seem very concerned with the care and appearance of the guns and other merchandise in their store (remember to most of them, it is JUST merchandise and is not something that most of them have any care or respect for).

I have seen clerks in those stores just take a gun that a customer had handed back to them and BAM, it gets either placed or slammed onto the hard surface of the counter or table with no apparent thought or regard as to what affect this was going to have on the finish of the gun.

My advise is to go to those gun stores to look at guns only to get an idea as to what you might or might not want to buy and then when you have made your decision, have that gun store or some other independent FFL holder that you trust to special order your gun from a wholesaler. Even then, of course, there is no guarantee that your gun is going to arrive in pristine condition. Heck, the Kimber 1911 styled 22 target pistol that I order a few years back came from the factory with a couple of minor scratches on the left hand side of the slide. So either it came from the factory like that, it was scratched by the wholesaler or was scratched by the FFL dealer that took delivery for me when he took it out of box for recording serial number, etc. My vote/guess that was that it came from the factory with the scratches on it, in spite, of Kimbers insistence that it could not have left their facilities in that condition.

So basically, unless you can hold it in your hand just before you give the seller of the gun your money, you have no way to absolutely guarantee that you are going to get a firearm with a pristine finish on it. It is really a shame that most (not all) people don't take much care and pride with craftsmanship and esthetics any more.

Thanks.

You are so right in saying the only guarantee is when you have the gun in hand before buying. When I shop for a gun I will go anywhere to look at a gun, but I only purchases from a select few dealers. I will gladly pay a bit more to buy from the guys who care well for their merchandise. Fortunately for me the best shop near me also has very reasonable prices.