Recon 9 value

[Maxed]

Hello there, new member here and my first post (hopefully many more).

I have decided to get my concealed carry but the only gun I have is a never been fired Recon 9 that has become pretty rare. I really don't want to de-value it by firing it and I don't have the budget for another gun so I am thinking of selling it.

Anyone have any idea what it might be worth?

Thanks,
Allen

 

[jfd]

Allen...welcome to the forum. The Recon 9 was not produced in huge numbers and I believe for only a few years. I was on the lookout for one for awhile myself and never found one I was willing to pay asking price for. Only saw a couple for sale over a 12 month or so period, both in the $1500 range. Have a friend who bought one in excellent condition about 6 months ago for I believe $1100 or $1200. To me that might be a fair price if I was still looking. Others may feel differently, I just know they don't seem to pop up for sale that often. Like many and most other S&W PC semiautos, they are great guns.

 

[WisconsinKen]

Hello Allen.

Welcome to the forum!!

As JFD pointed out, you have an uncommon pistol. Therefore, it is worth a chunk of change. For the most part, any unfired collector firearm will be worth more than a "shooter". There are a lot of nice CC firearms out there for $450-650 (used and new). I would pick up one if them and tuck your Recon in the gunsafe for safe keeping. Or, if you are not sentimentally attached to the Recon, you could put it up in the sale/trade section and see what CC weapons plus cash some of the members might offer you.

Good luck!

Ken

 

[jfd]

Allen...had a few more minutes avail to research the S&W Standard Catalog on your Recon9. States was manufactured only in 1999-2000. Not stated but think I read somewhere or heard that total production run was limited to a few thousand. If your gun is truly a never fired gun and you have any interest in starting a collection, the Recon9 would be a great gun to start your collection with. There are any number of S&W guns new and used that would make an excellent and reliable CC gun that could be found in the $400-500 or less price range. If I were you (I've become a bit of a niche S&W "collector" over the years), I'd relegate the Recon to permanent safe queen status and work some overtime or sell something else to fund an everyday CC gun. Good luck!

 

[vigil617]

If you do decide to sell -- and I say this not being a potential buyer myself -- there is a Guns for Sale section here on the Forum that you might try. This is a great group of people, and you can be more than assured of a smooth transaction with them. I feel sure that among the serious collectors here, you will get a buyer who will appreciate the value and rarity of what you have, and be willing to pay a fair price for it. You've already gotten some good advice from a couple of these fine folks, and just speaking for myself, if I were a collector I would prefer to buy a pistol here than anywhere else online, given my druthers. Good luck, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Hi Allen and welcome to the forum!

You have a very nice pistol in the Recon9 if at all possible I'd keep it and then save up for a Shield in 9mm ($350 new online.) or better yet a 3913/3914! (About $450-$500.)

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/15082/category/40/

 

[timn8er]

+1 to Shorty 45 MK2. I agree with jfd & Vigil617. My first opinion is to hold onto that Recon like grim death! Especially if its unfired & you have the original box. If you should decide to sell, you will be treated fairly here on the guns for sale forum. Maybe list it for best offer, if they allow that. I repeat though: I wouldn't sell! I would scrimp & save & maybe pick up a Shield for EDC. They're pretty reasonable these days.

And welcome to the Forum, also from Texas!

 

[nocents]

as stated above....your gun would be the star of almost anybodies collection... as much as I adhere to shooters....no way would I start to cc that gun....an occasional range gun then bring it home and lovingly clean and put it away...maybe......preowned 6906 are everywhere and very reasonable.....P.S. welcome

 

[redrock]

Were it me... I would make it my CCW in a heartbeat. Life is too short not to enjoy the sweetness of shooting a great pistol. If you bought for a reasonable sum, then any potential future value is sort of irrelevant (at least it is to me). Consider yourself lucky to have one and the universe has obviously intended you to enjoy something not many others will. One of my favorite carry pieces is a 4536 that is rarer still than the Recon9 and I can't imagine subjecting it to a life of imprisonment in my safe. Too sad a fate for something so special. For me, they all deserve to be shot and enjoyed.

