Guns and ammo questions

[DoctorQuest]

I can't think of a better place to reach out for help.

What is the opinion on buying used vs. new handguns? And if used what should I watch out for?

Regarding ammo. Is mail order a good option? What brands should I avoid. I'm talking 357 Mag. I would like to get a mix of target and self defense rounds at some point.

Thanks in advance. I know a number of you have a lot of experience with firearms of varous sorts.

[GDS_Starfury]

Im guessing its a revolver so the most obvious would be surface pitting and tarnish as well as how smooth the action is between trigger and hammer.
as for ammo...  Im sure Ill be corrected but unless your buying very large amounts theres not much a cost difference.  Walmart is still among the cheapest places to purchase ammo.  I DO NOT like reloads.

[eyebiter]

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[airboy]

Revolvers are (in general) much more reliable than semi-automatics.  A used semi-auto is a more risky purchase in general than a used revolver.

In terms of ammo prices - the easy thing to do is check your local supplier (usually sporting goods stores, pawn shops & Wal-Mart) and compare prices to websites like www.cheaperthandirt.com and similar.

I've bought some ammo online because I could not find what I wanted locally, or because the local price was very high.  But common types of ammunition like .22, most shotgun shells and the like are usually cheaper in a delivered price buying locally.  Ammo is very heavy and has a low value to weight ratio (in contrast, computer chips are very high value to weight ratio).

Another consideration on purchasing ammo online are:
1] Is it legal to purchase online in your State?
2] Do you have someone at the delivery address that can sign for it?  [Most ammo sellers will either ship to an FFL license holder or ship requiring the buyer to sign for the purchase.  They also have to check id on delivery since you have to be of legal age to buy it (similar to buying alcohol online).

[GDS_Starfury]

There's also budsgunshop.com

[eyebiter]

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