Need some Wise Shooter's advice!

[NewGuy1911]

Hopefully you guys & gals can give me some good advice;

I have a chance to buy a Nighthawk Custom/Bob Marvel 22lr conversion unit for my 1911 45 acp. I have an older Marvel unit 2 that gives me clearance practice, still fun to shoot with.

I also have a chance to buy a Smith & Wesson 27-2 blued, 3 1/2" 357 mag. that has a crinkled/wrinkled finish. The seller believes the damaged was from the way the revolver was stored. I'm close to having a reloading set-up for 45 acp, would have to get what is needed for 38 lswc to shoot the S&W 27-2, and a nice leather holster (more $$$).

The S&W 27-2 is a shooter w/o the three T's and no red front sight or white outline rear, a plane jane with somewhat damaged bluing. The seller wanted $900, I'm pretty sure that's to much. Maybe for a beautiful near collector.

My problem is I can only afford one. I would enjoy each one differently. Might hike/backpack/camp with the S&W 27-2 with some very hot loads.

Thanks

 

[nelsonal]

I don't know that I'm a wise shooter, so perhaps some salt is in order. I'd definitely want to negotiate down on the 27-2, but that would be my solid choice. Unless you ran across a large cache of cheap .22 that might cycle/feed in the new but wouldn't in the other one, I don't see many advantages to a second conversion kit (I'm presuming the shortage lasts longest for .22lr, through 2013).

 

[silicosys4]

I would pass on that 27-2 for that price. if the finish is toast like you say, its worth a little more than half that imo.

 

[rswartsell]

It's really difficult to judge the condition of a gun from a brief description, and I don't believe that you are saying the Nighthawk conversion is $ 900.00. Still I advise more thought to this than silicosys4 recommends. A 3 1/2" 27 is a truly fine revolver and getting pretty hard to find (and damn pricey). If mechanics are good and so are your negotiating skills harping on the finish problems, then I will tell you clearly what I would do.

I would buy one of the finest .357s made, you have a .22 conversion kit already and for this product the Nighthawk name does little for me.

BTW, what is "clearance practice"? It is neither difficult nor very expensive to spread out from .45 acp reloading to .38 spl., or even .357 mag. I challenge silicosys4 to show me the $ 450.00 Mod 27 3 1/2" he has in mind.

 

[nelsonal]

rswartsell, I think he means his current .22 conversion experiences a larger than average number of failure to eject issues.

 

[rswartsell]

I see.

I still hold with thinking twice and negotiating hard before letting a 3 1/2" 27 go off the board.

 

[NewGuy1911]

Yes, some sharp people hear. Seems the advice is hold out for a nice S&W 27-2, 3 1/2, in muct better shape.

Thanks

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, try to get the M27 for $450 or at the very most $500. Remember, the M27 "was" the Registered Magnum and probably the finest revolver ever made. You're calling it a shooter but IMO the M28 is a shooter and the M27 is much nicer. If you send it back to S&W they will restore it to it's original condition. Yep, a 3.5" M27 is getting harder to find...

 

[silicosys4]

It's really difficult to judge the condition of a gun from a brief description, and I don't believe that you are saying the Nighthawk conversion is $ 900.00. Still I advise more thought to this than silicosys4 recommends. A 3 1/2" 27 is a truly fine revolver and getting pretty hard to find (and damn pricey). If mechanics are good and so are your negotiating skills harping on the finish problems, then I will tell you clearly what I would do.

I would buy one of the finest .357s made, you have a .22 conversion kit already and for this product the Nighthawk name does little for me.

BTW, what is "clearance practice"? It is neither difficult nor very expensive to spread out from .45 acp reloading to .38 spl., or even .357 mag. I challenge silicosys4 to show me the $ 450.00 Mod 27 3 1/2" he has in mind.

Really?!? you dont think there are plenty of beat up m27's out there going for under $500?


There are, watch for a few weeks on the auction sites and you will see them.


http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=27-2

I never said I have piles of 27-2s sitting in front of me for <$500. I said I would not pay more than $450 for a 27-2 with finish damage as bad as described, because I have had the opportunity via online auctions to buy 27-2's with finish damage within the last few months for <$500, and have passed....internet auctions have changed things. Look at those auctions and see what you can get for $900. Better than a wrinkled finish gun that you'll pay $250 to refinish, to be worth MAYBE $700. which was my whole point. Keep your eye out, they are out there, and once you start looking online, they aren't as rare as you think.

I'd still take a beat $450 27-2 over a second 22lr conversion

 

[CraigC]

I have to agree with "silicosys4", there's no way in hell I'd pay $900 for a 27 with what is described as a "wrinkled or crinkled finish". I bought a freckled 27-2 for $369 only a year ago and I seriously doubt I'd be able to get much more than that out of it. That kind of money should yield a really nice one, regardless of barrel length.

 

[Old Fuff]

Finish, in and of itself, has nothing to do with a way a gun shoots.

That said, if I was going to buy a model 27 Smith & Wesson (which I have done several times) it would be with a barrel longer then 3 1/2 inches. At one time, which is now very long ago, the N-frame Smith & Wesson was the only choice in a .357 double-action revolver. For some of those that had to (or chose to) lug one around this barrel length had charms, but those of us that tried it (again, as I did) soon became more interested in longer barrel lengths for general use.

If I was going to hike/backpack/camp and thinking about carrying a .357 Magnum revolver - especially if the projected use of magnum ammunition was limited - I would pick a mid-frame K or L frame S&W or Ruger equivalent with a barrel length between 4 and 6 inches. You should be able to find something along these lines for a little more then half of $900 and in better condition.

