Under valued revolvers?

[Jon Coppenbarger]

they are getting harder to find but I still see them out there for sale. I see the blue book of gun values on some of them and if they are priced as such I love to pick them up.

I see the blue book value on s&w, colt and ruger and think they are under valued but not complaining just happy to get what I think are deals once in awile.

If I run into a smith non police trade in under $300 I usually try to snag it. same with the colt detective and cobras under $400.

What do you guys think are undervalued pistols?

 

[18DAI]

S&W 3rd generation semi auto's.

Most people want the plastic fantastic and overlook these superior handguns.

I think the pre lock, pre 2001 S&W revolvers will continue to increase in price as more people experience the current production junk.

 

[MrBorland]

Python, 7-shot 686...oh...wait...you said undervalued. Scratch that.

I think, in general, used stainless .38spl revolvers are pretty undervalued, as most will tend toward their blued and/or .357mag counterpart.

 

[Old Fuff]

Undervalued revolvers:

Colt hand ejector revolvers, dating from 1908 forward - except for D-frame snubbies (Detective Special, Cobra, Agent, Diamondback), Pythons, and New Service models.

But there is a reason for this. Parts and qualified gunsmiths to service them can be hard to find. This seldom concerns collectors, but shooters have to take it into consideration. But if you find a good one and don't abuse it they will go on for a long time, and are often exceptionally accurate.

Just about any Colt or S&W hand ejector revolver chambered in .38 S&W or .32 S&W Long. In this day and age the cartridges aren't popular. Still if you handload....

Coming from a collector's perspective, Smith & Wesson pocket model top-breaks can offer some opportunities.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

There is one that comes to mind for me. The Colt MK III Lawman in 2". They are tough to find, but can be had for about 500 bucks. With snubby Pythons trading at $1200+ bucks and going higher everyday, the 2" Lawman is a deal. It's got the Colt snubby look, the heft of a Python, but not the price. Due to their rarity, they prices on them will climb.

I bought this one new in the box for $475 a while back. I said the heck with it being an "investment" and shot it the next day. I had a T-grip made for it and will continue to shoot it.

 

[Hondo 60]

I'd love to find an under-valued (priced) revolver.
Especially a S&W or Ruger.

I like my wheelies much better than the so-called plastic fantastic.
I think they have much more character.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s John Wayne, the Lone Ranger, Bret Maverick, Matt Dillon, etc, etc would never have used a plastic gun.

Wheelies forever, I say!!!! LOL

 

[22-rimfire]

Consider Mark III and Mark V Colt revolvers as a candidate. A couple years ago I would have said pre-lock Smith revolvers, but they have gotten much more expensive.

 

[Confederate]

The quintessential undervalued revolver is the Ruger Security-Six. It's modular design and solid-frame design made it the strongest .357 of its size and argably the strongest .357 of any size. Bill Ruger was quoted as saying they never made a dime off the gun and for the prices they were asking, I don't doubt it. At the time you couldn't get a S&W 66 for any price, a stainless Ruger SS cost me $169 with those wimpy grips.

The Rossi 88 .38 Special and 511 .22LR also were astounding bargains, and both could be purchased (in stainless) for the price of a S&W Model 63 kit gun. In fact, when my beautiful 63 was stolenyears ago, I replaced it with two 511s, and I like the Rossis almost as much as I liked my 63!

There aren't many under-valued revolvers today, alas, if any. Even the Rugers are expensive (the old man now being dead). They're probably still the best value in .357s, though. Tauruses are priced well, but they're too problematic and I'd have to fully check one out before I'd buy one.

 

[goodtime]

If you look around you can find Dan Wesson revolvers in the $300 to $400 range. I'd say that's a great price for a great revolver.

 

[MCgunner]

Durther have a SP101 than a Security Six. I've owned both. The SP101 is stronger, lighter, and smaller and shoots better. I have a pre lock pre mim, but the newer transfer bar trigger Taurus 66 that shoots better than the Security Six I had, MUCH better, only gave $197 for it and it's pristine, fantastic gun. It shoots .357 and .38 into 1" at 25 yards. Don't get much better for an iron sighted medium frame 4" revolver. It's flawless. Probably the best revolver deal I ever made, to be frank. No, it's not as strong a design as the Sixes, but it's got a round forcing cone and more beef in the forcing cone area of the frame than my K frame Smith.

Smiths and Security Sixes have not been a "bargain" down here for a long time and they're getting worse. One bargain gun off the top of my head would be a Ruger P series polymer like the P94s, P95s, or P97s. You get a LOT for the money, there. I did find a 2.5" Smith 66 some time back, couple of years ago, for $360 which I thought was a pretty good deal, but didn't pick it up 'cause I was broke.

Oh, I love the 511 Rossi, agree on THAT one. I had an 88 I sold, was a decent shooter, but I have a 3" 68 bought in 1981 I like better, better fit and finish and smoother DA. I inherited that back from my step dad when he passed away. I'd bought it for him for a house gun and he loved it. It's a very good shooter. I think I gave 130 bucks for it in 81.

 

[heeler]

I was lucky enough to find a very clean four inch barreled blue Ruger Service Six in .357last year for $280.
Have not had much luck since then on any name brand revolver as they all seem to be much more than three bills and usually closer to four or more.

