At least in the S&W acquisition department...I've been lamenting lately over the lack of buying opportunities and/or missed-it-by-that-much moments in my never ending quest to improve my safe's contents...But the past week was productive beyond expectations...It began disappointingly last weekend with two seemingly unproductive gun shows in which I couldn't even find a taker on the trade material I brought...
But as I was about to leave the second show, I talked to a friend who was trading at his table, and he was griping about all the people just walking around looking with their hands in their pockets, and how he needed some money for his truck payment...He had been declining my offers for months on a .38-44 HD with prewar stag grips of his, and seeing my opportunity I repeated it...He reluctantly accepted this time, and the exchange was made...While sitting with him, his luck even improved as I helped him out with a trade in which he acquired a prewar Walther P-38 in exchange for a boxed Colt .25 ACP he had been displaying for a while...
Two days later I was making my daily search of Gunbroker for local deals, and happened onto three revolvers at a local pawn shop of my frequence...A little investigation found that the 1955, 5 screw Combat Masterpiece, the 1947 (my birthyear) 5 screw K-22 Masterpiece and 1976 Model 49 had just come out of pawn that morning and were listed minutes earlier...I immediately fired up the mighty Dodge/Cummins and got there in time to make a cash deal on all three very clean Smiths...A little paperwork and showing my CHL, and I was on my way home, leaving the pawn shop clerk to make out his multiple disposition report on me...
Fast forward to this past Saturday in which I had two local gun shows to attend...The first yielded a very nice nickel, 6.5" P&R, 3 T's Model 29-2 plus a clean, originally gripped, in the box 4" Model 10 with C-prefix S/N which later dated to 1964, both on the same table...Some cash negotiation, and the goods changed hands...With nothing else piquing my interest there, and it only being 1100 hours, I decided to visit the other show the same day...
There it was the usual people with the usual guns at the usual prices...But as I was talking to one collector at his table, a fellow walked up with a Model 5906 no dash, winged adjustable night sights and two factory magazines...His asking price didn't interest my friend behind the table, so when he turned it down I asked to see it...He still wouldn't take any less so I put the necessary fundage in his hand, and tucked the gun in my belt...
When I got to the very last table, I saw a gun I had seen the previous week with the same unreasonable price on it, a Model 29-4, which I already knew had been produced for Hill Country Distributors in 1989...A 3" full lug, RB blued gun with no MIM parts and hammer mounted firing pin...No box and someone had replaced the original Pachmayr rubber grips with Altamont RB to SB laminated rosewood...The original wide target hammer and trigger were still there, and although it had been shot some, the turn line was very faint on the unfluted cylinder...I had already decided what I was willing to pay, so I started with an offer $500 less than what he had it tagged for...To my surprise he came back with an unexpectedly low counteroffer...After a little negotiation we split the difference, and I walked out with it...This gun is also the new home of a very fine pair of Bigmtnman stag grips I've been hoarding...
Surely you think that was the end of a nice buying week, and I thought so too, but yesterday before driving to a friend's house where his wife had invited me to one of her delicious home cooked meals complete with freshly baked, sugar-free lemon pie, I checked on Texas Gun Trader and noticed that a fellow with whom I had been messaging about a Model 10 also had a 1956 K-22 Masterpiece...I managed to contact him before he left for church, and after some negotiation he accepted my cash offer for both guns with the provision that I pick them up the same day...
Needless to say after stuffing my face with his wife's cooking, my friend and I both armed ourselves (it's a rough neighborhood we were headed for), and away we went...Both guns and its owner were there at the appointed time (he brought his armed backup also)...My examination showed both guns to be righteous, all numbers matching where expected on both guns, except for the bookended Goncalo Alves target grips on the K-22...
So I must say the week turned out to be very pleasing even though my trade material was spurned by all, and it was a productive use of all the diesel I burned after all...I'm about halfway through washing and waxing those 10 guns, and I hope to finish a couple more before I get the call from my FFL to come pick up the beautiful nickel 4" Model 10-5 and nickel 4" Model 15-3 which I bought from a member here, and now show to be at my local PO awaiting delivery...There seems to be no rest for the weary today...
