Found an 18 - now with pics

[Snapping Twig]

Five or six months ago I had the opportunity to buy a 6" 617ND in like new condition. I posted here to find out if the price was right and by the time I got down to buying it - 2 days - it was sold.

Turns out it was a good price as marked and I screwed the pooch. Just the same, it was 6" and that's a bit nose heavy on a full length ejector rod shroud revolver.

So today I was nosing around my favorite sale site and found a 4" 18-3 from @ 1977 in very good condition. Safe queen with only 1/2 a box of rounds through it.

Rather have an 18, rather have a 4", so this is the perfect answer for me. A 4" kit gun P&R.

I meet the seller Thursday and truth be told, he's very pleasant and accommodating. He lives a good distance away and is willing to meet me at a 1/2 way point that will make the pick up second trip very easy for me.

Very excited to finally find an 18 in such good shape, heck, just to find an 18!

Pics once we do the paperwork. I figured out Imagur so I can post them once we get together.

Hooray!

[Targets Guy]

Model 18's are nice revolvers. I was lucky enough to pick up a Model 18 ND with box and matching stocks last May.

[dubtap21]

Nice!!

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

[k22fan]

A 36 ounce 18 is very different from a 48 ounce 6" full lug K-22. I love them both but neither is a good substitute for the other.

I would not want to be without a Model 18 or pre-18. However, the dash 3s made in 1977 did not have a gas ring in the cylinder. It was only a year and a half of K frame production that lacked gas rings. That little feature is important to me so I would not pay a high price for a K frame that did not have a gas ring sticking out of the front of its cylinder.

[bgrafsr]

Model 18's are good.



This 18 has German proof marks.





I also have a pre 18 with the original box, tools, paperwork, and original stocks. Don't have photo of it though.

[OldChief]

I'm also in N. Cal. and recently picked up a real clean 18-3 for 550. May I ask what the basic price is you're paying for yours? You are correct, 18s are hard to find. A year ago, April, I picked up a real nice 63 (Kit Gun) for 750 so I was really delighted to find the 18 for such a reasonable price.

[Snapping Twig]

Rather not say, instead I'm going to say I bought it early.

Not the best price truth be told- but - other than the one you bought, have you seen any others for sale here?

Every time I see one, it's spoken for.

I can say that I've seen @ 3 of them in the last 5 ~ 6 years, each gone before I can make an offer.

Missing the 617ND hurt, it was in LNIB condition. Didn't look like it ever saw a round outside the factory.

This is better.

Needed another revolver like a third leg, but you buy them when they come available.

Be nice to shoot something I don't reload for and can buy in bulk.

I have a Ruger MkII I bought new, it's a laser, but my preference is revolvers. Having a real kit gun is going to be nice.

[GB]

Congrats on finding you bucked list gun, in Cal. I know that isn't an easy task.(This is the place where I could insert my Kalifornia bashing statement but won't. You just can't vote often enough to override the folks who don't feel the same way we do about guns) As for buying at the top of the curve---- You got to do what is required when you have limited choices. I month from now, after a couple of trips to the range, you won't remember that you paid more than you would have liked. I have a model 18(a dash 2, I think) and while it and its sister model 17 don't make it to the field as often as it should, it is a joy to shoot. I am sure yours will be a blast also!

[OldChief]

Twig, I'm like you, really don't need another revolver but how can one not jump on a nice Smith and Wesson when they come available. I have 11 now. I consider myself fortunate to have two combat masterpieces, one in 38 (mod 15) and one in .22 (mod 18). I'm considering picking up a nice mod 10 for a real good price but it has rust on one side of the cylinder. Otherwise real nice, tight, good timing and the rest of the finish looks great. I don't have a 10 in my collection and just may jump on this one. I'll have to see if I can get just the cylinder re-blued to match. That may be hard to do, it will cost me 288 to have the entire revolver done at the factory and I still won't have too much in it. We'll see.

[charlie sherrill]

I was looking for another 18 in Tulsa last November and found around six of them. I settled on a nice five screw pre 18 for a very good price. I also found a pre 17 here at home with someone's name engraved on it. I haven't been able to figure out who he is/was. Probably engraved on it over 50 years ago. For $250 it is one of my favorite shooters. I sometimes shoot the .22's at a steel target off my deck. The bigger stuff I take to my range on the back side of my property. Congrats on your find. I know how hard it is to find good stuff in California.

[Snapping Twig]

Thanks for all the nice thoughts and comments. Contrary to popular belief, 18's are rare out here as are most other nice S&W's. Waiting for a -2 or a -4 isn't realistic. Can't buy off Gunbroker or any other out of State source. Verbotten as per our overlords.

I told my daughter about this piece and she's excited to use it. She likes 22, really likes my Ruger MkII, so this will be nice for her.

I bought a 4" 586-1 mfg in 1988, so being her birth year, I let her pick out some grips for it and "gave" it to her. Rose laminated Hogues.

Here's a couple pics I took today with the cell.





Perfect finish, looks brand new.

Very happy!

[RSBH44]

Very nice! I've always been partial to the .22LR , revolvers being no exception. I have a couple different S&W models and I'm always on the look out for others. I'd love to find an excellent condition mod.18 and a 34 for that matter. aaah, so many revolvers, so little time to collect them.
Congrats on finding yours.