I have a blue NIB 2" SB Model 50 (Chiefs Special with adjustable sights) that I have had in my safe for awhile. I ran into a guy at a show today who is interested in it. Can someone tell me what these are selling for?

Gary-

you may want to read this thread, and maybe get a hold of this guy here on the forum.

nickle model 50! well, almost!

it's me! and i can't really be counted as an expert. probably very far from it! but, i will share my thoughts. first and foremost, if i was selling a model 50, i would have a factory letter in hand. no questions, no hesitation. they were very rare. being nickle, or a square butt makes them part of an even smaller group. there is just no way to be sure everything is in order without the factory documentation, especially with lots of them being unmarked as to model, some even marked MOD 36, or some marked MOD 50 (as was mine!). with no letter, the buyer is deciding what he will give for the gun "in hand", LOOKING LIKE a model 50. with the letter, you are definitely selling a factory bonafide model 50. better for the buyer, and MUCH better for you, as the seller.

with all that being said, i gave roughly $800.00 for mine, with a pretty good idea that it wouldn't letter as a 50. that ended up being an uncomfortable amount for me, as i had the opportunity to buy the gun for $500 a few weeks earlier! (i was out of state! grrrr!) (this was also dealing directly with the original owner, which was/would have been valuable to me!)

i justified the amount i paid by deciding that the gun was functionally a maxed-out, nickle, red insert/white outline, wide smooth target trigger, model 50 from the birthing nest of model 50s, whether it lettered as a 50, or whether it lettered as a 36 that had all the stuff done by the s&w custom shop.

with a lettered model 50 in near perfect/98%+ condition, as a seller, i would probably ask 1500.00 or so, and see what happened. as a buyer of a lettered model 50, i would probably be more comfortable in the 1000.00 range. they pop up in gundigest from time to time, in the 1200-1500 range. who knows if they sell? there has been a squarebutt on gunbroker for 1200.00 that has went unsold for several rounds (i assume he doesn't have a letter). i guess that kinda reinforces my idea that the letter is necessary for the big dollar exchange!

my original thought was that the earlier examples, that were unmarked, or marked MOD 36 would be the ones that should be accompanied by a letter, but after my experience, i would get the letter for ANY model 50, before i even tried to sell it.

go ahead, and be brave! get the letter! even without it, you can rest easy knowing there are pushovers like me out there who will give at least $800.00 for it!

oh, and speaking of myself, i would have definitely went $1200.00 on mine, in a heartbeat, if it had been accompanied by a factory letter. maybe more, i really wanted the little rascal!

I purchased a Mod. 50 square butt not long ago. It didn't have a letter, but the SN fit the numbers listed in the Smith & Wesson catalog. In 1973 there were 568 manufactured, sn range 930j45 to 936j19.

I am not familiar with the model 50 but, I have a bad experience with a Model 60 with adjustable sights.

My wife bought a Model 60 [.38 Special] with adjustable sights. She put it in it's box for atleast 5 years. She got it out to clean it and found that the rear sight was broken. We took it to our gunsmith and he said Smith & Wesson should repair it at no cost to us.
WRONG!!! S&W charged us $50.00 for a replacement sight.
They only made 175 Model 60's with adjustable sights.

When buying a CST(Chief's Special Target) you should be familar with the serial number for these guns as the CST has been faked for many years because of the price they command. The following is the serial number range for the CST.
1955-1957 #55050-57xxx 114 guns produced
1959 #149811-150133 198 guns produced
1960-1962 same as above 225 guns produced
1966 #391773-392778 1006 guns produced
1973-1977(Mod 50) 930J45-936J19 1132 guns produced
1975(Mod 36-1) #2J3134-2J3347 213 guns produced

Hey ar15ed, if you have the original owners name and contact info you could contact him for an approx return date. The factory might be able to search for any correspondence pertaining to your CST!

Hey ISOM, the first mod 60s with adjustable sights were made in 1985 for Ashland Shooters Supply, Ashland, Ohio. There were 666 guns in this order!

Hey Gary, in answer to your original post, the CST guns are selling between $1000-$1500 depending on condition.
jcelect SWCA#LM723

Here is #2J3199 model 36-1 3" CST made in 1975. I sold it on GB last year for $1295. It was new in its box:

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ken
SWCA #1959

I sold mine for $900 to a fellow S&W collector. I probably could have held out for a higher price but I made a few dollars on the transaction and am happy it went to someone who will appreciate it. I took the money and bought an unfired Ruger #1 in .375 H&H with really pretty wood and a Burris 4.5x14 Tuff Mag scope for it. I have wanted a #1 for a long time. I have also wanted a .375 for awhile. I look forward to sorting out this rifle.

I have a .38 special, model 10-5, 4" barrel, serial # C67XXXX, does anyone know what year this revolver was manufactured? Would appreciated your input.

I passed on a model 50 during this time when I was working at the Gunshop in Olathe, KS. Used to be Simmons Guns before the 2 fellows I worked for bought the store. Guess I should have bought it!

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Carl NRA Endowment Life Member

Sorry if this is not the right thread for this.... Kind of new to the whole thread thing.

I just got a Smith .22 LR Snub nose Revolver from a friend and am trying to find a value on it. I think it's a model 50 or maybe a 34? but the model is not stamped anywhere on the gun. It has some very minor wear and would be a 95% bluing still.

If anyone has any info on the serial or the value on this I would appreciate any and all info.

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Any one have an indea of how many 60-4 (3" adjustable sights) were manufatured. An example Serial BSD21XX

there were plenty manufactured in that run. Not as desirable as the older ones.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

Looks like you have a "Kit Gun" (pre-34) No model number is pre-1957.

Smith & Wesson Model 34 - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

I have one of the original CST's in the 57xxx range that I bought off one of the auction sites several years ago. It came from south La., and looks like some swamp runner carried it in his tackle box, but it is one of 114 or so, and I paid an appropriate price for the time. If it had been nicer or for sale today, I couldn't have afforded it.

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Tom
1560

It's a 2", round butt, "22/32 Kit Gun New I frame Model of 1953" made ~ March 1957, before they became the Model 34. So it's often called a 'Pre Model 34'. Around $700. They became J frames ~ Oct 1960.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Tom, check this out on another thread:

Early Chiefs Special TARGET MODEL 1950s

They guy who posted it was not a S&WCA member. He just hit and ran. Hasn't been back on in ages. I'm still drooling ... LOL !! Sal

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425