Shade00
Member
Well, I was out driving around this morning and decided to check out a couple of shops that I hadn't looked at in a while; one because it never had anything worthwhile, and the other because it was always way overpriced.
The first store, as usual, didn't have much, though this time they had a couple of S&W Model 66s w/ 6" barrels in pretty good shape. They wanted about $420 for those. I'm not really shopping for a 66, so I passed - however, one was very tempting, as it was in excellent shape.
Anyway, I moved on to the actual gun shop (first was a pawn shop), not expecting to find anything. I browsed the usual selection of Bersas and such, finally coming to the used revolver section. I was surprised to find a few good-looking old Smiths, a 10, a 27, a 28, but those seemed to be priced a little high (or at least more than I wanted to pay).
To my surprise, among the selection of usual Colt Police Positives in .32-20, I found a Diamondback .38 Special. My dad has one that I absolutely love. I asked the gentleman if I could inspect it; bore looked excellent, timing checked out (absolutely love the hammer pull on these), no cylinder wobble in lockup. The grips are rubber with the Colt logo - did Colt make them with rubber grips? The serial number dates it to 1978. I would say it retains 98% of its original blue, with only a little bit on the right side of the barrel being slightly worn (maybe light holster wear). The ejector shaft housing appeared to have some tiny bit of gunk inside it. Did not appear to be pitted or rusted, just looked like a little bit of surface gunk.
I really wanted to find a Diamondback in .22LR, but those are always a little pricey. I think I'll satisfy my .22LR desires with a S&W K-22.
As for the price, the tag said $550, and I didn't try to haggle. There really wasn't much to nitpick (aside from the lack of a box), and there was actually another gentleman there who asked to look at it while I was getting it; he expressed a genuine interest and the gun likely would not have lasted much longer.
So, I have it on layaway now, and while some of you may have gotten these for less than what I will end paying, I am pretty happy with the deal. Plus, Uncle Sam is going to pay for the rest of this guy. I'm excited. Sorry for the lack of pics too - I didn't have my camera with me since I can't locate my charger. As soon as I am actually able to bring it home I'll clog up the forum with another thread.
The first store, as usual, didn't have much, though this time they had a couple of S&W Model 66s w/ 6" barrels in pretty good shape. They wanted about $420 for those. I'm not really shopping for a 66, so I passed - however, one was very tempting, as it was in excellent shape.
Anyway, I moved on to the actual gun shop (first was a pawn shop), not expecting to find anything. I browsed the usual selection of Bersas and such, finally coming to the used revolver section. I was surprised to find a few good-looking old Smiths, a 10, a 27, a 28, but those seemed to be priced a little high (or at least more than I wanted to pay).
To my surprise, among the selection of usual Colt Police Positives in .32-20, I found a Diamondback .38 Special. My dad has one that I absolutely love. I asked the gentleman if I could inspect it; bore looked excellent, timing checked out (absolutely love the hammer pull on these), no cylinder wobble in lockup. The grips are rubber with the Colt logo - did Colt make them with rubber grips? The serial number dates it to 1978. I would say it retains 98% of its original blue, with only a little bit on the right side of the barrel being slightly worn (maybe light holster wear). The ejector shaft housing appeared to have some tiny bit of gunk inside it. Did not appear to be pitted or rusted, just looked like a little bit of surface gunk.
I really wanted to find a Diamondback in .22LR, but those are always a little pricey. I think I'll satisfy my .22LR desires with a S&W K-22.
As for the price, the tag said $550, and I didn't try to haggle. There really wasn't much to nitpick (aside from the lack of a box), and there was actually another gentleman there who asked to look at it while I was getting it; he expressed a genuine interest and the gun likely would not have lasted much longer.
So, I have it on layaway now, and while some of you may have gotten these for less than what I will end paying, I am pretty happy with the deal. Plus, Uncle Sam is going to pay for the rest of this guy. I'm excited. Sorry for the lack of pics too - I didn't have my camera with me since I can't locate my charger. As soon as I am actually able to bring it home I'll clog up the forum with another thread.
