586-3 good deal or not

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bossduce

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Went by the LGS today, that was a mistake. I have been looking for good, used Smith revolvers and have noticed that they are few are far between in my area. Anyhow, they had a pristine 586-3 4" in the display on consignment for $599. Seemed high to me, but it was in nice shape.

I was hoping to get opinions on the gun from others that have or have had this gun in the past. Is this a good deal or should I just keep looking for a better deal. Thanks in advance for your input.
 
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For "pristine" that is a good price. You might be able to talk them down. Don't cheap out on a $50-$100, you'll regret it later.
 
Anyone have one of these and are they nice to shoot? I would mostly use .38's. Does the full lug make it too heavy?
 
The last 2 clean ones I have seen in my area were $600 each.

You will like it. Nickel or Blued?

Bob
 
It is blued. I may have to haggle a bit and see how well I can do. This gun is consigned and he said the seller was firm. I guess I would say the same thing if I were in his shoes.
 
Buy it. In a few years the few dollars you could have haggled over it won't matter anyways.
 
I would not sell you mine for that. Wonderful gun. Easy to shoot, and very reliable. I put pachmayr grips on mine 15 years ago, and it has been the "family" home defense gun ever since.
 
I made a trade a few months ago for a 586 no dash, ( a 65, and some cash.) I have a total of $440 into it. No box etc, but a very clean 4 incher. They tend to go high, like many other Smiths. A great gun to have as far as I am concerned. Good luck on your quest! Bob
 
Agree, it is on the high side even if it has the box and contents. However...

If you want it, try haggling a little as you suggested - for example, if the $599 doesn't include sales tax and you owe this in VA, see if the dealer will include this. Given the dealer is probably charging the owner anywhere between 10-30% as a consignment fee to sell it, the shop may have a little wiggle room.

Regarding full underlug barrels, I find the 4" adds useful muzzle weight, but the 6" just feels plain heavy. Just my personal observation.
 
bossduce said:
....they had a pristine 586-3 4" in the display on consignment for $599....

...Is this a good deal or should I just keep looking for a better deal....
Click to expand...

If it is indeed "pristine" and in excellent mechanical (timing, endplay, cylinder gap, etc...) condition, then $599 is very reasonable! Not a GREAT deal, but definitely not too high! Grab it before it gets away!! :cool:
 
MacA said:
If it is indeed "pristine" and in excellent mechanical (timing, endplay, cylinder gap, etc...) condition, then $599 is very reasonable! Not a GREAT deal, but definitely not too high! Grab it before it gets away!! :cool:
Click to expand...
This.

"Pristine" seems to get thrown around a lot when a gun looks nice and cycles correctly, but using NRA modern gun condition guidelines and a few basic mechanical checks goes a long way to really knowing if the piece is worth the purchase.
 
I just recently purchased a 686-4 at the local Cabela's for $499. Looked unfired with box. $600 seems high but I looked for my 686 for a couple of years before I found one that was "nice" and "cheap-ish". I found nice but not cheap and I found Cheap but not nice.

These are some of the nicest revolvers made and everyone needs a .357 to shoot! My 686 locks up tighter than any Smith I've ever owned. I purchased a 586 in the early '80's and regretted selling it from the day I let it go.
 
I'm always amused by folks who got a lucky deal, or made their purchase a couple years ago, and tell OPs that they should keep looking for a better deal. While you spend months looking for that better deal the value of the dollar keeps going down and prices keep going up. And all that time you could have owned the gun in question and been shooting and enjoying it but no...you're holding out for a better deal.

YMMV,
Dave
 
Dave T said:
I'm always amused by folks who got a lucky deal, or made their purchase a couple years ago, and tell OPs that they should keep looking for a better deal. While you spend months looking for that better deal the value of the dollar keeps going down and prices keep going up. And all that time you could have owned the gun in question and been shooting and enjoying it but no...you're holding out for a better deal.

YMMV,
Dave
Click to expand...

Dave, I agree. My point was that to save a hundred bucks I spent a couple of YEARS to find the right pistol. If I would have found this pistol for $600 I would have been tempted as finding the "Cheap and Nice" is very time consuming or just luck of the draw.

I have bought guns near full retail because I knew that I wouldn't get another chance and it was a "good enough" deal.

GP
 
In my search for a 586 in excellent condition your price is in the ball park, especially if it has box and papers and was well cared for. It is in the higher end but they are hard to find in great condition with box and papers. I shot mine this past weekend for the first time and was very pleased. 38 special are nothin' and 357 mag are easy in it. If you are really looking for a 586 then this is the one.
 
$599. is $200.00 more than I paid for my 586 4" two years ago, but that was two years ago. If you really want a 586 and this one appears to be in good condition go for it, as they will not be going down in price anytime soon.
 
It has been my experience that when a shop claims not to have any wiggle room sometimes you can get them to toss in a box of ammo or a couple of speedloaders. As far as the price, yes you can find better, but is it worth it? A gun in your hand is better than a dozen in the display case after all.
 
Supposedly, a 6" 586-3 with an aftermarket Hogue Monogrip and a red dot sight sold for $775 plus shipping on Trapshooters.com over the weekend. I say "supposedly" because with no original checkered target stocks or rear sight, that seemed like a lot too much for that gun to me as well as a couple of others and the sellers egotistical words prompted some of us to comment about that price. The seller then announced the gun was "sold."

I did a little research before commenting by trolling GunBroker.com, where I found several 6" (the most common barrel length) 586s without target stocks drawing bids and seemingly topping out in the low four hundreds to low five hundreds with near-new, all-original ones closing in on $600.

I normally don't comment about other's ads but as I said, this seller's wording was such that he felt $775 for an obviously fired, non-original gun was doing someone a favor.

Ed
 
Thanks for all the info. I will let you know if I pick it up. It will be another week or so before I can get back. Stay tuned.
 
the gun is the cheapest part of the game and will probably be worth more when or if you decide to sell. Dont sweat it ,get it and enjoy getting the gun and a clean one at that ,instead of regret of issues when getting that GOOD DEAL ,Only if you know the guy and he is honest.
 
Mine is a 586-5 round butt 4inch. I found the combats to replace the rubber.
542d57b97e69ecaed48bf513320ced92.jpg
 
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If you see nice 586s every couple of weeks for sale in your area ........ keep looking........ if like around these parts it's several years between sightings.....

haggle on the price....most LGSs have some wiggle room for a good customer ....... then if you want one buy it!!!!!!


LOL .... just notice the "age" of this thread...... LOL there a ought to be a "thread resurrection blocker"
 
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Here in the formerly Great State of California, you'd injure yourself getting to your money for a deal like that.
 
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