Is This a reasonable price for a S&W Model 15-3?

[Driftwood Johnson]

Dunno what they call it where you live, but here in Nevada it costs $25 for the background check. All dealers charge the same, so there is no way around it.........unless you have a CCW (which I do), in that case the fee is waived and they don't have to call in your info. The cost of my CCW has been repaid many times over by not having to pay that fee.

Are you sure you are not confusing it with the dealer's fee for doing the transfer?

There is no charge for the NICS check, at least not at the Federal level. Dealers in these parts can charge whatever fee they want to do a transfer, for their time because they have to enter it into their book. Most dealers in these parts charge around $25 or $30 to do a transfer. But there is no separate charge to do the Federal background check.

 

[Rule3]

In Fl the NICS goes through the FDLE the phone call or computer entry costs the dealer $5. It shows as a separate charge on the phone bill. They charge the customer that $5.

If you pawn a gun for money, when you come back to get it, Yes you are subject to another NICS check and the $5 fee. If you fail you don't get your gun and still pay the $5.

Back to the OP. Does it have the BOX? Original wood stocks (grips) If it is excellent, $500 out the door is not bad.

 

[BinRat]

Here, as far as I know, all the shops charge $10 for the check. I'll have to ask why on Friday when I go back to offer the $500 OTD. I'll be taking 5 nice crisp $100 bills in hopes that it might tip the balance.

I'll also complete the check out of the piece, since I didn't have feeler gauges, and I can do a better job with a brighter light than the one I used initially.

I'll update the post to let you know what happens, and I'll post some photos if I can take any good ones and figure out how to include them.

Thanks again for all the opinions.

 

[CajunBass]

Don't take 5, 100's. Take four and the rest in smaller bills. If you put $500.00 on the table, you'll never know if they'd have gone lower.

Can you take $450? No? How about $475?

I hate it when they take my first offer. I know I didn't go low enough.

 

[BinRat]

Don't take 5, 100's. Take four and the rest in smaller bills. If you put $500.00 on the table, you'll never know if they'd have gone lower.

Can you take $450? No? How about $475?

I hate it when they take my first offer. I know I didn't go low enough.

That's not a bad idea. I know what you mean in regard to acceptance of a first offer.

However, I know this shop and I was surprised when the guy thought the owner might take $500 OTD, as his prices usually aren't very flexible. I'll have to ponder this before I head over.

 

[BinRat]

Bad news.

I returned to the shop and the gun was still in the case. He brought it out for me and I began doing the checkout again. I was checking the trigger and double action dry fired it with his permission. I then put rotational pressure (clockwise as seen from the rear) on the cylinder and it turned.

Surprised, I then cocked and gently lowered the hammer several times, each time checking whether the cylinder would do so again. It did so about 20% of the checks, sometimes moving one chamber, sometimes moving multiple chambers. The owner came over and when it finally happened for him, he said he'll be sending it out to his gunsmith.

I'm sure glad I checked it out again.

Does anyone have an idea as to what the problem might be? If it's something easily corrected, I'd consider making an offer (assuming it checks out after the repair) when it comes back from the gunsmith.

 

[Old Fuff]

I can think of several reasons, and all of them are minor.

What's happening is that the cylinder stop isn't coming up high enough to fully engage the notch in the cylinder on at least one chamber, so it skips over to the next one. Don't keep doing this because you'll mark a ring around the cylinder's circumference.

Correction may be as easy as a drop or two of oil in the right place. Or a file stroke or two so the cylinder stop will come up a bit higher.

Hopefully his gunsmith knows something about S&W revolvers. Many of them don't.

 

[788Ham]

As others have spoken earlier, NO, thats not high for my part of the country. A year ago, at a GS, I bought a 15-4 for $400 OTD, the guy was asking $525 for it, however, it didn't have the correct grips either. I talked him down after telling him about the grips, and he said he wouldn't charge me the $10 for the background check, yes in Colorado, they charge that amount. I did find another set of grips at the GS, so its back to original again. Buy it, have a smith check it out, as Fuff said, then shoot it!

 

[Old Fuff]

Buy it, have a smith check it out, as Fuff said, then shoot it!

No, that isn't what the Old Fuff said, or at least that's not what he wanted to get across.

In my view it's foolish to pay big bucks for a popular but discontinued gun in perfect condition if you are looking for a shooter. Doing so usually puts you up against collectors who often have deep pockets. After while, with regular use, that 99+% finish will be down to something like 85 to 90 percent or less, and the value you paid for will be gone. This is called throwing money away.

