Sell or keep?

[dyl]

If you had a 9mm steel-slide aluminum frame handgun that was
1) imported - so no spare firing pins/trigger springs available
2) has gone up in value so you could break even although its used
3) not your only 9mm service size handgun

Would you sell it and buy something with available spare parts?
Or would you keep it "just because" as a potential gift for relatives or a beater?

You see, I would just keep it as a beater but even then I'd prefer a beater with spare parts available. Believe me I have tried to locate spare parts and aside from a substitute mainspring from another handgun, there are none to be had.

[dyl]

And yes I have seen Cheapshooter's signature line but don't think it's an absolute truth necessarily.

[Hal]

If I liked it I'd keep it.
If not, then it's gone.

[Strafer Gott]

I don't keep anything with only one magazine. My HK P7 is the exception, but I have a line on a second magazine.

[jasmith85]

If it were me I would probably sell. I like being able to find replacement parts for my guns if need be.

[P5 Guy]

I'd sell that one and buy an easier to find parts for gun and/or not obsolete.
If there are no repair parts no matter how good the gun was it is obsolete.

[carguychris]

IMHO all potential personal gun sales should be first and foremost judged by two criteria.

• How much I honestly like it... or not.
• How easy and (relatively) expensive it would be to replace it if I regret the decision.

Regarding the second criteria, I would be much more hesitant to sell a Steyr GB than a Star 30PK, assuming I dislike them both equally. (I don't really own either; this is just hypothetical.)

BTW is this handgun a Star?

[Shane Tuttle]

Moving over to Handguns: General Handgun Forum...

[dyl]

Whoops! my mistake, thank you mods.

[dyl]

carguychris - haha, no not a star sorry. This one is an import from a couple years a go - think Turkey + Croatia.

[Redhawk5.5+P+]

What's the question?

I know nothing about you, or you gun collection, let alone your mentality.

Sell it and give it ($$) to Mama. Feed the poor.

[wpsdlrg]

#1 does it for me. NO spare parts availiable = gone..... to me, especially if I could get a reasonable amount for it.

[joyrock]

Dyl, what is the brand of it? Do you have a photo?

[TennJed]

How much could you sell it for now? If you had that amount of cash in your hand would you buy the gun?

It is simple for me, if I would buy it again at the price I could sell it for then I keep the gun, if not I sell it. I just reverse the situation in my hand and think about what I woould do if I didn't have the gun but I had the $$

[Cheapshooter]

And yes I have seen Cheapshooter's signature line but don't think it's an absolute truth necessarily.

LOL

[Cheapshooter]

Off the top of my head I can think of at least a dozen trades/sales I have done over many years. Not a single one of them do I not regret!
Maybe not at the time, but as the years go by I wish I had them all back.

[Sport45]

It depends.

What gun are we talking about? Some 3rd world Saturday night special or a WWI Luger?

It makes a difference...

Parts for some guns in my safe can only be found at Numrich if they happen to have collected a donor. I'm keeping them anyway since they've been in the family for so long.

[silvermane_1]

dyl, why don't you just tell us what the gun is, then we can give you a better idea weather you should hold or sell, even if it's a gun they haven't made in 20-50 years, heck you might have a gun that one of your fellow members might have spare parts for or might even want to buy at your asking price.

[Mobuck]

I like to have two of anything I might have to depend on for an extended period of time. Having an oddball with little chance of finding important repairs is not in my playbook.

[thedudeabides]

What is this mystery gun that has no parts available for it?

Most good pistolsmiths can repair/replace just about any part.

Not to mention the availability of aftermarket parts.

[buck460XVR]

While I have regretted selling some guns, I have never regretting selling the ones that I did not like, did not use or thought that they were unrepairable. While I also have a few guns still like the aforementioned, they have emotional attachments(fathers or grandfathers guns) and will be passed down to my sons and grandchildren. Were it me in the the OP's situation....the gun would already be gone.

[jaughtman]

I don't keep anything with only one magazine. My HK P7 is the exception, but I have a line on a second magazine.

I had the same dilema when I bought my P7 (was always on my serious "want" list) a couple years ago. Wild Alaska saw my post and still had some in stock and shipped them to me at about the best price I found on them....give him a try.

J

[dyl]

I won't leave you in suspense. However, I will say (and I think it worked) that by not mentioning the specific gun I got a peek into your principles/thought process and experience. If for example I said "Hi-Point" or "Taurus" well now - easy decision and quick answer eh?

The thing that you all have made me remember is that i purchased this gun as a gift for someone else to begin with. It's a Zastava EZ-9 made in Croatia. It was imported by EEA and now by Kvar. A sig look-alike, once featured in "combat Handguns" I think. It was for someone new to guns and with the external hammer and loaded chamber indicator I thought it would be easy to understand function. That person has bought themselves several other handguns + long guns over the last few years and returned it to me.

No spare parts. Although now when I introduce a newcomer to handguns this is the one I have them use because I'd rather then not dry fire my other service size 9mm which is even MORE obscure and holds sentimental value. (It's last firing pin broke into 3 pieces)

I see this gun as the same class as other less expensive imports: the Cannick, the Arcus, etc.

QUESTION: do imports go up in value when supply is completely discontinued or down because of obscurity?

[dyl]

Part of the problem with spare parts is not because this is an old discontinued model - just pure availability as an import. Members of The CZ99 forum (one of the other names of this pistol) have tried to obtain parts and KVAR is not selling. My guess is that whole pistols only are being imported.

I may have to compromise: don't sell until I can find an all metal 9mm with spare parts first. Hard to find one in the same price range.

[lee n. field]

Would you sell it and buy something with available spare parts?
Or would you keep it "just because" as a potential gift for relatives or a beater?

Does it have historic value? Does it have sentimental value? (Turkish gun, probably no to either.) Does it have a place in your arsenal -- a purpose, a niche that it fills?

If the answer to these questions is "no", I'd trade it off or sell it, and buy something else.