What's the trade-off with "refurbished" air guns?

[Tallbald]

Just browsing some different online airgun retailers, I have found some sellers offering "refurbished" air guns at pretty steep discounts. One place says the "refurbished" guns have only a 30 day warranty. The money one could save sure is attractive, and could be put toward an upgrade to a better scope. But I've never trusted a firearm I had to send back to a manufacturer due to defect (maybe superstitious) and wonder if I'd be disappointed with  a refurbished specimen. Where do these "refurbished" guns generally come from? Thank you as always. Don

[Ahab]

I prefer to buy refurbs whenever I can. Excepting my Weirauchs, most of my airguns are refurbs and I've never had a bad one. I believe most returns are usually due to buyers remorse or ingnorance. I also believe the factory takes more time to adjust and inspect a returned item.

[Nathan]

Most refurbs are sent to the manufacturer or their authorized service center for "refurbishing". What is actually inspected, checked or replaced may vary from one to another. Many of the refurbs are marked as such(some obviously others more discreetly), to prevent them from being passed off as new. I have purchased 4 RWS and one Gamo refurbs and have had not a single issue with any of them. The RWS ones saved me a good deal of money compared to new. 

Nathan

[Motorhead]

Generic term IMO ....
Customer did not Like / Want for some reason and returned making it a used gun ?
Actual mechanical issue got fixed and OP was sent a replacement ?
Freight / Shipping / Comedic damage ?

Agree many look to be "As New" yet once in a while ya do hear about a real dud being sold as a refurb that needed major repair work that somehow slipped threw the cracks 

Personally would ONLY purchase a refurbished IF A FULL AS NEW WARRENTEE came with it.
If sold "As-Is" .... Pass pass pass !!!

[Millipede]

my experience with refurb guns has not been good so far..  the first refurb 397 i bought came with crooked screws, shot weak and even had a pin missing from the front lever. there wasnt even a hole drilled where it was supposed to go. second refurb was a recent 392 i got that has a way oversized barrel and is a total waste of money. i even bought some large diameter pellets and it still shoots terribly.  My impression is that the refurbished guns are not inspected or tested, but given a quick look for major scratches and put in a new box. i will not buy a refurb ever again. i will however buy older used models if its a bargain

[dhc8guru]

I've bought two refurbs. A Ruger Airhawk elite rifle and a CP99 compact Co2 pistol. The Airhawk looked and operated like a new gun. The CP99 looked heavily used, not damaged or anything like that but all the sliding surfaces (slide, trigger etc.) had the finish worn off. The gun operates fine and overall it still looks decent.
I don't have any reservations purchasing refurbs from Airgun Depot or Pyramydair. They back what they sell.  And even though they only have a 30 day warranty, I am sure if the gun croaked within a reasonable amount of time over the 30 days, both those venders would probably work with you to get the gun fixed.  For me though, there is a limit. I personally would steer clear of a high end refurb guns. I just feel that saving a couple hundred bucks off a several thousand dollar gun isn't worth the risk of finding out it had 5000 rounds run through it or shows heavy signs of wear.

[pappa]

I have bought 11 refurbs (RWS34s, Blackhawks, Remington Summits, Ruger Air Magnum, RWS350, RWS460) and have yet to get one that was not factory perfect in mechanics, looks and performance. Most of them from Airgun Depot. It is my firm belief that most of them come from returns that were made by someone buying them that didn't know diddly squat about how an air rifle should be handled, held, fed, shot or maintained and blamed the rifle for the poor performance they were getting and returned it. As long as I can find a refurb from a good, known source, I will continue to buy them when I have a need and they are available.

[haertig]

I bought a refurb Gamo Shadow 1000 several years ago.  Somebody (the previous owner?) evidently tried to drill and tap a hole up near the muzzle for some unknown reason.  They actually messed up the crown in the process by drilling into it.  I am surprised that something like that would have been shipping to me.  But it was.  I was able to fix it but cutting off the end of the barrel and recrowning it myself.  This experience soured me on buying a refurb again.  But in all fairness, I also bough a NEW Crosman 1377 that has a terrible crown that required me to recrown it.  And also a brand new Marlin 981T .22LR rifle that had a teardrop shaped crown that was so lopsided and smeared over to the side it was laughable.  So my luck really hasn't been any better with new airguns/rifles than with refurb airguns.  However, I've gotten pretty good at recrowning barrels through all this!

[Ahab]

I have bought 11 refurbs (RWS34s, Blackhawks, Remington Summits, Ruger Air Magnum, RWS350, RWS460) and have yet to get one that was not factory perfect in mechanics, looks and performance. Most of them from Airgun Depot. It is my firm belief that most of them come from returns that were made by someone buying them that didn't know diddly squat about how an air rifle should be handled, held, fed, shot or maintained and blamed the rifle for the poor performance they were getting and returned it. As long as I can find a refurb from a good, known source, I will continue to buy them when I have a need and they are available.

AMEN!

[Jack D]

I've never bought a refurbished gun, but have many other items. What I look for is the term "factory refurbished". If it's refurbished by someone other than the original factory, I won't buy. Factory refurbished items usually come with full factory warranty, in my experience. So far, those items have been as good as new or even better and cheaper, too.

[donw]

if "Factory refurbished"...OK

heck...you  can afford to get a new rebuild kit and install it in minutes if you wish with the savings and then it will more than likely, be as new.

for that matter, i've seen people recommend 'rebuilding' some Chinese made, new rifles any way...

[Sqrl Klr]

I can tell you for certain if you're buying a refurbed daisy 880 it will stop working most likely during the 30 day warranty period but one stopped on me a week after so I can't recommend a refurbed 880, but for that matter I can't recommend a new one either since they also stop working fairly soon within 3-6 months. I went through 5 of them new and refurbed before I had finally had enough of that aggravation.

Then I got a new disco to save myself from further problems only to have two bad ones sent to me, so buying new is no guarantee that you'll be spared from any hassle either. So far as expensive rifles I have not bought any of them refurbed, only used so I'm no help there, but I have not had a problem with them thankfully.

[the1stkim]

I purchased a refurb mrod .25 a few months ago and it appears to be brand new. I have not noticed even a single defect.

[willc68]

Over half of my guns have been refurbs or remanufactured and have had more luck with them than new purchases.
My latest was a Bakal IZM 53 that I got for 40 bucks it really looks to be in new condition and it shoots great.
In my experience it seems these guns have at least been looked over for defects where new guns do not get that attention.

[pappa]

Over half of my guns have been refurbs or remanufactured and have had more luck with them than new purchases.
My latest was a Bakal IZM 53 that I got for 40 bucks it really looks to be in new condition and it shoots great.
In my experience it seems these guns have at least been looked over for defects where new guns do not get that attention.

Amen!

[harleyflhxi]

Comedic damage ?

This is EXACTLY why it is important to be very serious about air gun use!

This is no laughing matter!

 

[gnef]

I bought a refurbished airhawk, and was unlucky. The barrel had significant droop (I will correct this at some point with the jig CDT has in the library), but also was only at about half power. I put it in the spring compressor, and saw nicks and pieces out of the seal.

Not a big problem for me, since I bought it as a project gun in the first place, but if I had bought it with the intention of having it operate like new I would have been much more upset. I have too many other things going right now to work on it, but it will be my rifle to practice on before I get more expensive springers and work on them.