Ever had your bubble burst?

[bikemutt]

So I entered a well known revolver LGS today at lunch time knowing full well the dangers of doing so.

There, under the glass, lowest shelf, gleaming at me is a S&W nickel model 28 with original grips and a T-grip. $400.

Now you can just imagine the thoughts running through my head, I felt as if that rainbow I'd seen earlier must surely have terminated here at this gunstore and I, the fortunate treasure hunter, had stumbled into the pot of gold.

Well, sadly, it was not a factory nickel job, nor was it a particularly good one upon closer inspection.

Darn

 

[David E]

I looked at a .45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk OLD MODEL (only made for 2 years in that caliber).......that had been "Ported".....at home......by a guy that didn't know what he was doing, as evidenced by the drill bit plunging thru til it hit and seriously marred the far side of the bore.

They thought this "custom porting" was worth another $200

 

[gp911]

Had that a couple times with some refinished guns. Got excited then saw the pockmarks, solder around the sight, etc. Took the wind outta my sails!

 

[pendennis]

The second look always reveals the "warts". A nickel Model 28 would be a grail gun for any of us.

A few years ago, my "grail" gun happened to be a 4" nickel Python. Always liked the looks of it. At a local gun show, one popped up on a dealer's table. Looked at it, and really ignored what should have been a warning; thin roll marks, stocks which didn't "match" the finish, and what turned out to be an after-market nickel job.

Fast forward - Sent the revolver to Colt for a refinish in July 2011. Had it restored to its original Royal Blue. Outstanding refinish, barrel marks redone, and an action job. Back to the search for a nickel 4" Python.

This summer, I finally found my grail gun. A local gun shop had a 4" nickel, that while not pristine, is everything I was looking for in a Python. It had the box, original stocks, and has an action that's as smooth as I've ever had.

Oh yeah. Turns out that both 4" revolvers have serial numbers 453 apart. They're a fine looking set together:

 

[BYJO4]

Great looking pair of Pythons.

 

[MedWheeler]

Yeah, but on a rifle. Saw a lever-gun .22 rifle at a gun show with a ridiculously-low price on it. Got closer, and found it was actually a single-shot falling-block gun made to look like a lever gun.
Ended up buying it anyway; had quite a bit of fun with it for a while after that shooting .22 Shorts, CB, and BB caps in my backyard..

 

[Twiki357]

Just this last weekend at a local gun show a guy had a clean "Looking" S&W Model 37 for $200. OMG, My ship just came in. Unfortunately, the cylinder had so much slop in it, it was unsafe to shoot. And that was before I saw the cracked forcing cone.

But, OH, he adjusted the price for that. Yup, he adjusted the price to sell an unsafe gun.

 

[Texan Scott]

Please see my current rant in the Marlin 336 club about refusing a remlin. Who lets an immediately obviously defective rifle with VISIBLY WARPED SIGHTS leave the factory!? This cannot possibly be an "honest mistake" ... it was a beautifully finished piece of blued steel and wood... until it was ruined and slapped in a box by someone with an obvious case of (don't care). American tradition, ruined.
Yup. Bubble burst.

 

[Old Fuff]

They thought this "custom porting" was worth another $200

That kind of abuse is the Old Fuff's cup of tea. If the seller dropped the price to a reasonable level I would have jumped! (If nothing else was wrong). Then if the barrel was over 4 5/8" long I would have cut it and relocated the front sight. If it wasn't a later model barrel would still fit the older frame, and I would have rebarreled it. The result wouldn't have much (if any) collector's value but would have made a great shooter. Wait for awhile, and if the seller couldn't find a buyer see if he wanted to talk cash. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

 

[Mosbyranger]

My bubble has been burst many,many times, mostly by reading online that everything I have is junk. The 500 S&W I wanted is a piece of garbage, it will not even go through 14 inches of reinforced concrete and destroy the Bradly fighting vehicle parked behind it. What a let down. Now, thanks to all the internet gurus, I smartly use a 105mm howitzer for my primary CCW piece, and a Ma Deuce with 9 yards of ammo as a BUG. I'm just ever so grateful for all the experts out there who helped me see the error of my ways. Thanks to them I was also able to realize that I needed to upgrade to a M1 Abrams for a family vehicle to insure their safety. I now am no longer to be considered a victim by the senior citizen in the mall waving a plastic knife threateningly in my general direction. Thank god for the internet.
MR

 

[Double_J]

Yup, know the feeling real well. I saw the rifle I wanted, I wanted it REAL BAD. It happened to be an old Remington matchmaster .22 LR. This is the first rifle I ever fired, and it holds a special place in my heart.

