Value of a customized S&W 19

M

mbzetti

Inactive
I just got back from my local shop and he's got a Smith and Wesson model 19 for sale. Original handgrips and finish are excellent other than some drag marks on the cylinder. I don't know too much about this revolver so there's a few things throwing me off.

First, it just says model 19 on it, no 19-...
Second, it has a custom 6 inch heavy barrel put on it by another local shop in the area. The barrel says 357 magnum down the side of it.

He's asking $520 for it. Said he could work with the price which usually means cash with no tax which saves me about $42. Any ideas on if its a good buy?

Sorry I didn't snap a picture I'll try to get one tomorrow.
 
Pics would help greatly. Sounds like it could be a custom PPC or even Bianchi Cup revolver. Or it could be a 19 that someone simply slapped a heavy barrel on.

Well-built PPC/Bianchi revolvers are accurate specimens, but there's not much market for them any longer, so they can often be had at bargain prices for what they are. You can get a very nice used PPC revolver built by a reputable 'smith for that price, but unless you (or the LGS shop) knows for sure what it is and who built it (and can document it), it's a gamble, IMO.
 
Yeah I'll try to get pictures tomorrow. Since it doesn't have the original barrel I figured it would be a hard sell too if I decided to sell it down the road.
 
So I was able to talk to the guy at the shop a little more today about this gun. It is in fact a model 19-3 with a 6" pinned heavy barrel that was put on by a local gunshop/smith. The gunshop was actually pretty well known in the area but closed around 2003. The owner had some personal issues I guess, don't really know since it was way before I was old enough to legally handgun :)...

Anywho, talking to my local shop that has the gun now I got a little owner history on it. Come to find out I have personally seen this gun shoot at a handful of competitions by a well known handgunner in my area. So suffice to say I know the gun is a tack driver.

What I am asking is am I getting my pants pulled down on the price? He has the price tag at $520. Since I'm a regular customer he said he'd do cash $480 tax included with a box of 357. I feel like that's not a bad deal what do you guys think?

I tagged a couple shots of the gun in question. Sorry for the novel
 

Attachments

  • gun.jpg
    gun.jpg
    76.2 KB · Views: 88
  • gun2.jpg
    gun2.jpg
    77.2 KB · Views: 67
photo2_zps3e545c1c.jpg


I gave about $500 trade value for this about a year ago. But, it's a Clark PPC revolver. On a customized gun, who did the work adds some value.

I think I'd be ok with that revolver around $450 IF I wanted it.
 
mbzetti said:
What I am asking is am I getting my pants pulled down on the price? He has the price tag at $520. Since I'm a regular customer he said he'd do cash $480 tax included with a box of 357. I feel like that's not a bad deal what do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Well, value is the value you put on it, of course. How will you be using it? If you just want an accurate a range revolver you'll shoot a lot for informal target work, $480+ammo isn't a bad deal, since you know something about it. If/when you go to sell it, though, others won't have the same intel on the gun, and you may likely have a hard time selling it for what you paid.

Also, you mentioned it's been used in competition, and that you yourself shoot competitively. They'd be giving you some .357mag ammo, but do you know what type of ammo the "well-known handgunner" was actually using and/or what the barrel's set up to shoot? Some aftermarket match barrels are set up to shoot lead wadcutters best, and it might not do as well with jacketed .357s.

Finally, it's not clear what type of competition it's set up for. It looks like it might've been a Bianchi gun, but outside this, it's got limited use in many forms of formal competition, IMO. If you're thinking of using it as a match gun, be sure to find out ahead of time if this revolver would be a good choice, or even permitted.

Keep us posted, and be sure to follow-up with a range report if you decide to get it. ;)
 
Heavy barrel, ramp front sight, regular S&W rear.
I don't know what style of shooting that would be better for than a stock gun.

It does not have a front latch like Sgt's Clark. Is there a ball detent in the yoke?
I know it has been done, but I would not be comfortable with a Smith without a front locating point of some sort.
 
I myself do not shoot competitively. I'm just an onlooker. I'd mostly be using it for target. Resale of the gun is one of the things holding me back. Though I usually don't sell off guns I know it would probably be a tough sale if I ever did decide to get rid of it. I have a thing for oddities with all my hobbies and I've either wound holding on to something or selling it for dirt cheap because it was a hard sale. So naturally I've become cautious in my purchases.

I'll definitely give a range report if I pick it up. There's a big gun show in my area tomorrow so who knows might find something there. I'm not really in the market for anything particular, this just happen to catch my eye
 
It looks as if it were set up for IPSC.

I agree that that sort of modification reduces the value UNLESS you are into one of the gun games that benefits from such a modification.

I know that I would have zero interest in it unless the price were so freakishly low that I could justify spending more money in having the proper barrel put on it.
 
If it's a gun you really want the price under five bills doesn't sound bad. It's probably not going to be a fast seller, so you might try a lower offer first for grins. Then if he say no just let the idea cook with him for a while.
As far as the resale value, who cares anyway?:D
............................V...........................
 
You bet.
If I could get one for the price of the action, it would be Smython time.
But I am not going to pay full price and throw away a good barrel.
 
I know right? Those smythons look awesome especially with the bone grips. I wish I didn't have a budget right now or it would be python all the way. A couple weeks ago I had to decide between a new rifle or new handgun. Chose a marlin 3030. Fast forward a couple weeks to today and guess what I still want a new handgun :). Shoulda just held off and looked for a deal on a python or something. O well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top