908 Price?

Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
259
Reaction score
237
Location
So Cal
A fellow forum member has a LNIB 908 for sale. He's about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. He's asking $600 for it.

I already have a 3913 which I love. I'm trying to justify his asking price. I would have to make 2 round trips (3 hours each trip) as well as pay the transfer fee. Comes with factory case and inserts as well as 2 factory magazines. I just missed a LNIB 3913 for $700 and also a super clean 4516 for $650 locally as well. 3rd gen S&W's don't come around very often except for recently. What do you think a fair price would be? Also, 908's aren't exactly the most rare collectable from S&W so the price would have to justify turning it into a shooter instead of a safe queen. Thoughts?
keep it as a queen or shoot it?
 

Attachments

  • 908.jpg
    908.jpg
    158.3 KB · Views: 48
  • 908-1.jpg
    908-1.jpg
    156.6 KB · Views: 37
  • 908-2.jpg
    908-2.jpg
    45.9 KB · Views: 31
  • 908-3.jpg
    908-3.jpg
    40.4 KB · Views: 27
Register to hide this ad
Thats a really steep price!
Mine was like new with 2 mags for $380 out the door, just over a year ago.
I really like the 908, but that is on the high side.
If you buy and don't shoot it, the guy who buys it at your estate sale will shoot 5,000 rounds without cleaning it.

OP is in California. It's a limited market there. Hence the higher prices.
 
You'll probably feel about this 908 the same as the others you passed on if you don't buy it. For 6 bills I'd have him deliver it to me if I lived in California. It would have to stay a queen at that price point.
 
$600 seems a little high and is definitely a NIB collector price. Remember, the 908 was part of S&W Value Line, which means a lot plastic parts instead of metal and a simplified barrel lock up. It was S&W's attempt to Glockify their metal receiver pistols. I don't think there is yet a big collector market for these pistols.
 
A fellow forum member has a LNIB 908 for sale. He's about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. He's asking $600 for it.

I already have a 3913 which I love. I'm trying to justify his asking price. I would have to make 2 round trips (3 hours each trip) as well as pay the transfer fee. Comes with factory case and inserts as well as 2 factory magazines. I just missed a LNIB 3913 for $700 and also a super clean 4516 for $650 locally as well. 3rd gen S&W's don't come around very often except for recently. What do you think a fair price would be? Also, 908's aren't exactly the most rare collectable from S&W so the price would have to justify turning it into a shooter instead of a safe queen. Thoughts?
keep it as a queen or shoot it?

Being that you're in CA, out of state market opinions really don't carry weight since your market is artificially all jacked-up due to stupid laws and regulations.

What's the general market for 3rd Gens as a whole there? Big demand?

I know on the LE side of things that S&W 3rd Gen .45 Autos were in demand and had higher prices due to limited supply when the LAPD was still offering the decocker school.

But for the 9mm concealable guns, I'm not up-to-date on what the demand is in CA since I don't even see a demand of them from LE.
 
I paid $338 OTD for mine albeit, it didn't have the case but it is in excellent condition, came with 2 mags and I don't live in kalifornia.


It may be a good price considering where you're at but then again, I've seen Glock 43's going for $700 several years ago in that state.
 
Don't live in CA you don't get it...

I wanted to buy the 908 and also the 3-3rd Gens from both the SoCal sellers. Yes i was wanting to buy all 4 at whever the "fair" price was gonna be. However, they may as well have been on the moon. Too far for myself and the sellers to work the deal.

I know of both sellers on the Cal Gunz original forum. I would have worked out and paid the $$$. That's how it is. That's how it goes in this State.

Asking someone what's a fair price who lives in a Free State is a complete waste of time. Don't buy them, you don't get them. 1 year from now you'll be sorry. Buy once Cry once.

Just my for real $.02...I live in the San Fernando Valley, CA.

"This place is just plain Stuupid..."
 
Last edited:
A fellow forum member has a LNIB 908 for sale. He's about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. He's asking $600 for it.

I already have a 3913 which I love. I'm trying to justify his asking price. I would have to make 2 round trips (3 hours each trip) as well as pay the transfer fee. Comes with factory case and inserts as well as 2 factory magazines. I just missed a LNIB 3913 for $700 and also a super clean 4516 for $650 locally as well. 3rd gen S&W's don't come around very often except for recently. What do you think a fair price would be? Also, 908's aren't exactly the most rare collectable from S&W so the price would have to justify turning it into a shooter instead of a safe queen. Thoughts?
keep it as a queen or shoot it?
Personally I am not a big fan of Value series (though I like the CS variants) - I would much rather have a 3913/3914 in similar condition.

That said, a LNIB example would probably peak my interest at $500 plus taxes & fees in a Free state - so if you add the California factor, I would say its worth $600 plus fees and travel. And yes it probably would be a safe queen. For a shooter, I would stick with a cheaper used 3913/14.

One point to check though is internal ramp on inside of Aluminum frame where barrel slides down on recoil. I purchased a 4044 "LNIB" without checking that only to find that ramp was significantly damaged - apparently from hot loads or poor recoil spring or both. It is a concern, especially on the Aluminum frames. I once rejected a well used 5943TSW with similar damage.
 
Last edited:
I know folks call them "Value Line Guns" but the only value I see in them is that you can pick them up cheaply , usually . I have a 908s , 908 , 910 and a 915 , and they are all great guns . Now if I had 20,000 rd's through them I might be whining , but I save my large rd counts for my PC guns . The "Value Line Guns" are for plinking and bedside guns . Myself , I think it's expensive , but then I don't live in Cali , so ultimately it's your call . But I would read Hypurr's post and then read again . Good advice from another Cali resident .
 
Back
Top