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Thread: Is it a quality piece?

  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by OlongJohnson View Post
    I have never had an issue with what I received when buying used or new semi-autos online.

    I have tried to buy four revolvers online, one used and three new. The used one and one new S&W were returned to the sellers as unserviceable. As reported elsewhere on this site, the seller of the new S&W had their in-house gunsmith inspect a a few more from their inventory, and said they were all the same. It appears from the outside that they returned a significant quantity of J frames to S&W soon after.

    One new S&W I kept, but the trigger is crunchy and it will need the attentions of someone knowledgeable and skilled to approach the smoothness of the ones at the local Gander Mountain that got me excited about trying it in the first place (and were priced ~$300 higher than I paid, which I suppose should about cover the work).

    The last one was a Ruger. I wasn't able to identify the show stopper issue until I got it home. Ruger paid to ship it back to themselves, reworked it, and returned it. It's quite a bit nicer, with some extra hand detailing that most don't have, but it's also now cosmetically imperfect due to their work. And the biggest piss-off about it is something fundamental that they weren't able to correct. It doesn't seem to be a functional problem, but is enough of a cosmetic issue that I wouldn't have bought it at normal brick & mortar price if inspecting it in a local shop's inventory (for hundreds more, so I live with it).

    Unfortunately, based on the reports of other knowledgeable people here, it's not just S&W's regular production that's variable. Even the result of sending their product back for a Performance Center action job is likely to vary noticeably from unit to unit.

    Just a note - if you read the reviews at the JG Sales link above, they range from being very happy to receiving something that was basically in need of a rebuild.

    FWIW, I'm personally at the point of not buying a revolver unless I can inspect it in person before making any kind of commitment or having any skin in the game (like non-refundable shipping or freight insurance), or have a comfort level with the knowledge and character of the individual seller. That requires resetting expectations about how much things cost, which will likely make further revolver purchases far less interesting.

    Essentially, the online-shopping benefit of being able to find something unusual without waiting months or years for a local shop to actually get it in, or being able to get it at a substantially better (~20-30%) price, seems to be at best a much lower-odds lottery with revolvers than with semis.

    Writing both as an observer and based on my experiences outlined above, it seems the people with the best revolver experiences have a working relationship with a trusted revolversmith or two, or some level of skill themselves. It may not be required on every unit, but it seems wise to budget a reserve for some additional work beyond the purchase price if you want to take a trip down Revolver Road.
    Great post Olong Johnson. Completely agree. This post mirrors my experience with buying revolvers online. Nothing beats hands on. You simply can't catch mechanical issues with pictures...they crop up in very lightly used guns that have been "smiffed," or came loused up from the factory. I experienced problems of varying degree with 3 of last 4 revolvers I bought on Gunbroker. Not issues so severe as to call someone's integrity into issue. Maybe they understood/created the issue, maybe they were answering my pre-purchase questions in ignorance and thought the gun was "mechanically perfect." Maybe I'm overly particular on my revolvers. Maybe not. But, bottom line for me, if I am buying a revolver these days, it is in person, from someone I KNOW is proficient in trouble shooting revolvers, or not at all.
    Last edited by Willard; 02-03-2017 at 11:23 PM.

  2. #22
    O
    Quote Originally Posted by Willard View Post
    Maybe I'm overly particular on my revolvers. Maybe not. But, bottom line for me, if I am buying a revolver these days, it is in person, from someone I KNOW is proficient in trouble shooting revolvers, or not at all.
    Absolutely! There are more than a few of us, just like you.

    And you were being ... overly polite ... about some things. IMO, the by-far-greatest "sales people" types are either not nearly-as-sharp (IOW, stupid), or VERY sharp and quite good at making lots of issues not be obvious. Catching the latter on a potentially sold "good" revolver can actually be fun... until you (I) get tired. :-)

    Outstanding, sir. There are more than a few of us who feel exactly the same way.

    .

