Value of Ruger .357 Magnum Speed Six/Stainless Steel

Hi all!

My husband passed on Thanksgiving Day. He was retired from Post Office and his pay was what we have been living on. They don’t pay monthly survivor benefits or life insurance for 3 to 4 months to me. Plus, my husband’s November pay for December 1st, they’ve taken back due to 4 days he wasn’t alive for the month and I won’t get that until the other comes. And we had no savings as we were hurting due to high medical bills for so many years. I’d rather not starve. I did a gofundme on Facebook, but that’s not working out. So ....

I need to sell my husband’s .357, but I need the highest price I can get. I don’t know what the barrel length is, it looks like 5 1/2” but I could be wrong. I put a ruler up to it and that is how long the part of the barrel I can see is. I don’t know when he got it, but it was before we were together, which was 1979. It’s stainless steel. I’ve only seen my husband fire it once and he hated buying bullets so he only fired a few shots. He shot .38 bullets in it It’s like brand new, kept locked up and dust free. It has a wooden handle. It’s a big gun! Reminds me of Clint Eastwood in spaghetti westerns. It has an adjustable sight too.

What is the highest I can get and what should I settle for if I have to sell quicker? I appreciate any help.

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The Ruger speed/security six are well built guns. I have seen one last week here in Wilmington, NC for sale. It sold and was priced at $599.00. The configuration was 4" with all standard equipment. I would think that is a reasonable price, maybe even on the high side. I think given my travels, $500+ is the going rate for these revolvers. Just make sure to abide by your local laws when selling a handgun to another individual, don't want you to get in a pinch. It may be beneficial to list it in the classified section of this site. Best of luck on your sale.

I would agree with the poster above as to value and would also stress that when you sell it make very sure you do it legally.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss, and pray that you will receive comfort from above during this time of grief.

I can't add anything more concerning value, except to tell you that the barrel is 6" long. With revolvers, they are measured from the front of the cylinder face to the muzzle. Just FYI for when you advertise it.

I'm thinking it relates to where she lives . I've seen them go around here for $600+ . You might visit the Ruger forum if they have one .

I'm very sorry for your loss and wish you all God's blessings.

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You did reveal a few tips that make me think it is likely a 6” security six and value would be top end - $600. Low end $400. If you can dig around and find the box, it will make a difference because “us guys” like that kind of stuff. Condolences for your loss.

Thank you all for your replies and condolences. I have never seen the box and know my husband bought it from a friend. I live in Texas. I didn’t know that I just couldn’t sell it. I’ll look into Texas laws on selling guns next then. My husband thought the gun was pretty special. It’s too big for me. I have a little .38. I’ll look for a Ruger forum as well. There’s so much to do when you lose the live of your life unexpectedly. I very much want to sell it legally though.

Sorry also for your loss.

Probably the best way to sell is listing it in the Guns for Sale/Trade here, or the equivalent place at a Ruger forum. You should receive a payment form you trust and a copy of the dealer's license to where it will be shipped, if not local to you. It has to be shipped from a licensed dealer near you to the buyer's dealer, but the buyer pays for shipping costs.

TX 'probably' allows in-person sales to those allowed to own a handgun; definitely check state laws. You'll want to have a bill of sale (signed copies for you and the buyer) and a copy of their photo ID or Permit to Carry along with verified payment. Plus doing the transaction in a safe place and taking someone else with you for safety's sake...so this gets complicated, especially if you have not done it before.

Does it still "get complicated" in Texas? Granted, in Washington the days of trading one gun for another three times while walking down one gun show isle are over, but Texas is a Republican controlled state with a bunch of rural landscape. Eight years ago Washington did not require asking each other's names or shaking hands. It was not uncommon for honest buyers to be willing to pay more for guns that came without a paper trail. We need a Texan for their local knowledge.

Traditionally in private transactions gun buyers paid with currency. That's what I would expect. Grocery store clerks take in lots of $100 bills without batting an eye so having five of them is not a big deal.

Sorry for your lost and troubles. In Tx, it is very easy to sell a gun from a individual to another individual. Be sure to fill out a bill of sale with a copy to the buyer and keep one for yourself. In the DFW area that is a $600 gun and should sell within a couple days at that price. You have a 6 inch Security Six that appears to be very clean with what looks like custom grips.

I've lived in Texas all my life, and have bought, sold and traded guns both as an individual hobbyist, and a federally licensed firearms dealer...There are no specific state laws governing firearm transfers other than those that mirror federal law...In other words you, as an adult over 21 are free to sell your property to any other individual as long as you are reasonably sure that person is not prevented from buying it under federal regulations...Briefly that means a resident of Texas whom you do not suspect to have a criminal past and who is at least 21 can buy your handgun from you...A person without a criminal past who is 18, and a resident of any state can buy a long gun from you...There are exceptions for foreign nationals, but even they are not prevented from possessing firearms in Texas...

