Smith & Wesson
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I am asking for a friend...he has a Smith & Wesson model 19 Masterpiece in A-1 condition has target and regular grips and would like to sell it but doesn't have any idea what it's worth. Anyone have any ideas? He lives in Kokomo, Indiana...older man wanting to downsize his collection.
Thanks for any info anyone can send my way!
Rachel
Please check your e-mail. Thanks.
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Because they made a whole bunch of them, every cop in America and elsewhere used to carry a smith. 0 -
Because MILLIONS of the things were made. The portion you see for sale, wouldn't even bump the percent scale on total numbers. Are you aware of a better revolver? 0 -
Rightly or wrongly, revolvers have fallen out of favor in the last 30+ years. When U.S. law enforcement, went to high cap pistols in the 80's. It was pretty much the the death knell, for the mass market in revolvers.
As one of the previous posters noted, half the LEO's in the U.S. packed a Model 10. Nowadays it's a Glock 17. Pretty much civilians followed the same path.
Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with revolvers. Just not being bought, in the % that they were prior to the 80's. This is also reflected, in the resale value and availability of the used ones.0 -
Rufe....are you paying attention? Prices for nice used Smith revolvers have skyrocketed in the last years. Try and find a nice used Highway Patrolman for less than 600 to 800 dollars. A nice model 27 for less than a thousand. A choice model 29 for less than a grand. A legit Dirty Harry for less than 12 hundred. Or a nice model 10 for less than 5 hundred. The stuff that doesn't sell are the ones with the internal lock, not the "older goodies". Their prices keep going up, and even the 'patina" types bring more these days. Try and find a nice Colt Python for less than $2500. You've not paid attention. BT 0 -
All the cheap crappy guns fell apart and are no longer for sale.
I enjoy hitting what I'm shooting at, not spraying a bunch of ammo down range and hoping to hit something.
S&W are tunable and can be slicked up nicely. The good Colt's came that way. Sadly quality control and actual pride in workmanship has largely disappeared and been replaced by plastic.
So are the old pistols worth more or is the money worth less?0 -
As Rufe said, revolvers have lost favor over the last 30 years or so. However, as BUCKAWHO stated, revolvers are gaining favor again. Over the last year, I've looked at getting a revolver as a solid shooting piece. Not expensive, just a .38/.357 that wasn't fancy. They had been running in the $200's. Now, it's next to impossible to find one under $400.
This is contradictory for me as I "grew up"(Army shooting) on the 1911 .45. I've always preferred semi-autos, but came to the realization wheel guns are quite accurate, and very reliable.
On a side note, wheel guns are picking up again as Colt has re-entered the wheel gun manufacture. Possibly a good note?[8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by jbet
If S&W revolvers are so good, why are so many of them for sale> Not being a wise guy, just curious. Jim
Because there are so good, that they were incredibly popular with literally millions of them manufactured over the years. Consequently, there are tons of them out there, that's why.
For example, the Smith model 10 38 service revolver has been in continuous production for something like 125 years. I think its the longest still in production handgun ever, and its certainly one of the most popular individual handguns ever produced in terms of sheer production numbers.
Sort of echoing what's been said above, just because these are relatively common or even inexpensive, does NOT make them bad guns. Smith revolvers were THE standard American police revolver for many decades, really right up to the mid/late 1980s when high cap 9mms came into vogue in the USA.
Most of the police revolvers went into the surplus market, and with nobody wanting these, for a long time they were relatively inexpensive.
Prior to the mid/late '80s every Smith revolver was assembled by a gunsmith. The guns from the 70s and before are often VERY good; having been hand-fitted, many of these are like today's "custom" revolvers. These guns are never going to be built that way again. . .too expensive.
IMO in terms of performance/cost older Smith revolvers are still one of the best bargains out there. . .though costs of the better ones have been going up for a while.
And I think these are still excellent choices for home defense, and target/recreational shooting. Glock will give you more shots, but Smith revolver has better sights, better trigger, and better sight radius. It also can't jam, and its easier for new shooters to learn how to use. New shooters shoot revolvers better, plus 80 year old 357 magnum stands up ballistically to any of the modern "super" service cartridges like 40SW, 357SIG, etc.0 -
My 1917 smith hits inside 10 inches at 25 yards, and it's kind of rough.
Made in 1918 and still doing the job.
My model 34 kit gun is only 30 years old, still doin the job.
At one time Smith and Wesson made the best revolvers in the world.0 -
I was in local Scheels last Friday. They had plenty of "Pre-Owned" (stores here never call used guns, used) semi autos (mostly Kimbers) but I couldn't find any "Pre-Owned" revolvers. When I asked a salesman, he said used revolvers usually sell immediately.
Revolvers have not fallen out of favor.0
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