J&G Model 10 Report

[pilpens]

do not feel too bad about your model 10.
It does not look too bad for the price.

I had a worst experience with rebelcannons on gunbroker.
sideplate on a model 15 came from another revolver. Had a local gunsmith fit the sideplate. It still looks bad but livable.

 

[srgvaz]

it doesn't seem proper to bash a company publicly without first contacting them, explaining your concerns and giving them a chance to earn your satisfaction.

You are so right, I really did not mean to trash them, I just wanted to give a report on the gun I received. VG is such a subjective evaluation. When you buy a gun sight unseen you take your chances and I do understand that. Like I said, I won't buy another from anyone without seeing it first.

Here are two photo's but I don't think they will show enough detail. It looks like it was peened all over with a welders hammer. Mechanically though it is pretty good and I am positive it will shoot.

The condition is decent for the price, and the peening is probably were rust once existed. Does the trigger guard look off, or is it the camera angle? If you want to clean up the back strap some 600 grit paper and some cold blue will do. It is what it is, a safe queen could cost more than double , and a "classic" could go up to four times more. -go have some range time with it-

 

[tripledipper]

You just have to remember it is only a tool for many in LE & security and is treated as such without much further thought given. My kids guns will never win any prizes either. Appearance not a top priority in that price range if they still go bang every time.

 

[walnutred]

I don't think you taken regarding price for condition, but like you I would be concerned about the accuracy of the VG grading. Looking at the NRA grading system to my eye that revolver more in the G range. Like others have said I'd call them and express your concerns.

 

[redlevel]

That's what I would expect an ex-cop gun priced at $179 to look like.

Yep

it looks exactly like a $180 buck x cop gun....

Yep

If it functions reliably and will shoot inside an eight inch pie plate at 60 feet, you got exactly what you paid for. And it isn't a bad deal.

 

[Jack Flash]

I agree with the OP: that is not in VG condition. Whatever the price was, condition is not as described. Not even close.

Originally, I thought
"Here's another guy who paid for a Sow's Ear and expects to get a Silk Purse!"
But after looking at the picture of the barrel,
"Man, that thing is ROUGH!"

I have had several transactions with J&G and all have been very satisfactory indeed. As others have said, contact them and let them know you are unhappy. They may make you some kind of adjustment that is very fair. You will not know till you contact them.

Personally, I would not want something that rough, unless I maybe needed one to keep hidden out in the barn or something. So I would send it back even if I had to pay shipping both ways, swallow the FFL fee, etc.

 

[scattershot]

I was on their website yesterday, looking at some Smith police trade ins, marked VG condition. The photo they had on the website looked like someone had ground off part of the barrel on a concrete sidewalk. I'm not talking a scrape or two, part of the barrel was actually missing.

Makes you wonder who's grading their guns these days.

 

[Art Doc]

VG is subjective. Most big dealers say if it functions and has any finish left at all it is in very good condition. Particularly when dealing with former service pistols. This is my experience after several decades of buying cop guns.

The price should be a tip off. A Model 10 for $179 is NOT going to look nice. I would expect it to function and not be covered in corrosion for that price. Holster wear and some dings would be expected.

 

[Jack Flash]

Just going from memory, I thought the definition of VG contains words to the effect:
"No rust or pitting"

Maybe the top of the barrel is not pitted, just repeatedly hit with, or knocked into, something? Assuming the best case scenario, it is still splitting hairs pretty fine to try to call this VG.

Correct me if I'm wrong but "NRA Very Good" condition has only one set definition. As I understand it, this definition does not vary depending on who (or what agency) used to own the gun.

I'm just sayin'.

 

[deanodog]

Here is a model 10-5 I recieved today. This one was priced at 179.00 + shipping. I am well satisfied with it for the money. It locks up solid and has a shiny bore and chambers with strong rifling. It is dirty and shows holster wear and some small dings but I will play with it a while and let my grandson learn to shoot with it.
I have bought 12 trade-ins and have always got my moneys worth. I shoot them a while and send them on down the line. I have never lost money on any I have bought. I am a sucker for police trades.

 

[Art Doc]

What makes you think the seller is using NRA guidelines?

Like I said, what constitutes "Very Good" is subjective in the world of gun dealing. One man's VG is another man's crap.

I must refer to my original contention. With really clean M&Ps now priced at $400+ by many dealers when I see an ex-service revolver priced at $179 I sort of know what to expect. It will likely work just fine but the finish will be 60% at best with some scuffs and dings. Maybe you get lucky, it has happened to me, but I don't count on it.