 

[wcwhitey]

I know others have problems in their regions finding K frames at reasonable prices. In suburban New York with retired NYPD guns (model 10's and 64's) and in my county SCPD issued Model 15's they are a dime a dozen. Holster worn Model 10's go for around $120-150. A Model 15 can be had for under $250. Another local county carried Model 66's for decades, they can be found for a good deal on occasion as well. A Colt, any Colt on the other hand is double the book value. Bill

 

[W.E.G.]

Right now, any pistol that was designed to hold more than 10 rounds in its ORIGINAL-DESIGN magazine is undervalued.

Mark my words, when the next magazine ban doesn't make criminals stop killing, they will be coming after the guns that hold them next.

 

[RidgwayCO]

Under-valued? The stainless steel, 5-shot, Rossi 720 in .44 Special. Mine has the fluted cylinder and weighs all of 30 oz (6 oz less than the very similar S&W M696). It's never given me a lick of trouble, and is much more accurate than it has any right to be.

The Rossi 720's quality is light years beyond any Charter Arms .44 Special I've ever held, but the CA's seem to have a following, while the 720's can still be found for $300 or so. Go figure...

 

[22-rimfire]

You aren't going to make any serious money on ANY Ruger except for the limited production models. But I guess, it depends on what you pay for something to make any money later.

 

[bannockburn]

ColtPythonElite

Love that Lawman MK.III; I always thought of them as being like Detective Specials on steroids. But finding any Colt MK.III or V, or one of their brethren snake revolvers at a decent price is nearly impossible these days. The few that I find locally are all priced in the upper stratosphere, just a step or two below where the Pythons reside.

On occasion Ruger Security and Service Sixes can be found at an affordable price, but a lot of them have definitely seen better days when it comes to fit and finish. I think some of the older Rossi's were good buys for the money; I had a stainless Model 88 in .38 Special that was equal to (and in some ways better), than many of the J frames that S&W was turning out at the time.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Bannockburn,

You are right finding them can be tough, but I enjoy the hunt. Not long ago, I picked up an unfired nickel MK III Trooper for $500. The MK III's haven't quite blown thru the roof yet like the King Cobras have. They are getting close to $1k guns. I'd guess they will be in less than 5 years.

 

[Dionysusigma]

<< Not a revolver guy, but interested

How's the Detective Special rate?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Detective Specials are great guns. You can find them generally starting at about 400 bucks for an average used one. When it starts getting "like new", with the box, ect., the price easily goes past $500....They are a good investment and certain to appreciate.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

good responses and I agree on everyones choices. Did pick up a new in the box model 37 smith from the late 70's for what I thought was a bargin at $425 a few weeks ago. Saw a colt lawman a week ago or so for around $400 but passed on it but I really gave it some thought. Bought a used colt detective about a year ago for a little over $300. it was not perfect but it was made in 1952 and about 85 or 90%. I love to use it for my CCW which I have done for about two months solid now.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

m1895 nagant from some people

 

[GUNKWAZY]

Rarity does not equal price. Period.

Just because a revolver is tough to find, does not mean the value should be higher.

I can find many hard to find revolvers or guns for that matter. If they are not sought after, the price will NEVER go up.

The demand & availability is where the money is.

Someone mentioned the Lawman & Trooper in comparison with the Python prices.
Other then they all were produced by the same company, there's nothing there to compare.
Not the same lock work, not the same collector base or desire to own one.

There's tons of Colt Pythons out there. There's also way more people/collectors that want the famed Python.
The collector base is huge for the snake family of revolvers.
There's many people out there looking to have one of each of the snakes.
That's why so many of those have jumped right up there in price.
The Trooper and Lawman are not even looked for by those same collectors.

It's like Chevy Covettes and Chevettes. I can find you 40-50 Corvettes for every Chevette, yet people are not looking for Chevettes. Should the prices be higher on the Chevettes ? Nope !!!

Same with revolvers, guns or anything collectible in general.

You could have a 1 of a kind item, but if nobody else wants it, the value can never be driven upward.
Hope that makes some sense.

Good luck on the hunt.
Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[OldMac]

Nagant 1895. Shoots multiple calibers, can be silenced, heavy enough to use as a club, and still under $100 for like new condition.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Jeff, your are right of course...but I believe people are mentioning the MK III and V guns as being the next Colt Revolvers to get out of most people's price ranges. Probably in the next five years. They wont ever become as valuable as Diamondbacks and Pythons but they will go up because they just dont make them anymore and there are folks out there that want a nice Colt revolver from the good ol days.

 

[22-rimfire]

The Colt Courier was revolver that has never really been in serious demand by Colt collectors. They aren't cheap, but their present value no where near reflects the rarity of the revolver. The same could be said about the commemorative Colt revolvers. Limited production, but fairly limited collector interest. In fact, years ago when prices started to go up on the regular Colt offerings, the commemoratives were mostly flat; so folks started buying them to "shoot" rather than to collect.

The point as Gunkwazy said, there has to be an interest and demand by many collectors.

The Mark III and Mark V revolvers will likely never approach the values of Colt Pythons or the "Snakes" in geneal due primarily to collector interest. But if you want to put your money into something that has potential, this might be a place. Collecting is risky financial business.