As a rule, would you buy a modified revolver?

V

Viper99

New member
Hello all fellow posters,
I have been going too many times to my LGS lately since I got the revolver bug. They have had couple of tempting revolvers but I have been holding on for another .357.

They had a 686, 4 inch barrel that the owner had lightened the trigger. It had a great trigger but somehow I prefer guns that have not been modified.

As a hole, are modified revolver worth less or more?

Regards
 
Can't really answer your questions as far as worth/value . . .

I prefer revolvers . . . so for me, I guess it would all depend on just what the modification was? If it was a trigger job and I liked the way the trigger felt, then I'd probably no be bothered by it. I kind of like you though . . . some folks complain about the trigger on this gun or that one . . . for me, I just get "used" to the trigger pull. I think that that is all part of "learning" the handgun . . along with lots of practice.

I have bought used revolvers and never had a problem - 1 exception was a H & R sidekick I purchased to use to teach my wife how to shoot . . I dumped it as it shot so low you could plow with it. But normally, I like used revolvers - the more "vintage" the better.

I got stung once on a .380 Bersa CC that I picked up to switch off to once in a while for carry. Before anything, I cleaned it and then took it out on my farm range to try it out. Alas . . . the previous owner had done so much trigger work on it that after the first shot in DA, when it went to SA I swear a breath onthe trigger would set it off. I shot a box of shells through it - I liked the pistol and it shot well but I had so many accidental second taps on it that it scared the bejeebers out of me. At the store, I had only tried the DA trigger pull - my error and my mistake. The GS took it back though when I exlained what it was doing as they felt it would be unsafe for a carry as well.
 
Buying a modified, or customized, revolver would depend on the price. If its a bargain price and the customization allows it to be put back to the original, jump on it.

But, if its wildly customized, appears to have been "hot-rodded" I'd avoid it. But don't pay for somebody else's custom work unless it fits into your shooting needs or program.

Most of my revolvers have been customized to some degree and are worth what I've put into them to me, but maybe not so to somebody else.

Clear?

Bob Wright
 
According to my LGS, the previous owner filed the trigger. Then they kind of mentioned how the owner used it for competition. That to me says it has been fired a lot. I would say its probably about 90% on the finish and they wanted $589. I kind of think is too much.
 
This is where things get a little crazy in gun dealing. Used competition guns have usually had the snot shot out of them. Some like 20,000 rounds per year. They feel good, but could possibly be wore out.

Yes, I would buy a modified revolver. I would be very hesitant about a competition gun. Then $589. That is the price for a S&W which looks like that with under 1000 rounds on it. I would assume a minimum of 10,000 rounds fired, unless documentation proves different.

That would make it a $350 to $450 gun because it will need a new barrel and retimed likely within 5000 - 10,000 rounds.

As a rule, I would buy a modified revolver if modified in a way that I desire, and it was priced appropriately. If the gun is a 686, modified to a competition revolver, but then the guy couldn't make time to shoot it, I would see it as having the full value of the used gun plus the modifications I desired. For example, I add no value to a rifle with a cheap scope and mount, but with a good Leupold mount and scope, I add a little less than I think I could remove them and sell them for.
 
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I've bought a couple of revolvers that had been modified, both turned out to be real good guns. Both were lightly used, really tight, minor wear, even the bluing was good on both. If anything is suspect about the gun, pass on it. Repairs can be expensive.
 
Unless you are very knowledgeable and can disassemble the revolver and check it out, it might be better to pass. A trigger job done by a reliable and competent gunsmith would probably be OK. But one done by a previous owner, as you say that one is, could be unreliable or even dangerous, and cost hundreds to repair.

Jim
 
It would depend on the modifications and the price.

I have built numerous guns of all different types so I don't mind owning something that isn't stock. But if the modification affected performance in a questionable way, or if the seller expected a higher price due to the modification done to functioning parts (ie: a trigger job, which cannot be reversed vs. good optics which can be removed/sold) then I would walk away.

I once bought a rather nice, old J-frame Colt which had a nice trigger job and shortened barrel (cut to 3" and front sight had been professionally moved back). But I only paid $140 for it so it seemed like a nice deal.
 
I have modified some guns and I have bought modified guns. To me, a trigger job like the OP mentioned is not a modification. You have to know what mods you like or want. If a revolver had a Fitz job done on it, many people would pass on it. Some things can't be undone. Springs, a trigger and/or hammer can be easily replaced. It just depends on the mod and the price, at least, that's the way I see it.
 
Buying a modified revolver is a huge risk. There are people who just cannot leave something alone. They work on the action of a revolver until it won't consistently ignite a primer. Then they sell it. You may be able to switch out a few springs and put it back in working order, or you may be working behind someone so creative that you'll never put it back right.

But sometimes you can find a bargain. A few years ago I bought a Colt New Service 45 made in 1924 with near perfect original bluing with the 4-inch barrel I wanted, and a double action trigger pull that was too good to believe. Usually when a double action trigger pull seems too good, the gun won't work at all in double action. I expected that a stiffer mainspring might solve the problem and I took the risk, knowing that the problem might be much more complex and difficult to diagnose and expensive to fix. Turned out, the gun worked perfectly as it was, but you never know.
 
I'd have to know the gun, know the owner, know what was done to it and take it for a spin before I'd buy it.

I never had a gun with a bad stock trigger, and they get better with use. People are so hung up on light triggers these days. Hell, I shoot the sigma quite well.
 
At that price I would walk. They are not giving you a deal. As far as mods go; as long as the trigger is safe, why not? at the worst you pick up a Wolfe spring kit. If shot in competition, likely they were light loads of which a 686 can take a bazillion.

The bottom line, $600+ for a used 686 is not a bargain, I would buy a new one if the price on a used one was that high.
 
Generally mods don't add to value

In most cases they detract from value. There will always be exception to that rule.

If I knew exactly what was performed on a gun and had an idea of the competence of the smith it wouldn't be a big issue for me.
 
Modified ....and Trigger Work....are 2 pretty different things to me...

I'd be pretty suspicious of "Trigger Work" done by someone that I wasn't confident in .....in revolvers, if it was done by a big name shop, it might be fine...but a previous owner - not so much ...

I think there are a lot of 686's around / and I wouldn't settle for one that I wasn't confident in - regardless of the price.
 
$589 for a 90% condition model 686 with a trigger that has been "worked on" by anyone other than a known quality gunsmith is quite a bit overpriced in my opinion.

Overall I would not hesitate to get a revolver that has had some work done on it. But trigger work is one of the more complex things that can be done. And if not done correctly can create serious problems.

Seasons Greetings,

Rob
 
Depends on the modification and if I liked or disliked it or if it took away from the value of the revolver.

I have bought S&W's which have had trigger jobs in the past and they are fine weapons. I have bought several where the grips have been changed. I always ask if they have to wood grips with the specimen, if not I figure that in on the price because I like my pistols stock in the grips dept. Last year I passed on a very nice S&W 586 no dash who's previous owner had worked on the trigger so much that from single action if you blew on the hammer the result would be it dropping. First thing I noticed when I started doing my checks on it. Pass. For the price they wanted which was on the high end and the repair cost it was not worth the money to me. However someone did eventually buy it.
 
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