What is a bullseye revolver worth?

[fireman 9731]

I know a few things about Smith and Wessons, but nothing about bullseye revolvers. I have always been a little enamored with them.

Well, one showed up in the used case at the gun shop... I think it is a model 64 but I don't remember. Im pretty sure it was K frame with the heaviest barrel I have ever seen. Honestly it was probably an inch and half thick. Maybe 5 inches long It had a full length Bo-Mar rail setup on it. The hammer had been bobbed and it had a very light double action trigger pull. A trigger over travel screw had been installed. It all seemed like first rate gunsmithing. Lockup was good, no obvious signs of abuse or excessive wear. It was either stainless or nickel.

I wouldn't do anything but informal plinking with it. It had a price tag of $799. When I first saw it i thought that was too much but now I keep thinking about it... Think its a good idea or is it a can of worms?

 

[joem1945]

Sounds very interesting. If it was me I'd have 6 $100.00 bills in hand and offer for it. That is if you really want it.

 

[reddog81]

That's probably going to be hard to answer without some pictures and more details.

I imagine most of these guns are shot a lot and regularly.

I would think the cost of buying a gun and having all that work done would run well over $1,000. However I'd be wary of buying someone else's problem child.

Without knowing who did the gunsmithing you're kind of taking a gamble. It could be a sweet shooter or it could be a total dog. I'd be hesitant to put down anything over $500 without being able to test it out first. If you can run a box of ammo through it before buying it I would definitely try and do that.

If the gun was a model 64 the frame would be stainless steel. The barrel could possibly be some other material...

 

[243winxb]

Sounds like a smith and wesson model 64, 38 special stainless steel, custom police revolver combat/bianchi competition gun?? It may have a bull barrel installed with a Bomar rib sight.?

 

[Jim K]

It sounds like a special gun, made up for a specific purpose and use by a specific person. My usual feeling is that if I don't personally KNOW the history of the gun, I will pass. Some one put a lot of money into that gun; someone now doesn't want it. Unless I know why, I will pass.

Jim

 

[Jim Watson]

Sounds like a PPC gun. A bullseye shooter would not want that heavy a gun.
If well done, $799 is a reasonable price... if you know what to do with it.

 

[fireman 9731]

I'll try to stop by and get some pics if it's still there tomorrow. It was a totally custom job. My only concern is the bobbed hammer. I like being able to shoot single action. The barrel was so heavy I think the only practical way to shoot it would of been from a bench.

 

[Jim Watson]

PPC is shot mostly standing, some kneeling, one string prone at 50 yards.
With enough exercise and practice the weight steadies the gun and the light smooth double action is very controllable.
Sounds like this might not be a good gun for your use.

Me? I shot a Python because in the 1970s they could be given a superior double action and nobody else was making a full underlug barrel. That let me use the same gun in Open and Distinguished.

 

[243winxb]

Barrel $135. Sight rib $215. Used m64 police trade-in $ 300 . Used, less then $ 650. the sum of the parts.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I don't think it's a Bullseye gun as has been mentioned.

They tend to be slow sellers since guys don't shoot that competition as much today as they did back in the day.

Unless it was marked by a famous maker I would not pay over $600 for it myself.
$800 would only happen it marked by someone very well known and I really wanted it.

 

[rcmodel]

It's a custom PPC gun.

Nothing about it is S&W except that's the frame they started with.

It has no collector value as a S&W, and the market for custom PPC revolvers has dried up.

Sounds over-priced, in addition to being totally useless to you for what you want to do with it now.

I'd PASS!

rc

 

[Old Fuff]

Subject to an examination by a gunsmith who is qualified to work on S&W revolvers.


Many times these double-action only revolvers can be returned to they're original single-action/double-action configuration by simply replacing and fitting a new hammer. The trigger's themselves aren't altered.

This is not to say you should buy this particular revolver, but if you like it otherwise, see if the seller's bottom price will allow for a backwards conversion.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Yeah, It's a PPC revolver. It CAN be returned to its original configuration, but that'll cost you.

