[LRWest]

Hello,

I am relatively new to collecting S&W's. I am wondering if anyone on the forum has some good recommendations on where to look online for S&W's, or local for me (Knoxville, TN area). So far I am interested in Model 13's, 15's, 19's and 27's. A Kit gun in .22 would be great as well.

I've been checking out Cabela's gun library which has been a good resource to learn. However, when I compare their prices to what you fella's are saying that you pay for similar models, Cabella's seems highly inflated. Is this a correct assessment?

Thanks for any input you can provide.

LRWest

 

[onenut58]

Cabellas is way out of line on there prices. Check out Guns of america .com ,Guns international .com,Shooters exchange .com, Collectors firearms.com If you want auctions Check out gunbrokers.com ,Auction arms .com,Ebang.com ,E-gun.net

 

[bobw]

One nut +1

 

[LRWest]

Thanks for the good info and places to look. I checked out the links provided. Only problem now is deciding which smith to order up. It's starting to keep me up at night. I just try to remind myself that I've got to start somewhere and just buying one right now doesn't mean that's the only one I'll ever get. I feel like a kid at christmas!

 

[Bob K]

UH OH!!!! Sounds to me like you've been bitten bad!!!! Slow down a bit, and decide what you really want. You can't buy them all at once, ya' know. Many of us can't afford to get all of them, so you have to make choices as to which are the most desirable.

Otherwise, your cellar is going to look like Drew's!!!! :lol: Bob

 

[onenut58]

Dont forget to check through the classifieds right here in the forum. There are some nice ones pop up from members here.

 

[fugotti]

Remember cheap guns are not good and good guns are not cheap.

fugatefirearms.com

 

[Gizamo]

I dunno' ....

I've gotten some of my best buys inside the store at Cabela's. They've mis-identified guns and priced them way under the money. Couple months ago I bought a high 90's percent gun from them ID'd as a Ruger SuperBlackhawk. It did have a 7.5 inch barrel, and was a .44 Mag...

Also had 3 Screws, went click 4 times, and had a Flattop... :mrgreen: That gun was worth 3 to 4 times their asking price hpzl;n; ... It officially is the 229th known gun in that barrel length...Pretty rare Ezra...

So, ya' never know...do your homework and shop for opportunity...

giz

 

[NE450No2]

I have had a few friends buy guns from Cabelas and they stated Cabelas is pretty good at taking less than the asked for price.

Do some research and make therm an offer.

 

[gearchecker]

As for Cabelas' I missed one of those mis-identified specials talked about earlier.
Went out there to look for my first pistol.
Got my hands on a Ruger .40 s/w semi auto. incredible condition almost mint. Priced at $275. Like a dummy new to guns "I, HAD TO THINK ABOUT IT" Went back the next day and it was gone. Looked all over the area for another and they were running $400 buck in not nearly as good of condition. Silly me.
Next time I see something there that looks under priced I'm calling onenut58 to look up the going price for me and probably going to buy it on the spot.

Always keep your eyes open for a great deal - they are out there, and be ready to jump on it (after you check it out good to make sure the seller isn't trying to dump a worn out piece of junk).

If you are looking for a Smith or a Smithy?
If you are looking for a Smithy, I'll guarantee we can get you to the best Smithy in your area that suits your needs.
I have my Smithy up here in Idaho & I drive 2-2/1 hrs. just to get to him. We spend an hour shootin' the breeze and I drive 2-1/2 hrs. back home. Then repeat it when the gun is done.
Best 5 hrs of driving I ever do. My Smith has actually become one of my personal friends.
But we don't ever forget that business is business and friends are firends.
Gotta keep the gun repair business a business.

If you are looking for a "SMITH" you are at the right place.
I have 2 at the moment and will have another shortly. This is the forum to belong to without a doubt. Honest, straight forward, no BS answers. A few opinions every now & then, but everybody has to have one of those too.

Good luck on finding your Smith and even more getting your collection going.

 

[onenut58]

I am no expert on gun prices Gear Checker.If you ask me the going rate for a run of the mill common gun I can do like any one else and surf around and see what they are going for.As far as Cabelas is concerned finding a deal like Giz did is not impossible. But it is a rare thing. It dont take long to surf through there guns and then go look up about 30 of the same guns else where to find out Cabelas isnt just high but outragously high.In most cases you can beat there prices buy 2 to 3 hundred dollars.
But they do have pretty pictures.

 

[LRWest]

Recently a model 10 with a heavy barrel has caught my eye. Year and serial number are unknown at this point. Caliber .38 special with bluing about 85-90%.

Any ballpark figures on a fair offer price for such a revolver?

Thanks to all for the replies thus far. Informative! This is definitely a good forum.

 

[daytime dave]

LRWest
I would suggest you order a copy of the Standard Catalogof Smith & Wesson third edition. It contains so much S&W information, photos and relative values. I look up models I'm interested in and ones I already have. It's a great resource. It's a bargain at whatever price you get it for.

As far as what Smith to get first, I would get a .22 kit gun. You will always enjoy shooting it throughout life. You can look at the others at your pace and learn about them from this forum and it's members. The prices of Smith's vary a great deal from place to place due to many factors. I use the above book as a guide. I will ask here on the forum if a price sounds good if I'm not sure.

Good luck in your search.

 

[daytime dave]

LRWest
I would suggest you order a copy of the Standard Catalogof Smith & Wesson third edition. It contains so much S&W information, photos and relative values. I look up models I'm interested in and ones I already have. It's a great resource. It's a bargain at whatever price you get it for.

As far as what Smith to get first, I would get a .22 kit gun. You will always enjoy shooting it throughout life. You can look at the others at your pace and learn about them from this forum and it's members. The prices of Smith's vary a great deal from place to place due to many factors. I use the above book as a guide. I will ask here on the forum if a price sounds good if I'm not sure.

Good luck in your search.

 

[daytime dave]

LRWest
I would suggest you order a copy of the Standard Catalogof Smith & Wesson third edition. It contains so much S&W information, photos and relative values. I look up models I'm interested in and ones I already have. It's a great resource. It's a bargain at whatever price you get it for.

As far as what Smith to get first, I would get a .22 kit gun. You will always enjoy shooting it throughout life. You can look at the others at your pace and learn about them from this forum and it's members. The prices of Smith's vary a great deal from place to place due to many factors. I use the above book as a guide. I will ask here on the forum if a price sounds good if I'm not sure.

Good luck in your search.

 

[onenut58]

LR west the book mentioned is a exellent source and a must for any one into smith and wessons. But the values of the guns change a lot even between winter and summer.A book value is only a base to start from. I live in southern nevada close to vegas.
A gun here may be worth more or less where you live. But I have been layed off for a long time and sold my house a while back and rent. So I dont have a lot to do and have way to much time on my hands. I have spent many hours surfing through the various gun sites and have bought a few online.
One thing I discovered from cruising the shops here and surfing online is that Guns of America is a large sight with most models of any brand for sale in large numbers and is a great place to find out what a gun is worth.The model 10 your asking about can vary in worth because it is smith and wessons longest running model and has been made for a long time in various configurations.
In order to find out what its worth you must know what era of model 10 it is. It could be a old five screw or something recent. Thats where the book comes in Identifying the gun. Then you can just surf through the sites and see what they are getting for them.
You can pretty much count on if a gun is priced buy the book value its a deal.Because they almost always go for above what the book says.

 

[LRWest]

I'll check amazon.com for the book.

It's the old adage; "Teach a man to fish......"

Thanks!