1980 All Over Again

[Green Frog]

C'mon now. 1980 wasn't THAT long ago, was it?
Started out in '73 with a new Model 60. It was $123 OTD.
Followed with a 14-4 and a 17-4, both about $200.
Of course, it seemed like serious money back then..

It was serious money back then. I am now collecting a modest retirement pension and Social Security and I'm getting almost exactly 3 times what I was earning then working hard at teaching unappreciative youngsters the joys of Biology and Earth Science. Every time I look at the "cheap" prices back then I have to remind myself of these facts.

Froggie

 

[Abbynormal]

1982: My best friend bought a 27-2 6"bue in a presentation case. I loved it and bought a 28-2 6"
By 83', the 28-2 had been polished and reblued to look like a 27-2, and I ended up selling to another buddy and bought a like new 27-2 for (again) $300!

Now, I was on even setting with my best friend (In my mind). We would try to shoot weekly with a box of factory .357's and a box of .38 wadcutter reloads. Now 50 divided by 6 = 8 cylinders full and 2 extra rounds.

We would save the last 4 rounds of .357's and .38's for the "Beer Round"

We would load each others gun (in a random order of mags, empty holes and Spl's", 4 hots and 2 "nots". Note the .38's shot about 2" higher than a .357 at 75'. The one with the best group got the beer bought after shooting.

I feel I never lost. I did "develope a flinch" quite a bit of the time so he wouldn't get discouraged though.

After a couple of years, I broke down and told him that I always aimed about an inch inch low to compensate for the different calibers trajectories. He always tried his best and took careful aim, and sighted dead on (Magnum POI) for every round and couldn't understand why I would beat him!

My 1" lower aim brought the .38's down into the 10/10X range and still kept the .357's in the 9/10 ring.

His dead on hold got him 1 or 2 tens and 2 8's or nines.

We were closer in points after I told him, but with me shooting a lot more than him, I still got my beer bought most of the time.

 

[nawilson]

I wonder what those old, worn out 357 magnums, you know... the registered ones, were going for back in 1980...

 

[onetonson56]

I would buy a 4" 629 with the wood presentation box and tools.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Wow, that is a tough question. Here goes:

3 inch round butt Models 10 and 13, blue
4 inch Model 27, blue
4 inch Model 18
4 inch Model 15
4 inch Model 10 standard barrel
4 inch Model 19
6 or 6 1/2 inch Model 29 (not sure if the length had switched by 1980)
2 inch Model 60

 

[sw282]

Item:11082788 Smith & Wesson 29-2 6.5' For Sale at GunAuction.com

l bought this gun less than 2 yrs ago on AA for $755...lt sold recently on GB for $2000.. l would say Wash/0re gun are going up.. P&Rs too

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=398381618

l got the new case off ebay for a hund..Brand new case..0ld stock..Never had a gun in it..Sleeve too

 

[Laketime]

If I could go back to 1980 I think I would buy up all the Smith & Wesson wood stocks that were thrown into the $5.00 and up buckets that every gun shop had at the time. Sell them today and make enough to but a mint registered magnum , a pre 29 and a Colt Python.

 

[Fafner]

In the 80's , I was more into Gibson guitars and Marshall amps but this one got me started in the 90's.

 

[H Richard]

1984, went to a gun show in Branson MO which was held at the local High School. It was a pretty big show at the time. Picked up a barely used 686 (no dash). It cost me $245. A couple years later when the Hogue's brought their trailer with a portable set of equipment I bought a set of Pau Ferro grips and had Guy Hogue himself fit them to the gun. I still have just that way and still own it and shoot it. It has seen many a round shot in competition.


The gun has a .500 target trigger which I had ground smooth and contoured for double action shooting.

 

[stoneke]

In September, 1981 I was at the NRA National Police Revolver Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Many of the shooters in the Distinguished Matches were using tuned Colt Pythons. S&W was introducing their new competing model to the Python, the 586 Distinguished Magnum. Myself and team members just had to have this new gun and orders were placed. In February, 1982 we received our guns, all with AAA series serial numbers. Mine has the high post front sight that allows a neck hold on the B27 target at the 50 yard position. It took a few years to compile the required 30 points, but I finally received my Police Distinguished badge. This gun has an unbelievable smooth double action.

 

[bigmoose]

Pair of K frames

I bought these from the estate of a dear relative. They are still like brand new. Check out the receipt from 1980. These are definitely two of my favorites.

 

[Philblack]

If I could go back to 1980 and buy any S&W, I would buy a S&W 520. No doubt. It would be cheating, cause I would be a time traveller and I'd know it would be a unique revolver. But yes, a model 520.

 

[thundertrap]

If I could go back to 1980 I think I would buy up all the Smith & Wesson wood stocks that were thrown into the $5.00 and up buckets that every gun shop had at the time. Sell them today and make enough to but a mint registered magnum , a pre 29 and a Colt Python.

Yep, the old gun shop I started going to as a teen had 2 boxes full of factory grips from colts, smiths, and rugers..... Everybody had to have the pachmayers that were so popular then, also had boxes of holsters I'd love to dig through today.

my first S&W was a 4" 686 I purchased in 1987, if I could go to 1980 I'd probably buy a 651 w/3" barrel, for some reason I always wanted one.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Three inch Model 19s.......... both with the fixed (picture a blue Ladysmith) and adjustable sights!!!!!!!

I got 2 3" 66s in the late 80s when no one wanted a 6 shooter anymore ...$279 each....... picked up a used one about 12 years later..... the best all around carry gun!!!!!!!!!