What are these wheelguns worth?

Tim Hancock · 10-09-2006, 08:45 AM

I am thinking of trading these in and replacing with at least one small semi auto for my wife as per my post a few days ago.

Do most guns shops take in trades and if so what would these slightly used revolvers be worth? Colt .22lr/.22mag "peacemaker
and Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag

jriera · 10-09-2006, 08:59 AM

I give you $20 for each!! :-)

Ruger about $500
Pacemaker about $750

Tim Hancock · 10-09-2006, 09:43 AM

Thanks Jordi, why is the little Colt so valuable? I saw one just like it for sale on-line for about $500. I would have guessed it being worth a couple hundred max. Is it kind of rare or what? It has fixed sights and they suck IMO. Long story, but these guns came with my wife (her previous, deceased husband had owned them). She kind of likes the Ruger, but we have no use whatsoever for the .22 revolver.

id10t · 10-09-2006, 10:12 AM

Put them up on gunbroker.com with no or low reserve and see what happens...

Jeff Higgins · 10-09-2006, 10:45 AM

No use for a .22 revolver??!! C'mon, Tim, they have to be the all-time greatest plinking toys. I would be lost without mine.

Your Super Blackhawk is a mid-generation "3 screw", which are more desireable to Ruger guys. It should have the traditional single action lockwork, with three notches on the hammer; "safe" (not really, though), load/unload, and full cock. There should be no transfer bar, either. Ruger still takes these in, free of charge, to be converted to the more modern transfer bar/one hammer notch action, but that conversion is not seen as desireable (it is reversible, though). It is also missing the obnoxious "for a free instruction manual, contact Sturm, Ruger, and Co...." stamping that takes up most of the barrel on the newer (post '73 or so) Rugers, the lack thereof which is also highly desireable. I would think $500 would be on the very low end for a "three screw", non-instruction-manual-stamped Super Blackhawk. These are highly prized among single-action shooters and Ruger collectors. I would hang onto it; you would have a very difficult time replacing it. That goes for that little Colt, too - these things are getting very hard to find.

Tim Hancock · 10-09-2006, 11:12 AM

Man!!! I guess I truly underestimated the value of these guns!!!

I guess I should *****can the idea of "trading/selling" these things to a local gun shop. I am glad I asked....I would have been pretty ticked off to find out I gave them away for $150-$200 each!

Jeff, loading and unloading the Colt for plinking gets real old, real quick and it's fixed sights are off by quite a bit in both windage and elevation (the "rear sight" is just a machined groove in the top of the receiver).

jriera · 10-09-2006, 11:17 AM

You got a couple of 'jewels' there Tim!!

Jeff Higgins · 10-09-2006, 11:32 AM

Sighting in fixed sight Colts is really pretty easy. It should be shooting low and left out of the box. There is only one way to correct elevation; file the front sight down. They are all made tall to allow for this. Correcting windage can be done one of two ways. The more desireable way is to screw the barrel in farther; they are not bottomed out specifically so you can do this. You do need a barrel vise (or some soft vee blocks for a normal vice) to do this, so most folks just clink a big old pair of vise grips on the sight and bend it a little. Do this before filing it down, so there is enough meat to grab onto. Pad the jaws with some cardboard and bend away.

Can't help with the loading/unloading part; that's just a part of the game. It served to slow my machine-gunning boys down a bit when they were little, and I'm just so used to doing it I don't even think about it. I'm never in that big of a hurry anyway.

Tim Hancock · 10-09-2006, 11:50 AM

Jeff, thanks for the windage correction tips. I can live with elevation issues, but the windage error and non-adjustability has always disgusted me with this gun. I will look into turning the barrel first and if that does not appear to be readily doable, I will tweak the front sight blade a bit. (that fixed rear groove sight must have been causing me a mental block....can't believe I never thought of bending the front sight...DOH!)

tabs · 10-09-2006, 02:07 PM

DO NOT FK WITH THE GUNS YOURSELF< TAKE THEM TO A GUNSMITH TO DO A PROPER JOB. Filing the front sight, are U outa your frinkin mind, you want to make it into a $100 gun just go ahead and do the things Jeff said to do.

The value lies in ORGINAL factory condition and the closer to NEW the more valuable.

I have never paid much attention to Rugers, simply because they are beneath me, they were always considered to be low cost "Everyman" type of guns...Well NOT ANYMORE..they are on the come Collectably wise.

The Frontier Scout, because it says Colt on the side is worth sumthin, it really is not very high in the pecking order of Colt collectabilty.

Both guns are worth having, both enjoy a modicum of value which will increase as time goes by. I think the Ruger is the better of the 2 though, and DO NOT do the Transfer Bar Mod....the value is in the orginal state of the gun, U would kill the collectabilty of the gun if it is done.

Tim Hancock · 10-09-2006, 04:08 PM

I will do no harm Tabs, I can live with the elevation error and I think Jeff offered up good solutions to the windage. Local gun shop looked them up today and at 90% they each are worth around $300 (maybe more to collectors and if they are 95% conditionwise). I think I will keep them.

Jeff Higgins · 10-09-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
DO NOT FK WITH THE GUNS YOURSELF< TAKE THEM TO A GUNSMITH TO DO A PROPER JOB. Filing the front sight, are U outa your frinkin mind, you want to make it into a $100 gun just go ahead and do the things Jeff said to do.

The value lies in ORGINAL factory condition and the closer to NEW the more valuable.

Ah, the difference between a shooter and a collector. You would really hate to see my gun collection tabs; they have all been, and will continue to be, shot extensively. Hell, I even eat with my less collectible spoons.

tabs · 10-09-2006, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
Ah, the difference between a shooter and a collector. You would really hate to see my gun collection tabs; they have all been, and will continue to be, shot extensively. Hell, I even eat with my less collectible spoons.

Heresy, Heresy...Burn him, Burn him at the stake...I don't want to here this...

Don Ro · 10-10-2006, 11:35 AM

Tim,

Your Colt looked familiar, so I went looking.
There it was...in my shop, on the top shelf collecting dust.
I don't remember when I bought it, maybe back in late '70's?
New Frontier .22 convertible, adjustable sights, 7.5" barrel, unfired.

Thanks for the reminder.

.

Tim Hancock · 10-10-2006, 11:47 AM

Looks about the same other than the longer barrel and mine says "Peacemaker" on the barrel instead of "Frontier". I "bumped" (not even a scratch Tabs!) the front sight last night and it now is hitting center and about 1" high from ten yards away. I can live with that!