Yes that 3913 is the 'stand-out' on that list.
Random 3rd Gen Thoughts...
- Thread starter TTSH
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Almost looks like a misprint with a 908 in there at $389.99... but condition (and mags and box/no box) is everything so I never say never.
Overall, the prices still look reasonably attractive... but that 3913 just stands out as a near give-away.
In regards to TTSHs' post #18 of the expense of going to search for mags,I've been to 20 shows in the 23 calendar weekends of 2016 here in NE Ohio,sometimes even to Michigan and North Carolina. I do not go looking for mags,I generally seek collectable ammo,reloading supplies,and sometimes firearms. Only firearm for 2016 was a Weatherby Mark XXII 22lr. I watch for 'deals' on bullets,brass,and powder and misc stuff. BUT since I'm there,I look AT mags,never look for mags. I know some vendors/tables and I'll sit their stuff while they go for food or bathroom break.
Medina show will be Sunday morning,don't anticipate any mags there. Then Cedar Point for some rollercoastering late Sunday afternoon and evening.
Medina show will be Sunday morning,don't anticipate any mags there. Then Cedar Point for some rollercoastering late Sunday afternoon and evening.
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MWater
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Almost looks like a misprint with a 908 in there at $389.99... but condition (and mags and box/no box) is everything so I never say never.
Overall, the prices still look reasonably attractive... but that 3913 just stands out as a near give-away.
I didn't see it in person, but I did save the image they posted online.
I would have been happy to bead-blast that slide into shape and swap out the Hogues. I wrote a program that checks and logs their site every 6 hours and emails me when Smiths show up, so I was pretty quick about this one but they said it was already sold. I don't know if one of the staff grabbed it or what.
It's especially crazy when you think about what they offer for trade-ins. They probably gave someone <$150 for it!
That 908 for $390 was spotless, BTW. I was tempted.
I like when the Steelers wear their "killer bee" outfits because it reminds me of The Three Stooges. 
Hard to say from that one black and white photo if that 3913 had serious wear/damage or not.
It sure wasn't pristine "as-new-in-box"... that's for sure. 
Lord knows that I'm not the best one for assessing the value or repairability of "used & abused" 3rd Gens. I learned my lesson on my "used & abused" CS40 and on a couple guns I bought on-line.
Now I stay far, far away and willingly pay the price for the nicer used guns. 
Interesting how you track their used gun inventory.
I subscribe to a few RSS feeds myself but nothing that separates S&W pistols from the bunch. That would be very cool. 
A 4516-1 popped up on that forum today. I didn't pay a lot of attention, but did notice that the price is $675.00. I'm not interested as a 457 fits that niche for me.
I'll be picking up a nice clean 3913NL this coming week that was posted on the same forum. I know that seller pretty well and he's had a number of 3rd Gen guns. That's how I met him. In addition to the 3913NL, he has a 6906 and a CS45 listed.
I've been out of town and haven't spent a lot of time looking at the two LGS's that have very good listings.
TTSH and I have discussed 3rd Gens in MA. My observation is that it's cyclic. There won't be any for a couple of months and then a bunch show up at either at shops or forums all at once.
I think as some of the people who bought them in the early to mid 1990s get older, their guns start to be sold off. Or people have the guns and then decide they want the newest polymer framed gun or something.
Trade ins are very, very, lucrative for gun shops. Just as trade ins are very, very lucrative for car dealers. Probably the same in any retail field.
As always, if you see something you want and have the money that's the time to buy it. Wait a few days and if it's a 3rd Gen, Model 18, Model 13 (for example), it's likely to be gone.
I'll be picking up a nice clean 3913NL this coming week that was posted on the same forum. I know that seller pretty well and he's had a number of 3rd Gen guns. That's how I met him. In addition to the 3913NL, he has a 6906 and a CS45 listed.
I've been out of town and haven't spent a lot of time looking at the two LGS's that have very good listings.
TTSH and I have discussed 3rd Gens in MA. My observation is that it's cyclic. There won't be any for a couple of months and then a bunch show up at either at shops or forums all at once.
I think as some of the people who bought them in the early to mid 1990s get older, their guns start to be sold off. Or people have the guns and then decide they want the newest polymer framed gun or something.
Trade ins are very, very, lucrative for gun shops. Just as trade ins are very, very lucrative for car dealers. Probably the same in any retail field.
As always, if you see something you want and have the money that's the time to buy it. Wait a few days and if it's a 3rd Gen, Model 18, Model 13 (for example), it's likely to be gone.
