Clark Custom Model 19-2

[22hipower]

If you like it, that's all that really matters. I don't see much demand for the PPC guns, even Clark's unless you happen to collect that kind of thing or enjoy shooting it. Don't think it would see much of a premium, where I shop anyway, to an original 19-2. I have a Clark Custom Colt in 38 Super which I like and which shoots really well, but I didn't pay a premium to get it (compared to an original Series 70) and doubt that it would sell for one now. Great work by true professionals. Enjoy it.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[4barrel]

I have a few and with the extra weight I like to bench shoot it. What twist does the Douglas barrel have?

 

[Old_Cop]

I like them and still have mine from the early 1980s. Value wise I would say that they are worth about the same as an unmodified model, maybe more if it is a Clark or other big name. It is a limited market though and collectors have no use for them.

 

[Goblin]

Remember the saying "only accurate rifles are interesting?" This is for those who believe the same thing about revolvers. Blind to its appearance, it would be any shooter's dream.

 

[H Richard]

There are two categories, Shooters and Collectors. This Clark PPC gun is in the Shooter category. As a shooter, it is capable of wonderful accuracy, and "should" be worth in the $800 to $1200 range.

From the collector point of view, it would fall in the butchered up category with worth on the $350 to $500 range, "if" they were interested at all.

 

[Narragansett]

I have one on a 15-3, built by John Towle ( TNT Arms) in North Conway NH.
His work was the front cover of Gun World Magazine in about 1978.
Slickest DA pull you can imagine. Full length Bomar rib, 6" X 1.2" Douglas premium air gauge barrel, polished trigger and interior. The cylinder was coated with jewelers rouge and spun by air. It rotates like it is on ball bearings. Widened charge holes. Latch milled into bbl. It will shoot.

I put Ahrends on it just before he went under

 

[gdogs]

There are two categories, Shooters and Collectors. This Clark PPC gun is in the Shooter category. As a shooter, it is capable of wonderful accuracy, and "should" be worth in the $800 to $1200 range.

From the collector point of view, it would fall in the butchered up category with worth on the $350 to $500 range, "if" they were interested at all.

I'm curious, where does a Swenson 1911 fall in your shooter/collector columns? Think it is actually worth less than a factory original Colt? "Collectors" include a wide range of folks, and not all of them are looking for LNIB examples. Personally, I have no use for a vintage S&W that looks like it just left the assembly line.

 

[GerSan69]

I'm curious, where does a Swenson 1911 fall in your shooter/collector columns? Think it is actually worth less than a factory original Colt? "Collectors" include a wide range of folks, and not all of them are looking for LNIB examples. Personally, I have no use for a vintage S&W that looks like it just left the assembly line.

I wouldn't have a clue about a Swenson, other than I heard a lot about them years ago. But there again, that's a gun for a specific audience. Compared to the general gun owning population, the folks that use and collect these expensive shooters is very small.
Look, I'm not trying to be a pessimist. It's just real-life that in an era of plastic throwaway guns, each one operating identically, these specialized guns aren't going to get more than a passing, "Wow, that's nice! Where are the Glocks?" type of response. Even competitive shooters trend more toward these "race guns" and the like. It's as if the PPC revolver came more or less at the beginning of specialized competition guns, but time and technology has kinda passed them by. A 1938 Indy car in perfect shape might be a masterpiece - but does anyone seriously think it would be competitive today?

 

[bearpa]

Nice looking Clark PPC gun. I knew Jimmie Clark and had quite a few conversations with him at Camp Perry during the Nationals over the years. His workmanship was impeccable. I'd buy that in a heartbeat!
I shot PPC from 1969 as a rookie officer until I moved here in 2017. Love the sport, too bad it's still not practiced like it use to be. I had 48 years on the job and spent the last two as the director of training at the Flint Michigan Police Academy. There are now more practical training programs and courses for police officers, but PPC is still a great start for the basics, either with a revolver or semi auto. And nothing like it when shot with a wheel gun!
Anything by Swenson in a 1911 is a classic and another buy in a heartbeat! I'm over plastic guns, they are great for reducing the weight on an officers gun belt which gets heavier as new gadgets come out. But they just don't have the appeal of steel and wood, or Pachmayr/Hogue grips!
Nice purchase, hope you can find a PPC match to try it out in!
Just my opinion.

 

[gdogs]

It's just real-life that in an era of plastic throwaway guns, each one operating identically, these specialized guns aren't going to get more than a passing, "Wow, that's nice! Where are the Glocks?" type of response.

I guess my point was that this Clark is a "collectors" gun, not a shooters gun. No one is buying that gun to take it to weekly competitions. Yes, it will likely be shot (maybe more so than a Swenson 1911) but not like someone is going to shoot their tupperware SD gun. So while "collector vs shooter" is a reasonable category breakdown for firearms, just because one "collector" doesn't appreciate a particular firearm (in this case a highly modified one) doesn't mean that there aren't "collectors" out there looking for exactly that. Just because one is a S&W collector doesn't necessarily mean that they are only looking for pristine, original condition examples.

