My brother just won an auction on a 6" 629 no dash on GB for $775. I found the pistol for him the other day and sent him a link to it and he decided to take a chance and place a minimum bid on it. The pictures are kind of crummy and only 3 of them. And he didn't actually advertise it as a no dash, but from the pictures you can clearly see the pinned barrel and recessed cylinder. It is a 6" barrel, which is the most common of the no dashers, but I figured it would be worth at least that much.

Anyways, is that a fair deal on a no dash 6" ? Here are the pics from the auction:






It also looks like the grips are period correct for the pistol and probably are the originals. I am pretty sure my brother is going to use it as a shooter, as he has gotten hooked on shooting my 629 Classic.

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With a little imagination it looks as nice as my pristine 629. I'd say if it turns out to be a 95-98% no dash you did GREAT!

I think he got a good deal.

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-Roger

Those blurry pictures raise red flags for me. How was the feed back on the seller?

Your brother might luck out but I doubt there is a dealer who is going to risk losing money by putting up a 98% revolver with pictures like those.

Just saying...

MrTrolleyguy raises a valid point. But I do know that sometimes it can be a real pain getting nice crisp pics on a stainless piece.

Seller offer an inspection period?

If she checks out mechanically I think he did fair. Not a whole lot cheaper than a brand new 629, but most older/more desirable Smiths like yours do fetch close to and in some cases more than their current production sisters.

I am in a few FB groups that are for buying and selling of firearms. Just the other day on one of these groups I saw a nice 629-3, 6.5"bbl, with a Leupold scope for $600! Originally posted a couple weeks ago and apparently still for sale... Good thing we haven't done our taxes yet... that would get me into some trouble with Mrs. RIDE-RED!

I think your Bro did great, I sold a 4" no dash maybe a year ago and got $1250.00

Looks like a $1000 gun to me. Good eye, that's the only way your going to get a deal on GB. Sellers with **** pictures, low feedback etc. no risk no gain!

I'll bet that it will be great. Some of my best guns were bought cheap because of fuzzy pics. Of course,I didn't buy before speaking to the seller directly,AT LENGTH! I'll request that he have the gun IN HAND as we speak. Some folks,me included,lack the equipment and the wherewithall to post exceptional photos. Just sayin'.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

@ MrTrolleyguy,

The seller has a fairly low feedback count at 27, but all positive. And looking at his info (at my brother's house last night) he isn't a gun shop or especially a pawn shop, but a taxidermist. So I'm figuring that he just isn't too good at taking pictures of pistols. And to me, the pics look like something taken with a phone and not a real digital camera.

@ RIDE-RED 350r,

The seller does offer a standard 3 day inspection. And his shipping charges actually run to the lower side of what I've seen for GB ($25). As to the cost compared to a new 629, well that's a non-issue for my brother. He flat won't put out money for a pistol with a built-in lock. And he just prefers the look of a nice recessed cylinder and pinned barrel. I explained to him that you aren't actually giving away any strength losing the pinned barrel and modern cylinder and he understands that, but he'd rather have less of a gap between the cylinder back and recoil shield that the recessed cylinder provides.

@ paul s

Yep, sellers with poor and few pictures and bad item descriptions can help you find a deal. I actually downloaded all 3 of those pics and then manipulated them with a photo program to help me look for obvious defects for my brother. And a poor description and few, poor quality pictures helped me get a real good deal on a pristine 27-5 around the new years. And the seller was actually a gun shop too. My 27-5 was ANIB with all paperwork, tools and correct box and the gun was unfired. It has made me an excellent shooter and I love bringing that one to the range. And it even looks like a transitional pistol in that it came with a recessed cylinder but not a pinned barrel.

FT makes a good point. Studio quality pictures are not something everyone can do, or will take the time to do. If you can talk with the seller that goes a long way in sizing up the situation, but the right to return is critical. I would not buy anything on GB from a seller who will not allow a reasonable, no-fire inspection. If he won't, he probably has a reason.

I would bet your brother's 629 will be fine, based on what we can see.

Yep, not every member on GB is a dealer with huge feedback score. There are lots of regular guys like us who buy and sell occasionally but have 100% good feedback... Nothing at all wrong with that.

I fully understand and appreciate your brother's desire for an older Smith. I have a couple current production models, and a few older P&R's. I have no qualms about my newer models, but those older models just seem ahead by a nose if you catch my meaning.

He got it for a real fair price.

I bought a 4" 629 no Dash last year, really clean, with the box, and I paid like $875 or $925, I don't fully remember b/c I traded a Sig, and then paid the difference.

But your Brother did very well.

Here is a Pic of mine, it has the same Stocks here, as your brother has, although mine now has a set of Keith Browns on it.



Here it is with the Keith Browns:

If it were a 29 I might have a problem with the pics. Since it's a stainless gun, not really. I can see enough of what I need to see to feel good about the gun. The grips are correct.

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Sure you did

I have a question about a 629 I just bought. It is a no dash with 4 in. barrel and appeared to be unfired. I also have a 4 in. Taurus in 44 mag that is ported and I shoot it quite a bit with reduced loads and it's enjoyable to shoot. After a couple of cylinders of my reduced loads in the 629 I had about all I wanted. It has the standard grips which don't help but I think the biggest difference is the porting. I called mag na port and they will port it for $125. My question is, do I want to do this to a no dash 629 and will it hurt the value?
I paid $700 for the gun.
Thanks for any suggestions

Don, you will essentially destroy the value of your gun to a collector - not necessarily to "the market" or to you. I'd suggest you turn it over to a collector and buy yourself a more recent model for the trip to Magna-port. You will get a little sturdier gun in the process and someone else will be happy to have your old no-dash gun. Win-win.

Look for a -3 or a -4 version.

No

a 4" 629 that is Pinned and recessed is rare. Shoot it, but don't Magnaport it.

They only made the 4" 629 No dash for like 8 or 9 months.

There are less of them out there then a lot of other models.

Just have it be a Range gun only.

I have a No-Dash, and I also have a 629-1. I carry and shoot the -1 more than I shoot the No Dash.

+1. That's how I got one of my favorite shooters at an all-time (for me) best buy, a Model 19-5 (6") with little description, blurry pictures, dirty, Pachmayr grips for $305. Cleaned up, it turned out to be a 98%-er. If it had been cleaned, shined and sharply photographed, and had a better description, I'm sure it would have brought twice as much at auction.