Here we go again… Fair price for this Colt Diamondback?

I don’t know much about Colts, but from what I’ve heard/seen lately, it seems like a reasonable price if it checks out mechanically. Cause it sure looks nice.

Looks to be a .38spcl.
It appears to have a few finish issues. I think I can see something that looks like pitting on the barrel and cylinder in the second picture, but that might be the lighting.

If they are indeed finish issues, I'd say $750 is pretty fair. Those grips alone are worth a decent amount of money.

If those spots I see aren't corrosion or rust and has a good finish with a little muzzle wear, I'd say add a hundred or two.

Do you plan to shoot it?

I have a nice old Official Police - truly a great , tight shooter - that I never shoot anymore since I learned that it is so difficult to find a smith who is qualified to work on the revolver. Colt won't touch it , right?

and , yes - I would be happy to pay that price.

Seems to be in decent shape and if it checks out okay mechanically then I would say $750 is a fair offer.

Fair is what the buyer and seller agree on, as you know.

$750 may be a fair price, but the Colt snakes are going for a lot more on Gunbroker. I did not find a Diamondback .38 going for as little as $750...indeed, most of them are over $1000, even the used ones.

If it were my revolver, I would not sell it for $750. I think I could get a lot more for it.

If you get it for $750, you will have done VERY well.

Why wouldn't you shoot it? It's a used gun with some finish issues. Unless you abuse it you're not going to hurt it's value. I'd hate to have a real nice Diamondback and never use it. BTW I think you got a good price.

Considering that the various Colt Snakes are now selling (on average) from a low of a couple thousand to as high as $39,000 I would say that $750.00 is an excellent price.

Hammer059 said:

Dframe: Over time I'd be afraid that I'd gradually wear it down and if anything ever broke or something happened to it I wouldn't be able to get it fixed (most likely) and it would be worth almost nothing.

Sure, I'll shoot it rarely. But as often as I shoot I don't want to be taking it with each time.

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You would be amazed how short life is. I'm 71. I don't remember going from 30 to 70...it seems like yesterday.

I would try to wear it out and have fun doing it.

First of all never store a gun of any kind in a leather holster or case. Leather can absorb moister from high humidity and will quickly corrode a blued gun.

Evaluating guns from pictures is sometimes very difficult and can be prone to error. The first thing I look for is buggered screws. The next is a ring around the cylinder caused by an out-of-time bolt. This particular revolver seems to pass muster on these basics, and the cosmetic flaws are more annoying then meaningful.

These very fine revolvers are like a well built race car - they need to come with a mechanic to be kept in tune. In the case of Diamondbacks parts are increasing hard to find, and they have to be new rather then used after being fitted to another gun. If a qualified gunsmith is available to keep them tuned up that's fine, but such individuals are becoming fewer and fewer. Any member who advises you to shoot the (beep!) out of them is not you're friend, and their knowledge of what makes these old gems work (or not as the case may be) is about the same as a tree stump in my backyard.

Light shooting and/or dry firing can be tolerated, along with sensible handling. If you have something else in mind buy a S&W model 15 (K-38 Combat Masterpiece) for far less money.

"Any member who advises you to shoot the (beep!) out of them is not you're friend, and their knowledge of what makes these old gems work (or not as the case may be) is about the same as a tree stump in my backyard."

Old Fuff;

I have never claimed to be a gunsmith or a collector. I do think I am the gentleman's friend. He has been lucky to find an excellent revolver at an exceptional price. If he were a collector he would have bought one more minty or new in the box. But he has bought a shooter. I simply encouraged him to enjoy shooting it.

I have no doubt you know more about the mechanisms of Colts than I do. But I doubt you know more about having fun than I do! I have had a few life threatening events, enough to know that we better enjoy ourselves as we can. I would rather shoot that Diamondback than look at it, and if it were mine, I would not hesitate to take it to the range whenever I could. That's the message I was trying to convey.

Also I did not use any profanity in my post.

Well I knew that post was going to draw some thunder and lightning...

Over many decades I have done plenty of shooting, and have probably done more of it then you have - simply because I've had more time too do it.

But that isn't the issue here.

Back before World War Two, Colt recommended that owners of they're revolvers should send them back to the factory for a free tune-up every year or so (more or less) depending on how much use they were seeing. Usually this procedure took less then 20 minutes with no parts replacement, and the gun was returned with perfect timing.

Times have changed. Sending guns back to a factory can be a major (and expensive) hassle. Increasingly the factory won't take them in because parts and skilled "fixing talent" is no longer available. Private gunsmiths that are qualified are gone or going and replacements are not coming on line.

