s&w model 36

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scottd913

New member
i inherited a 1955 s&w model 36 in the box never been fired.
yes i took it and test fired it.
i ran 5 rounds thru it only.
my question what exactly is this and what would one in pristine condition be worth? i am afraid to take it to a gun show because you never know how honest they are. for some reason i still cant seem to post pic's, just figure its new old stock in box.
thanks.
 
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aarondhgraham

New member
From the 2010 Standard Catalog of Firearms,,,

Model 36 (.38 Chief’s Special)
This model, known as the Chief’s Special, was introduced in
1950. It was built on the J frame and is chambered for the .38
Special cartridge. It holds 5 shots, has a 2" or 3" barrel, and was
initially offered in a round butt. In 1952 a square-butt version was
released. It is finished in blue or nickel-plate and has checkered
walnut grips. A 3" heavy barrel was first produced in 1967 and
became standard in 1975. The 2" barrel was dropped from production
in 1993.
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
575 375 275 200 150 100
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Hope this helps,,,

Aarond

.
 
M

medalguy

New member
Well honestly it's worth a couple hundred less than it was before you fired it. There aren't very many unfired old Model 36s left around, and now there's one less. :(
 
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carguychris

New member
i inherited a 1955 s&w model 36 in the box never been fired.
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OK, something is off kilter here.

If the revolver was made in 1955, it should not have "Model 36" or "M36" anywhere on the gun or the box. S&W did not start using the current model numbering system until 1957.

What leads you to believe that the gun dates to 1955? FWIW family stories regarding a gun's provenance often turn out to be incorrect; family members often have faulty memories, or embellish the stories for dramatic effect.

If in doubt about the gun's age, a serial number would help; many people replace the last couple of digits with x's, e.g. 512xx. Two important notes: (1) Older S&Ws often have alphabetical prefixes within the serial number; make sure you include the prefix, even if it is separated from the numbers by a space. (2) The definitive location for the serial number on a S&W revolver is either on the butt or on the frontstrap beneath the trigger guard; the number inside the cylinder yoke cut is often an assembly number used during production, NOT the serial number, do NOT confuse the two.
 
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Joe_Pike

New member
I don't think it mattters if it's been fired or not in the grand scheme of things. Unless it's got some unbelievable pedigree, I don't believe any 36 is worth more than $500-$600 LNIB. They are nice guns (I have two) but there are a bunch out there.
 
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carguychris

New member
The 1955 date on the inside of the box is not the manufacture date for the gun.
S&W used those boxes for a long time.
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You are correct, I forgot about the number inside the box. S&W generally ordered boxes for their early postwar revolvers by the tens of thousands.
 
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carguychris

New member
... you mean like everyone's SuperBird had the 426 Hemi instead of the 440 4-barrel?
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With guns, it tends to go something like this...

Grandpa served in the Army from WWII to the mid 1950s as a logistics staff officer. In the 50s, he was stationed in West Germany. In 1962, he buys a Walther PPK while he's home in the USA. He passes away and his heirs find the gun, having basically forgotten about it for years, since nobody can remember him shooting it after ~1970.

"Grandpa has had this gun for a long time."

becomes

"I think Grandpa got this gun while he was in Germany."

becomes

"Grandpa got this gun in Germany during WWII!"

becomes

"Grandpa pried this gun from the hands of a dying SS officer during the Battle of the Bulge after a horrific firefight!!!"

This explains why the gun has commercial markings and a serial number that date from 1959. And Grandpa was stationed in Alabama for training while the Battle of the Bulge was going on. :rolleyes:
 
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Winchester_73

New member
"Grandpa pried this gun from the hands of a dying SS officer during the Battle of the Bulge after a horrific firefight!!!"
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My grandfather got this here luger when he shot down a ME 109 with his garand!

So I want at least $5000 for it because of the story! Its a good investment for ya'll that collect guns n that!

luger1.jpg
 
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