 

[rswartsell]

CraigC,

I am not trying to be keyboard belligerent, but can you take up the challenge and show me a $ 450.00 3 1/2" 27? I may be truly interested.

The link provided by silicosys4 didn't.

From his link,

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=338122767

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=338366707

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=338265218

This last one truly looks like the OP's best shot, and isn't exactly $ 369 or even $ 450. Pony up boys. Nobody on this board benefits from the "I get better deals than you" posturing, true or not. The man wants to know about what is available and doable for him, not how wise and well connected you are for your own usage.

CraigC,

Are you offering yours for $ 450.00?

 

[silicosys4]

dude, i know it might be hard to believe if you haven't seen them, or if you live in an inflated area for them, but it does happen even though they don't usually fall out of the sky into your lap. I didn't say that I see $450 m27's daily, but I've seen enough $600-$800 m27's within the last 6 months, in various barrel lengths including 3 1/2", that I would not pay more than $450 for a 27-2 with a bad finish as a shooter....which was my original post, and I dont know what your problem is with me stating my opinion on that.

anyways,

For that price I'd rather have a nice M28 instead anyways.

You would be willing to pay more than we would, and we have seen guns available that you haven't.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=351308


http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/general-firearm-discussion/148604-smith-wesson-model-27-2-a.html

 

[rswartsell]

dude,

Do you realize you are answering the OP's post with a very narrow band of what is available? At least tell him how to do what you suggest without someone like me pulling teeth. Otherwise you just seem a "know it all" which is more than likely NOT a fair characterization. I will gladly give a mea culpa when I am wrong, but all too often the posts just don't fit the reality available, at least not without sharing how.

BTW you do of course realize that you are sharing internet posts of what others claim to have done rather than opportunities to buy at your claimed values? Could be a meaningful difference to our OP.

 

[CraigC]

It's not posturing, $900 is just stupid money to pay for one with what is described as a "wrinkled/crinkled" finish. It'll cost another $250-$300 to get S&W to refinish it, with shipping back and forth. Which is what I decided to do with mine but if I did sell it, $450 would be fine.

 

[silicosys4]

@RSW: "know it all"? Because i watch auctions and have an idea of the market? How many people are you going to call liars before you believe something you personally haven't seen?
Sorry, but I really dont know what your problem is, why you are jumping on my case, and why you are trying to turn this into a forum war by wigging out on me for stating my opinion and experiences as asked for by the OP. They seem to differ considerably from yours for reasons you yourself have not explained. I said I wouldn't pay the price asked for the gun based on my personal experience, and stated what I would be willing to pay so the OP had a reference as to value of a 27-2 as he described. YOU were the one that jumped in and basically called me and others on this thread LIARS unless we could hook you up with a $450 M27 RIGHT NOW THIS VERY INSTANT (as if I had said they grow on trees), because I have put my time in looking and have seen them, and you haven't... or something.

I guess you have a lack of reasonably priced shooter grade M27's in your area, you hold them in considerably more value than the general market, and don't search online auctions much. Its hard to say, since you haven't volunteered your experiences as far as pricing and availability. What would YOU pay for an M27-2 with a bad finish? Why?
If you want to know how I find those kind of deals, I look for them, and its a hobby of mine to check online auctions sites daily. Online auctions are a good place to start, GB isn't the only one, ( I never use it) and like any used gun that is long out of production, you probably won't run across the right one right away.

Now, I would appreciate it if you would quit hijacking this thread in order to sling dirt on me and others.

Edit: I am done adding new posts. Just because you don't know what I'm talking about doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. You might not be aware of deals that i and others have seen, does not mean that you are correct in assuming they don't exist, and it certainly isn't a reason to start telling people they are full of it, which is how your posts came across. It doesn't matter if CraigC has seen the gun. We don't have a picture to say for sure it is a $450 gun, and you don't have a picture to say it is for sure worth more. We were given a description, and for a gun that is differentiated from its lower priced siblings primarily by the high quality of its finish and some extra machining, the words "crinkled, wrinkled finish" is NOT normal in any way, and WILL diminish the value to shooter status. Shooter status on a 27-2 IS around $450 to $500. I'm not giving you any free rides just for saying it aint so
PROVE IT

How about this. YOU show US a couple of shooter quality 27-2's with trashed finishes that ARE going for more than $500 or so.

Sheesh.

 

[ShelbyV8]

A "wrinkled/crinkled" sounds like a painted gun. If it is, there is no telling what is under the paint. It is no way a $900 gun.

 

[rswartsell]

I'm not aware that I have a problem, I'm not aware that CraigC has seen the gun, and I'm not aware of a single opportunity to buy at the prices you suggest that you gentlemen have presented.

I'm also not the one jumping like my dentist just struck a nerve.

 

[NewGuy1911]

Thanks "everyone" this helps us all learn about this Sport.

The seller guessed the blueing was damaged when stored. The revolver may not have been shot much and is suppose to be very tight. The damaged blueing is on one side, the other looks okay if not great.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Thanks "everyone" this helps us all learn about this Sport.

The seller guessed the blueing was damaged when stored. The revolver may not have been shot much and is suppose to be very tight. The damaged blueing is on one side, the other looks okay if not great.

If you look at it and you see the gun hasn't been painted to cover worse damage it might be worth buying at the right price.

What i would do, figure out how much it will cost to repair and subtract that from what YUO feel the gun is worth in perfect condition and make an offer. If you feel the price is too high walk away. If you are happy with the price buy it.

Good luck.

 

[NewGuy1911]

That's what I did, walked away. My instincts where saying it's over priced.