What's a 3" Chief's Special worth?

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bikemutt

bikemutt

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This one is in excellent condition, no box.

I don't know much about these but they sure seem like real nice guns.
 
bikemutt, a little more information and pictures would be a great help. I assume it's a used revolver? Is the barrel pinned? Are the grips factory? it is an all steel variant, or does it have the alloy frame? Does it have a blued or nickel finish? Has it been refinished?
 
What oldbear said plus… Are you asking about an original Chiefs Special as a pre-model number or a more recent 36 or 37? Over the years S&W has named a number of different guns as Chief Specials in addition to the 36 and 37, all of which would have their own value ranges.

Over the last couple of years I bought a number of Chief Specials paying from $250 to $425 depending on the model and condition. Values can also vary quite a bit in different regions of the country.
 
3" S&W revolvers are a bit rarer than 2" and 4", so tend to have somewhat higher value, all else being equal.
 
All I know as of now is it's a no-dash model with original grips, no box or papers. The pictures I received are so poor I won't bother posting them. Presently asking $450.
 
If it is a Model 36, it should be a "dash one" (36-1), not a "no dash".

I paid 500 for a really nice 36-1 RB with a box last year.

Not the cheapest price out there, but I wasn't seeing any others like it, so I made the purchase.
 
M-36-1 is the heavy bbl. version. A std. wt. bbl is still M-36 no dash, whether with two or three-inch barrel. M-36-6 is a full lug barrel and target sights.
 
If you don't want to lose money on used guns (without waiting on inflation to "repay you") don't ever pay more than 3/4 of current retail price of that make and model . This is if it's in excellent condition, and if it's a popular caliber and model. Try real hard to get it for 1/2 of current retail. That's the guideline that FFLS have used for decades, and they are able to sell guns better than you can! Many of them can do their own smithing, too. If the finish is worn or pitted, grips are chipped or cracked, muzzle or sights are dinged, screw slots buggered up, etc, the price comes way down. DA revolvers, especially the "carry" type, get dropped a lot,, so look at it really closely for signs of a bent crane, bent cylinder pin, bent barrel, or damaged muzzle crown. $350 is all I'd go on that Chief, after checking it over carefully, and that's if I knew who was going to buy it from me the same week, at a $50 profit. If I had to risk buying it sight unseen, $250.
 
The pictures I received are so poor I won't bother posting them. Presently asking $450.
Click to expand...

Sir, there is no reason that a seller can't offer decent photos. When a seller does not offer clear photos there generally is a reason.

In today's market $450.00 would be the high end of a decent price, only if the revolver is in as good shape as the seller wants you to believe.
 
Yep, the No-Dash 3" model 36 revolvers had the standard tapered barrel and not the thicker heavier one. Some folks refer to them as pencil or skinny barrels.

Bought this nickel one NIB years ago. The blue one I bought used not so many years ago.

405288444.jpg

399682927.jpg
 
The 3" full steel square butt Chiefs has to be one of the neatest guns ever made, at least IMHO. Nicely balanced, decent grip and a good sight radius.

Jim
 
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