And if one of these older revolvers does go out of time and not be fixed they can go downhill fast.

Now you and I are in agreement (I think) that light duty use shouldn't hurt the gun. But the problem is that different folks define "light" in different ways.

I think that at current prices $750 for a Diamondback .38 may be reasonable. However if the owner doesn't understand that it's now 2015, not 1935 and times have changed, under the worst of circumstances they may find themselves with a $750 paperweight. As we go forward the already difficult circumstances of getting one of these unquestionably fine revolvers serviced is not going to get better.

I took all of this into consideration. I don't think you did.

Also I did not use any profanity in my post.

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I didn't mean to imply you did. The choice of words was mine. The purpose was to not use profanity in my post.

Old Fuff, I'm not a collector or dealer. Every gun in my safe gets shot, including my Snakes, S&W's, and other Colts. I have a Colt .38 Police Positive in 95% finish made in 1932. It goes to the range a few times a year. These old guns are a pure joy to shoot.Why would you be married to Miss America and have seperate bedrooms? To each their own.

You still miss my point.

Servicing these older Colt's, mostly made between 1908 and 1970, is getting increasing difficult - and expensive. Before one spends substantial amounts of money, $750 in this instances, they need to understand some realities.

Some of them I've brought up, because the potential buyer should have a full understanding about the situation before they make a purchase.

If you want to shoot everything in your personal collection I have no objection. They are after all, you're guns.

However if as a result of continued use a part breaks in your 1930's era Colt I suspect that getting it fixed may prove to be expensive.

But that's you're problem, not mine.

If you are looking for an investment I would save some more and buy a higher grade.

OLD FUFF

Servicing these older Colt's, mostly made between 1908 and 1970, is getting increasing difficult - and expensive. Before one spends substantial amounts of money, $750 in this instances, they need to understand some realities.

Some of them I've brought up, because the potential buyer should have a full understanding about the situation before they make a purchase.

If you want to shoot everything in your personal collection I have no objection. They are after all, you're guns.

However if as a result of continued use a part breaks in your 1930's era Colt I suspect that getting it fixed may prove to be expensive.

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That is very true. I own a few Colt revolvers. All but one are from the thirties and forties. I dry fire them now and again. Every one of my colts I have taken to the range and fired for the experience, but now they sit in my safe. I have many S&W revolvers that I take to the range on a consistent basis. The Colts are Safe queens and I'm okay with that. Because they're mine. Cue the insane cackling.

Old Fuff, I understand what you're saying and I agree. Colt revolver 'smiths are few and far between. I've made a personal choice to enjoy my weapons while I can. I'm 61 y.o. and have no one to leave them to. I'm going to try to wear them out before I wear out. All my weapons are working guns.
If I ever have a problem with a Colt revolver, I'll contact you. I heard you helped Col.Colt design the Colt Pattersons. Just sayin'.

SIXTY ONE!!!!!!!

No wonder, you young guys are still wet behind the ears...

There is nothing wrong with shooting older revolvers as long as the person doing it understands the facts of life. However they're can be an issue if you recommend that someone else do the same, who may know even less.

On more then one occasion I have been approached by someone with a "broken pet" that has been handed down from great-grandpa, and it can't be fixed for one reason or another. They just had to keep shooting it, and did so once too often.

That said, I still shoot (carefully selected) older guns. One is a scares .38 Special, S&W Military & Police/1905 Hand Ejector that was part of a U.S. Navy order for 3000 placed in 1941. The Navy, to no one's great surprise went out and shot it!!! How dare they?! Later they became the prototype used to write the specifications for the World War II Victory Model.

Since it was well used they're is no reason to not continue, but doing so being gentle and careful. And unlike the Colt's, parts and qualified gunsmiths are still available and generally inexpensive.

But before I ever dropped a round into a chamber I CAREFULLY CONSIDERED all of the possible issues.

If a part were to break, is it even still possible to get it fixed?

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On a Diamondback it would depend on what particular part. Some are still available (screws for example) but others could be difficult. The greater issue is not broken or worn parts, but getting the existing parts re-adjusted to where they were originally. That takes an experienced, trained and qualified specialist in Colt revolvers.

If I take it to a gunsmith I know just to have the timing checked, I wonder if he would even know how to examine/inspect a Colt's operation?

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They're far more 'smiths who say they can, that really know how.

But checking is quite easy when you know how, and I'll try to back that up with some additional information.