Often times you will see comments from gun owners, most often when trying to sell one, that a rifle is "never fired". And the comment is almost always made in regard to the rifle being more valuable as a result. Now it's my understanding there's no such thing as an unfired rifle since all firearms are fired at the factory to make sure they go bang. Still, I can see where people would place more value on a firearm if it has only been fired once at the factory.

Personally, I want my kids to know all my rifles were used to take wild game, which is something I feel is common to many if not most hunters. IMO, the fact that I used a firearm is something that will only bring historical value to family members and do so at the expense of the firearm's overall value. While an unfired rifle is probably worth more to a potential buyer, the same rifle would hopefully be worth even more to a family member who knows its history. So if any of my kids are hoping I will leave them a never fired rifle, they and any potential buyers will be sadly disappointed.

The part I put in red is not true with all manufactures. I know for a fact Remington 700s were not, I have held 3 of them One had no rifling, another the chamber was cut short and their factory ammo would bot allow the bolt to close. The third had a machining burr in the bolt face large enough it would not allow factory ammo to chamber. So there are 3 at least. Some manufactures fired every gun, others did not. 2 of those were at a friends store, called Remington and sent them back to be corrected. The third with the Burr was the last Remington I purchased. Bolt metal was soft
to the point I took a flat blade screwdriver and flattened it down into the groove it came from. Should have sent it back but I had a hunt combing and wanted to use that rifle for it. Those 3 were A BDL, ADL and Classic in that order

The ones i pay attention to for never fired are limited runs or true collectables, some of those never fired post sale to the owner can often help it retain value to some purchasers. I have owned a few of those and sold them.

The part I put in red is not true with all manufactures. I know for a fact Remington 700s were not, I have held 3 of them One had no rifling, another the chamber was cut short and their factory ammo would bot allow the bolt to close. The third had a machining burr in the bolt face large enough it would not allow factory ammo to chamber. So there are 3 at least. Some manufactures fired every gun, others did not. 2 of those were at a friends store, called Remington and sent them back to be corrected. The third with the Burr was the last Remington I purchased. Bolt metal was soft
to the point I took a flat blade screwdriver and flattened it down into the groove it came from. Should have sent it back but I had a hunt combing and wanted to use that rifle for it. Those 3 were A BDL, ADL and Classic in that order

The ones i pay attention to for never fired are limited runs or true collectables, some of those never fired post sale to the owner can often help it retain value to some purchasers. I have owned a few of those and sold them.


Agree, one of my hunting buds bought a Rem 700 7mm Mag back before they went bankrupt. It wouldn't chamber any factory ammo including Rem.. He had to send it to a service center before he could ever fire it.

More bad information from the OP. Not all firearms are test fired.

Thanks for sharing. I thought my post might solicit additional input on never fired firearms. That's not encouraging when you consider many retailers won't even let you dry fire a new firearm before you leave the store. It leaves you no idea what the trigger feels like, if it has any creep, or if the firing pin will even be released.

Not being one who believes they know everything, I will often preface my comments with the words "It's my understanding" so that others will add their input as they feel the need. In fact, there are even times when I might make controversial comments that I suspect are incorrect just to solicit comments from those who have a greater knowledge of the topic at hand.

That's stupid. Again, to be clear, that's stupid.

As a buyer, I’d 100% prefer a gun fired zero times of a couple dozen times to one that was carried and hunted with

I can make a pristine gun into a tool. I can’t make a used tool into a pristine gun.

I often see classified ads that read something like:

“Remington 270, only fired 10 rounds, selling as new.”

It seems an “as new” price can be strengthened, at least to the buyer who intends to use the firearm, when the seller includes the box and all papers. In fact, there appears to be a small, secondary market for boxes alone, with some going for surprising prices. There’s even a market for old empty ammo boxes, including those made of wood or paper.

Now getting back to unfired firearms, I own firearms that came with the spent casing from its test firing, often times these being put in a separate envelope with the employee who fired it somehow identified in writing. And some of these were not expensive firearms. Not sure how a collector or someone looking to flip a firearm would approach these once fired firearms.

This is just an epic thread fail.

Yep.
There's a chance more new guns ARE NOT test fired that ones that are. I don't have any that are new and un-fired but I have a few I have never fired.

Well, there are some firearms that the 'never fired' canard is true for - Colt SAA collectibles come to mind. I bought one a few years back, and didn't want to pay 'unfired collectible' prices, as I expected to wear and fire this every so often. Settled on a 125th anniversary edition with the display box that had been fired by its first owner a few times. As a result, the price I paid was much, MUCH lower than for an unfired SAA.

Of course, eventually when it comes time to sell, the price it'll fetch will be less. But in the meantime I get to enjoy it (and it IS fun to shoot!)

The official term for that is "Trolling".

Why Jason, why did it take you so long to notice my post and reply with your usual holier-than-thou arrogance? Can the demons not hinder your focus on the topic at hand?

Now that’s a troll to a troll.

I must admit kmon’s earlier comment made me curious so I decided to go through some of my old boxes to see if any others had spent casings from the factory. I did find the one below for the Ruger LCP that my wife likes to carry in her purse. With both the Bursa and Ruger being firearms made for personal defense, I have to wonder if the manufacturer shows evidence they were tested to give the customer at least some peace of mind. But that’s pure speculation.



It still amazes me how a rifle could leave the factory with no rifling in the barrel.

Since any of my guns could be used for self-defense I fire all of mine to give peace of mind. And, that's not speculation.

Poor QC and employees not paying attention or that don't give a crap is all I can think of.

Epic fail is putting it nicely. About par for the OP though.

I recall getting a test target with my Weatherby rifles. My ruger Blackhawks all came with the spent brass. I reloaded them, nickel 45 colts look neat. Fired or un fired I don’t care much. I have no use for collector guns if I’m not going to shoot it I don’t want it, and if I’m buying second hand I’m always assuming some risk that something is amiss.

And yet, it's not uncommon to hear someone tell another not to shoot a certain rifle because it will reduce its collector value. That's like having money in your wallet you never intend to spend on anything. It brings me back to my original comment. I have no intention of passing any collector guns down to my kids and sincerely hope they shoot them at every chance they get.

There some firearms that the old ones were better than the new ones. I will pay a premium for an unfired new in the box lefty for some rifles in a caliber I want as a shooter. I have also ran into more than one shyster misrepresenting a rifle as unfired in an attempt to sell for a premium.

Reportedly, European gunmakers are required to send their guns to a government facility to be inspected after being "proofed". Each gun is fired with a proof load that varies by country but is always above the standard load.

Source… “trust me bro”