I just saw a model 625-3 4-inch (which looked unfired) in what seems to be factory bead blast. Can this be right? It ha the original box and tools (unopened) but no moonclips and wears pachmayrs (not marked S&W). The shop wants $695, which seems a bit steep.

The gun came from the factory bead blasted and it would be hard to tell if it has been redone. With the goodyears on it i would guess it is used and offer $600 OTD for a used one.

Look at the etched lettering on the barrel. If it's gone, or if it shows signs of being masked, it likely has been refinished.

Buck

Thanks John and Buck. The beadblasting was factory.

It turned out to be one of maybe 20 guns from an estate. I looked at a bunch of them, including a fair number of blued guns, both Smiths and Colts. From what I could see the owner never shot one of them! There was holster wear on the blued Smiths. Apparently, the owner like to walk around his house with his holstered (and unloaded???) guns, but never had any interest in shooting any of them.

Buy all 20 of them!

Actually, I did try to buy more than the 625-3 (I picked it up yesterday and shot it today -- great gun!), but the store owner seems to have alerted various people (not including me) about these guns and although I was allowed to look at a bunch, he said that others had dibs on them.

In fact, I almost gave up on the 625 as he had promised it to some other guy (sight unseen) who kept not coming by the pick it up. When I made my 4th and final trip to this store (lucky it's only a 10 minute drive), the owner then tried to up the price from what he had put on the tag -- the tag price was for his buddy. I got it at the tag price -- which was kinda spendy to begin with. Not the most professional gun store I have dealt with.