 

[444 Magnum]

I go to and watch A LOT of firearms auctions. That pistol, as nice as it is, is a niche collector pistol. I compare it to the custom rifle market. People spend thousands of dollars having actions bedded, custom wood, etc. and when the family goes to sell them, they receive a fraction of the original cost. The same is true with custom vs. original vintage cars and refinished vs. original antique furniture. Originality, rarity, and condition drive the majority of the firearms collector's market.

 

[gdogs]

I go to and watch A LOT of firearms auctions. That pistol, as nice as it is, is a niche collector pistol. I compare it to the custom rifle market. People spend thousands of dollars having actions bedded, custom wood, etc. and when the family goes to sell them, they receive a fraction of the original cost. The same is true with custom vs. original vintage cars and refinished vs. original antique furniture. Originality, rarity, and condition drive the majority of the firearms collector's market.

True, in most cases you will never recoup the cost of modifications. That said, if you have work done by premier gunsmiths, then they will hold their value over the long term. Niche, yes, but if built by the right 'smith, you can get your money out of a custom gun. The reality is that these types of guns are better sold online where buyers that actually know what they are looking at have a chance to bid. Most people at a run of the mill firearm auction wouldn't know a Swenson from Wilson Combat or Hoag or Clark, at best they'd know it was a 1911. But do some searches of completed listings on gonebroker and you'll find that the online community does.

 

[ameridaddy]

I was wondering why the original owner used a Mod 19 for that expensive modification instead of a shorter cylinder .38 spec gun of some sort?
I'd think he'd want the shorter bullet jump and not have to worry about the lead and powder ring that would build up shooting wadcutters in the over long .357 cylinder.
It's a really pretty gun, and I think OP did just fine if he likes it and the price was right for him.

 

[rct269]

I don't remember which SWCA annual it was, but somebody had a display of modified S&W's. I also don't remember all the Pistolsmiths represented. I do remember being struck dumb by the quality of each and every gun in the display----and laying in bed dreaming about what it would be like to have all that perfection stacked up in my gun room.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[RetCapt]

As an old PPC shooter, I find it beautiful. I still have my PPC revolver, plus a back up my wife (wonderful lady!) said I should have in case my primary broke in a match (which never happened). So the back up is still brand new. I too used the Rogers (later Safariland) grips on my duty revolver, PPC leg match revolver, and PPC revolver. Undoubtedly it is a niche piece, but for those in the PPC game at the time, they were the pinnacle of a match gun. Loved rolling back that smooth double action trigger. Given practice and competition, PPC revolvers tended to see a lot of rounds down the barrel, albeit .38 wadcutter. So, many were ridden pretty hard. The one pictured appears pristine. That and the provenance would make it very desirable - to the right buyer.

 

[Erocksmash]

A gun bro send me one on the block today, only I musta read wrong or dident pay attention to its end time, I want one of these pretty bad, I can't stop thinking about them, he talks them up all the time and now I have to have one and load for it toooo...

I can't stop thinking about it !

 

[s3dcor]

OP here. Thanks for the comments, they have been interesting. Like Newtons 4th law on buying guns, we all have a reaction, not always equal. Newton would be rolling his eyes right now at my misquote.

I have a few S&W's and favor the post WWII guns. The prices on a 19-2 are stupid these days. I paid $500 for this one and appreciate it for it's design and craftsmanship. I will get some wadcutters and shoot it some day. For a paper hole puncher I bet it will be spectacular.

And I really do like it!

 

[Goblin]

Mine was built on a model 66 because that was the cheapest gun I found at a gun show at the time. A 10 or 15 would have been fine for me. $500 for a Clark would suit me just fine. Nice score.

As for a Swenson, I'd probably pay as much as $1,500 for one if I knew it really was a Swenson creation and in good condition.

 

[444 Magnum]

s3dcor,
Don't let my previous comments take away from your enjoyment of this pistol. It looks to be very well done and I'm sure you will have a blast shooting it. Thanks for posting the purchase price. I feel it proves what some of us have been saying about the customized market...you can get quality modified guns at less than the cost of the firearm plus the improvements. The man who has a car completely restored will almost never get his money back when he sells it. I have found the same to be true with guns. Congratulations on a good buy.
Steve

 

[Erocksmash]

OP here. Thanks for the comments, they have been interesting. Like Newtons 4th law on buying guns, we all have a reaction, not always equal. Newton would be rolling his eyes right now at my misquote.

I have a few S&W's and favor the post WWII guns. The prices on a 19-2 are stupid these days. I paid $500 for this one and appreciate it for it's design and craftsmanship. I will get some wadcutters and shoot it some day. For a paper hole puncher I bet it will be spectacular.

And I really do like it!

Wow 5 beans ! I would have probably paid double for that or close to it just to get ahold of one.... I think that's a hecka deal