Some "newbie" gun buyers with little experience may have some interest in this, so, if they'll allow me, I'll share my thinking on buying Smith & Wesson revos. You folks who already have a bunch of guns, or those of you who have it all figured out for yourself... no need to read on, nothing new here for you...
At one time I was hung up on only buying "new" guns... thinking that was the only way I could be assured of quality. My first four S&W's were bought new in the seventies and eighties. I thought that it was risky to buy "used" firearms.
That was until I realized that most "used" firearms have been barely, if ever, really used!
In the last few years I discovered with some of my new gun purchases that new guns are not necessarily so risk-free... they may perhaps be almost as likely to have a problem as an excellent condition used gun would have! (Quality control these days ain't all that great - all gun makers are doing whatever they can to lower their costs and as a result, build & materials quality, in many ways, tends to suffer.)
So that was my "former" thinking, anyway, until I really started getting back into S&W revos a couple of years ago. I discovered that there is a wealth of older guns which have had little to no use whatsoever! Guns which were made with more attention to detail and craftsmanship and with better quality parts/materials than most of today's new guns. I discovered that if you shop carefully, diligently, trusting your instincts, and have a decent knowledge of guns, you can find slightly to very older guns which are head and shoulders above new guns.... and save good money at the same time. Save enough that if you decided you wanted to re-sell the gun in the near future, you really wouldn't lose much, if anything.
Of my two dozen or so S&W revos, none were made after about 1999. All but four were purchased in the last two years. Of those, all but four or five were purchased through internet gun sales. Two S&W's that I didn't complete the purchase on were sent back to the sellers... I rejected them as not being quite "up to snuff" and paid shipping back on one of them. On the other, the seller, Sartori Jewlry & Pawn, was upstanding and offered to pay for all shipping. Small price to pay for the many guns I did keep from internet purchases which were as advertised, LNIB, like new, or excellent condition.
I don't have the time nor desire to scour all the local gunshops and pawnshops looking for guns. That would be fun to do, but not very practical for me. Not to mention than many of the guns I've purchased would probably never have shown up in a local shop, for me to find anyway. So I find them online. My guns were found in Alaska, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, N. Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Arizona, Oregon... states I don't even remember... all over the land! Point is, if you know what your looking for, check out the seller carefully, and trust your gut instincts, you can find better than new S&W's for less than new price... often MUCH less than new.
And one more point to consider, if you buy a cherry older, pre-lock S&W and a brand new one of like model... you'll most likely pay a lot less for the older one. Then put them both up for sale next week and see which one is in demand. It'll be the older one! And you'll get every penny (or more) back on it. The new one will have dropped significantly in value (you've lost money) and will probably be much harder to sell. Then wait a couple of years, OK four or five years... then put them both up for sale, the older pre-lock S&W and the newish one with lock... which one do you think will be in more demand? Which one do you think will fetch more money? Condition of the two guns being relatively comparable, my bet is on the older, pre-lock model.
Now, to you folks who just have to have a new gun.... I can certainly understand the buyer who wants/needs to drive to the local gun dealer, plunk the money down and walk away with a brand new S&W that moment... no further ado. This certainly works for a great many people... especially for the folks that are new to gun buying or are uncertain about all the twists and turns, or don't want to bother with buying any other way... it's quick, easy, and slam-dunk. I have no problems with that whatsoever! For a great many people, buying new makes the most sense indeed! S&W makes a great gun and has done so for a great many years! So keep on keepin' on, I say.... if that's what you like or want to do....
But for the gun buyer who hasn't considered used guns, isn't in a big hurry, is interested in some very cool alternatives, or doesn't have to have a BRAND NEW 500 ULTRA/MAGNUM/UNOBTANIUM/WHATEVER available RIGHT THIS SECOND might want to consider some used options.
To those who believe the new one is more likely to be trouble free... think again. New guns are causing people plenty of problems... just spend some time on the gun forums. Sure the factory will fix things for you, but that's no assurance of trouble free operation right out of the box. Point is there are NO assurances of trouble free operation right out of the box with anything you buy.
And if you're worried that an older gun might have problems... if you shop carefully and buy only top condition guns, chances are very high that you'll make out fine indeed. Occasionally you might have to have the timing corrected as I've had to do on a couple of my purchases... but S&W make thoses fixes for FREE!~ No ownership docs required... even on older guns.
JUST REMEMBER THIS: If you determine and evaluate the seller's online reputation, ask proper questions of the seller, evaluate his replies, offer carefully, buy carefully, inspect carefully (removing sideplate is OK), and reject when presented with evidence you don't like... you will be fine! This ISN"T hard to do! And it's a lot more exciting (and rewarding!) than writing a check at the local gunshop. I see the whole thing as darned close to risk free with very little downside in the short run. And FUN! And in the long run... much better than buying new.
Of course, as always, with any new or used gun purchase, at least 200 rounds of trouble-free operation should be done just to confirm reliability before putting the newly acquired gun into your "defense squad".
I could assault you with photographs of awesome used S&W's I've bought online, but some of you have seen most of them already, and many of you have seen some of them, so I won't. You can use your imaginations... there are great guns out there aplenty! If you wish, go forth and acquire!
