Hi,
Definitely hold out for a pristine vintage one! There are TONS of these wonderful little revolvers out there, and they are coming out of the woodwork steadily . . . as the little old ladies sell their deceased husband's guns.
1. Most of 'em were never shot much, and many never left the nightstand drawer after shooting them a little at first.
2. The old ones do not have the lousy internal locks on them like the new junk, nor do they use MIM "Metal Injection Moulded" parts . . . just forged! You are getting better quality! Buying new Smiths ended for me with the internal locks.
3. They are currently much cheaper too! $350-$400 will get you a pristine one that's been shot very little. $300 will get you a decent looking "shooter" that has some finish wear. $200-$250 will get you a poorer looking example that's still solid.
4. Value is going up on the vintage ones, but the internal lock guns of today will fetch much less in future years vs. the ones made in the vintage years.
EYE CANDY . . .
Here's a 1964 Model 36 in bright nickel plate that I picked up last September, on a vintage LP album of about the same year. I paid $350 for it and it is gorgeous! It barely had a turn line on the cylinder when I got it.
It is a "no dash" version, meaning that when you open the cylinder and see the model number, there's no other prefixes after the words "Mod 36," so it is a first variation type.
Additionally, it is a pre-67 gun because it has the original "diamond" grips, which are serial numbered to the gun. It also has the rectangular cylinder latch that came on the earliest Model 36 revolvers such as this '64.
I waited until I found what I wanted, and I'm glad I did!!!
HOW DOES THAT OLD WHEELGUN SHOOT?
Well, here's the very first target I shot with it, STANDING and UNSUPPORTED . . . at TEN YARDS. All five bullets went into a tiny 1" square black target. At twenty five yards it is shooting five rounds into 2 1/2 inches!!! It is a keeper!
It has become my favorite CCW firearm, replacing a high dollar Kimber Ultra CDP lightweight compact .45ACP.
UNFORTUNATELY, these vintage J-frames can get addictive!
1, Since buying the Model 36 last September, I added a lightweight Model 37 with a 3" barrel last month, as a birthday present for my wife. It is so light . . . but has a longer barrel that she likes that makes it easier to shoot accurately.
2. Then, TWO DAYS AGO . . . I bought a "new" 1971 blued Model 37 Lightweight in similar condition to my M36 pictured above! After seeing how light my wife's was, I'd started looking for a lightweight snubbie for concealed carry myself. As you can see, I didn't have to wait long!
A little old lady actually sold it. It was her late 2nd husband's nightstand gun and she couldn't remember the last time he'd even shot it. Probably a couple of decades or more. Another pristine J-frame . . . Yep, they are around!
SO . . .
Be patient and you'll be rewarded with guns you'll be proud of!
Good luck!
T.