Prices on used GP100s and 686/586s?

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freebird72

New member
What is the going rate on used GP100s and 686/586s around you? What I really mean is, what is the top price you would pay for each one used in good condition?

New GP100s around here are in the $550-580. I have not seen new S&W 686/586s.

Today I passed on a 686 for $475 at a gunshow. Not sure what kind it was, but it did not have a lock and it looked to be in really good shape. I almost bought it, but I second guessed myself and walked away. If it was a blued 586 I don't think I would have walked away because I am looking for a blued .357.

I have always been told you can not pay to much for a gun you want, but I hate buying something then finding out I payed top dollar or too much for it.

I do research on the prices of guns, but as soon as I enter a gun show my mind goes blank. I start second guessing myself and worry about paying to much. So please any help would be greatly appreciated; as well as any price info.
 
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This a complicated question. I'll try to answer it without too much detail, but I'll probably fail, cause detail is what I do best. ;)

The most common barrel lengths for these guns are 4" and 6"; in my experience, 4" guns are slightly easier to sell, but go for about the same amount. The usual configuration for these guns is a red ramp front and white outline rear sight. In this configuration, in VG/Exc condition with 90-95% finish, a typical M686 will generally sell for $450-$525, with a nickel M586 perhaps $25 lower and a blue M586 another $25 less. FWIW a gun in low condition would probably be less, but I simply don't see very many of them.

HOWEVER...

Here's where it gets more complicated. :)

Original matching boxes and docs add value to any of these guns- typically $50ish.

The traditional forged lockwork and hammer-mounted firing pin are found on the M586 no-dash through -5* (more on the -5 below...) and M686 no-dash through -4. The -4 versions are considered the most desirable because they are the only ones with forged lockwork AND a topstrap factory-drilled and tapped for a scope base. Also, the 7-shot M686 "Plus" began to appear during the -4 run. All of the -4's command higher prices amongst knowledgeable enthusiasts, with the M686-4 Plus at the top of the proverbial heap. These guns may push $600 in VG/Exc condition, even without the box, etc.

The M586-6 and M686-5 were the first with MIM lockwork, a floating frame-mounted firing pin, and flat-faced hammer. These guns sell for slightly less than the older ones. Later versions with "The Lock" are even lower on the totem pole.

The M586 was discontinued almost immediately after S&W started using MIM parts, and very few 7-shot models were made. Consequently, roughly 95% of M586s are 6-shot with forged lockwork, so the absence of MIM does not mean much on a M586, but 7-shot M586s are downright rare and generally sell for BIG premiums!

8-3/8" versions of both guns exist, sometimes with an adjustable front sight for long-range Silhouette competition. These guns are technically worth a premium but seem hard to sell due to their prodigious size and weight, so I've heard of people getting a bargain on occasion. OTOH most of the ones I've seen have been in barely-fired 98%+ condition with the original box and docs, and priced accordingly.

I have seen a few(!) LE trade-in M586s with very rough bluing trade in the low $300 range, but these guns seem scarce. OTOH it takes a LOT to truly ruin the finish on a M686, so it's less common to see them take a big value hit for bad finish.

About 4 years ago, an LGS had a number of LE trade-in M686s for $375 IIRC. They looked decent, but most had nasty scratches, and some klutzy armorer had scrawled big inventory numbers on the sideplates, apparently while drunk. :rolleyes: They still sold fairly quickly.

The 2-1/2" and 3" M686s sell for a $75-$125 premium in my area due to their desirability for CCW. S&W fans in other areas have reported lower premiums; YMMV. OTOH 2-1/2" M586s are downright rare and generally sell for big $$$, like the 7-shot guns.

The M586-5 was a special run for the Brazilian gov't chambered in .38 Special only. IIRC they were all 4" with blue finish. A few contract overrun guns were sold on the US commercial market; these are sought after by collectors and usually sell for big money.

The M686 CS-1 was a special edition built for the US Customs Service in the 1980s; IIRC these were RB guns with 3" or 4" barrels and bead-blasted stainless finish. They were assembled with extra precision and feature factory trigger jobs. You know where I'm going with this- yup, another high-buck collectible. :cool:

S&W has also built a few 5" M686s, including a "Stocking Dealer Special" with an orange HiViz front sight and cocobolo finger-groove Combat stocks. Yes, more of the same... ;)

Hope this helps, and doesn't just confuse you more. :D
 
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Yes you helped quit a bit. So I guess $475 on a 686 was not a steal after all, good thing I walked away. I am looking for a 4in blue .357 and the only reason I would have bought the 686 was because I thought it was a low price. Thank goodness for gut instinct. :cool:
 
Maybe it is just me, but ever revolver I saw today seemed really high. I ran into a couple 19s and 66s and each were in the high $500s and low $600s with nothing but the guns:eek:, though there were in nice shape. I also ran into a Colt Trooper MKIII for $750 in nickle. It was in ok condition, but I think $750 is high for one with box and all in 98% or better condition.

I assume most people set high prices so they can be talked down to prices they are really expecting to be paid, but it still seems they are very high. Is this just me or am I right on the prices being too high? :confused:
 
So a box adds about $50 to the price of a used gun?
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For the original, numbers-matching box, yes, give or take. It depends somewhat.

