What Is This Smith And Wesson 38/44 Heavy Duty Worth?

[davidh5000]

I was wondering if any one could give me an idea what my S&W Heavy Duty is worth. It has a 4 inch barrel, has been used very little, barely any muzzle wear and barely a turn line on the cylinder. The gun is all original and was made in the early 50's.

 

[davidh5000]

more pics...

 

[almostfree]

I think $750-850 would be a fair price and that is what I would look to pay for one, but it could go for much more on an auction site.

Nice revolver. I really like 38/44s.

Edited to add: I've bought 3 Heavy Duties over the last couple of years. I picked up a 5" prewar with about 75% of the finish left for $600, a really nice post war transitional (long action) 4" in about the same shape as yours but with non-original grips for $800, and a 6.5" short action model of 1950 for $600. That and watching gunbroker obsessively is the basis of my pricing.

 

[Guv]

I have to agree with almostfree. Looks very clean, I'd buy it!

 

[bamaranger]

+1

very nice

 

[davidh5000]

I know I never see them in my area, and it's hard to go by what you see on the internet. Some of the people on the gun sites seem to want HUGE prices for what seem like fairly common things that never sell.

 

[walnut1704]

The ones you see on gunbroker for $950 and up never sell so I think almostfree is probably spot-on.

There's no completed auctions that sold to gauge pricing. A very nice pre-war target sold for $1185 but that should sell for more than the service model.

 

[old bear]

David, in many markets 4" 38/44's have been hot for sometime now. Based in the four line address yours is a post WWII, with correct grips. Do the grips number to the gun? If they do this would add to the value of the revolver.
If I were in the market for another 38/44, I'd be a buyer at $750.00 and a strong thinker up to $850.00. Understand that, from time to time, I'm willing to pay a premium, to get something I really want.

P.s Ya a buyer or seller?

 

[Mike Irwin]

OOOHHHH!

Sparkly!

I need another .38 Special like I need a hole in the head, but I think I'd make an exception for that one.

And yeah, prices seem to have gone a bit more crazy on the HDs.

Based on the ejector rod style, I'm thinking it's late production in the pre-model number era, probably sometime in the mid 1950s, or just before they changed the front sight and dropped the upper sideplate screw.

 

[davidh5000]

Yes the grips on the gun match the serial number on the gun, and by the number it is a mid 50's production gun.

 

[Joe_Pike]

I've been thinking about selling my 38/44 too. It's a 1937 model with numbers matching Magna grips. I got a letter for it a few years ago...nothing exciting. I keep hanging on to it thinking that as soon as I sell it prices will travel much farther north like the Colt revolvers have.

 

[davidh5000]

I considered getting a letter for this one also, but since there is nothing special about it, I just didn't see the sense in spending the $50.00 for it.