Pricing help on guns?

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

Health has lead to some really large life changes over the last three or four years and SASS shooting was one of the big hits. Many of my health issues seem to be improving and I want to restart my shooting, to a somewhat limited degree. Early on I dumped many of my guns to help with bills but after rethinking my present situation, I now think that the set I sold first was the ones I now wish I had kept!

 

For background I had three sets of match guns when I stopped shooting. Each set included a pair of Cimmaron ER revolvers with a Uberti '73 short rifle with either CC or JS action jobs/short strokes. In the beginning I sold the matched set in 38/357 and now I have one set left that is 44/40 which is exactly opposite from which I now would prefer. My questions are now related to how I get from my current situation back to the other.

 

Basically what is the most likely scenario, swapping for an exact set in a different caliber or selling one set and buying the other? Since I am wanting such exact guns it would seem more likely to get there by selling and buying, no? If selling and buying used guns, what percentage of current new gun prices should I expect when selling and buying?

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

There are a lot of .38/.357 revolvers out there and not as many .44-40s. I don't think you would have any trouble at all making an even swap of your .44-40 for a pair of .38/.357s. The .44-40 stuff is very popular with the Black Powder crowd.

 

I recently picked up a set of .44-40s to go with my .44-40 Winchester 73 BP rifle.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

An even up trade is the best as it implies both sides are giving/getting equal value. Only you and the other side to the transaction can determine the value. It may not be the best way to do it, but a sale of what you don't want and a purchase of you do want is the easiest way to quantify the transaction. Also, you could try putting the guns you want to sell on the Wire for the amount you think they're worth and add that you'll be willing to consider trades for the guns you want. You can then decide on the value of the bids and the offers.

 

Valuation is always a problem in that it depends on availability, reputation of manufacturer and, above all, condition. Unless it's a Colt or a USFA, most guns sell for less than their purchase price. An early model Uberti 1866 rifle will sell well below current prices, regardless of condition, since parts availability is almost zero.

 

Glad to learn you're getting back into the game. If you're only going to do it on a limited basis for the time being why not stick with the 44s while you look around and get a feel for the current state of the market.

 

Good luck.

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

Thanks for your replies and though I agree that the 44-40 is a great old cartridge I now feel a need for the ease and convenience of the .38. My target group would certainly be much smaller than the shooters who prefer the .38s. As to the idea of finding two individuals who can agree to value, pretty hard even though comparing apples to apples. Though the idea of an even trade would be great, I think that selling mine and buying new will probably be more likely. I am not familiar with actually appraising guns BUT I think these revolvers would likely be considered 97 or 98% and though I do not have the rifle in front of me I think it should fare as well. I can see no burred screw heads (all slots sharp and crisp looking), no turn circles appear on the cylinders and the muzzle/ ejector rod end show the slightest rub on the blue while the sight top shows none. I know that there are gun dealers who follow the boards and hope that perhaps one or more would jump in and offer an opinion as to correlation of a guns finish will affect pricing between individuals.

[Dead Eye Raith]

Contact John Barleycorn. He is an FFL who specializes in CAS guns. He traded a couple of my guns for his Vaqueros. He is a standup guy and kept me updated with the whole process and answered all of my stupid questions.

[Blackey Cole]

Iirc you said that the guns you have and the guns you want both are not stock since they had aftermarket parts fitted and installed plus action work. It depends on if you want the work done by the same person that did yours with the same parts or if you would settle for the same work and parts regardless of who did the work. The latter would definitely be easier the former I feel you would be better off selling what you have the buying want guns you want and have the work done by a person you like.

 

I sold some 357s back several years ago myself that were modified by wes flowers, west Fargo. He had retire and passed by the time I was able to purchase another set so I had to get the work done by Lassiter which is ok by me. But there are a couple other smiths besides him that do similar jobs plus you can buy the parts for the same effect now but I still went with Lassiter it was cheaper in the long run.

 

Now except for the reloading or ammo cost I don't see where the 44s bank be loaded to a similar felt load as the 38s. In that case I would keep the 44s much more original caliber I shoot the 38wcfs myself.

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

Thanks fer the input guys. This gives me a bit ti chew on and in the while, I will take them to the Chas, SC match this weekend and see if there is any local interest before posting elsewhere.