  3. #23
    Site Supporter NEPAKevin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fauxpa46 View Post
    ... As any gun aficionado would probably agree, one cannot go wrong with either a S&W or Colt, and even a Ruger. However, some more, shall we say affordable guns are being made by Charter Arms, Taurus, or EAA. ...
    I knew a guy who used to say that a scooter was like an unattractive woman. They both may be fun to ride but you don't want your friends to see you on one. Cheap wheel gun, similar concept.
    "You can't win a war with choirboys. " Mad Mike Hoare

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by fauxpa46 View Post
    I would love to have a .357 revolver as my next purchase for my collection, however as pricing does, indeed have something to do with my choice(s), I am in a quandary as to what is a good "bang for the buck". As any gun aficionado would probably agree, one cannot go wrong with either a S&W or Colt, and even a Ruger. However, some more, shall we say affordable guns are being made by Charter Arms, Taurus, or EAA. Not wanting to buy a revolver of questionable quality, I feel it only fair to at least perhaps give these makers a second look, however.

    Can any of you speak to your experiences with any of the three above mentioned manufacturers as they compare with the more expensive brands? I certainly believe the old adage, "You get what you pay for", but sometimes the checkbook must dictate the final purchase, if done so within reason.

    Thank you for your responses.

    Michael
    OK, I'll play.

    Taurus, sample of one. I purchased a stainless Taurus 605 in 2008. Mine's been good. I've put many hundreds of rounds of .38, mostly my handloads slightly into the +P range, through it. No problems. .357 Magnum, at most 10 rounds. .357 Magnum through that gun is painful, and my temptation was always to look and make sure the gun is still together.

    Charter Arms, sample of one. I purchased a Charter Arms Undercover in June of 2013. That one went back to the factory 3 times in one year. Once was a "birth defect" causing light strike failures. Twice was for broken transfer bars. After the 3rd return Charter replaced the gun. Within months the transfer bar on the replacement broke. When it came back from service I sold it off and replaced it with a S&W 642. Both Charters in my possession were rough, but shot well enough. But, after all that, I couldn't trust it.

    Charter Arms, Taurus, or EAA.
    You might also check into Armscor's revolvers. Internet buzz on them that I have seen is good. I haven't actually seen one in years.
    Last edited by lee n. field; 02-04-2017 at 07:57 PM.

  5. #25
    Sigh.

    Taurus. Charter "Arms". ARMSCOR??

    Right. I wonder why I even worry about that these days?

    .

  6. #26
    I'm sure that many Taurus revolvers work and are fine "shoot 50 rounds, kind of clean and then put in a nightstand for forty years" guns.

    Within the last 5 years though, I saw a Taurus lock up the very first time it was fired. It made it through three rounds or something, and then was (somehow) returned to the factory. I've seen others cease to function long before two boxes of ammo were run through them. Any firearms company can and will make some lemons, but the sheer volume of lemon Taurii is amazing.

    Charter Arms? Ummm . . . been there, done that, learned a cheap lesson.

    Armscor? Their .45's are nice 1,000-rounds-in-a-lifetime guns. But based on personal experience I wouldn't buy one for a high-round-count gun. People who have owned the revolvers have told me that they last less than 500 rounds before problems crop up. It is possible they are getting better and will at some point become a contender, but from what I can tell they aren't close to that yet.

    Smith and Ruger? Still some lemons, but usually quality revolvers.

  7. #27
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    Cheap guns are cheap for a reason. Sometimes is because the company does no QC at all, and expects a majority of customers to never actually shoot the gun more than 50 rounds ever. For the very few that do, it's a lot cheaper to send them a new gun when the old one inevitably breaks.

  8. #28
    Revolvers Revolvers 1911s Stephanie B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe in PNG View Post
    Cheap guns are cheap for a reason. Sometimes is because the company does no QC at all, and expects a majority of customers to never actually shoot the gun more than 50 rounds ever. For the very few that do, it's a lot cheaper to send them a new gun when the old one inevitably breaks.
    Back in the day, S&W, Ruger and Colt made service revolvers for professionals. As far as I know, what they usually got were guns that came off the production lines. They weren't guns made for lives in sock drawers and on nightstands.
    If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.

  9. #29
    Yet a lot of people bought a Model 60 or something and did just that. My bet is on Smith or Ruger to work far more often after 40 years in a sock drawer than on Taurus.

  10. #30
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeep View Post
    Yet a lot of people bought a Model 60 or something and did just that. My bet is on Smith or Ruger to work far more often after 40 years in a sock drawer than on Taurus.
    I just wish my Grandmother had taken some anti-rust precautions when she put my Grandfather's .32-20 in her sock drawer. Finding about heirlooms you could of had is aggravating.

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