Why buy a beat up S&W with compromised finish?

[Watchdog]

Why buy a beat up S&W with compromised finish?

Beats me. Don't know why anyone would do a crazy thing like that.

Old beat up guns aren't worth bringing home.



On a more serious note, if you get a halfway decent price on the 27-2, why not buy it (if you have the money)?

And welcome to the forum.

 

[redlevel]

Sometimes, even the innards are in need of some TLC.
I got this one at a mid-GA pawn shop for $175. A whole
new set of springs (including mainspring) and a good
cleaning turned it into a nice 4-screw shooter. I also
added a set of magnas and a t-grip. It now serves as
my daughter's bedside gun. I would rather have it than
a brand new one.

 

[redlevel]

'nother rescue gun. Three inch Model 37 was drug
behind a truck at some time in its life. Or something.
It makes a very practical carry piece, though, and I
don't have to worry about ruining the finish.

 

[jmace57]

They are like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. They just need a little love.

 

[Engineer1911]

M27-2, 5" barrel, Patridge front sight at a bargain price, $529 OTD. I didn't buy it for collector value, but because I wanted a shooter that was tight and free from finish worries.

 

[MN2944]

Don't overlook the opportunity to use it as fuel for the next "what's it worth" thread. You can tell someone that is looking at a NIB model for $X, that you got a "really nice one" for $X/2, and make them feel bad about their purchase. Of course, you don't mention the money spent after the initial purchase. Seems pretty common.

 

[Arik]

Here's my Colt

 

[CajunBass]

I got this Model 19 from a local dealer. It was "finish challenged" shall we say. Not abused, just well used. The blue was worn down to bare metal in some places.





I spent a few hours with some Flitz, and a rag, and later with a can of car wax, and another rag.

 

[brianfede]

Thanks for all the replies. I specifically noticed that the less than perfect J frames in the want ads on this forum sold and it sparked my curiosity. I caught the S&W bug and just feel the need to buy more of these older revolvers, they are just such sweet shooters. For re-bluing is SW really the best and only option?

 

[sheepdawg]

You don't see a 1974 Colt Cobra selling for $340 anymore but that's how much my carry cost me. Tight as you know what, good trigger, accurate, just some finish missing and a little scratch on the frame. Heaven forbid I have to use it and you know it will take a miracle to get it back from the police if I do so why carry a $1000 pistol?

 

[Candrews86]

Brian,
S&W bluing today is much different and cheaper compared to the deep carbonic blue rich finish we all know and love of the 50's 60's and 70's. The bluing today seems more black in color and it will also rub off if cleaning with certain solvents. Ford's in Florida is another option if you're looking for a quality reblue.

 

[DocB]

Problem here in Middle Georgia we have an epidemic of Smiths that have been re-nickeled after most all of the markings have been ground off. Amazingly they seem to sell for $350 - $400 fairly quickly.

 

[girvin02]

I wanted arguably the best carry revolver S&W ever made. And someone obviously carried it a lot before I got it. I have no regrets.

 

[pawncop]

Just to add my two cents worth, my model 36 2" I carry as my second sidearm has a worn finish and a couple of dings but is rock solid as a backup gun. I do not care what it looks like, only that it functions when I call upon it.

 

[Peak53]

I think you also have to factor in the age and scarcity of the gun in question. For example, I have some pre-war N frames in much less than pristine finish, but I was able to acquire them at an also less than pristine price. This enables me to have and shoot some very fine revolvers that would be otherwise un-affordable for me. If a better one presents itself, I may be able to sell and move up. From what I have seen, it is usually not cost effective to buy a compromised gun and then spend more to get it to look like you want. If you want a fine looking finish, it is probably best to save and buy that gun in the condition you want.

