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Table of Contents
Police Trade-In Guns for Sale Right Now
This list updates every day from the retailers we track: Guns.com, Classic Firearms, Palmetto State Armory, Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore and Sportsman’s Guide. It only shows guns the seller describes as a police or law enforcement trade-in, so you won’t have to dig through general used stock to find them.
Trade-ins come in batches and the good ones go quickly. When a department dumps a few hundred Glock 22s, the cheapest grades are often gone within a couple of days. If you see the model you want at a price you like, do not wait for it to drop further.
Rossi S201220BS 20GA Police Trade-In Shotgun
Remington 870 Wingmaster 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Stock
Remington 870 Wingmaster 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Stock
-23%FNH FNS-40, 40 S&W Pistol, 4" Barrel, Black, (1) 14rd Magazine - Law Enforcement Trade In Pistols - Good Condition
-53%Beretta Model 84 BB 3.8" 13rd .380ACP Pistol, LE Trade In Surplus Used Very Good Condition
Remington 870 Express Magnum 12 Gauge Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Stock and 18 Inch Barrel
Remington 870 Express Magnum 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Orange Furniture/Pistol Grip
Remington 870 Magnum 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Stock
ATI Omni Hybrid 5.56mm Police Trade-In Pistol with KeyMod Handguard
Beretta Model 81 Cheetah Series Pistol, 12rd, .32 ACP - Law Enforcement Trade In - Good To Very Good Surplus Condition
Remington 870 Police Magnum 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Pistol Grip
Remington 870 Police Magnum 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Synthetic Stock
Glock 17 Gen 2 Semi-Auto Pistol 9mm 4.49" Bbl 17 Rd, Chipped Grip/Magwell, LEO Trade-In, Surplus Good/VG Overall W/ Grip Damage - Blem
Beretta 84F .380 ACP 13rd Capacity Pistol - LEO Trade-in Surplus Good Condition
-13%Smith & Wesson M&P9 Semi-Automatic Pistol 4.25" Barrel 9mm, (1) 17rd Magazine - Law Enforcement Trade-In - Good to Very Good Condition
-15%Glock 23 Gen 3 - .40 S&W Compact Handgun 13 Round Capacity, Law Enforcement Trade In - Good/Very Good Surplus Condition
Remington 870 Police Magnum 12GA Police Trade-In Shotgun with Pistol Grip and Extended Tube Mag
-10%Glock 17 Gen 3 Semi-Auto Pistol 9mm 4.49" Barrel 17rd - Used Law Enforcement Trade-In - Surplus Good/Very Good Condition
Glock 17 Gen 2 Semi-Auto Pistol 9mm 4.49" Barrel, (1) 17 Round Mags, - Used Law Enforcement Trade-In - Surplus Good/Very Good
-13%Glock 26 Gen 3 Law Enforcement Trade-in 9x19mm Semi-Automatic Pistol - NRA Surplus Good to Very Good Condition
Glock 43 Law Enforcement Trade-In 9x19mm Semi-Automatic Pistol, NRA Surplus Good to Excellent Used Condition, (1) 6 Round Mag
-13%Smith & Wesson M&P 9 m2.0, Semi Automatic Pistol, 9mm, 4.25" Barrel, 3-Dot Sights, (1) 17rd Magazine, Used Good to Very Good Condition, LEO Trade-In
Glock 17 Gen4 9mm Police Trade-in Pistol (Fair Condition)
Glock 17 Gen4 9mm Police Trade-In Pistol with Night Sights (Fair Condition)
Trade-In vs New: What You Actually Save
Everybody says trade-ins are cheap. Here’s how cheap, measured. I pulled every trade-in listing from our price catalog on September 21, 2026 and set each one against the closest new gun a civilian can buy today. Where the exact model isn’t made anymore, the comparison is the current model that replaced it.
| Trade-in listing | Trade-in price | Closest new gun | New price | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sig P229 .40 S&W (Palmetto State Armory) | $449.99 | Sig P229 9mm | $1,099.99 | $650 (59%) |
| Sig P226R (Palmetto State Armory, Classic Firearms) | $499.99 | Sig P226 9mm | $999.99 | $500 (50%) |
| Remington 870 Police Magnum (Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore) | $319.99 | Cheapest new 870 (Fieldmaster) | $619.99 | $300 (48%) |
| S&W M&P9 M2.0 (Classic Firearms) | $349.99 | S&W M&P9 M2.0 full size | $648.62 | $299 (46%) |
| Glock 17 Gen 4, Fair condition (Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore) | $359.99 | Glock 17 Gen 6 | $620.00 | $260 (42%) |
| Glock 17 Gen 5 (Classic Firearms) | $399.99 | Glock 17 Gen 6 | $620.00 | $220 (35%) |
| Glock 19 Gen 4 with night sights (Palmetto State Armory) | $449.99 | Glock 19 Gen 6 | $620.00 | $170 (27%) |
| Glock 45 Gen 5 (Guns.com, Classic Firearms) | $549.99 | Glock 45 V | $539.00 | $11 more |
Prices are the listed price on September 21, 2026, before shipping and your dealer’s transfer fee. New prices are the lowest in-stock price for that model across the retailers we track.
