Replies

Depends on how good you are at gun maintenance and if they'll actually let you touch the guns. Most pawn shop guns have been ill treated and will need an overhaul (thurough cleaning and oiling, maybe replace some worn springs) when you get them (good pawn shops do the overhaul but it's rare). If they'll let you take the gun apart you can usually look for tell-tales (scratches, weak springs, damaged pin) in the chamber and other important areas of the weapon to see if it needs more than just basic work and make the call from there. Anyplace that won't let you break it down at least as much as you do in a normal cleaning shouldn't get your business. You'll probably also want to check around your local ranges and find out which shops don't cater to criminals; last thing you need is a hot gun, or worse one that's tied to a murder with no suspect. Because of that aspect you should save your receipt very carefully for the rest of your life (even if it's from a good shop, you just never know when dealing with pawn shops), proving when you bought the gun could save your butt.