Honest wear?

[jnyork]

Every so often I see some guy advertising a gun for sale, condition advertised as "honest wear". Whattheheck is "dishonest wear"?

[claybob86]

My guess:
Honest wear is from cops and other good guys carrying and using the gun. Dishonest wear happens when robbers and other bad guys carry and use the gun.

[Pisgah]

I contrast 'honest wear with "abuse". Honest wear would be bluing thinning at the natural carry point, minor dings/scratches in the stock, no rust other than perhaps some minor cosmetic freckling, expected finish wear on visible moving action parts. Abuse would mean a rifle that looks like it's been rattling around in the back of the pickup with the posthole digger, wire stretcher, and the 1/4 load of gravel you've been meaning to use on the potholes in your driveway. ( The latter are often considered by sellers to be valuable family heirlooms worth a premium price.)

[Lassiter]

I contrast 'honest wear with "abuse". Honest wear would be bluing thinning at the natural carry point, minor dings/scratches in the stock, no rust other than perhaps some minor cosmetic freckling, expected finish wear on visible moving action parts. Abuse would mean a rifle that looks like it's been rattling around in the back of the pickup with the posthole digger, wire stretcher, and the 1/4 load of gravel you've been meaning to use on the potholes in your driveway. ( The latter are often considered by sellers to be valuable family heirlooms worth a premium price.)

^^^^^
What he said........

[Mike Armstrong]

I've seen plenty of guns with "dishonest wear." Besides the above examples, there is the worst kind which involves stealing a gun or guns and hiding them under the front porch with the widow spiders for X days, weeks, or months while waiting for the crime to "cool down." Sometimes it doesn't, and the guns are next found by a house demo crew or a plumber. In truly crappy shape because criminals are not the most thoughtful of folks and don't care much for anything, including loot. Gun oil? Huh-Wut?

And then there are the ones you find along a public road that have been tossed out of a car for various (all dishonest) reasons and suffered a good case of "road rash" plus whatever corrosion happens before somebody finds them. I've found two such guns over a long life of driving and walking. One was a "Raven" .25 auto, a gun best served by throwing it away. The cop who came and got it made a truly ugly face when he saw what it was--apparently he had "history" with Ravens.... The other was an S&W Model 27 with an uncommon factory 3 1/2" barrel that somebody's GF had ditched just to spite the owner. It was in upstate NYS in the winter and it had sat in a pile of gravel and road salt for X hours or days. Me and the Statie who responded to my call just about wept. Where's the horse whip when somebody needs it?

[JerryB]

Reckon Pisgah said it plain enough for me, wear from everyday use over a long time frame.

[Old Ironsights]

I would also put "honest wear" in the "it's a gun. I used it." column vs. "I bought it as a safe queen/investment - pay up" column.

[Scrateshooter]

Reckon Pisgah said it plain enough for me, wear from everyday use over a long time frame.

Grandpa, don't forget how they fall over in the corner sometimes, or fall out of places you forgot you put them while taking something down.

I honestly don't spend the time to clean them sometimes, and some just stay in the truck withstanding Texas humidity for months at a time.

When I'm rich and have my mansion in a few years each gun will have its own room and sit on a silk pillow and get an oil rub down by the servants every hour on the hour. I'll just sell my ammunition to pay the expenses, because shooting guns wears them out.

[claybob86]

I would also put "honest wear" in the "it's a gun. I used it." column vs. "I bought it as a safe queen/investment - pay up" column.

Exactly.

[M. M. Wright]

My first BLR had a lot of "honest wear" when I got it. The wrist on one side was worn nearly through by the tongue of a hi-lift jack. (You could clearly see the imprint of the tongue which goes under whatever you're jacking.) Wish I had taken a picture of it. I could easily imagine the rifle bouncing around in the floorboard of a pickup, under that jack and two pairs of muddy, 4 buckle overshoes while going down a ranch road between pastures. I quickly replaced the butt stock and now, 30 years later, it is starting to look like it matches the rest of the gun. Well, sorta.

Now, that's honest wear.