From the start of production until (IIRC) the mid-1990s, L frames were packaged in a 1-piece dark blue corrugated cardboard box with a hinged top. The gun would be wrapped in brown wax paper and packaged with a manual, warranty registration card, little B&W accessory card, and a tool kit consisting of a (really cheap) bronze wire brush and sight adjustment screwdriver in a plastic baggie.

For a high-condition gun, collectors will nitpick the condition of the box itself and whether or not it contains the "goodies" that came inside. Repro or NOS manuals, registration cards, and accessory catalogs are fairly abundant, but the cardboard boxes and tool kits were pretty chintzy and tend to have a low survival rate unless the original owner was cognizant of the potential collectible value.

S&W later switched to a blue plastic foam-lined carrying case.* These are actually useful for toting the gun around, are more resistant to damage, have more extra space inside, and are simply newer; consequently, they seem to have a much higher survival rate and a correspondingly lower value.

FWIW probably due to the active secondary market on eBay and GB, some newer value guides now advise that a non-original, non-matching box technically adds no value to a gun as new as an L frame.

*S&W has recently switched back to chintzy dark blue cardboard boxes for some models, but let's not go there. :rolleyes:
 
So $475 for a 686 or 586 without the box was not a steal then like I had thought? If it was blue I would have bought it. I think I will wait until I find a blue one, because that is what I really want.
 
I was lucky. I got a used GP100 (armored car service trade-in) for $299 a few years back. Once in a blue moon, you'll come across that deal on GB.
 
You know, when I go to gun shows I always find great deals; usually. However, there is always something about the gun I don't like. Either the barrel is to short or to long, it may be the wrong finish, or it may have fixed sights as opposed to adjustable. I would by them all, but if I do then I will not have the money to buy what I really want. So my plan is to buy what I really want first; that way I can use the extra money to buy the deals.
 
I think price also varies somewhat according to area of the country. In the condition you describe, $475 for a 686 would be a very good deal, approaching a steal, here in the Northeast.
 
There was an older but unfired GP100 4" as new in the box (series 173-xxxx) that sold for $450 on GB and was a great deal. I happened to have just picked up a clean used 686-4 with box for $600 so I was not interested. While I like the S&W's more there is nothing wrong with a GP100. I just do not like castings if given a choice between them and forged but the Ruger might actually be a little stronger especially with triple lock-up vs the double lock-up of the S&W. The GP100 also looks a little more crude compared to the more refined S&W. Again, they are both great guns.
 
Anybody else have a good idea for what a top price for said guns are worth in used but good condition.
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You gotta trust cgchris on this really as the real answer is, it varies based on the model, finish, history, location, etc. To an uninformed shooter, it is just another .357. To a serious collector with some knowledge, each one is different and thus has a differing value. A no dash 4" square butt with no M pristine in box that came off the line in 80/81 differs from, say, the same size dash 4 SB ('95ish when they stopped making the SB) or the later -4 RB, no box after market grips, etc.

Ya gotta know what you're looking at and try to assess how much money the seller has into it, and/or what you're willing to pay. If the seller is saavy, he'll ask beaucoup $ for a rare version and maybe let you haggle a bit.

A range of values will run from $450 (a rode hard put away wet LEO 581) up to $700+ unless you're looking at the 5" partial lug Stocking Dealers or a 3" CS-1 686, which can be had for an obscene price if you luck into one. Look up Fugate Firearms on Gunbroker sometime. Boy howdy did he upset some guys, but moves clean product for a pretty penny. ;)

What about nickle 586s? A little more value than the blue typically... right?

You can have much the same conversation regarding GP100s. Partial lug, full lug, barrel length, blue, stainless, fixed or adjustable, used or safe queen, box/accessories, etc.

Shooters is one thing. Collectors is another. Two different worlds.
 
You gotta trust cgchris on this really as the real answer is, it varies based on the model, finish, history, location, etc. To an uninformed shooter, it is just another .357. To a serious collector with some knowledge, each one is different and thus has a differing value.
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Exactly. :) The key is to figure out how much the gun YOU want is worth in YOUR area, and to use completed auctions on GB as a cross-check to make sure your local prices are not out of line.

One unfortunate issue with S&W revolvers in the recent past is that the rapid value ascent for some models has misled many less knowledgeable (or more opportunistic) sellers to conclude that ALL S&W revolvers over ~20 years old are a potential pot of gold. :rolleyes: For .38/44 N frames, early postwar .22LR I/J frames, and early postwar K-38s, the values HAVE gone way up. OTOH most L frames are NOT rare and should NOT command top dollar, particularly if they are not pristine. Keep in mind that we are discussing guns that are all less than ~30years old, and in the case of the M686, have been best sellers for S&W.
 
carguychris said:
7-shot M586s are downright rare and generally sell for BIG premiums!
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Are we talking BIG $700 premiums or closer to $1,000? I was hoping to find a 6" 7 shot pre-lock 586 when I file for my tax returns in 2013 but if it's pushing the $800 mark I'll be able to "settle" for a pre-lock 686.
 
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