The only thing rarer up here than nice condition 3rd Gens in gun shops are nice condition 3rd Gens for sale in private hands.
GaryS does a much better job than me in watching local boards for private sales.He gets up earlier and stays up later.
Last real bargain I saw here in central Texas was a 909. Pretty beat to hell cosmetically, milling grooves on the top of the slide, but clean bore and lovely internal condition. Think I got it a year ago for $160.
I could not be happier. Never a hiccup and accurate enough to for me. Whenever I think I need a truck gun I remember I have one. ��
I could not be happier. Never a hiccup and accurate enough to for me. Whenever I think I need a truck gun I remember I have one. ��
I admit that I'm just a rank amateur compared to the undisputed "King of 3rd Gen Magazines"... but I do my best with the limited resources available to me.
I found 5 interesting/rare 3rd Gen magazines at a local dealer this past week, but to my disappointment he wanted a lot of money for them. I had to pass... at least for now. 
He explained that he keeps them for used guns he picks up from estates where there are no magazines with the gun.
He says that makes them more valuable for him to keep rather than sell to an old cheapskate like me. So much for what I thought would be a potentially great source.
......... Suddenly it is cheaper to buy them on-line through that big firearms auction site that we can't mention.
Gunbroker?
Some of us are obviously greater risk-takers on the Forum than others!Gunbroker?
If I ever moved to Texas, the first thing I'd do is get a truck gun!
Even before I got myself a Texas-worthy truck! OlongJohnson
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It's been said that a criminal's favorite gun is the one you leave unattended in your car. I've come out of a restaurant from lunch to see the window of the truck next to mine broken and the center console open. Assume that's what happened. I wouldn't have a truck gun.
Well, you never know. The perp could have been looking for anything.
I've been very fortunate to live in a very low crime community... like national record setting low crime. But I still can't do a truck gun up here. It's not something you do in moonbat Massachusetts unless you want to lose your LTC (and the rest of your collection). 
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Due to the strict gun laws, no doubt...just ask 'em.
It is certainly a brisk business up here in discontinued "all-metal" S&W handguns, both semi-autos and pre-IL revolvers. There are never enough nice used ones to go around. Every dealer I visit is begging for them. They say they can never get enough. My endless hunt for a nice condition pre-IL Model 17 or 18 at a decent price will likely always be that... i.e., "endless"!
While there is no question about the cyclic nature of 3rd Gen availability up here in MA, I really do think it is getting worse overall. I am looking farther and more often... but finding less.
As I look back on 2014 and 2015 and compare it to 2016 to date (with particular emphasis on certain top volume sources), the numbers and quality just aren't there anymore.Yes, the occasional "big score" is still possible.
You've proven that! And think about the "Ultimate 1006" that I found (and stupidly walked away from)... so it is still possible. On the other hand, I can name a dozen formerly top sources off the top of my head that have produced nothing lately but disappointment. The good news is that I'm happy with where I am today and have no specific plans to expand the 3rd Gen collection any further for the rest of this year. If something super-nice comes along... great!
But there are no "must have" 3rd Gens left on my list or in my budget for 2016. No, I'm afraid not.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Our super-low crime rate is due entirely to demographics... and a relatively high number of legal gunowners doesn't hurt. You want murder and other violent crime? There is plenty of it in Massachusetts. Just not where I chose to live. Most of our bigger cities are just plain nasty crime centers.
Given that we plan to move soon after the good wife retires, crime in the various MA cities and towns is on our minds a lot lately. We want to move to an equally safe place... but with more room and lower taxes. Chances are that we will be moving to a place with a statistically higher property crime rate. That does concern us. We know we will need to make certain changes to adjust to that reality.
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No, I'm afraid not.
You want murder and other violent crime? There is plenty of it in Massachusetts. Just not where I chose to live. Most of our bigger cities are just plain nasty crime centers.
Given that we plan to move soon after the good wife retires, crime in the various MA cities and towns is on our minds a lot lately. We want to move to an equally safe place... but with more room and lower taxes. Chances are that we will be moving to a place with a statistically higher property crime rate. That does concern us. We know we will need to make certain changes to adjust to that reality.
So you are moving to PA! See ya soon! Let me know if you need help unpacking.
Okay for you wise guy!
For better or worse, we are stuck here in MA with family ties and responsibilities. It is a curse... but it is what it is.
Some folks are born lucky. I was born in Massachusetts. However, I am negotiating with Arik to rent a room in his house so I can gain dual MA-PA residency.
I should be able to double the size of my collection within 6 months! 
