snake803, round butt snub model 19's came into being in the 60's and I believe Fuzzy made stocks into the 80's or possibly the 90's. I have stocks that he made for square,cut,and round butt guns and quite frankly like them all. Tho for hard use when your hands are wet with whatever and your pulse is racing and making that critical shot is all important , nothing and I mean nothing beats a double swell checkered pair of Fuzzy's Birdshead stocks on a cut frame Model 19 or 66 4in. 357 magnum. For me it is and was my constant companion in my younger days. I currently have a couple of pairs of his stocks on my round butt 681 performance center 357 and also on my 696 44 that I carry when I am prairie dog shooting out west{loaded with 44 shot cartridges}. When I hear that unmistakeable "buzz" at my feet,believe me, Iwant to be able to hang onto what might seem like a "full auto" revolver. All my best, Joe.
WTK: Approximate value of 4 inch 19 dash 3 cut and wearing Farrant's
- Thread starter Scotter260
- Start date
Gentlemen ,we are drifting away from a question of value. For me who is a believer in the stock pattern for using ,the revolver with a cut frame is of value because it is already cut and as I said above ,today, when they are not making anymore of most of our favorite models of guns ,I would not think of cutting a frame, here is a perfect opportunity to aquire the perfect packing pistol ,to borrow a saying from John Taffin, already set up complete with custom stocks also no longer newly made. For someone who is actually going to carry and use the revolver, how much better can it get! Joe.
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It is only worth whatever value the purchaser places on it. I believe that anytime a weapon is altered in any way, the ultimate resale value is altered, too. For better or worse, again, lies in the viewpiont of the pocket book of the buyer. If you like it and it fits and you deem it worthy of seven bills - do it. Your satisfaction and happiness has a value unto you alone.
As an aside to shfd368bkt's post above, my first Model 19 that I carried and used hard,{shot the hell out of it and banged up the sights getting in and out of a car} I returned to S&W in the mid 70's to be tightened up , red ramp front sight to be installed , rear sight to be replaced with a white outline and the gun to have its blued finish replaced with nickel. Not only did S&W do everything that I asked, they restamped the cut off portion with the correct couple of numbers missing from the serial number. Different times I know, but I wish we could be in similar times now. Also , you need to remember,in those days most guys using Fuzzy's , and for that matter, Hurst's, Stark's and similar patterns, were police officers and were not even aware that they were doing anything wrong in modifiying their revolvers to be more easily used. I know I wasn't.
I'd say in today's market a nice set of Farrant stocks would bring 200.00 pretty easy and pushing 3 would not be out of line for a near perfect set in nice wood. The gun alone is worth 400.00 IMO so 600.00 all in I'd say would be fair. I've cut a few frames long ago and also have a set of original Farrant grips in Ebony for a J frame around here somewhere.
Keith
Keith
Always nice to have one of the Master Stock Makers chime in. For anyone who wants a masterful made set of stocks, Keith is the go to guy. While I have a number of Farrant and others, my last 4 pair of custom made stocks have come from Keith. All my very best, Joe.
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To add my $.02, that 19-3 in the condition described should sell for less than $700, un-modified. That being said, It is my understanding that Farrant, and many others, believed that the change in grip angle would improve the shooters accuracy, as the gun would point more naturally, and that could only be achieved by cutting the grip frame (on S&W revolvers). I think that is what they believed.
I have seen FF's work and I have seen several want-to-be's (outside the FF contemporaries in the LA area). Who did the frame modification and who made the stocks should make a difference in value I think. I don't know that any marks were applied to grip frames or stocks by the big boys. No expert here, just my 2 cents.
Retired W4, to the best of my limited knowledge, none of the stock makers like Fuzzy did the cutting unless maybe it was for a friend. Most users like myself just cut the frame ourselves. Everyone that I knew at the time used dremel tools and then a fine cut file to clean it up followed by some cold blue. Joe.
A cut up Model 19?
Maybe $350, maybe.
Maybe $350, maybe.
Interesting isn't it. One man's junk is another man's treasure. In many ways no different than a King Conversion of a pre-war K or N-frame , the revolver has most certainly been modified from the original to work/shoot ,better/easier. Did it lose alot of value or not. Truly in the eye of the beholder. All my best, Joe.
Green Frog
Member
It's the old collector vs user debate! Where's my popcorn?? 
I would not want to alter a pristine example of any old, no longer available variant of any S&W or other high end gun in any irreversible way or manner. OTOH, if it is current production, well worn, or already altered, then I'm looking at it for its utility and desirability as it now stands or can be made. The 19-3 is not rare by anyone's definition (although pristine examples have become valuable in their own right) so if the OP likes what he sees, I would advise buying it. Check the SN on the butt and have it restamped if necessary, and enjoy owning and shooting a piece of history. Price? A shooter grade 19-3 will max out at about $350-400 around here, and those Fuzzy grips are probably good for another $200-250, so a max cash or trade value of $650 would be my studied estimate, but then again it's JMHO!
Froggie
I would not want to alter a pristine example of any old, no longer available variant of any S&W or other high end gun in any irreversible way or manner. OTOH, if it is current production, well worn, or already altered, then I'm looking at it for its utility and desirability as it now stands or can be made. The 19-3 is not rare by anyone's definition (although pristine examples have become valuable in their own right) so if the OP likes what he sees, I would advise buying it. Check the SN on the butt and have it restamped if necessary, and enjoy owning and shooting a piece of history. Price? A shooter grade 19-3 will max out at about $350-400 around here, and those Fuzzy grips are probably good for another $200-250, so a max cash or trade value of $650 would be my studied estimate, but then again it's JMHO!
Froggie
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