Model 36 Price Check

[EO1986]

Good morning all. I bought my first revolver a little over a month ago, a S&W 10-6 that i am very happy with. At that time, they also had a model 36 snub nose with a pretty decent amount of holster wear for $225. I have kind of been kicking myself for not buying it too, ands i was certain if i went back it would be gone. Lo and behold, i went back this week and it was still there.

I put the gun on layaway, but I'm here to ask you guys, is this a screaming deal or just average? Alot of my knowledge of gun prices comes from the Internet which tend to be inflated. I don't NEED the gun right now but it seems like the perfect companion to the model 10, which also has alot of holster wear.

I'm sorry i don't have any pictures, but id say the blueing is 80% with most of the wear in the muzzle end. Lockup is not back vault right but doesn't feel super lose either.

Thanks for your help.

 

[ColbyBruce]

A decent price in my area. I have seen some rag nasty handguns for twice that price around here.

 

[Absalom]

Evaluations of conditions are always subjective, and I don't know your criteria for "a pretty decent amount of wear" and "not super loose", but I can't remember the last time I saw a used Model 36 with ordinary use wear and nothing major wrong with it for under $300, so I'd buy it.

 

[EO1986]

By not super loose i mean when cocked it is not rock solid but doesn't seem to have more play than the average s&w i have handled.

It has the wear of a gun that had been carried alot but not abused

 

[ColbyBruce]

Does the one you are interested in look better than these two?

 

[Absalom]

The year of production also influences value. Not too long ago I paid $375 for the Model 36 with significant carry wear pictured below, which is considerably more than I would have paid if I had just been looking for a shooter or carry gun. But it perfectly fit what I was looking for, square butt 1959 vintage with documented police service provenance, so I happily paid. Factors like that could determine whether the one you're looking at is a good or a great deal.

 

[Twiki357]

I would say $225 is a pretty good price. I haven't seen any model 36 for under $300 for a few years now.

 

[5Wire]

I would say $225 is a pretty good price. I haven't seen any model 36 for under $300 for a few years now.

Me too!

Here's my track on the model:

Smith & Wesson Model 36 1-7/8 in barrel Revolver in .38 Special. Blue Book of Gun Values (35th Edition) indicates between $465 in 95% condition and $650 in 100% condition for this gun. I have 77 recorded prices for this model gun from $273 to $643 over a period of 7 Yrs 4 Mos ending May 12, 2015. The average price as of that date was $410. No refurbs, no refinishes, regular sights. All represented as 95% or better. No distinction for engineering revision, if any, no special editions, no distinctions for box, papers, tools. Current or last MSRP is $822.

The last 10 prices I have for this model since 7/29/2014 range from $375 to $575 averaging $461. Even accounting for lesser condition, if it checks out and works correctly, you got a good price.

Here's one I used to have:

 

[H Richard]

Condition is everything on a relatively common older S&W.

 

[JP@AK]

Buy it. I can't see how you can go wrong at that price.

Just curious - round butt or square?

 

[EO1986]

It's a round butt. Looks similar to the ones Colbybruce posted. I've food guns tend to look better in real life than in photos. The flash exposes all flaws.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Here are a few better photos of the guns

These were former LE evidence guns that I bought in 2011 for less than $70.00, IIRC. I swapped the SB for a Colt, gave the RB to my son.

 

[EO1986]

Those guns look like they have some pitting and areas where the blueing is completely gone. I would say they are worse than the gun I am looking at. The one I am looking at has no pitting and the only area where the blueing was seriously worn was on the barrel from holster wear. See this thread for the M10 I bought, which was in very similar condition to the M36 i now have on layaway.

I really am not picky on condition, i like the patina. If $225 is too high for a gun in this kind of condition, I'll cut it loose. As I said I dont need it right now it just looked like a great price for a cool gun. Everyone else seems to think its a great price but maybe they are used to looking at 95%+ guns.

Thanks

 

[JP@AK]

EO1986
With that description, all I can do is repeat myself (even though I hate redundancy and don't like saying the same thing over and over): Buy it!
$225 won't buy you squat around here . . . or most other places in the country. Go bring her home.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Again, buy the one you saw. The price is more than right. I saw a non-factory nickel SB S&W 36 yesterday in a pawn shop with a $375.00 tag on it. J frames are neat little guns.

 

[Green Frog]

IMHO, the Model 36 is just one of those guns every pistol shooter ought to own. At that price for the condition you are describing, I wouldn't have had to think very long before buying it... say about .00001 second! Now you will have to get (or load) a bunch of midrange target ammo and shoot the heck out of it to gain the familiarity to be able to shoot it with absolute confidence in a high stress situation. A lot of people think of the Model 36 as "better than no gun at all" but people who take the time and effort to really get to know their Chief's Specials can "walk through the Valley of the Shadow" safe and secure that they are well armed. JMHO, JMMV.

Froggie

 

[shamelessinct]

Last week I bought a 1966 vintage M36 with some holster wear on the barrel and the cylinder for $300. It also came with 200 rounds of Winchester white box 130 grain ammo, 50 rounds of Hornady hollow points, a holster and a gun rug. So the cost of the gun alone was about $200. Best deal on a J frame S&W I have seen in ages. If you can buy one for $225 I would jump on it.