Hi guys, I kind of have a strange question and would like to know your thoughts.
I work with a guy who's father passed away recently. I have been looking for a model 36 chief special and the gentleman I work with said he has one for sale. I said cool bring it in and let me take a look at it, then we can discuss a price.
Well I was checking the gun over today. The lock up is nice and tight, the action and trigger pull is smooth. The gun seems to be in perfect working order.
Now to the bad..there is no box or paperwork, the finish on the gun is in pretty bad shape. There are rust spots ( I think will clean off with CLP)
There are no scratches , the blueing is just worn off in many spots.
The grips are in fair condition (true oil could bring them back to life)
Would you buy this gun, and if so how much would you pay for it..
He wanted 200$..what should I do?
Thanks for any input

I brought home the 175$ model 36..completely disassembled cleaned and lubed

That's pretty good for a shooter,clean up the rust (gently),let it soak for days to soften it up.Nice factory grips can be found on eBay if the originals are too far gone

So...you would buy it?..i think I might.

It would depend on how bad the rust is.If it's very minor I would buy it,if it's heavy,I would pass.Theres always pitting under it.

If you want a carry gun, that's a hell of a bargain. Chean it up as has been described & you won't worry about finish wear. If you want a collector, pass, this is not it.
Personally, I'd scoop it... one can always use a good shooter.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

As for the rust the gun is kind of peppered with it..the inside of the barrel looked good..just dirty , like it was shot and never cleaned, same for the cylinders.. Just dirty with no rust that I could see.
This is a hard call for me as I want a model 36.. But I like good looking guns..I think I'll try to get him down to 175$..I don't think I would be out anything at that price..I could then clean it up and resell it at a little profit.
After I play with it of course.

Appearance is not my principal concern, so for $175 I'd be on it like ugly on a baboon's butt. Probably for $200. They are fine little guns.

Making it more presentable would be a nice project.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Thank you for the responses guys..when it comes to Smith and Wesson I some times loose my head and find I'm unable to make rational decisions.
So I turn to enablers like you guys..Oops.. So I turn to you level headed gentleman..
Thank you..
I'm going to buy it, and will post pics ..probably on Friday.

good choice I would have brought it home already

I'm going to pick one up tomorrow that is in about the same shape. Shooter and nothing but a shooter. Some cleaning up and it will be fine. I don't need box or papers but I do need a good gun at a good price, not the $600-700 for one in excellent condition with all the fixins.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

1coolcat

This will take care of just about any minor rust

Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner

and sometimes not so minor!! Inexpensive also....

I paid double that for a mint in the box m36 not too long ago, an old flat latch. I don't shoot it,
So if that $200 shooter were offered to me I'd jump all over that, just to have one that I don't mind shooting and carrying.
$200 is a good price for a 36 that is a little rusty but mechanically sound.

I agree that based on the OP's description, $200 would be a good price. It should clean up considerably with a little careful TLC.

With a clean barrel and no mechanical issues, I'd have already jumped on it for that price. But I'd be looking at it strictly for shooting and carrying.

The 36 I often carry ain't purdy. She has some pits / corroded areas. But it's mechanically solid, smooth shooting and exceptionally accurate. Ugly guns need love too.

Add my name to the Jump On It Crowd.

But then I'm the type who'd rather have 3 solid shooters than one collectible for the same money, no matter how rare.

It would be mine for $200, if cylinder and bore are good. I'd clean it up, dehorn the hammer and have another great little carry gun that I didn't have to worry about loosing value. I believe you would always be able to get your money back. Take off the grips and soak it in a 50/50 mixture of auto tranny fluid and kerosene or diesel for a couple days. Lightly scrub with a real copper choir girl and the rust will go away. Small freckles of rust often become very tiny spots on the blue.

You would have a gun you could carry and shoot, and do what you like with no worries.

Thank for the link, I ordered it this morning.. Good tip!..also the guy said he would give it to me for 175$.. Woo-hoo!! I bring it home Friday.. I'll post some pics of it Friday night so I can get some good clean up tips..

Do not show it to him after you clean it up.

No, show it to us!

We'd like to see before & after pics please!

If it's mechanically sound, I would have no problem paying $200.

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"Shall not be infringed"

Sounds like a good price to me. I would like to have a carry I didn't have to worry about dings and such.

I would carry mine more if I didn't worry about it.

Attached Images

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The operative word here is 'give'. He sure did.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

$200 bucks for a M36 is pretty cheap these days. If it's gonna be a shooter or CCW, then go for it. Be realistic though........ If you intend on restoring the finish and replacing the grips - pass on it and just go for a better condition gun in the first place, but if you can live with the as -is look then like I said, $200 bucks is a good price.

If I pay 175$ for the gun I can get it refinished for 300$..( professionaly). I personally haven't seen to many really nice model 36's for 475$..

$175 is a bargain for the gun you describe. You could turn that gun around tomorrow for more than you paid for it.

I'm not sure where you are but around here you can find a good condition 36 for $475, usually less, with a factory finish that would make you think twice about the rigors of subjecting it to carry.

If you refinish the $175 gun, you'll likely wind up with a gun that you don't want to carry for fear of affecting $300 worth of work. And it will be a refinish and worth less than what you've got in it--a good bit less.

If I were looking for a gun to carry and use, I'd clean it up and carry it happily.

If I were looking for a gun that looked nice and intended only to shoot it under range conditions and to carefully clean and put it away and not holster it, I'd hold out for a better condition example. I'm sure if you watch the classifieds on this forum you'd find one in less time than you'd think.

That's about 2 cents worth...

I honestly don't think I would spend the money on refinishing the gun professionaly. I would do it my self, just for a fun project. Hell it can't get any worse then it already is..lol..and it might turn out pretty nice

I’ve only seen one model 36 for less than $300 for many years and I jumped on it for $285.