Smith & Wesson .22 "Post Office" M10

[Hoppe's no.10]

Got into a friendly back and forth on another forum over this. To make a long story short someone posted that a M10 .22 rimfire "Post Office Gun" (M45) in "excellent" condition with box etc. could easily go for $3000.00. Wow! Not necessarily arguing with this statement but....just curious.

The claim is that someone bought one in pretty much the same condition (but no mention of box) from Cabela's for $800.00 and the next day flipped it for $3000.00. I'm not in the least saying it didn't happen but again just curious about the general value of these handguns.

**************

This is the P.O. M10 that started the back and forth off:

.

Any guesstimates as to the general market value of this handgun ? Poster did not say what he paid for it. *

Thanks in advance.

Hoppe's no. 10

*This is not a photo of the $3000.00 handgun referred to above.

 

[H Richard]

I think that anyone paying $3000 for it is buying it very very early. It's a nice gun, but tops in my book would be $1200, and that's a stretch.

 

[long colt frazier]

Easily a 2k to 2500.00 anywhere.
Mark

 

[arjay]

I watched an auction some months ago for one that was more or less nib and it sold for about $2600.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

The pictured Gun has been refinished,Note the Blued Hammer and Trigger....

 

[murphydog]

$3000 even for a NIB .22 Military & Police is optimistic, unless someone really wanted it badly and didn't mind paying a premium.

By the way, after 1957 it was named the model 45 - it is more or less a .22 model 10 but don't get the collectors here started :).

 

[Art Doc]

Saw one sell for $2200 and another listed at $2700 but don't know if it sold at that price. I think a really nice one might get 3K. I think saying "$1,200 tops" is being very unrealistic. I wouldn't take $1,200 for one.

 

[bdGreen]

It's a Model 45. Or, it's an M&P in .22
They don't make anything like that anymore.
Auction sites are just that. Someone selling, someone buying, or not.
The last one I saw sold at auction was sporting an unusual model stamping. It was also one of the 135 frames put together in 1975 and sold in the Butterfield and Butterfield auction years later. The B&B tag number was attached with the paperwork.
That gun actually sold for a little less than anticipated on GB.
Guns, like most collectible items, can be bird dogged, tripped over, gifted, and acquired in many different ways. Prices paid are just that. The current value of that one item.
Model 45's have been somewhat collectible since day one. I have a 1959 gun with the original sales receipt. One of the column headers on that receipt stated "reason for purchase". Hand written by the seller in that category was simply 'COLLECTOR'. So it begins.
I find them to be quite intriguing for their design an purpose. Beautiful little gems that just keep bringing this debate to the table.
Like the man says, "they will always be worth what you paid for it". May be now, may be later. But, you will own it now.

bdGreen

I have one

 

[Art Doc]

Want one of these badly. No idea why, I just do. Not a collector, I would shoot it. But I simply can't justify the cost. I quit thinking about one when I saw one sell for $1,100 about 8 years ago.

 

[Bill Bates]

Hoppes, I'll make you feel good. I paid $540 for the pre-45 in the photo. It has been refinished and is a shooter (not something one often hears when it comes to Model 45 pre or otherwise) There is no question the values in the Standard Catalog and Blue Book are way low on Model 45s.

Was it a buy, who knows, anyone remember the last time a well refinished pre-45 hit the market, I don't.

The one mentioned in the post that was bought from Cabela's and flipped was in near new condition with box and all the goodies.

 

[Tom K]

I have an actual Model 10 (not Model 45) in .22LR. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/72265-model-10-chambered-22lr.html

Of course it didn't start out as a .22, but it's still pretty nifty. :D

 

[Bill Bates]

Can a toss in something a little odd...beyond the hammer and triggers lack of case color there is darn little indication my little .22 has been refinished. Of course the lack of case color is a dead give away to a refinish job.

Who ever did it did a great polish job. There is no S&W rework date stamp on the frame under the grip. There is still a displacement burr on the monogram, the side plate fit is perfect, no dishing around the screw holes and the finish looks pretty right for a mid 1950s Smith. It was a very good refinish job all except that hammer and trigger in the same finish.

Overall I felt the at the price paid it was a buy. I'll replace the trigger and hammer one of these days. The stocks are't numbered to this gun and they have a rack number painted on the bottom. I don't plan on cleaning the rack number off.

