Quote:
Originally Posted by bigmoneylewis
See if you can talk him out of debasing / degrading the gun by shooting it
(and cleaning it) . Explain to him that a mint condition nickel 29-2 four inch isn't something you find everyday . If he wants to go shooting ,he should buy a 629-1 , you can shoot it and clean it and shoot it and clean it and it will not drop in value . Their is a reason beautiful 29-2s are hard to find, that's because very few were kept unfired . To find one that made it 40 years in mint condition, only to get it out and shoot it is insane.
You have to respect and preserve these rare finds .
Their are collectors out there who would pay a huge premium and drive a thousand miles to get their hands on a mint nickel -2 , and your friends first though is to debase this gun. I know at the end of this day, it is HIS gun and he can do whatever he wishes with it , but man , it just makes us collectors cringe to read these stories . These 29-2 and 27-2 guns are right on the heels of the Pythons and will be bringing todays Python prices 5 years from now, trust me. Encourage your friend to Preserve the history and savor in the privilege of owning such a beautiful example of such an American firearms Icon .
His first trip to the range will turn that $ 1,400 gun in to a $ 1,100 gun .
Just my facts , take them for what they are worth , or not .
Lewis
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Take two Tylenol and call your doctor in the morning. You'll get through this.
Seriously, I'll tell him that value. I thought the gun might be worth $1,000 in today's inflated market. If he sees that financial potential, he may sell and get a sensible M-629-3, which S&W reps told me is the first 629 with the Endurance Package.
Thanks for your input. It's why I started this thread, to get full feedback from both collectors and shooters.
Later-
I just read all the above posts and see that Spook 76 has already seen them and is posting.
I could relate to some of what Bigmoney said, as I've owned all the guns he mentioned. And Spook has owned and used several Brownings, including a MK III supplied to him in Iraq and which proved very effective in battle. But he can shoot better than probably 95.4 % of US soldiers who use handguns...
As for Pythons, I'll never again buy one unless as an investment. Both of mine had timing problems, and a friend was told by Jim Clark that he could re-time a Colt and in less than a thousand shots, it might again need his expensive services. Clark is now deceased, so there's one less competent Colt revolver smith. My luck with a couple of M-28's and three M-27's was that they overlapped the accuracy of the Colt and the S&W timing lasts much longer, although not as well as smaller-cylindered Smiths or Ruger DA guns. If I had another M-27, I'd shoot it, but I wouldn't buy a Registered Magnum and wear it routinely. Or, a four-inch pre-27.
Browning collectors may swoon over older Hi-Powers, but if I get another, it'll be a MK III. I like the added endurance and the fine accuracy. Collectors and shooters are often poles apart in preferences.
Well, not always. If I owned a Colt New Model Army (1860) .44 with provenance that it was carried by John S. Mosby, I'd sure put it away and shoot a Uberti repro! And I'd be seriously torn about shooting a nice Wilkinson-Webley Model of 1911 or a cased WG. BTW, another board has a pic this week of a rare commercial MK VI! Actually, at least two, one owned by a foremost authority on Webley arms. And that one is a four-inch one, also uncommon. Webleys sometimes break stirrup lock springs, mainsprings, and hammer noses. So, there are guns that even I won't shoot...
Oh: next time we have a bear pistols topic, that M-629-3 with six-inch bbl. is my suggestion for that role. With a .375 H&H Magnum rifle at hand!