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Buying used sbeii.......what to look for???????????????


muzzleloader

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New here..........Looking to buy a used sbe 2. What do I look for on the gun rack. I mean, what parts should be worn or not worn. What are the signs of a heavy used sbe 2. Also, can I check by serial number the date of manufacture?

 

Buying a used gun is similar to buying a used car. You kick the tires, look under the hood, check the paint, etc. to see if the claimed mileage matches the odometer. With a car, you can usually test drive it, but gun shops usually don't allow test drives...look for one with a pretty clean, unmarred exterior. With the simplicity of SBEII, like the SBE, ask if you can break it down and check the wear areas on the bolt and the runners. Dry fire it(ask first)and dry cycle it and see if there are any hang-ups. Ask if there is any kind of warranty or a return period. Some shops will offer a 3 day return period on used guns unless it is sold "as is" if you're not satisfied.

 

Check Gunbroker.com, you can find some pretty good deals if you have time to look for a good used gun.

 

Good luck in your quest for a used SBEII.

Edited by hattles
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That's great and all but I need part names and areas of wear. Exterior finish does not help with what to look for. Start with what parts are know to wear out??? springs or flakes of crome rusting off (examples).

 

Sorry, Been shooting an SBE for over 20 years without anything more than replacing the recoil spring after 18 years. I shot everything from skeet, sporting clays, 5 stand, trap, quail, pheasant , ducks and geese. The gun never failed me in the field. I sent it to Benelli and they went through the gun and replaced it for free even though it was out of warranty.

Edited by hattles
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Muzzle. . welcome to the forum.

 

Easy answer I have: I don't have the info about date stamps etc.

 

More involved answer I have:

 

Buying a used gun. .. from a dealer/store? Have them provide a warranty to a mutual agreement. Hopefully they have a gunsmith in store or nearby they contract. Have an inspection done, etc.

 

Buying used from Individual: Take the gun to a 'smith for an inspection and divide the cost to mutually agreeable terms.

 

PROS: Benellis come apart EASY, Waaaaaay easy! As an "inspection" have the seller show you how it comes apart. Get curious, look at the components, what looks weird, scuffed, out-of-whack? This is your time to inquire.

 

Secondly, Benellis just really are very simple! No gas rings, no gas tubes, no gaskets, NO FUSS!

 

I have a Supersport that has about 1500 through it, and my M4 with 2000 through it. The only malfunctions they've had are the ones I've set up. Well, the M4 had a couple when I tortured it a bit ON PURPOSE, and I know FULL WELL it was me running it a bit dry and VERY dirty. That was after 1000 rds with absolutely no cleaning or lube and with low velocity ammo(1150fps.)

 

Get it, shoot it, enjoy it and share it!

 

:)

 

2-wheel

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Where should I see wear-blueing removed or normal friction spots?????

 

In my opinion, wear spots do not always mean problems. It might be a good thing. Wear spots could come from how the previous owner loaded or unloaded the gun. You should see wear marks from where the shell comes from the mag tube and then into the chamber (all normal of course). You might see some ejection marks around the ejection port. This is normal to a certain extent.

 

Where you are going to get the problems on a used gun is the recoil spring, the mag spring, the mag follower and possibly a bent recoil tube from someone trying the change out the recoil spring. The carrier latch may be bent or damaged if someone has been yanking out the trigger group without holding the latch button. Other than the recoil tube, all of these items are cheap.

 

I don't think you can tell if a gun is going to be problems with wear spots on the receiver of a used gun. This is what I do when I buy a used shotgun:

 

1. Take it out and fire it 3 times as fast as you can fire it. Run about 3 or 4 series like this. Better yet, run a whole box shooting 3 shots at a time.

 

2. If they don't let you do this (above), ask for a week warranty or something. Benelli will probably fix the problem free anyway.

 

3. Check the recoil tube and see if it's bent.

 

4. Ask for the previous owner's name (doubt you'll get this one--depending on where you buying it from), but you can ask.

 

5. Look at the carrier latch spring pin (the hole) and see if it's damaged or marked up. If so, someone has replaced the carrier latch trying to fix something.

 

6. See if the mag follower is plastic or alumium. Plastic one should be replaced.

 

The last thing I would do is just break down the gun on the counter.

 

The final thing I would consider is just buying a new one. These used SBEs are selling for near the cost of a new one. Unless you are getting it for about half price of a new one, I would get the new one with the warranty. The American is around $1000 or so.

 

Good luck.

 

jed

Edited by jed1894
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