As previously mentioned it is a good idea to see a valid Texas ID when selling your gun, but it is not mandatory to record the information...Some do write a bill of sale which both sign, and each keep a copy but it is not mandatory...When I sell or trade one of my guns to an individual, I look at the drivers license just to verify age and residence unless I personally know the individual...

There is no gun registration in Texas either...There have been those rare occasions when the buyer just gave me a bad vibe, and I have turned down sales because of it...It's your property and you are free to do with it as you wish under the above guidelines......Ben

Sad for your loss. Losing a loved one during the holidays is an especially hard blow. Earlier model Rugers are valued handguns among Ruger fans, and shouldn't be difficult to sell for a reasonable price. As stated in an earlier post, you could go to a Ruger forum for further pricing information. Check your local laws, but I can't imagine making a private gun sale would be very difficult in TX.

Very sorry for your loss! On Gun Broker nice ones are $600 up. If you have a way of advertising it, a Texas sale would be much easier. Don't meet anyone without someone with you, Bill of Sale(signed and a copy for you and the buyer with gun S/N) and take cash or a Postal Money Order. I wish you well in getting the retirement pay started. Is there not a union steward that can help you with speeding things up?

If I may ask---
What part of Texas are you from?
There might be someone on this forum that would be interested in your Ruger.

Sorry for your loss..........

FYI...... to maximize your return don't sell it to a Local Gun Shop..... they will only give you 50-60% of the gun's "retail" value.

They will be looking at reselling it at a profit... not trying to rip you off but they need to make money to stay in business.

Take Maddog's advice and list it here... site has a Classified Section... scroll down ..... maybe face to face sale only.

ancient-one said:

Very sorry for your loss! On Gun Broker nice ones are $600 up. If you have a way of advertising it, a Texas sale would be much easier. Don't meet anyone without someone with you, Bill of Sale(signed and a copy for you and the buyer with gun S/N) and take cash or a Postal Money Order. I wish you well in getting the retirement pay started. Is there not a union steward that can help you with speeding things up?

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I spent 12 years as a fed with a similar retirement system. 3-4 months is just how long it takes. There's no good reason for it, it's just how it is set up, and they end up sitting on your money longer than necessary. One of the things discussed in the retirement planning sessions they provide talk about planning for that delay.

Unfortunately, unlike retirements deaths are not usually planned events and it can put the surviving spouse in a very tough position at the worst possible time, especially when the family savings have been depleted by high deductibles and co-payments from what passes for health insurance now in our entirely rigged for hospitals and insurance company big business health care system.

I don’t know where this “Get a Bill of Sale” requirement is coming from. Maybe from members that live in restricted states.

Truckman’s comments are spot on. I am married to a Texan and have a lot of family there. The wife says we are moving back to Texas when she retires so I am a Texan in waiting. Anyway Texans love their guns and the laws make it easy to sell a gun.

For a face-to-face you should verify that they are a resident of Texas. Drivers License is good enough and a Conceal Carry License is best. A Conceal Carry License means they have gone through a background check and are not a prohibited person. A lot, maybe most, used guns are sold face-to-face with a simple exchange of cold hard cash and no Bill of Sale. In fact many potential buyers do not want a Bill of Sale. The last used handgun I brought was at a Gunshow was with cash and I didn’t get a Bill of Sale.

As already commented selling a gun to someone that lives out-of-state it must to sent to a FFL Dealer in that State.

Be forewarned that for you shipping a gun must be done through UPS and Fed-Ex and it is very expensive. Somewhere around $80.00 I am told. This is where a friendly Gun Dealer can help you a lot. A FFL Dealer can ship a gun through the mail (USPS) at a significantly lower cost.

As for the price of your gun the gun market is fickle. Desirability varies greatly from region to region in our country.

As noted above, if you sell to a local gun shop you'll only get about 50% of the expected retail selling price.

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Some shops will sell on consignment and in that case you should be able to get about 80% of the value - when it sells. The difference that all they are providing is space on the shelf and a sales person showing it. Since they don't have to tie money up in the purchase price, they can work on a smaller margin.

Right now, that might be a better than average option as most shops have very few guns in stock, so it will both sell quickly, and they have space and sales staff to spare. Under those conditions don't take less than 80% of the sales price. Price it at $650 and let them go as low as $600 in necessary to make a sale. That will net you $520 to $480.

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You can also list on here or better in one of the Ruger forums, but there can be some minimum post limits, etc that make that problematic.

If you sell locally, face to face, some police departments or sheriffs departments will allow you to a sale there, or at least out front.

