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09-18-2018, 11:33 AM
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Are There Still Bargains Out There? You Tell Me
I bid on a 32 Safety Hammerless at auction a couple weeks ago. I have several, but have been having trouble finding a 6” 32 Safety. This one came up and looked to be in pretty good shape, so I put a bid of $190 and went back to watch it as the auction progressed. Surprisingly, it sold for that price, so with premium and shipping, it ended up at my door for $250.
32 Safety Hammerless, 2nd Model, serial number 137788 was shipped in Feb. 1905 in nickel finish. Oh, I did have to buy a new firing pin for $15 so add that to the cost. Tom (tlay) graciously helped me with instructions on how to remove the broken one and install the new pin. The gun and I just returned from the range and functioned flawlessly. Accuracy for such a long barrel was not anything to brag about, but I did hit the paper. Value in SCSW4 shows Excellent (80% Nickel) - $400 and states 6” barrel is worth double. Would anyone pay $800 for this S&W – not me.
Anyway, I now have all the standard barrel lengths for the 32 Safety and a matching barrel length to my little 32 Double Action revolver. Just curious what to you all think about a proper value to be assigned to a gun like this one?
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Gary
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09-18-2018, 11:44 AM
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I am not up on the value of these but as far as the coolness scale it is definitely a 100. Just love the long barrel.
Did you shoot it from a rest or off hand? If off hand, it may be you and not the gun. Just saying. I know that my guns shoot way better than I do.
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James Redfield
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09-18-2018, 11:53 AM
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Nice.
Those long-barreled versions were a bit of an oddity since the hammerless design was intended for pocket carry.
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09-18-2018, 11:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JSR III
I am not up on the value of these but as far as the coolness scale it is definitely a 100. Just love the long barrel.
Did you shoot it from a rest or off hand? If off hand, it may be you and not the gun. Just saying. I know that my guns shoot way better than I do.
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Don't forget, this is DA only.
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09-18-2018, 12:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RMFnLA
Don't forget, this is DA only.
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Not exactly - the Safety revolvers has an interesting trigger pull design. You have to give it a tug, but if you pull it slowly, the trigger comes to rest at the break point. With a little practice, one can turn these DA only guns into a SA trigger pull. I did both off-hand and at rest shooting, and I have never found this model to be particularly accurate, but I guess that was not their intended purpose.
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Gary
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09-18-2018, 01:44 PM
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Beauty---and anything else worth talking about is "in the eye of the beholder". In this case, SCSW says a 6" barrel is worth double because the consensus said it was worth double. The fact you were/are not part of that consensus is just that---a fact---neither right nor wrong---just so.
Those who would pay double will be delighted to know you're not going to be a competitor for the next one that comes along. Nor will I for that matter, as I am one of those who doesn't even understand why guns without adjustable sights even exist.
There are different strokes for different folks----'twas always thus.
Ralph Tremaine
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09-18-2018, 02:02 PM
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I think yours is a bargain.
I think all the antique S&W's are bargains.
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09-18-2018, 02:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rct269
I am one of those who doesn't even understand why guns without adjustable sights even exist.
There are different strokes for different folks----'twas always thus.
Ralph Tremaine
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Funny, I just picked up a Model 64 police surplus and the fixed sights is one of my favorite features.
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09-18-2018, 02:39 PM
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Yes, there are, but not as frequent as there was 10-15 years ago. Sometimes a seller doesn't know just what they have, sometimes several buyers just don't recognize just what the gun is. I found a S&W Number 1 1st Issue , 3rd type (only 1870 made). It was in an auction, I spotted it all dirty laying on the table among a bunch of black plastic wonder nines. I recognized what it was and evidently no one else did, (this was also an on line Proxibid auction). I bid up to $225 and won it. I'll let you look up what a VG to Fine one is worth in the SCSW4.
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H Richard
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Last edited by H Richard; 09-18-2018 at 02:40 PM.
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09-18-2018, 03:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rct269
. . . I am one of those who doesn't even understand why guns without adjustable sights even exist.
There are different strokes for different folks----'twas always thus.
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Well Ralph, it all boils down to how fast one can reload and shoot those fixed sight revolvers. To me, no target sights means you just need more ammo.
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Gary
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09-18-2018, 03:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iby
I think yours is a bargain . . .
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Well I certainly agree with that as for what I paid, but am more curious about how many people would put down $800 for the gun?? Value is mostly driven by supply & demand issues and while the supply is limited, so is the demand, and if no one is willing to pay, there is no demand and low value - a vicious circle or a downward spiral or . . .
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Gary
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09-18-2018, 03:46 PM
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There are lots of bargains out there but not to many at auctions
or shows. I have always got guys calling me from gun shows.
They say I'm at so&so gun show and I found exactly the gun
you are looking for. Then they hit me with the price. From that
I know it wasn't "found" because it wasn't "lost". I'm lucky the
area I live in everybody had guns. Even people that don't use
them. You never know what might be at a yard sale or what they
will drag in to trade.
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09-18-2018, 04:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H Richard
Yes, there are, but not as frequent as there was 10-15 years ago. Sometimes a seller doesn't know just what they have, sometimes several buyers just don't recognize just what the gun is. I found a S&W Number 1 1st Issue , 3rd type (only 1870 made). It was in an auction, I spotted it all dirty laying on the table among a bunch of black plastic wonder nines. I recognized what it was and evidently no one else did, (this was also an on line Proxibid auction). I bid up to $225 and won it. I'll let you look up what a VG to Fine one is worth in the SCSW4.
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Insert green emoji of envy here . Great find, enjoy!
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Alan
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09-18-2018, 07:00 PM
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I don't know what the actual value would be, but it certainly is more than $190. Good find
Walt
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09-19-2018, 07:49 AM
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That is a fine looking safety hammerless, Gary! Congratulations!
As far as H Richard goes -> too bad we don't have a razoo emoticon
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Guy
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