Smith 64-5 4"

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XDforever

New member
I am contemplating purchasing a S&W 64-5 4" revolver. It is a 6 shot .38 caliber K frame stainless steel. It was built in 1993 so it is pre lock and pre MIM parts. I have not seen it in person only in internet picts. I will be giving it the once over several times next week when I actually can have it in hand. The seller is offering it for $425. It has the square butt wood grips. In the pictures that I have seen, it looks to be in excellent shape.

Is this a gun worth looking at? Is the price in line with where it should be? Would this be considered a good buy? a great buy?

The fact that it does not shoot .357 does not concern me.

Thanks for any input or opinions.

Joe
 
XDforever said:
The seller is offering it for $425. It has the square butt wood grips. In the pictures that I have seen, it looks to be in excellent shape... Is this a gun worth looking at? Is the price in line with where it should be? Would this be considered a good buy? a great buy?
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IMHO that is a good, albeit not great, price for a M64-5 in legit Excellent condition, not fired a lot, particularly if it comes with the original box.

THAT SAID...

There are a bunch of LE trade-in M64's of recent vintage that were sold on the used market 3-5 years ago, generally in the $250+/- range. I'm told that they were from the NYPD. These guns were DAO and had bobbed hammers. The ones I handled had obvious rub marks and significant scratches. Since LE trade-in Smiths have largely dried up, IMHO it's reasonable to pay more than the original $250 for one of these, but DAO guns are considered less desirable than a standard DA/SA example, so this should be taken into consideration. IMHO paying over $350+/- is a stretch.

Secondly, it's fairly common for an owner to clean up a scratched stainless LE trade-in Smith by polishing it to a mirror gloss. (Factory S&W SS finish has a satin appearance.) This makes the gun really pretty, but a polished gun is NOT technically all-original from a collector standpoint, and it should sell for a "shooter" price rather than a "collector" price. IOW the polishing doesn't necessarily enhance a gun's value compared to less-than-perfect original finish, although it certainly looks better. :) Again, paying over $350 becomes a stretch.
 
The S&W 64 was the first handgun I was issued as a Police Officer so I have a fondness for it. If it is in good shape I would buy it quickly.
 
I traded for a model 64-3 last week, the dealer was asking $350 for it, grips a little ruff, otherwise one of the smoothest actions I have handled.:)
 
Here are a couple of the picts I am looking at of the 64-5.

What do you think?

Joe
 

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If those grips are original to that gun, I would say the gun looks very well cared for. Nice Smiths are climbing at a slow but steady rate, partially due to the ILS that comes on newer Smiths.

I agree with the poster that said $425.00 was a good deal, but not a great one. However, I doubt the value of that gun is going to go down any time soon. As time passes, things tend to become "great deals."
 
I'm leaning heavily towards accepting the gun. We are in southern Arizona until April 3rd. We will be back in Texas at that time. Texas is where the gun is. I appreciate every opinion. You all have helped me immensely.

Joe
 
I must confess that I passed on the 64-5. I went to the Dallas Arms gun show today and came home with a GP-100 blue 6 shot .357 revolver with a 4 " barrel. I'm pumped. It was only $100 more than the 64-5.

What finally put me over to the GP was that someday I MIGHT want to shoot .357. If I did not get it now I'd have to buy another one then. So I look at it as a cost savings in that light, however, I'm getting the cold shoulder from the missus tonight. She did not expect me to come home with another gun. ha

Joe
 
No problem. I started with a 357 Magnum revolver with the idea I would do the same later. When you do get the chance though a nice S&W K-frame 38 Special is always a good choice to have in your collection.
 
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