S&W Model 29: should I buy it?

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peanutlover

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Hello all. My friend may sell me his Model 29 if I ask him to. Problem is he says it needs some work: gun has rust and the action gets stuck sometimes when you pull the trigger. I've not seen the gun.

Some 15 years ago the gun was stolen from his home. 4 years later the police returned the gun after it was found in a drug raid. It was rusted and he put it in a box where it has sat since.

His wife would like the gun out of their house, so I may get him to sell it to me. I want it just to have a Model 29. I currently carry a full-size 1911. If the gun cleaned-up nice I might want to carry it. I'd of course have a smith look it over first. Which leads to my question:

Given what I know about the gun, sight unseen, and given its reported condition, should I offer him $200 for it. I'd look it over first, but I'm no smith. He's reluctant to give it up, but I've been working on him for a few weeks and he may agree when I see him next week.

Thanks for your responses.
 
I wouldn't offer nothing till I had checked and a report from a gun smith . And a written estiment of repair cost. Then if I really wanted we could talk price.
 
I suspect that by the time you pay a smith to check it out, and re-finish it, you will have more money invested in it than a decent condition used model 29 would cost. Especially if any parts require replacement.

Personally, I would pass on this purchase, unless your goal is to learn how to work on, and re-finish S&W revolvers.

Possibly it could be cleaned up and function quite well without a pretty finish. If a nice finish means nothing to you, then the price might be attractive.

A lot is going to depend on the mechanical condition, as well as the cosmetic condition.
 
Sad. Sounds as tho it may even have been immersed. It would be nice to think tho that even if cosmetics could not affordably be restored that at least it could be made functional reliable regarding the action and so a shooter. I wonder how bad cylinder chambers and bore are.

Sight unseen on this is tricky - it could be a total write-off or, salvageable to some degree.

I love the 29's and bought one from Tulsa show last weekend - but up at this level were are talking some bucks now. You could spend near as much restoring as waiting for a good one. My new one (to me) is in this thread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=193786
 
Depending on how old it is, it may well be worth salvaging. But if it's a newer model (not pinned & recessed) with a good bore it may be worth the $200 as a shooter if you don't have to pay too much ($50?) to get it fixed. I wouldn't worry about refinishing it.

JMHO
 
Without taking a look it is impossible to know the condition and the value.

If intending to re-finish the cost to have it done is somewhere in the $100 + range on a handgun. If pitting is deep it will not clean up completely or the cost to redue could go higher than practical.

If just cleaning up and shooting "as is" would be your intention than the cost of internal work should not be very high unless something quite serious is wrong .

Certainly one could speculate that $200 would be a good deal for a shooter if needing less than $100 worth of work , but you can't know that until it is properly evaluated .
 
$200 plus $300-$400 to rebuild and refinish leaving you with a gun worth $200-$300 as a refinished and rebuilt shooter.

Or just buy a nice one for $500-$600.

You decide. I wouldn't touch this clunker. Unless the gun is free these deals are never good deals.
 
Truer words have never been spoken Thatguy.

Unless you get a chance to look it over thoroughly to determine its limitations before plunking down your money, I'd take a pass and move on
 
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