 

[Big E3]

I think if somebody told me forty years ago that rusty beat up old cars are going to be valuable someday as rat rods I would have laughed. I believe everything that is no longer made and collectable will increase in value do to supply and demand alone. Know one knows for sure that ten years from now it could be that worn down true carry guns may be in very high demand just as they are. I saw a TV show with a Mercedes Gull Wing from the fifties found in a barn worth two million. The owner would not even wash the dirt from the barn off, and nobody could even touch it. Think about the day when everybody's old sock drawer guns are gone to collectors and to buy a nice old S&W you have to pay the piper. I believe these worn finish shooters will go up, and there may be a day when you'll be sorry you passed or refinished it. I say buy it, clean it, shoot it, clean it and put it away. I don't know what your age is, but if your not at retirement age you have time to invest and wait while you continue to enjoy it.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Why buy a beat up S&W with compromised finish?

Because I can buy a new gun with 100% of it's finish any day of the week. But this one...



... hasn't been neglected in someones sock drawer for the past century. That's 100 years of honest wear showing in that beautiful patina. New and blue, or stainless, or black plastic, just doesn't do it for me when it comes to firearms. Plus I just don't have the cash to be buying pristine virgins.
To each, their own.
John

 

[brianfede]

I think if somebody told me forty years ago that rusty beat up old cars are going to be valuable someday as rat rods I would have laughed. I believe everything that is no longer made and collectable will increase in value do to supply and demand alone. Know one knows for sure that ten years from now it could be that worn down true carry guns may be in very high demand just as they are. I saw a TV show with a Mercedes Gull Wing from the fifties found in a barn worth two million. The owner would not even wash the dirt from the barn off, and nobody could even touch it. Think about the day when everybody's old sock drawer guns are gone to collectors and to buy a nice old S&W you have to pay the piper. I believe these worn finish shooters will go up, and there may be a day when you'll be sorry you passed or refinished it. I say buy it, clean it, shoot it, clean it and put it away. I don't know what your age is, but if your not at retirement age you have time to invest and wait while you continue to enjoy it.

Good point. I am in my early 40's, a shooter, not a collector and I really tend to like older firearms. I have a few older SAAs, Sig P210 (Swiss), 1911s etc. They all have some wear but no pitting or major cometic issues. I typically buy used firearms at a price that I think I can re-sell without any substantial loss. I do care about the aesthetics of any firearm but most care about the integrity. In a lot of ways the wear of the older guns adds to its allure. My main concern in buying a beat up lightly pitted revolver was the speed the firearm might lose its integrity. Seems as long as the internals are okay and there isn't any major pitting I am good to go. Also, this thread underlines the fact that there is a decent market for these older smiths no matter the condition. A few guys also PM'd me and mentioned that some of the J frames that sold had a lanyard which is a bit less common and that could be another reason for their purchase. Thanks to all for the education and replies.

 

[Old cop]

Guns like these have character and have probably been carried a lot and shot a little. Nothing wrong w/them.

 

[Doug M.]

It depends on what your purpose is and your value set. The almost exclusive use for my firearms is for fighting; anything inconsistent with that borders on inane. If you are looking for a working gun for serious use, and might do some special things to it to make it work better for you, why start with a collector grade example? There have been plenty of posts on this forum in which someone with a collector mindset grouses about custom touches added 80 years ago by a shooter who needed the tool to work in a certain way for them. 80 years ago, that cop, or rural dweller, or whomever, needed that revolver to survive. I'm not above doing such things to my firearms, because they are tools. Starting with something that does not attract collectors makes it less imprudent. My M58 has been customized for me as a tool - there are probably members who would advocate flogging me for how it is set up, and I am sure the net value to most is far less than what I have in it, but it is a serious gun that I would carry on duty again in some circumstances. The finish is more appropriate for that use, and I can actually see the front sight.

I won't be the guy who owns a matched set of K22/K32/K38, because that serves no purpose for me. (But my shooter grade K38 is just plain fun to shoot and makes me look good.) I cringe every time I see the phrase "wrong grips", because the "right grips" are the ones that work for the purpose. I have one revolver with wood grips; every other one (including good quality custom grips), they were heinous for shooting and they got pitched ASAP. (Oh, to have known I could have sold the grips from the M58, wherever they ended up, to someone 35 years later.) I have a j frame being customized because it is not as functional as it should be for my needs - most of the time as a BUG.

To apply a phrase to a different setting: circumstances dictate tactics. I admit that a 5" M27 would likely not be tweaked much, but I also admit that the money for one is ill-spent for my needs.