One of these days I plan on getting it lettered just to see where it was shipped.

 

[jchodur]

Please Educate Me

It's a Model 10 (Medium Frame) that's called a Model 45 in .22 LR rimfire and it has what looks like a 4" barrel.
Other than the different model numbers what makes this different than the medium frame six shot .22 LR
model 18 with a 4" barrel?

 

[Bill Bates]

How this discussion cam about was talk about clueless guys that work in the Cabela's Gun Librariess and used gun stores. I just wanted to point out it is darn difficult to be expert on every type of firearm and come up with values. I tossed out a pre-45 as an example...guess the model and value not easy for many outside this forum.

Hoppes got the model just right by searching the Standard Catalog and tossed out a good to very good condition and quoted the value out of the catalog. He did what most used guys would do with something they hadn't seen before. He went to an expert source the Standard Catalog fo S&Ws. He kind of blew the condition and blew the price of the condition he listed, I said I would take all the good to very good condition model 45s at $600-800 price quote. Who here wouldn't I today's market that is low but only a Smith & Wesson guy is likely to know that.
'
That is the problem for guys buying for a dealer. We can be experts on somethings but not everything. We look to expert sources and hope for the best. It takes years of experience buying to guns to really know what you are doing. The guy in the store making $9 or 10 and hour likly hasn't had that experience on but he might know something about what interest him. So not and idiot just not an expert like the customer might be on any given firearm.

 

[jsfricks]

It's a Model 10 (Medium Frame) that's called a Model 45 in .22 LR rimfire and it has what looks like a 4" barrel.
Other than the different model numbers what makes this different than the medium frame six shot .22 LR
model 18 with a 4" barrel?

The model 18 has adjustable sights whereas the model 45 has fixed sights.

 

[jchodur]

Educated

Thanks jsfricks, I missed the sight difference.

 

[bigmoose]

Can a toss in something a little odd...beyond the hammer and triggers lack of case color there is darn little indication my little .22 has been refinished. Of course the lack of case color is a dead give away to a refinish job.

Based on that photo I would say the only things refinished (or replaced) are the trigger and hammer.

The wear at muzzle looks honest.
The firing pin retaining pin looks unmolested.
Screw holes aren't dished.
The shade and patina of bluing looks correct.
The overall condition is "age correct" for this revolver.

I think you got one hell of a buy, sir; congrats!!

 

[Cooter Brown]

Hoppes, I'll make you feel good. I paid $540 for the pre-45 in the photo. It has been refinished and is a shooter (not something one often hears when it comes to Model 45 pre or otherwise) There is no question the values in the Standard Catalog and Blue Book are way low on Model 45s.

Was it a buy, who knows, anyone remember the last time a well refinished pre-45 hit the market, I don't.

The one mentioned in the post that was bought from Cabela's and flipped was in near new condition with box and all the goodies.

Thanks for clearing that up, Bill. The blue job is good but I did notice the hammer/trigger. I thought the gun was right and that maybe the hammer and trigger were just dark and not showing the colors.

I'd love to run across one of those. I think you did fine.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Funny!

How this discussion cam about was talk about clueless guys that work in the Cabela's Gun Librariess and used gun stores. I just wanted to point out it is darn difficult to be expert on every type of firearm and come up with values. .............
................
That is the problem for guys buying for a dealer. We can be experts on somethings but not everything. ........

My parallel situation occurred just last year, or was it earlier this year? Yep, last February, 2014. I picked up a Model 10 in .357 Magnum. My gun store guy looked at me funny when I told him and his jaw nearly hit the floor when I showed him - and he IS knowledgeable.

You just cannot know everything!

***GRJ***

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/356698-model-10-6-357-magnum.html

 

[Model39]

My Model 45-2, I bought for $400 35 Years Ago

I stumbled onto this 4" Model 45-2 which is LNIB, possibly unfired, 35 years ago, and since I collect 22 revolvers, I picked it up. I rarely see these for sale, but when I do, they sell for around $2000. I also had a 6" pre Model 45 4 screw, I found in the early 90's, at the Syracuse gun show, that once belonged to the Boston Police Department which was a training gun, that was totally beat (about 65% at best), but I foolishly traded that for a Model 39 ASP quite a few years ago. These are great guns, and worth pursuing if you want one.