There are a few shops that will also run a NICS check for you on the buyer for a nominal fee. For example, Carolina Caliber Company here in Winterville NC will run the check and provide a place for the transaction to happen for $5. It's a great service and fairly priced and one of the things the gun community as a whole should be doing with private sales to ensure guns, and handguns in particular are not being sold to prohibited individuals.

BSA1 said:

I don’t know where this “Get a Bill of Sale” requirement is coming from. Maybe from members that live in restricted states..

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The feds have not been allowed to maintain a registration database or other computerized systems since 1986, thanks to the FOPA. However, law enforcement can contact the National Tracing Center in Martinsburg WV. They have about 50 ATF employees who do gun traces, as well as local staff who microfilmed (and now scan) all the Form 4473s that come in from closed FFLs.

An actual gun trace involves an officer contacting the center and requesting a trace. That officer has to get the manufacturer and model of the gun correct, as well as the serial number. That's harder than it sounds.

Think Browning Hi Powers for a minute. You have the actual Browning marked Hi Power, the FN marked Hi Powers, the Argentine Hi Powers made under license, and the later FM Hi Powers made after that license expired. You also have the Hungarian P9 and P9M "Hi Power" clones, as well as the "counterfeit" FEG P9s that were marked as FN Hi Powers and sold to embargoed middle east countries by FEG. They can be distinguished by the B prefix and 5 digit FEG style serial number, but almost no law enforcement officers know the difference. Then there are the Israeli "Hakeem" Hi Powers that were initially made by FEG and later assembled in Israel from FEG supplied parts.

Worse, imported firearms now have to have new serial numbers applied by the importer due to concerns about duplicate serial numbers.

Think Lugers, P.08s etc, where there were blocks by year with 4 digit serial numbers and an alphanumeric prefix. There are a lot of P.38s with the serial "3891", there are fewer with "e3891" and only a few with a 1944 date and "e3891". If you add in the manufacturer code ("ac", "byf", "CYQ", and "svw") you now have a unique serial number. However, I have never seen an FFL record the manufacturer code, and date as well as the serial and prefix.

Even then, the ATF can't just call Mauser and ask who they shipped a particular P.38 to. If they did, the answer would be along the lines of "the Wehrmacht" and the current German Army probably has no idea where that P.08 got off to. Consequently, unless it's a later import with an importer name stamped on it, the trail will go cold as there is no way to determine the FFL who sold it to get the name off the 4473.

If you are a collector, you need to consider that if we had a registration system, we would not need import marks on all those collectible firearms.

Assuming the officer gets the manufacturer model and serial correct, the tracing agent will call the manufacturer or the importer to see who the wholesaler was they shipped it to. They then call the wholesaler to see what FFL it was shipped to. They then call the FFL who goes through the bound books and 4473s to find the firearm and identify who it was sold to. If the FFL is out of business, the tracing center ends up looking through its microfilm and pdf records to find the firearm.

That's the name - the name of the original purchaser - that will be given to the officer. That's where a bill of sale can be important for two reasons.

If a gun you purchased from an FFL is used in a crime and you were the original purchaser of the firearm, your name will be the name that comes up in a search, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, or 10, 20, or 50 plus years later. Any trace beyond that initial purchase is the responsibility of law enforcement so they will come knocking on your door. Even if you moved, they'll trace you through DMV records, etc and come knocking on your new door.

At that point it's useful to you to be able to show that you sold the firearm to someone else and that you did not own it when the crime was committed.

It's also very useful to law enforcement if you can let them know who you sold it to. Then they can go knock on their door, where again a bill of sale might be useful for them to show it was sold to person #3, etc, etc, etc.

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Now you can argue that it's none of their business who you sold the gun to. Some folks might be inclined to say that if they have reason to suspect the buyer might have been a prohibited individual. Congratulations, you just made the "person of interest" list. Guess what happens when another firearm you used to own shows up at a crime scene.

It was mentioned above that some buyers don't want a bill of sale and will pay cash. That's fine. The bill of sale isn't for them, it's for the seller, not the buyer. It's a bill of sale, not a receipt.

In my case, if the buyer doesn't want to show a driver's license to show name and address (residency) so I can put that information on a bill of sale, the sale isn't going to proceed. Period. If the buyer changes his mind at that point after being told the sale wasn't happening. Too bad, he's now graduated to the "let's go to the local gun shop and do a NICS check" level.

Why? Because I'm a responsible gun owner.

It's NOT about "restrictive" versus "non restrictive" states. It's NOT about whether the law requires you to identify who you sold a gun too and keep a bill of sale. It's about being responsible about selling guns.

Times have changed and the only way we are going to continue to avoid an eventual gun registration system, and preserve the right to make private sales is if all of us, or substantially all of us, act responsibly to ensure that guns don't get sold to prohibited individuals and that a crime scene gun can be traced to the final purchaser.