Gun inspection?

[mrbladedude]

Hi guys. I bought a used S&W 686 the other day and Im waiting for it to arrive at my local gun shop. I was thinking about having them do an inspection on it.

I called them up and they said it is $60. I asked the guy what exactly it is that they do and he said :

clean
service
adjust
test fire

The gun shop is Bob's Gun Shop in Norfolk VA.

Anyone know if they have a good gunsmith there?

Is $60 a good price to pay?

This is my first revolver so I dont really know what to look for. I bought the gun from a very reputable seller on Gunbroker.

Thanks

 

[Jim K]

It could be well worth it, depending on just what they mean by those terms. A good cleaning of a revolver can easily take an hour (less with a sonic tank) but I don't know just what "adjust" and "service" include. Some revolvers I sure wouldn't want to "adjust" for a mere $60, like a Colt Lightning.

Jim

 

[zoom6zoom]

Hard to say about the quality of their gunsmithing. They did a recall service on my S&W 659 but that was years ago. It's a lot harder to find a qualified revolver smith these days.

The price also depends on what and how they are doing things. Disassembling to clean, or just spraying the inside with Gunscrubber? Not much that generally needs to be serviced on a Smith, or adjusted for that matter. And if you have a "three day inspection" or the like from your GB seller, they are generally specified as "non-firing".

Personally I would skip their "service".
Follow the "check out guide" featured here: http://thefiringline.com/Misc/library/Revolver-check.html
Then determine if you're keeping it or if it needs service.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I've never had any gun smithing done at Bob's. But they're always darned friendly when I go there.

I stopped in a few years ago when I picked up a Remmington 870 from a friend for a song to see about getting that little "safety key" thingie for the trigger lock. Didn't have one for it when I got the shotgun. One of the guys rummaged around and found one in a box and sold it to me for a couple bucks.

I can't speak for the price they quoted you, and I don't know what kind of "adjustment" they could do with your revolver. But I know several people at work who've frequented Bob's over the years and never heard a complaint from them. If it gives you peace of mind, and the money isn't too tight for you, then I say go for it. Given the time they'll put into cleaning and inspecting it alone, it's probably plenty reasonable.

 

[Jim Watson]

I guess the nice way to put it would be to call $60 for cleaning a gun a "profit center." None of those other techy terms means anything unless they catch a flaw that the seller concealed.

How much are they charging just to run it through their books?

 

[mrbladedude]

I guess the nice way to put it would be to call $60 for cleaning a gun a "profit center." None of those other techy terms means anything unless they catch a flaw that the seller concealed.

How much are they charging just to run it through their books?

$32 for the FFL fee

 

[Sun Tzu warrior]

Since it is your first revolver, I would pay the price of peace of mind. They may be able to tell you if the cylinder does not lock up right, and therefore not safe to shoot.
(The cylinder does not line up correctly with the forceing cone, on every indexing) If you do not know what these things mean, then please, spend the money. Most online sellers clearly state that you should have a qualified gunsmith determine if it is safe to fire. This is laywer speak for "My client may sell to someone who does not know what to look for, in a shootable revolver"