On the other hand, if you buy the same gun for less money, with no mechanical issues but some finish wear (that has nothing to do with how well it shoots) the additional wear the new owner puts on it likely won't be noticed. Should one decide later to trade or sell they're is a good chance they can recover all or more then they paid in the first place.

The money you save going this way can be put toward something else (accessories, ammunition, even another gun).

 

[Old Fuff]

From another thread:

I am frequently amused by those who spend big-bucks to get the "perfect example," and then go out and shoot it, and by doing so reduce the value of they're purchase... When they could have bought an equal gun with modest to substantial finish wear for less money. Personally I have found that buying the latter leaves me with more money to buy additional guns - or whatever

Others of course have every right to spend their money any way they want. That's what the word "choice" means.

Hopefully I haven't left anyone confused on where I stand.

 

[CajunBass]

In my view it's foolish to pay big bucks for a popular but discontinued gun in perfect condition if you are looking for a shooter. Doing so usually puts you up against collectors who often have deep pockets. After while, with regular use, that 99+% finish will be down to something like 85 to 90 percent or less, and the value you paid for will be gone. This is called throwing money away.

On the other hand, if you buy the same gun for less money, with no mechanical issues but some finish wear (that has nothing to do with how well it shoots) the additional wear the new owner puts on it likely won't be noticed. Should one decide later to trade or sell they're is a good chance they can recover all or more then they paid in the first place.

Amen this. I used to buy near pristine examples, in the box with all the goodies, but I never shot them for just this reason. I just couldn't do it.

Eventually I sold them all off for about what I paid for them and replaced them with finish worn, but mechanically sound examples, like this 15-3.



Now, I leave the really pretty ones for someone else. Nothing wrong with buying the pretty ones, but they don't make them anymore. Every time someone buys a pristine example, and shoots it, there is one less. I think some should be "safe queens" just so we'll always have examples of what they were like.

 

[Lucky Derby]

??? There is no charge for the NICS check. Unless your dealer wants to add a service fee for transferring the gun to you. Most will tell you what they charge for a transfer. I have never encountered somebody charging me a separate NICS fee.

That depends on where you live. By law in Colorado the charge is $10. Part of the gun control nonsense that passed in 2012.

In California it's $25.

I'm sure at least some other states do this as well.

 

[CajunBass]

That depends on where you live. By law in Colorado the charge is $10. Part of the gun control nonsense that passed in 2012.

Does Colorado use the NICS system, or do they have their own state system? Virginia used a state police system, so they don't use NICS. The charge is $2.00 here.

 

[BinRat]

I haven't purchased a gun for 8 years, and I've never bought a used one before. So, I appreciate everyone's opinions on this deal.

I've been shooting for 45 years and take very good care of my guns. In all that time, I've only sold one (1) of my guns, and I wish I'd never done it. I'd really like that one back. Basically, what I'm saying is that once I buy a gun, I will never sell it. So, resale value isn't something that concerns me very much. I'm not buying it as an investment of any kind, I'm buying it to enjoy it and shoot it. For me, part of that enjoyment is that the gun has a good appearance. Shooting the gun doesn't mean that the appearance will go down the toilet. Some of mine are from the early part of that 45 years and still look great.

 

[Johnny_B_Goode]

Here is a 38spl 15-3 in good condition for $396
http://www.gunsamerica.com/949871934/Smith-Wesson-Model-15-3-4-38-Special.htm
Here is another one in 95% condition $475
http://www.gunsamerica.com/972271704/S-W-MODEL-15-3-TARGET-REVOLVE.htm

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Since you have seen that you can buy a 15 for around $400.
I would let him sit on it for a while.
I eye balled a Model 19 that was well used in a pawn shop for 3 months.

Finally went in and asked if he was collecting or wanted to sell it?
I walked out with the 19 for $375.

Bad part was now I have to have more Smith's

If you do get a 15 I bet you will like it.
I picked up a nice model 14 and it is a tack driver.
Same gun as the 15 only a 6 inch barrel.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

That depends on where you live. By law in Colorado the charge is $10. Part of the gun control nonsense that passed in 2012.

In California it's $25.

I'm sure at least some other states do this as well.

Just checked with a dealer I buy from fairly often. Despite the draconian gun laws we have in MASS, there is no charge for the phone call. The dealer can charge whatever he wants, last transfer I did with this dealer cost $30, but there is no separate charge for the phone call.

 

[Homerboy]

My guns all look new. I shoot them all. I do not carry or holster the blued ones so they still look great. I'm having a finish worn model 10 reblued now. Some call it a waste of money. Maybe it is. It's mine to waste. I take no pride in finish worn guns. Sure they work. But so do the nice ones. And since I'm not selling them I don't worry about resale. My kids will get them one day.