When is buying new better than second hand?
Following on to a point I made in the "best new rifle for 200 quid" thread; at what point or set of variables does it become better to buy a brand new cheap rifle than it does to buy a more expensive model at similar second hand value?
On one hand, you can get a better quality/brand/spec rifle for the same price as a new "inferior" model. On the other hand you've had to search for it, know the right place to look, or just plain get lucky. You're not the first one to own the gun, and no matter how nice it looks on the outside, you don't know what it's like inside until you strip it, which takes time and effort, or send it to someone to do it for you which takes time and money.
With a new rifle you get a warranty, you can pick it up by just walking into a gunshop that stocks your chosen model, you know it's untouched by any dodgy home fettlers, and with a bit of research you can find one with some decent performance. Yeah, you'll lose some money on it if you sell it on straight away, but you would if you buy a used one from a shop anyway.
So when are you better off buying new?
HW98 .177, Falcon Menace 4.5-18x56, WW tune HW97 blue laminate .177, Hawke eclipse 4-16x50 ir BSA Scorpion se tactical .177 ,BSA deerhunter 6.5-32×46 SMK XS78, .22 3-9x40 Mountmaster- Remington Express xp tactical .22, standard - Gamo CF20 .177 - mk1 meteor .177