Three things jump out. The biggest savings are on the hammer-fired Sigs, because a new P226 or P229 is a $1,000 gun and the .40 S&W trade-ins are flooding out of departments that went to 9mm. Glocks save you less than people think, since a new Glock is already cheap. And the Glock 45 line is the warning: a trade-in built in the last few years can cost more than a new one, because a brand-new G45 V currently sells for less.
Before you buy any trade-in, price the new version. It takes thirty seconds and it’s the only way to know you’re getting a deal.
Where Police Trade-Ins Come From
A department doesn’t sell its guns one at a time. When it adopts a new duty pistol, the whole fleet goes at once, often as a credit against the new guns. The maker or a distributor takes the lot, grades each one and sells them into the used channel through retailers like the ones above.
That’s why trade-ins show up in waves of one model. It’s also why so many right now are chambered in .40 S&W. The FBI went back to 9mm in the mid-2010s and a lot of state and local agencies followed, which put years of Glock 22s, Glock 23s, Sig P226s and P229s in .40 onto the civilian market. More recently, departments moving to optics-ready pistols have started retiring perfectly good Gen 4 and Gen 5 9mm guns too.
Shotguns follow the same pattern. Patrol cars carried the Remington 870 for decades, and as agencies swap them for patrol rifles, the 870 Police Magnums and Express Magnums come out in bulk. Guns.com alone had 25 Remington 870 trade-ins in its feed the day I checked. Miami-Dade’s own weapons policy names the 870 by model, which is why Netflix’s The Rip is full of them.
Condition Grades Decoded
This is where buyers get confused, because every retailer describes condition its own way. Most of them borrow from the NRA’s condition standards for modern guns, so start there.
- Excellent: barely used, with close to perfect finish apart from the sharp edges.
- Very Good: works perfectly, no real wear on the working surfaces, no rust or pitting, just small dings and scratches.
- Good: safe and working, some wear on the working surfaces, nothing broken, and no rust or pitting that affects how it runs.
- Fair: safe and working but well worn. It may need a minor repair or adjustment and can show replaced parts.
On a trade-in pistol, “Good” nearly always means holster wear: the finish rubbed through on the slide edges and muzzle end, maybe some scuffing on the frame. That wear is cosmetic. It comes from years of riding in a duty holster, not from shooting.
Here’s how each seller labels its trade-ins, taken from their own listings:
| Retailer | How it labels trade-ins | What to look for in the listing |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Firearms | NRA surplus grades: Good, Very Good, Good to Very Good, Excellent | Flaws are written into the title, like “Chipped Grip/Magwell”. Magazine count is listed. |
| Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore | “Fair Condition” or “Good Condition” in the title | The same model can be listed twice at different grades and prices. Check which one you’re adding to the cart. |
| Palmetto State Armory | “USED LE Trade-In” | “w/ NS” means night sights are fitted. “Agency Stamped” means department markings on the gun. |
| Guns.com | “(LE TRADE-IN)” after the model name | Night sights are flagged in the title when present. Compare several listings of the same model, prices vary by $50. |
| Sportsman’s Guide | “Used Law Enforcement Trade-In” | No grade in the title, so read the description for condition notes. |
| OfficerStore (not in our live list) | Grade 1 (very good to excellent), Grade 2 (good to very good), Grade 3 | Magazine count is in the title. Grade 3 is the cheapest and the most worn. |
My rule: for a gun you’ll carry, buy Good or better. For a truck gun or a home-defense shotgun that lives in a closet, Fair is fine and the savings are real. The Fair Glock 17 Gen 4 at $359.99 is a shooter, not a showpiece, and it’s priced like one.
The Best Police Trade-Ins to Buy
Glock 17 and Glock 19 (Gen 4 and Gen 5)
The easiest trade-in to buy and the easiest to live with. Parts, holsters and magazines are everywhere, and a Glock that spent ten years in a holster is barely broken in. A Gen 4 trade-in is the budget pick. In our catalog a Gen 5 costs $20 to $50 more and gets you the better barrel and a grip with no finger grooves. If you want to know what changed between them, our Glock 19 Gen 5 vs Gen 4 breakdown covers it, and the used Glock 19 page tracks prices on that model alone.
Glock 22 and Glock 23 in .40 S&W
These are the most common trade-ins out there and the cheapest way into a duty-grade Glock. The catch is the caliber: .40 S&W costs more to shoot than 9mm and it snaps harder. If you’re fine with that, a Glock 22 Gen 4 with night sights at $399.99 from Palmetto State Armory is hard to beat. If you’re on the fence, read our 9mm vs .40 S&W comparison first.
Sig Sauer P226 and P229
The best value on this page, full stop. You get an all-metal, hammer-fired Sig for half of what a new one costs. Most of these are .40 S&W, and a lot of shooters ask about swapping the barrel over to .357 Sig or 9mm. Going to .357 Sig is a barrel swap that runs on the same magazines. Going to 9mm takes more than a barrel, so ask Sig or a gunsmith exactly what your model needs before you buy parts. Our P226 review and P229 review cover the guns themselves, and the used Sig P226 page tracks live prices.
