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Old 09-22-2013, 02:56 AM
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funkychinaman funkychinaman is offline
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Default Smith & Wesson Model 10-5

I went over to my buddy's place today for Sukkot we started talking about guns. His mom mentioned that she had one tucked under her bed, but didn't know anything about it. She asked me to take a look at it. (I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo with my phone.)

Anyway, as it turns out, it's a Smith & Wesson Model 10-5 snub, serial number D869XXX. She mentioned she bought it from her father years ago for $125, but never actually fired it. It was still wrapped in the S&W wax paper in the original box. The bluing still looks pretty good, but there's a few spots of rust on the hammer and trigger. I did not want to dry fire it, but I did pull back the hammer and let it down slowly, and I could tell it was a bit sticky.

- How much do you think she'd be able to get for it today? I assume the spots of rust probably bring down the value a bit, but is that easily fixable? She was hoping for at least $500, but I didn't know what to tell her.

- She had some handwritten notes in the box which were instructions she had written down when her father handed it over. Most were basic common sense and maintenance, but the one that stuck out to me was an instruction to only carry five rounds and to let the hammer rest on an empty chamber. Now I know that's an old practice from the 19th century that's still practiced in cowboy shooting, but is that necessary for a revolver designed in the mid-20th century?
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