S&W Model 19 - Price check.

[12-34hom]

I had an offer last night from a friend of mine. He has an Model 19 S&W revolver for sale.

I have never owned a revolver before, shot a few - but all my other pistols have been in the Semi - auto variety.

This pistol comes with factory grips, another set of grips, speedloaders, 8 boxes of ammo.

The gun is in excellent shape, this was a duty weapon at one time and taken care of.

Now, could someone here give me a brief rundown on this model of pistol & how much would YOU pay for it?????

Calling Mike Irwin = hint.

Thanks for any replies from anyone who cares...

12-34hom.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Well, remember this is a highly biased opinion, given my undying hatred of all things Smith & Wesson, but I just got back from the gunshop and paying off the balance on a 19-5 6" in excellent condition that I bought for $200. I guess the owner (it was on consignment) was motivated.

Now, I regularly see Model 19s in Northern Virginia in the $300 to $350 range, depending on condition.

What the tare price would be in Iowa, I certainly don't know, but I would expect it to be somewhere between $200 and $350.

 

[riverdog]

My 6" Mod 19-4, P&R went for a about $350 OTD. I got my 4" Mod 19-5 (not P&R) for about $250. Being a LE piece, the trigger will have been tuned and it's probably fairly tight -- just a WAG based on my 19-5 LEO trade-in

IMO, for PD they can handle full .357 Mag loads but not a steady diet. The 125 gr .357 Mag loads are hard on these revolvers, check for top strap cutting just above the forcing cone. These revolvers are great for plinking with .38 Spl or light .357 handloads. I usually use light 158 gr .357 loads or .38 Spl +P.

Buy it and enjoy.

 

[C.R.Sam]

12-34hom
Would help to know condition
External finish

Model dash number....found under crane when cyl open right after the 19.....such as 19-2......19-6 etc.

Barrel length......being ex duty probably 4" but not necessairily.

Grip shape.....round butt or square butt.

Sam

 

[stans]

Model 19's are great guns, but a steady diet of Magnums, especially the light weight bullets, will take a toll on these guns. Mine is very accurate with reduced loads, especially 148 gr lead wadcutters. For protection, occasional use of 110 or 125 gr Magnum loads will not kill these guns. I recommend a steady diet of sensible loads with occasional practice using full power. This is just my limited experience.

 

[Hal]

Given the info, I would speculate this to be:

4" barrel Model 19-4 (or possibly a 19-3) blued finish, Square frame pinned barrel, recessed chambers, with the original target style wooden stocks and a set of some form of rubber ones added for use, without the original box, wrapper and documentation, showing some holster wear and a very definate ring around the chamber, ie worn a lot, fired relativly seldom, probably somewhat dirty (no offence meant, I'm very picky and clean to most is dirty to me,,,ultra squeaky clean is my standard,,,ie no, and I mean no, deposits in the area above the forcing cone and top strap<--the real test of just how clean clean is since this is numero uno in the hard to clean dept), noticable ring on the recoil shield around the firing pin, and minor cutting of the top strap.

Based on the assumption that the above is the case here's what I'd pay.(All this also assumes it meets and passes the JMGTBAUG-Jim March guide to buying a used gun- or some variation)

Base price I would start at for the above:
$200.00

Add:
$10 - for box.
$10 - for original docs.
$20 - for clean.
======= These three show IMHO, a gun that was cared for quite a bit. Most of the take em out and shoot-em-hard-till-they-drop-then-get- another-one, people don't hang on to the original box, or get overly excited about cleaning above toe forcing cone. Under the stocks is another good place to look for dirt.

$10 - for less wear.

$20 - for any of the original blueing still on the recoil shield
around the firing pin.
==== It takes a fair amount of .38 Special ammo through a 19 to wear the finish to any great extent. Lack of finish coupled with a small amount of drag line is a good indication the 19 saw a lot of heavy .357's. Lots of drag line, and no finish would probably indicate a lot of .38's.

$10 - for any adjustment of the rear sight from center.
====Unless the sight is all the way to one side,,even then I'd STILL consider it all other things being equal. Only a shooter is going to move the sight to dial it in. A point and banger is less likely to dial it in.

$20 - for nickel.
===only cause it's not as common and I'm a nickle freak.

$20 to $50 - for the speedloaders/ammo,,,maybe,,depends on the brass and if factory or range reloads, and caliber.
8 boxes of .357 ammo at retail is about $100. 8 boxes of .38 Special is less. 8 boxes of range reloads would be a gimme for me since it would mean I'd have to pull the bullets and deprime the cases. In that case I'd pay $20 for the speedloaders.

 

[12-34hom]

Rae, I'm impressed. Thanks for your input.

To all others who replied - thanks also!

Asking price = 300.00 $

From the above input from these members, i can now make an informed purchase if i see fit.

Thanks. 12-34hom

 

[Dan Morris]

I paid $175 for mine, this did not come with all the ammo. Guess the guy liked me.lol Only saddle wear was around muzzle.
Dan

 

[S&W44]

Model 19 and 66 S&W revolvers are going for about $350 in this area(mid-Michigan).That's in excellent condition without box or papers.

 

[RogerC]

Well, remember this is a highly biased opinion, given my undying hatred of all things Smith & Wesson

I guess you're not going to get over it, are you Mike?

You are acting like a third grader.

All because somebody "stood up to you"..........


$350 seems about right, but with a little more looking, you might be able to find one with the box for that. Depends if that is important to you or not.

 

[Randy63]

I picked up my 6" 19-4 in 98% condition without the box for $295 out the door last year. I feel I got a very fair deal.

Randy

 

[Hal]

12-34hom,
You're certainly more'n welcome.
Nice 19's are a passion of mine.
$300 sounds like it could be a fair asking price. At least it's in the ball park. I'd be willing to go that for the right 19. I'd be curious to see how close my speculation is as to model #/condition. Check Sam's post for the details of what to look for.
A good solid 19 should provide a couple of generations of shooting to you and your's.

 

[FPrice]

12-34hom

Based on what has been said, I think that $300 is probably a fair price, especially with the extras.

Everyone gave you good advice without any snide asides. With the possible exception of RogerC. But then...

Good luck on the purchase. If you have a camera, please post a pic.

 

[riverdog]

If the 19 is in good shape $300 is probably a fair price, particularly if it's pinned and recessed. If it was a friend of mine and I liked the pistol I wouldn't dicker too much.

You never did give detail as to which dash number this 19 has, it does make a difference in value..

 

[RogerC]

Sorry FPrice, everytime Sir Irwin posts his line about his undying hatred for Smiths, he is being "snide", in case you haven't figured it out yet.

Everyone gave you good advice without any snide asides.

RAE,

That breakdown is pretty decent, but just as in The Book, demand can skew the figures.

 

[Borf]

If the condition was good, I'd jump on it - at least here in middle TN.

 

[Clemson]

8 boxes of ammo are worth at least $40, and maybe more like $100 depending on what the ammo actually is. I think you need to jump on it

 

[Mike Irwin]

Good point, Clemson.

If it's factory-loaded ammo, I don't think there's any doubt that the ammo itself is worth at least $100, at least given prices in Northern Virginia.

If, however, this ammo is this guys reloads, I'd advise against shooting them. Let him keep them.