 

[roaddog28]

Hi,
I agree with what others have said. Buying any gun without seeing it first is a gamble. What they say is VG is what they think VG is. I look at $179 and this tells me the gun is well used. I bought a Model 19-4 6 inch and a M36 1 7/8 back in May. The 19 cost me $269 and the 36 was $138. Both had rust. The M36 was pretty bad. I did clean them up and I am senting the 36 back to Smith to be refinished.

So for me the bottom line is if the price is low it usually means the condition is not ideal. From the photos I think you did ok.
Howard

 

[Jack Flash]

Here is J&G's "Guide to Grading of Gun Condition":
J&G Sales

It is not exactly the NRA rating system, but much of the wording is the same. At any rate, even when applying their own rating system, I believe the gun in question is not VG. They must have thought otherwise. It is subjective...

As I said, I think J&G is basically a great company and they will work something out if there is an honest disagreement.

 

[Art Doc]

All a matter of perspective. What the real estate agent describes as "cozy" is "small" to most other folks.

If the buyer truly feels the gun was not as good as promised then he should contact them.

 

[s3dcor]

Thanks for all the opinions, I do love this forum and always learn something new. As for the M10, I never said I was mad about it and aside from my attempt at humor I don't feel I trashed J&G. My intent was to share my experience with the rest of you. A number of comments say I got my money's worth and I can live with that.

By the way most of you missed the fact that I paid for the higher quality of the lot which was only offered on Wednesday and then I guess they ran out. I paid $189 not $179. When I ordered they said they had some
-2's in stock and I asked for one of those but they must have run out before they packaged mine.

One poster asked it the trigger guard was out of shape and it is. I can see where some type of metal object was used to pull it back which took the blue off inside that area. The trigger does clear.

End of rant!

 

[stantheman86]

I got this last winter from a distributor down in GA, it was a Japanese police re-import 10-10. Looked pretty bad and was pretty loose, saw a lot of rounds. For $200 I was satisfied, it worked fine as it was, but I dropped in a new hammer, trigger and cylinder anyway. Some were like new, I wasn't so lucky.

It evolved into this and is now one of my "go to" guns for plinking and I throw it in my glovebox once in a while.


To echo what was said above, I have worked as an armed guard and most guards treat the gun the same as a flashlight, well, in most cases the flashlight gets more care because they actually need that to work......99% of security guards couldn't care less about guns and it's just something they have to carry and shoot some rounds into a qual target once a year to make their $10 an hour.

The guns get rained on, sweated on, sat against when you lean back to take a nap, banged on door frames,get ketchup and hamburger grease dripped on them, get clanked on the floor when you drop your belt to do a #2, and on top of this the guns rarely if ever see a cleaning. A Model 10 that lives in a holster for 8 hours a day and then gets slammed into a metal rack at 7am by a tired night shift guard trying to go home usually won't win any beauty contests

I got a Ruger Service Six for $150, it was an ex-guard gun and it looks THRASHED, but you know what, it's mechanically great and shoots like a champ........don't write that clunker off until you shoot it, it just might become your favorite range blaster.

A Ruger Service Six, after it's career as a rent-a-cop gun.......it looks much worse in real life, but it's a shooter!

There's a reason I carried a Taurus 80 (my own gun) the last time I did armed guard work, I didn't want to mess up one of my "good" guns

 

[epj]

Bought a Security Six for about $135 that looked a lot like that one. Had a beat up rear sight. Got a new sight from Brownells for $16. Great shooter. Sold it for $275 and bought a 19-5 with lots of finish issues. Gun looked like it might never have been shot, or more realistically had been shot very,very little. Got it cleaned up and put a little cold blue in stratigic places and I now have a pretty nice M19 for under $250.

 

[Art Doc]

You wanna see some rough looking ex-cop guns?

 

[gatchelguy]

J&G offers a 30 day inspection period, which seems generous. BTW I was on their website today and did not see any M10's. Seems they left pretty quickly. I ordered one Monday. Hope it's as pretty as the picture.

 

[pmhayden]

I bought a 66-3 police trade-in from J&G. The top strapped looked like it was in the holster of a motorcycle cop who took a bad fall on the bike and skidded 10 yards on the pistol. It was rated VG. My FFL laughed. However, I filed the dings out, keeping the profile of the top strap, bead blasted it with light silica, and it looks PDG. Shoots fine. My knock around fishing/hiking pistol. I have a 66 no-dash, and they look the same but for the bead-blast finish.

A file and a fine bead blast will solve a lot of problems with a stainless Smith.

Also ordered an FM Argentine HP from J&G. VG condition. It was like new.

So take VG with a grain of salt. And be willing to use a file and paper. Just my experience.