 

[timn8er]

I shoot all my pistols, and there are one or two most any 3rd Gen nut would consider rare & valuable. My equivocation for using one for CC is that in a worst(and I do mean worst!)case scenario, would you be OK with your pride & joy being tossed in an evidence locker & most likely engraved with a case number? That's a chance I'm not willing to take just to carry something I consider "special". That's why I have poly pistols for CC. Life IS short, but I'll save my prized 3rd Gens for the range!

 

[BAM-BAM]

welcome;

Tough call.......

I have 4 PC autos...... all bought in the 1990s ...... one a PC built on a 6906 frame and slide (3.5" barrel). It became my hi-cap carry gun (replacing a Beretta 92 compact) and has remained so for the past 18 years....no longer "new in the box" but well cared for and still looks "good". I have a second PC compact 9mm as a back-up resting comfortably in the safe.

Another is a SD-9 .... which I got used from a friend; and shot USPSA with for several years....... after finding this forum I learned that only about 100-200 of these all steel 4.25" inch barreled guns were ever made......it's been in the safe for about 10 years and I do miss it at the range. What a waste...........thinking I should return it to range use..........

The last is a PC "DPA 5906" I bought to shoot IDPA with; but have never used/shot due to; having kids and the nearest match went from 8 miles to 60 miles away......shortly after my purchase.....

But Shorty45 gives good advice....... try to find a 3913/14 for concealed carry...... one has been my primary cc for the past 20 years..... the best concealed carry gun there is IMHO.

Think of the Recon 9 as money in the bank.......... earning more than the 1% interest that a bank would pay...................good luck

 

[WisconsinKen]

I shoot all my pistols, and there are one or two most any 3rd Gen nut would consider rare & valuable. My equivocation for using one for CC is that in a worst(and I do mean worst!)case scenario, would you be OK with your pride & joy being tossed in an evidence locker & most likely engraved with a case number? That's a chance I'm not willing to take just to carry something I consider "special". That's why I have poly pistols for CC. Life IS short, but I'll save my prized 3rd Gens for the range!

My daily carry gun thinking is along the same line only I use the storm drain example. It is a poly gun (whose name I will not mention here) that goes bang every time I pull the trigger and is as accurate as I am. If there is ever a time that it were to go down a nasty storm drain, I'd swear a few times and then go down and fill out a lost pistol report at the cop shop.

However, my "I feel special" carry rig is my 1911sc shown in Sepentines thread on custom grips on a 1911 sc. If that were to ever to down the storm drain, they'd think I turned into a troll considering the amount of time I would spend down there trying to find it

If you are not attached to it and do not envision yourself ever being a collector, consider putting it out there on the open market. You could easily get a bunch of cash for whatever CC pistol you want, maybe another one to boot and a bunch of ammo. gunBroker is a good litmus test for what the "auction" value if it is. However, I would recommend you give the guys here first dibs on it (taking into account the costs of auctioning it that you would not bear). I did that with one if the S&Ws I had that was a collector and not a shooter so I sold it to a forum member who wanted it as such. I knew if I kept it, I'd end up shooting it and destroying it's collector value.

Good luck!!

 

[Maxed]

Thanks for all the great replies, especially jfd for taking the time to look through his catalog(s). Ya'll have given me a lot to think about but I'm not sure if it's making easier or more difficult decision though

I'm not really the collector type but I think if I were to come across the right 1911 I would probably trade for it.

If I can figure out how I will post up a picture.

Thanks again,
Allen

 

[Maxed]

Sorry, my phone doesn't take the best pictures.

 

[jfd]

Allen....I'm drooling all over my Ipad! Makes me think about re-igniting my Recon search. Let me know if you think you must sell but I'd sure advise against it. You may not have thoughts on collecting right now but some day you might.....10 yrs ago I didn't and I just recently bought a bigger safe in which to secure my unintended collectibles! As far as making the Recon an EDC gun, I agree with Timn8r....I too think worse case scenario and would hate for one of my prized valuables to get tossed into some evidence locker and then maybe "disappear". If that were to happen to my Shield9, 3913, CS9, etc I'd be able to easily go out and get another. Finding another Recon9 would be mighty tough.