Used HK "should ask" questions?

[Finleyville]

Anyway...

I may be interested in purchasing a used P2000sk face-to-face from a private owner. What questions should I be asking even before I meet up and personally inspect the pistol? IOW, what are the "must know's" before proceeding with ANY used gun sale?

I have never bought a used firearm before so I really do not know what I do not know.

Thanks for all the help.

[Tabsr]

When I bought my PSK .40 last fall, the owner, young private security employee, stated 200 rounds. I field stripped, inspected slide wear, internal barrel, outside barrel wear, fire pin and ramp. The gun appeared not to be cleaned well. Bought it for $550. Cleaned it and functioned like new. Replaced the hammer spring with a Wolff 10#, the DA trigger is now great and SA feels lighter.

[USP45Tim]

What I would do is establish telephone communication and make sure that you feel comfortable meeting up with him.

Ask him how many rounds did he shoot through it, what condition would he rate it and what exactly comes with the pistol.

Then I would type up a bill of sale containing all information about the weapon including a description, serial number, etc. This isn't a must but it's common practice for some folks.

Meet up at a public place such as a store parking lot and close the deal with a handshake!

Hope this helps!

[IMTHESKI]

I usually ask why they are selling it. Check the condition of the internals-Looking for excessive wear, evidence of it being dropped and the typical scratches and dings. On HK's I look at the barrel, slide and frame for matching serial numbers. I know on the USP's the slide not holding open with the mag in is a pretty common problem and nothing to worry about. My USP 45 did it and all it would have taken to fix it was a new mag spring, I didn't think it was worth fixing. I know you said P2000 sk, but I heard on 380 HK4's to look for cracks in the frame, not sure how true that is but checking never hurt anything. With Hk's there aren't too many things that go wrong they are pretty solid firearms.

[riceboy72]

Be sure the seller is willing to allow you to field strip the pistol when you meet so you can examine the internals. Earlier this spring, I met with someone who would not let me field strip the pistol to inspect it further, so the deal was terminated at that point.

It would not hurt for you to bring a small flashlight (Surefire, if you carry one anyway) to further examine the gun, especially if you're doing it inside a car or it's not ideal lighting outside.

H&K's are tough pistols and have a long tradition of quality. Unless it's truly been neglected or outright abused, you should be okay if proper care and maintenance was done to the pistol on a routine basis.

[Geo]

My big concern when buying a used gun from a private party is whether it might be stolen. If this is a concern for you, I would at a minimum get his name and address, or better yet his name, address, and driver license number. If it turns out to be stolen, this will help cover your butt, but does nothing to help you recover the money you paid for the gun. To be safer yet, you can meet the seller at your local law enforcement agency and before even buying it, have the agency run it through the system. If it comes back stolen, you can leave with your money still in your pocket and no skin off your butt.