Sometimes you come across guns that look like they’ve seen better days. Finish worn off all over the place, scuffs and scrapes, anodizing or parkerizing worn right through to bare metal.
Must have a respectable round count!
Wear patterns can tell a good story and show you how the gun was used or give some hints to the round count. It’s not an exact science by any means, but a well worn P226 like this has seen a couple thousand through it at least. All of the springs are strong, the internals are in great shape and the gun can no doubt go for another ten thousand before it even slows down. Don’t let that bluing wear scare you off though, sometimes looks can be deceiving…
A quick cleaning and the inside looks like new!
The chamber, rifling, muzzle/crown and feed ramp are all perfect. Sometimes all a gun needs is a little finish work to be a great firearm again.
As a word of warning, the opposite is true too. Don’t be fooled by fresh hot bluing on an old gun if the bore is trashed! You can get a lemon just as easily as a diamond in the rough. As always, do your best to be informed and take a close look before you pull the trigger!