Anyway, just some food for thought for newbies who haven't bought many guns before. Other's mileage WILL vary, that's for sure! 
At one time I was hung up on only buying "new" guns... thinking that was the only way I could be assured of quality. My first four S&W's were bought new in the seventies and eighties. I thought that it was risky to buy "used" firearms.
That was until I realized that most "used" firearms have been barely, if ever, really used!
In the last few years I discovered with some of my new gun purchases that new guns are not necessarily so risk-free... they may perhaps be almost as likely to have a problem as an excellent condition used gun would have! (Quality control these days ain't all that great - all gun makers are doing whatever they can to lower their costs and as a result, build & materials quality, in many ways, tends to suffer.)
So that was my "former" thinking, anyway, until I really started getting back into S&W revos a couple of years ago. I discovered that there is a wealth of older guns which have had little to no use whatsoever! Guns which were made with more attention to detail and craftsmanship and with better quality parts/materials than most of today's new guns. I discovered that if you shop carefully, diligently, trusting your instincts, and have a decent knowledge of guns, you can find slightly to very older guns which are head and shoulders above new guns.... and save good money at the same time. Save enough that if you decided you wanted to re-sell the gun in the near future, you really wouldn't lose much, if anything.
Of my two dozen or so S&W revos, none were made after about 1999. All but four were purchased in the last two years. Of those, all but four or five were purchased through internet gun sales. Two S&W's that I didn't complete the purchase on were sent back to the sellers... I rejected them as not being quite "up to snuff" and paid shipping back on one of them. On the other, the seller, Sartori Jewlry & Pawn, was upstanding and offered to pay for all shipping. Small price to pay for the many guns I did keep from internet purchases which were as advertised, LNIB, like new, or excellent condition.
I don't have the time nor desire to scour all the local gunshops and pawnshops looking for guns. That would be fun to do, but not very practical for me. Not to mention than many of the guns I've purchased would probably never have shown up in a local shop, for me to find anyway. So I find them online. My guns were found in Alaska, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, N. Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Arizona, Oregon... states I don't even remember... all over the land! Point is, if you know what your looking for, check out the seller carefully, and trust your gut instincts, you can find better than new S&W's for less than new price... often MUCH less than new.
And one more point to consider, if you buy a cherry older, pre-lock S&W and a brand new one of like model... you'll most likely pay a lot less for the older one. Then put them both up for sale next week and see which one is in demand. It'll be the older one! And you'll get every penny (or more) back on it. The new one will have dropped significantly in value (you've lost money) and will probably be much harder to sell. Then wait a couple of years, OK four or five years... then put them both up for sale, the older pre-lock S&W and the newish one with lock... which one do you think will be in more demand? Which one do you think will fetch more money? Condition of the two guns being relatively comparable, my bet is on the older, pre-lock model.
Now, to you folks who just have to have a new gun.... I can certainly understand the buyer who wants/needs to drive to the local gun dealer, plunk the money down and walk away with a brand new S&W that moment... no further ado. This certainly works for a great many people... especially for the folks that are new to gun buying or are uncertain about all the twists and turns, or don't want to bother with buying any other way... it's quick, easy, and slam-dunk. I have no problems with that whatsoever! For a great many people, buying new makes the most sense indeed! S&W makes a great gun and has done so for a great many years! So keep on keepin' on, I say.... if that's what you like or want to do....
But for the gun buyer who hasn't considered used guns, isn't in a big hurry, is interested in some very cool alternatives, or doesn't have to have a BRAND NEW 500 ULTRA/MAGNUM/UNOBTANIUM/WHATEVER available RIGHT THIS SECOND might want to consider some used options.
To those who believe the new one is more likely to be trouble free... think again. New guns are causing people plenty of problems... just spend some time on the gun forums. Sure the factory will fix things for you, but that's no assurance of trouble free operation right out of the box. Point is there are NO assurances of trouble free operation right out of the box with anything you buy.
And if you're worried that an older gun might have problems... if you shop carefully and buy only top condition guns, chances are very high that you'll make out fine indeed. Occasionally you might have to have the timing corrected as I've had to do on a couple of my purchases... but S&W make thoses fixes for FREE!~ No ownership docs required... even on older guns.
JUST REMEMBER THIS: If you determine and evaluate the seller's online reputation, ask proper questions of the seller, evaluate his replies, offer carefully, buy carefully, inspect carefully (removing sideplate is OK), and reject when presented with evidence you don't like... you will be fine! This ISN"T hard to do! And it's a lot more exciting (and rewarding!) than writing a check at the local gunshop. I see the whole thing as darned close to risk free with very little downside in the short run. And FUN! And in the long run... much better than buying new.
Of course, as always, with any new or used gun purchase, at least 200 rounds of trouble-free operation should be done just to confirm reliability before putting the newly acquired gun into your "defense squad".
I could assault you with photographs of awesome used S&W's I've bought online, but some of you have seen most of them already, and many of you have seen some of them, so I won't. You can use your imaginations... there are great guns out there aplenty! If you wish, go forth and acquire!
Anyway, just some food for thought for newbies who haven't bought many guns before. Other's mileage WILL vary, that's for sure!
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