...Ben
But as I was about to leave the second show, I talked to a friend who was trading at his table, and he was griping about all the people just walking around looking with their hands in their pockets, and how he needed some money for his truck payment...He had been declining my offers for months on a .38-44 HD with prewar stag grips of his, and seeing my opportunity I repeated it...He reluctantly accepted this time, and the exchange was made...While sitting with him, his luck even improved as I helped him out with a trade in which he acquired a prewar Walther P-38 in exchange for a boxed Colt .25 ACP he had been displaying for a while...
Two days later I was making my daily search of Gunbroker for local deals, and happened onto three revolvers at a local pawn shop of my frequence...A little investigation found that the 1955, 5 screw Combat Masterpiece, the 1947 (my birthyear) 5 screw K-22 Masterpiece and 1976 Model 49 had just come out of pawn that morning and were listed minutes earlier...I immediately fired up the mighty Dodge/Cummins and got there in time to make a cash deal on all three very clean Smiths...A little paperwork and showing my CHL, and I was on my way home, leaving the pawn shop clerk to make out his multiple disposition report on me...
Fast forward to this past Saturday in which I had two local gun shows to attend...The first yielded a very nice nickel, 6.5" P&R, 3 T's Model 29-2 plus a clean, originally gripped, in the box 4" Model 10 with C-prefix S/N which later dated to 1964, both on the same table...Some cash negotiation, and the goods changed hands...With nothing else piquing my interest there, and it only being 1100 hours, I decided to visit the other show the same day...
There it was the usual people with the usual guns at the usual prices...But as I was talking to one collector at his table, a fellow walked up with a Model 5906 no dash, winged adjustable night sights and two factory magazines...His asking price didn't interest my friend behind the table, so when he turned it down I asked to see it...He still wouldn't take any less so I put the necessary fundage in his hand, and tucked the gun in my belt...
When I got to the very last table, I saw a gun I had seen the previous week with the same unreasonable price on it, a Model 29-4, which I already knew had been produced for Hill Country Distributors in 1989...A 3" full lug, RB blued gun with no MIM parts and hammer mounted firing pin...No box and someone had replaced the original Pachmayr rubber grips with Altamont RB to SB laminated rosewood...The original wide target hammer and trigger were still there, and although it had been shot some, the turn line was very faint on the unfluted cylinder...I had already decided what I was willing to pay, so I started with an offer $500 less than what he had it tagged for...To my surprise he came back with an unexpectedly low counteroffer...After a little negotiation we split the difference, and I walked out with it...This gun is also the new home of a very fine pair of Bigmtnman stag grips I've been hoarding...
Surely you think that was the end of a nice buying week, and I thought so too, but yesterday before driving to a friend's house where his wife had invited me to one of her delicious home cooked meals complete with freshly baked, sugar-free lemon pie, I checked on Texas Gun Trader and noticed that a fellow with whom I had been messaging about a Model 10 also had a 1956 K-22 Masterpiece...I managed to contact him before he left for church, and after some negotiation he accepted my cash offer for both guns with the provision that I pick them up the same day...
Needless to say after stuffing my face with his wife's cooking, my friend and I both armed ourselves (it's a rough neighborhood we were headed for), and away we went...Both guns and its owner were there at the appointed time (he brought his armed backup also)...My examination showed both guns to be righteous, all numbers matching where expected on both guns, except for the bookended Goncalo Alves target grips on the K-22...
So I must say the week turned out to be very pleasing even though my trade material was spurned by all, and it was a productive use of all the diesel I burned after all...I'm about halfway through washing and waxing those 10 guns, and I hope to finish a couple more before I get the call from my FFL to come pick up the beautiful nickel 4" Model 10-5 and nickel 4" Model 15-3 which I bought from a member here, and now show to be at my local PO awaiting delivery...There seems to be no rest for the weary today...
...Ben
...Ben
...Ben
...Ben
