In the years I've been on the lookout for Smith & Wesson and other old firearms, I have walked in many shops, viewed the goods on gun show isles, perused the local classifieds and have looked at many guns. In looking back at some I bought and some I passed, a few stories from the seller come to mind:
A Colt Match Target Woodsman was offered by a fellow who had a WWII verteran as a neighbor. The neighbor veteran had no family and became close to this fellow. When he passed away he willed his house and belongings to the man offering the Colt. When he was cleaning out the veterans house, prior to selling it, he discovered a box in the closet that contained this pistol. It was the original box with a Colt Match Target 2nd series inside with target, sight adjustment tool, grip adapters and brochure. It had been shot, but well taken care of. He told me the owner was a navigator on a B-17. He had no interest in firearms and only wanted to liquidate them. I still have the Colt, which was made in the early 1950's.
I called on a local ad for a Smith .357. The seller described it as a large frame, 6" barrel with a red ramp front sight. When I had them open the cylinder and read me the model number it was a 27-2. It was an uncles gun who had never married. When he passed his sister inherited many guns including this one. The nephew was the seller. He said his uncle was a hunter and trapper and was always in the mountains of Colorado. The 27-2 should have had a partridge front sight, however the red ramp showed no signs of being added, so I bought it. It shows signs of use, but is still tight and clean with the original numbered target grips.
A Winchester .30 WCF saddle ring carbine I looked at was in very rough shape. It was missing the saddle ring, had little to no bluing left, the rear ladder sight was replaced with a marbles half buckhorn, the tang screw had been replaced and the new screw was peened down into the tang, the stock had several deep gouges and several notches cut into the buttstock. The seller said the notches were for each bear the gun had shot. It had belonged to a grandmother who had homesteaded in Montana. That is one I passed on..
I looked at a little Smith model 34 that the seller said had belonged to his mother. Bought by his father for her to carry in her purse. Interestingly it had a 4" barrel and looked like it had not been shot much. His parents had both been gone for some time and this was the last of the guns. I told him if I had a gun that had been my mothers it would never be sold. He said it didn't mean much to him and still was certain he wanted to sell it. I did take that one home as well.
A Winchester 62A offered for sale by an older gentleman. He said he had bought it new in 1956. It was in very nice condition. He said he had a grandson that was upset he was not giving it to him. He mentioned the grandson never came to see him and only seem to want something when he did speak with him, He had decided he was not going to use it much any more, and with his wife having passed a few years prior was slowly getting rid of his accumlations. I bought the .22 and when I was looking through a book on the 61 and 62's, the serial number placed it being made in 1956, the year he mentioned he bought it.
I don't value most guns based on stories that may come with them, though I do find some stories very interesting. Some I am certain have truth to them, others may be a seller's ploy?
A Colt Match Target Woodsman was offered by a fellow who had a WWII verteran as a neighbor. The neighbor veteran had no family and became close to this fellow. When he passed away he willed his house and belongings to the man offering the Colt. When he was cleaning out the veterans house, prior to selling it, he discovered a box in the closet that contained this pistol. It was the original box with a Colt Match Target 2nd series inside with target, sight adjustment tool, grip adapters and brochure. It had been shot, but well taken care of. He told me the owner was a navigator on a B-17. He had no interest in firearms and only wanted to liquidate them. I still have the Colt, which was made in the early 1950's.
I called on a local ad for a Smith .357. The seller described it as a large frame, 6" barrel with a red ramp front sight. When I had them open the cylinder and read me the model number it was a 27-2. It was an uncles gun who had never married. When he passed his sister inherited many guns including this one. The nephew was the seller. He said his uncle was a hunter and trapper and was always in the mountains of Colorado. The 27-2 should have had a partridge front sight, however the red ramp showed no signs of being added, so I bought it. It shows signs of use, but is still tight and clean with the original numbered target grips.
A Winchester .30 WCF saddle ring carbine I looked at was in very rough shape. It was missing the saddle ring, had little to no bluing left, the rear ladder sight was replaced with a marbles half buckhorn, the tang screw had been replaced and the new screw was peened down into the tang, the stock had several deep gouges and several notches cut into the buttstock. The seller said the notches were for each bear the gun had shot. It had belonged to a grandmother who had homesteaded in Montana. That is one I passed on..
I looked at a little Smith model 34 that the seller said had belonged to his mother. Bought by his father for her to carry in her purse. Interestingly it had a 4" barrel and looked like it had not been shot much. His parents had both been gone for some time and this was the last of the guns. I told him if I had a gun that had been my mothers it would never be sold. He said it didn't mean much to him and still was certain he wanted to sell it. I did take that one home as well.
A Winchester 62A offered for sale by an older gentleman. He said he had bought it new in 1956. It was in very nice condition. He said he had a grandson that was upset he was not giving it to him. He mentioned the grandson never came to see him and only seem to want something when he did speak with him, He had decided he was not going to use it much any more, and with his wife having passed a few years prior was slowly getting rid of his accumlations. I bought the .22 and when I was looking through a book on the 61 and 62's, the serial number placed it being made in 1956, the year he mentioned he bought it.
I don't value most guns based on stories that may come with them, though I do find some stories very interesting. Some I am certain have truth to them, others may be a seller's ploy?