Remington 870 Police Magnum
Departments bought both the 870 Police Magnum and the plainer 870 Express Magnum, and both come out as trade-ins. They run $250 to $450 depending on grade and furniture. As a home-defense shotgun it’s about as proven as it gets. See our Remington 870 review, and the used Remington 870 page for the rest of the used market.
Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0
Newer trade-ins are starting to show up, and the M2.0 is the one to watch. At $349.99 it’s the cheapest modern striker-fired 9mm in the table above, and it’s almost half the price of a new one. If you want the full picture on the gun, our M&P9 M2.0 review has it.
What to Check When Your Trade-In Arrives
You cannot handle a gun before you buy it online, so do the inspection at your dealer’s counter before you sign for it. It takes five minutes.
- Night sights. Tritium loses half its glow roughly every 12 years. A sight fitted in 2014 is at about half its original brightness now. If they’re dim in a dark room, budget for new ones. Our night sights guide covers the options.
- Frame and slide rails. Look for cracks at the rails and around the pins on polymer frames. Holster wear on the slide is normal. A crack is not.
- Barrel and chamber. Look down the bore with a light. You want clean, sharp rifling and no pitting at the chamber mouth.
- Trigger. Dry fire it with the dealer’s permission. The pull should feel consistent every time, with no grinding.
- Magazines. Count them against the listing and check the springs. On any gun you’ll carry, replace the magazine springs and the recoil spring anyway. It’s cheap insurance.
Return policies on used guns differ a lot between these retailers. Read the policy before you order, not after the gun is at your dealer.
Buying a Trade-In Online: Transfers and State Rules
A trade-in ships the same way as a new gun. It goes to a licensed dealer near you, you fill out ATF Form 4473, pass the background check, and pick it up. Our FFL transfer guide walks through it, and transfer fees are worth checking before you decide a $30 difference in price matters.
Two state issues catch people out. First, magazine limits: if you live somewhere with a 10-round cap, like California, New York, New Jersey or Massachusetts, check what magazine ships with the gun before you order. A full-size duty pistol ships with its duty magazines, and on a Glock 17 or 22 that means 17 or 15 rounds. In a 15-round state like Colorado, the Glock 22’s magazine is fine and the Glock 17’s is not. Second, California’s handgun roster. A California dealer can only sell a handgun that’s on the California DOJ roster, and Gen 4 and Gen 5 Glocks are not on it. Our California roster explainer has the details.
If you’re still deciding whether used is right for you at all, our used vs new guns guide lays out the trade-offs. For used guns beyond trade-ins, start at our used guns hub or jump to used handguns and used shotguns. We also round up the best used deals every week in used guns of the week.
Police Trade-In Gun FAQ
What is a police trade-in gun?
A police trade-in is a duty pistol, shotgun or rifle that a law enforcement agency sold off when it switched to a new model. The whole fleet goes to a distributor at once, gets graded, and is resold to civilians through licensed retailers. You buy it exactly like any other gun, through a local FFL dealer.
Are police trade-in guns reliable?
Yes, in most cases. A duty gun gets carried far more than it gets shot, so most trade-ins show holster wear on the finish while the barrel, springs and action have seen relatively few rounds. Inspect the frame rails, bore and trigger at your dealer's counter, and replace the recoil spring and magazine springs on any gun you plan to carry.
How much cheaper is a police trade-in than a new gun?
It depends on the model. On September 21, 2026, a trade-in Sig P229 listed at $449.99 against $1,099.99 new, a Remington 870 Police Magnum at $319.99 against $619.99 for a new 870 Fieldmaster, and a Glock 17 Gen 4 at $359.99 against $620 for a new Gen 6. A Gen 5 Glock 45 trade-in at $549.99 actually cost more than a new G45 V at $539, so always price the new gun first.
Why are so many police trade-ins chambered in .40 S&W?
Because a lot of agencies left .40 S&W for 9mm after the FBI went back to 9mm in the mid-2010s. That retired large fleets of Glock 22s, Glock 23s, Sig P226s and P229s in .40, and they are still working their way through the used market. The upside for you is price: .40 trade-ins are some of the cheapest duty-grade pistols you can buy.
Do police trade-in guns come with night sights and magazines?
Some do and some don't, and the listing title tells you. Palmetto State Armory marks night sights as w/ NS, Guns.com flags them in the title, and Classic Firearms and OfficerStore list the magazine count. Tritium night sights lose about half their glow every 12 years, so older sights may be dim and worth replacing.
Can I buy a police trade-in gun online?
Yes. The retailer ships it to a licensed FFL dealer near you, where you fill out ATF Form 4473 and pass the background check before you take it home. The process is the same as buying a new gun online. Check your dealer's transfer fee first, since it can wipe out a small price difference between two listings.
Can I buy a police trade-in Glock in California?
Not as a normal dealer sale if it's a Gen 4 or Gen 5. A California dealer can only sell handguns on the state roster, and those generations are not on it. A private-party transfer from another California resident is exempt from the roster. California also limits magazines to 10 rounds, so check what ships with any trade-in before you order.
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