You never know how a day will turn out. I decided to go to the gun show today and look for a Colt Detective Special. I’ve recently taken an interest in snub nose revolvers and added several to my collection recently. I’d been looking on auction sites but feel there’s a lot of risk not being able to inspect a gun in person. Even inspecting a gun in person hasn’t kept me from some expensive problems down the road.

At the show about 5 tables inside the main door I spied a nice 3rd gen DS. My brother has one that I’ve been trying to get him to sell but no luck so I had to find another. I inspected it closely and found no obvious mechanical issues. Cosmetics were about 95% with a very faint bit of thinning on the blue on the muzzle and front edges of the cylinder, typical of holster wear. It was very minor though.

Before making a commitment I decided to look around some more and found another table with 4 1st and 2nd gen models. After inspecting them all 4 had mechanical issues. It may have been dried oil but I suspect a bent ejector in one, a possible warped crane and internal mechanical problems in the other two.

So I wound up going back and negotiating for the first DS. Excellent score so I walked away quite happy. Well we all know how it is when we still have money in our pocket. Ok, I strolled over to another table where the guy had several very nice J frame snub nose. I spied a nickel beauty and inspected it closely. It was nearly flawless and was a model 37. Again I pulled the wallet out and negotiated. At the end of the day I wound up with $4 in my wallet but I walked out with a gorgeous model 37 and very nice DS.

Photos of the DS to follow tomorrow.

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That's a beauty!

Dang that is sweet!

I haven't been to a gun show in at least 15 years. I gave up on them when prices got outrageous.

I stopped going for a while too. Prices have gotten pretty crazy but you can sure make some cash if you’re selling. I only regret selling part of a collection ten years ago. Wish I’d kept them a little longer. I’m guessing we’ll be saying the same though in ten more years.

The cost is all relative. Prices increase, wages increase. Inflation! We’re getting a pretty good dose of it right now. Actually I see guns as a pretty good hedge against inflation, particularly classics. I’ve been a stock investor for many years but also bought and sold guns and other luxury items over many decades ald always made money on my investment with a lot less risk than stocks.

As a retiree I pulled everything out of the stock market but continue to buy guns that are high quality classics that people want and the average person can afford if they really want them. Hold them a few years and sell for a good profit.

Very nice, what did you have to give for it, if I may ask?
I went this past weekend to a gun show here in GA and the pricing was a joke on most, Covid frenzy, fear mongering prices!
Ammo was really stupid, 50 rnds of .357 factory loads for $90 bucks, of course I let them know how goofy that was because I'm paying $37 bucks per 50 for the same ammo!

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

.38SuperMan - I think your money was well spent. I'm a bit jealous.

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In Omnia Paratus

That's a mighty handsome 37. Congrats.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Great find .38superMan enjoy that beautiful revolver and its colt cousin.

Nice to hear from someone who is happy - thanks for sharing!

It’s even raining here all day and couldn’t get out to shoot it so I did a thorough cleaning. On close examination I don’t believe it’s been fired much. There’s no evidence other than a little carbon ring on each chamber of the cylinder. The carbon ring was so minor I used a little CLP and a toothbrush and it came right off. There was only a little buildup around the forcing cone that came off just as easily. Also no scarring on the recoil shield from case heads impacting it.

It might have been another sock drawer gun.

Tomorrow looks like clear day but cold but that won’t keep me from testing it. I’m working on some very mild loads for plinking and think I’ll take some of those.

Those sock drawer guns are great. Good find. I think the 1956 Colt Official Police that I bought at an estate auction in 2015 was one. The only firearm in the auction. The finish is about 98%, checkering on grips are sharp and show no wear and the action is flawless.

Pictured with my 1979 Model 10. Every S&W collector needs at least one Colt revolver in the barn.

Enjoy!

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Those are gorgeous! Very nice.

I’m no expert on vintage guns or guns of any kind. I wouldn’t even say I’m a collector because I buy what ever I see that I think is cool. I accumulate, not collect. I see collectors that have direction to what they buy, I buy whatever strikes my fancy.

I accumulated a pretty nice collection of vintage military arms between the Indian Wars and Korea. It wasn’t huge and wasn’t complete as far as series of guns. I just bought whatever I took a fancy too and could buy excellent examples of at bargain basement prices. I just wanted some nice examples of representative arms of the period.

I’m kinda that way now. I have a good representation of what mood I was in at the moment. There’s no direction in what I own and I bought them to shoot and enjoy.

My next one I’d like is a K38. I looked at a couple but couldn’t get the guy to get off his phone to sell me one. He was chewing the fat with a buddy and lost a sale to me and another guy.

Prices seem to be all over the place now. Nice K38’s ran from $1200-1800. Minty model 10’s, nothing special, ran $750+.

I did see a couple other nice vintage guns. There was a very nice hand ejector from the 20’s but I didn’t inquire. I was in a mission for a Detective Special. There was also a beauty, sock drawer gun I’m sure. Looked to be a J frame in 38 S&W with a 4” barrel and flat latch. The finish looked to be near 100% but I’d already spied the DS and was blinded. I don’t know what the model was. Wish I’d asked.

DS’s ranged from $800 asking to $1200+. The older higher priced ones were pretty ratty and certainly not collectible. I bought the lowest priced one. And talked the dealer down a hundred. No bargain but don’t feel I got robbed either. Prices seem to be pretty high on these.

Excuse the terrible photo. This is the DS I picked up yesterday.

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Have you checked the serial number for year of manufacture. A very light cleaning with Flitz followed by Ren Wax will make that bluing really pop!!

I didn’t know Flirz was ok to use on blued guns. I have a tube of Flitz and a can of Renwax so I’ll have to give it a shot.

I buy Flitz in 2 pound cans...Every gun I acquire (blued, nickel, chrome, stainless or whatever) gets the toothbrush/Flitz treatment on all visible surfaces, followed by rinse and soak in a bucket of WD40, a quick shower in non-chlorinated brake cleaner, then Simichrome and Renwax...The only damage so far was to some unforeseen cold bluing that was applied before I became caretaker...Flitz and a bore brush also make the inner surfaces of my barrels and cylinders sparkle......Ben

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