20 Handguns That Are Harder to Find in Good Shape Than They Should Be

Photo credit: RealPorkchop/Youtube

There’s a special kind of frustration that comes from finally tracking down a handgun you’ve wanted for years, only to find it looks like it lived loose in a tackle box. Rust freckles, home-brew “trigger jobs,” sandpaper stippling, bubba’d screws, night sights installed with a hammer—then the seller acts surprised you’re not thrilled.

Some pistols just seem to attract neglect. Others get carried a lot and cleaned a little. And a few were bought by the truckload, shot hard, and traded off right when they started acting up. Here are 20 handguns I see over and over that are weirdly tough to find in honest, un-messed-with condition, even though they were never supposed to be unicorns.

1. Smith & Wesson Model 10

If you want a classic .38 revolver that points like your finger and just works, the Model 10 is hard to beat. The problem is most of the ones floating around were duty guns, then nightstand guns, then glovebox guns. That’s a long life of sweat, lint, and “I’ll clean it later.”

Look close at the muzzle and the cylinder. A lot of them have holster wear that’s fine, but also have timing that’s not. When you do find a tight one with a decent bore and a clean double-action pull, it’s usually priced like it’s already collectible.

2. Colt Detective Special

The old Detective Special is a sweet little revolver with real shootability, not just “small gun” bragging rights. They got carried a lot, and they got carried by folks who didn’t baby them. Blued finishes show it.

What makes good examples tough is the action. People tinker with Colt lockwork like it’s a lawn mower, and it is not. A clean, unaltered action with a cylinder that locks up right is the whole game here.

3. Colt Python (older production)

Everybody knows the Python name, but what’s funny is how many “nice” ones aren’t actually nice once you handle them. They get over-polished, reblued poorly, or shot loose with a steady diet of hot loads. Then the timing starts to drift.

A proper older Python with sharp roll marks, correct finish, and a smooth action is out there, but it doesn’t sit long. The odds of finding one that hasn’t been monkeyed with are slimmer than they should be for a gun that’s so well known.

4. Browning Hi-Power (FN or Browning-marked)

The Hi-Power is one of those pistols that feels “right” even if you can’t explain it. A lot of them, though, are imports that lived a hard life before they ever hit an American gun counter. Finish wear is normal. It’s the internal condition that can be rough.

Another issue is “improvements.” Folks chase a better trigger and end up with a gun that’s unreliable or has half its original parts missing. A clean, mostly original Hi-Power with good mags is a buy-now situation.

5. SIG Sauer P226 (West German / early folded-slide era)

These were bought to be used, and used they were. Police trade-ins can be a great deal, but it’s a coin flip on how they were maintained. You’ll see dry rails, peened locking areas, and springs that feel like they’re from a different decade.

The early guns have a certain feel—slick without being loose. Finding that, plus original parts and non-abused frames, takes patience. When you find one that hasn’t been run with bargain ammo and zero lube, it’s a keeper.

6. SIG Sauer P228

The P228 hits a sweet spot: compact, balanced, and easy to shoot well. That’s why so many got carried daily. That’s also why so many have dings, battered controls, and magazine issues from being slammed into hard surfaces for years.

What you want is a gun that was carried but not “maintained by neglect.” Worn finish is fine. Sloppy lockup, cracked grips, and questionable aftermarket springs are not.

7. HK P7 PSP / P7M8

Yes, it’s odd. Yes, it heats up. And yes, it’s one of the most accurate, flat-shooting 9mms you can carry. The trouble is a lot of them were police guns that sat in holsters, got qualified with, and then sat some more.

You’ll run into finish wear and carbon that looks like it’s been in there since the first Bush administration. The real pain is finding one with clean internals, correct parts, and mags that don’t cost a small fortune.

8. Beretta 92FS (older Italian production)

The 92 is reliable and soft shooting, but it’s also a big, easy gun to toss in a truck or leave in a drawer. The ones that look “fine” sometimes have locking blocks that are tired and recoil springs that are long past due.

Another thing: people love swapping parts on these. D-springs, triggers, sights—none of that is automatically bad, but you want to know who did it and why. A clean, stock-ish older 92 that hasn’t been rattled loose is getting harder to stumble across.

9. CZ 75B (pre-owned, non-omega)

CZs have a loyal crowd, and for good reason. They shoot flat and point naturally. But the used ones often show up with mystery springs, altered sears, or “polished” feed ramps that look like someone went at them with a Dremel.

A lot of CZ owners tinker. Sometimes it’s done right. Sometimes it’s done on a kitchen table with a punch set and confidence. The cleanest ones tend to come from folks who left them alone.

10. Ruger Security-Six

The Security-Six is a working revolver. It was the “one gun” for a lot of outdoorsmen: camping, checking fence lines, sitting by the bed. Those guns didn’t get pampered, and Ruger’s old bluing shows wear fast.