The one I saw at a gun show looked great. The finish was clean and evenly worn, the bolt was tight, the trigger was smooth. The only down side came when I looked at the muzzle crown. It looked like someone had taken a rat tail file and just opened up the hole. That had me questioning what the rifling looked like, I should say what rifling as there was none left. (either that or there was so much leading of the barrel that it was a smooth bore). The dealer would not come off the $800 price either, he said it was a "collectable" rifle and he could not take a loss on it. Oh well, I still am searching for one, and it will be even more special when I find it, and even better if I can give another child the joy of learning to run it to the best of his/her ability.

So yes, I have had the bubble burst.

 

[snakeman]

^^^^^YES!

 

[Frank V]

Bikemutt

It still might be a good shooter. I'd ask the LGS what was their bottom dollar pointing out the defects, not factory nickle I don't think ANY S&W mod. 28s were nickle from the factory?
Frank

 

[Radagast]

Frank V:
25 nickle guns with five inch barrels for the Florida Highway Patrol, marked FHP in 1959.
5 satin nickel sales samples.
That's it.
So yes, a highly desirable gun if a factory finish.

 

[David E]

Frank V:
25 nickle guns with five inch barrels for the Florida Highway Patrol, marked FHP in 1959.
5 satin nickel sales samples.
That's it.
So yes, a highly desirable gun if a factory finish.

Sounds like THE heavy duty .357 to have!

 

[Radagast]

Oh, a five inch nickel pre-Model 27 would be just fine. Same gun with more checkering.

 

[Frank V]

Radagast

Thanks for that info, I didn't know.
Frank

 

[Jim NE]

Two different ways to look at that. I love originality as much as anyone, but a refinish can make a fine functioning classic gun suddenly affordable. The refinished 5 screw Highway Patrolman I inherited from my dad was a gun he bought at a pawn shop for $225 about 5 years a go. He never would have bought it if had been much more than this.

I just recently bought a refinished and rebarrelled pre-model 10 from the '40's for not much more than that. It shoots great! I have other S&W's that are original so I don't worry.

 

[mrmeangenes]

Now, now ! Some of the posters will take you seriously....

 

[Coop45]

My bubble has been burst many,many times, mostly by reading online that everything I have is junk. The 500 S&W I wanted is a piece of garbage, it will not even go through 14 inches of reinforced concrete and destroy the Bradly fighting vehicle parked behind it. What a let down. Now, thanks to all the internet gurus, I smartly use a 105mm howitzer for my primary CCW piece, and a Ma Deuce with 9 yards of ammo as a BUG. I'm just ever so grateful for all the experts out there who helped me see the error of my ways. Thanks to them I was also able to realize that I needed to upgrade to a M1 Abrams for a family vehicle to insure their safety. I now am no longer to be considered a victim by the senior citizen in the mall waving a plastic knife threateningly in my general direction. Thank god for the internet.
MR

Wouldn't a 155mm be a better EDC? I heard the 105mm wasn't a good man stopper.

 

[Kiln]

Mosbyranger:

You've been spending too much time around here. There are other forums with fewer commandos out there that don't think you need to carry 10 extra hi cap mags for your CCW with you in case of a firefight (actually saw a guy post that here).

 

[Dain Bramage]

Not another 105mm vs. 155mm thread!? Day after day, I'm sick of the same "rate of fire vs. explosive charge" arguments. Mobility versus range. Who cares! Why don't you people find something new to argue about!!!

 

[Buck13]

A few months ago I got all hopped-up on Internet salts over the Cz 82 and its supposedly sweet action. Went to a big used gun shop to heft and dry-fire one. :Yawn: Maybe if it was only $250...maybe.

Does that count?

edit: Oops, forgot this is under Revolvers. I guess it does not count!

 

[bamabiker]

There's nothing wrong with a nickel M28 if it's done right, just not original. If you can get it at a good price it can make a great shooter.
I like mine.

 

[Frank V]

Bamabiker

That is a pretty nice looking gun. I've never had a nickle gun, but they are starting to grow on me.
Frank