I've got a couple of them . One day
I'll return one to original, the other was altered when I bought it, hence, it'll stay as is.

It should be very accurate, but IS intended for primarily double action shooting.
I too agree that price is over the top. I say $500-$550 unless It's either a Jim Clark, Ron Powers, or Bill Davis Custom gun with accessories such as holsters and speed loaders.

 

[fireman 9731]

Here is a picture I found online that is just about exactly the same as the one in the shop.

 

[Slamfire]

For NRA Bullseye Pistol the revolver basically disappeared by the mid 60's. Once reliable and accurate M1911's were developed, revolvers faded away. I have seen guys shooting a revolver during the centerfire match, more for the fun and to use their new acquisition, but getting five rounds off in 10 seconds only using one hand to cock and pull the trigger is just about impossible. I have asked the greybeards how they did it, and shooters did, it took lots of work and practice, more than I am willing to put into it.

 

[Jim Watson]

You know that when they start having matches for specific guns, that those guns are obsolete. Q.V. Springfield matches, Garand matches, Revolver matches (like the NRA Distinguished Revolver and Harry Reeves events.)

 

[ATLDave]

I've never shot PPC, but some of the most fun non-competitive, square-range shooting I ever enjoyed was with a friend's well-tuned PPC gun (kinda similar to what you're looking at). I'm not that great at group shooting, but printing little cloverleafs with that thing was pretty dang easy. I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand as a really fun range gun.

 

[fireman 9731]

I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand as a really fun range gun.

Thats what I'm thinking about it. And I might be able to pop the occasional ground hog with it. Plus its got the cool factor going for it.

 

[ATLDave]

The one thing I would focus on is whether it will "pop" all primers. Some competition guns are set up with very light springs that will only reliably ignite Federal primers, which are the "softest." If you reload, no problem, just load with Federal primers. If you don't, you have to hope you can get Federal-brand ammo.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Personally I love ppc guns. They can be a great value as many don't know what they are. Crazy smooth and quite accurate if done right and not shot out. No comparison to any of my stock DA revolvers.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Plastikosmd,
I like that pic of the left hand action S&W....
Pic reversed.... Aristocrat spelled backwards.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Thx!
Here is other side as u like them

 

[pintler]

" getting five rounds off in 10 seconds only using one hand to cock and pull the trigger is just about impossible."

The people I've seen shoot bullseye with revolvers usually shot at least timed and rapid double action.

When I started shooting bullseye, the only handgun I owned was a single action revolver. I got my scores up somewhere in the 700's; that's barely middle of the pack, but ahead of quite a few semi-autos . Shooting it was fun, but not delaying things while loading at matches was a PITA. What was the drill - load 1, skip 1, load 4, or something like that?

PPC guns are great. Mine just defines the perfect double action trigger. I don't get to shoot PPC anymore, but I need to take it to the range anyway.

 

[fireman 9731]

Well I stopped at the shop on the way home today.... A little more info... It started life as a model 67 and was made by Royce Weddle. The owner said he took it home over the weekend and it shot the lights out. I talked them down to $599... But told them I would think on it over night. It also has a nice set of Altamonts grips on it.

 

[silicosys4]

$4-500 seems to be where these guns are at right now unless built by a well known shop.
I see them come up once in a while at auction. I picked up a nice one a few years ago for under $400, and unlike most it was rarely shot, and in almost perfect shape.
When you do see them they are almost always well used. Since they were expensive to build the people that had them built usually had them built to compete and used them heavily.
But that doesn't really matter a lot, as they were shot almost exclusively with mild lead wadcutter loads so mechanical wear and tear is low.
Mine has an amazingly butter smooth trigger and is superbly accurate. It's the gun I use when I want to make people think I'm a better shot than I actually am.
If I were looking for a range toy, they excel in that role. $600 would be buying you a gun that cost probably double that to build.
As a collectible, carry, or "authentic" representation of a factory revolver, there are better guns for the money.