Most problems aren’t catastrophic; they’re just signs of long use—endshake, gritty triggers, buggered screws. Find one with a tight cylinder and an action that hasn’t been “improved,” and you’ve got a revolver that’ll outlast you.

11. Smith & Wesson Model 19

K-Frame .357s are beloved, and the Model 19 is right at the top. They also get fed a lot of full-house .357, even though that wasn’t always the smartest long-term plan. Then the forcing cone takes a beating, and you don’t notice until accuracy falls off.

The good ones have honest holster wear and a clean bore. The rough ones have flame cutting, loose lockup, or timing that’s a little late. I hate to say it, but you have to be picky here.

12. Smith & Wesson Model 36 (Chief’s Special)

J-Frames live hard lives. They get dropped in pockets, bounced in purses, and carried against sweaty skin all summer. The Model 36 in particular gets “cleaned” with whatever is handy, which sometimes means oil plus lint plus time.

A tight, clean Model 36 with crisp edges and a smooth trigger is a joy. But most have been carried far more than they’ve been shot, and the exterior tells the story. Don’t let ugly scare you off, but do check for rust under the grips.

13. Ruger GP100 (used range workhorses)

The GP100 is built like a fence post, so people treat it like one. Lots of used GP100s were range rentals or “let’s see what .357 is all about” guns. That means a lot of hot loads and not always the best cleaning habits.

They’re usually still serviceable, but you’ll find cylinder drag lines, worn pawls, and triggers that feel like gravel. A GP100 in genuinely good shape isn’t rare, but it’s rarer than it should be because they get worked.

14. Glock 19 Gen 2

The Gen 2 Glock 19 has a cult following, and it’s not just nostalgia. They tend to have a simple, no-nonsense feel. The issue is these are older guns now, and many of them were carried daily and shot often.

Most of the beat ones still run, which is why they got beat in the first place. But finding one that hasn’t been stippled aggressively, had the frame melted, or been “upgraded” with bargain parts is a chore. Original mags and unmolested frames matter here.

15. Glock 17 (police trade-in era guns)

Police trade-in Glocks can be a steal, but condition is all over the map. Some were carried a ton and shot a little. Others were shot a lot and maintained by the armorer, which is great—unless someone swapped in odd parts over the years.

Watch for worn slide stop notches, tired recoil springs, and night sights that are long dead. None of that is the end of the world, but a truly clean older G17 with consistent parts and good mags is harder to find than you’d think.

16. Remington Rand 1911A1

These aren’t just “old 1911s.” They’re pieces of history that also happen to be serviceable pistols. The problem is they’ve been through decades of hands, and a lot of them were rebuilt, refinished, or mixed with parts from other guns.

A correct example with a good barrel, intact markings, and no hack gunsmithing is the exception. A lot of the “good deals” are really just refinished guns with mismatched guts. If you want one, learn what you’re looking at before you lay money down.

17. Colt Series 70 Government Model

Series 70 Colts got used as base guns for custom work for a long time. That’s great if the work was done by somebody who knew what they were doing. It’s a headache when it was done by someone chasing a feel they couldn’t quite achieve.

It’s tough to find one that’s original, not over-tightened, and not hacked up for sights or a beavertail. When you do find a clean one with a good trigger and no drama, it feels like you caught it before it fell into the “project gun” trap.

18. Walther PPK / PPK/S

These get bought for the vibe, then carried because they’re small, then shot enough to remind you they’re snappy. A lot of PPKs and PPK/S pistols end up with slide bite stories and a finish that looks like it was carried in a pocket with keys.

Older examples can also have spotty reliability depending on ammo and springs. Finding one that’s clean, runs well, and hasn’t been “smoothed” into unsafe territory is more work than it ought to be for such an iconic gun.

19. Ruger Mark II

The Mark II is one of the best .22 pistols ever made, and that’s exactly why they’re often filthy. Folks shoot bricks of rimfire through them and figure, “It’s a .22, it’ll be fine.” Eventually the crud catches up.

You’ll see front sights dinged up, bores neglected, and mainspring housings scratched from disassembly fights. A clean Mark II with a decent trigger and no home-done modifications is a fantastic woods-walking pistol. Ask me how I know.

20. Thompson/Center Contender (original frame, used hunting setups)

The Contender is a niche gun, but in the hunting world it’s common enough that you’d think nice ones would be everywhere. The problem is most were owned by guys who actually hunted with them. That means scope rings torqued down, blued barrels exposed to weather, and cases that didn’t always stay dry.

Add in barrel swapping and oddball chamberings, and you get a lot of “almost right” setups. Finding a tight, clean frame with a good trigger and a barrel that wasn’t neglected takes some digging, but it’s still one of the coolest ways to hunt with a handgun.

None of these are impossible to find, and I’m not saying you should be afraid of honest wear. I’d rather have a pistol with holster shine than one with a bunch of mystery parts and a story that doesn’t add up. If you’re shopping used, bring a light, slow down, and don’t be shy about walking away. The right one shows up eventually, and it’s usually worth the wait.