OK To Order a S&W Revolver Through Gunbroker Or Similar?

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Originally Posted by MattMPA

Thanks everyone!

I would certainly check the dealer's feedback. My concern is more about the quality of new, blued Smiths. Are they uniformly pretty good...or do I need to see it in person first?

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Are you talking about the build quality of the gun, or the quality of the bluing? Build quality is uniformly good - in some cases better than all those "old" guns that people lament over. That scourge MIM (sarcasm) actually results in parts that are smoother and more uniform in size - this necessitates less fitting and keeps costs affordable. People that equate new, cost saving processes with a decline in quality are just flat-out wrong.

The Internet is a two-edged sword - it is a great information and research tool, as well as making it easier to find and acquire items we desire. At the same time, should there be a problem with an item, there is a tendency to blow it way out of proportion. People, generally, only report or comment on the negative, which ignores that fact that for that one negative there may be thousands of positives that we never hear about because that is the way thing are meant to be.

I have owned Smiths since the early 70's and the only one I was ever disappointed in was a model 25-5 where, I've been told, the factory used pre-war drawings for the cylinder chamber dimensions and post-war drawings for the barrel/rifling dimensions. Those of you in the know, know that pre-war .45 Colt bullet diameter was .454" whereas post-war it went to the standard .452". I was getting keyholes at 7 yards. Certainly didn't turn me off to Smiths - I think that I have recently crossed the line from being an "accumulator" to being a collector because I seem to be acquiring them faster than I can shoot them.

I shoot club level competitions (IDPA and USPSA) and the revolvers I use date from 1997 (586-4 Brazil / .38 Spl) to 2003 (627-4 PC / .38 Super) to 2010 (625-8 PC / .45 ACP-AR) and all of them have, literally, thousands of rounds through them - with the newest with the highest round count. Nothing catastrophic has happened - nothing that one would not expect to happen to a tool that is hard used, has happened. I don't take "back-up" guns to a match and I have never come home prematurely because of equipment failure.

If you buy from one of the auction sites I can't guarantee you that it will be all rainbows and lollipops, but the chances that your experience will be a good one far outweigh the opposite, providing you do what due diligence you can.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

Thanks Pizza Bob! Thinking about both, build quality and fit and finish. Good to hear the Smiths are uniformly good. I wasn't reading bad things on-line or expecting the worst...just wondering out loud.

wellcraft. I actually stopped at Clayton's yesterday, no go. Had a 4". I didn't think to call Cabelas as there are none list in inventory on their site...but could call.

As mentioned above, none of my usual local places can currently get one...and places I have dealt with in-line are also out of stock. I suppose I can contact the different sellers on GunBroker and get their thoughts on their stock, too.

Rural King has in stock, and pickup at their stores is only 12.99 shipping https://www.rkguns.com/smith-wesson-...er-150145.html

rellisonii...thanks! I'll try to call them tomorrow, and see which local FFL to use. It looks like Rural King allows the buyer to inspect the item...

I have sold 100+ items on GunBroker and have purchased 20+ machine guns on GunBroker. On the buying side, only been screwed once when I purchased an MG from a dealer in Ohio who's inventory was seized by the ATF because he was linked to strawbuyers running guns to Mexico. If I would have done a Google search on this GunBroker account name, I would found a slew of news articles about him. My bad, lost $$$ on that auction.

On the selling side, been screwed dozens of times by people winning auctions and then emailing us, "I changed my mind, just relist the item".

So, as others have said, GunBroker is a great site to buy a firearm, BUT and it's a big BUT, make sure the seller has an A+ Rating with enough reviews to make you feel comfortable to send someone you don't know money. If the seller has the FFL Icon, that's an added comfort, but doesn't guarentee you won't be screwed.