"58 BH Flat top

Looking for advice re price on this approx 1958 .357 Flat top # 13752. Would you say it's worth $475 ? Please look at the front of the cylinder - not sure if it's residue or flaking? Also appears to be a bit of residue or rust on Rt grip screw. Any help appreciated.

Mike

Looks pretty darn nice to me.

I have taken the liberty of adding your nice gun to Bob Campbell's List of Ruger .357 Old Models, where it falls immediately after 13751 . . . yep, another consecutive pair for TheList.

More pictures would be nice, particularly of areas of concern.

Thanks for sharing.

nothing wrong with that gun at all, needs a bit of 'TLC' clean up ........I would buy that in a heartbeat, and in a few minutes it would look 'awesome',its ALL in the 'detail'..........nice one

rugerguy said:

nothing wrong with that gun at all, needs a bit of 'TLC' clean up ........I would buy that in a heartbeat, and in a few minutes it would look 'awesome',its ALL in the 'detail'..........nice one

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That's good enough for me. I'll let you know if my offer is accepted. There is a firearms buy & sell forum up here and often we take a leap of faith that the item will be as described/shown when it arrives. I'm just waiting now on delivery of my new to me 4 digit .44 Flat top. i bought it sight unseen but from a trusted member. My other Ruger is the one that's a digit away from WMG's 4 digit mahogany box SBH.

Mike

oohh, sounds like some NICE stuff..............forgot to say before, that is residue from what we can see, and as said in the 'detailing' a bit of time, and effort, cleaning ,most if not all that will come off , as well as the dried up grease, oil on the curves of the frame..... a bit of mineral spirits and a Q-tip ( for the stubborn stuff we will use acetone) just keep that away from plastic ( hard rubber grips ) and the wood surfaces( finish)..........done LOTS of them, way worse looking that this one............good luck

One nice flattop--the plum gate is very sweet 8) 475.00= buy it gun looks GOOD to me :!:

A thought . . .

Are you buying it to KEEP or to sell?

If you're buying it because you want a nice Flattop, is it really worth quibbling over $50 or so? A couple of years from now you'll never miss the $50, and you'll be able to play with your nice Flattop and show it to your envious buddies who don't have one. Given proper care, you can even shoot it a little and not hurt the value a bit.

I cannot justify all purchases that way, but I've done it on a couple of Flattops and don't regret it in the least.

And if you keep it for ten years, you can rest assured it will appreciate considerably. How much? More than $50 for sure.

Ale-8(1) said:

A thought . . .

Are you buying it to KEEP or to sell?

If you're buying it because you want a nice Flattop, is it really worth quibbling over $50 or so? A couple of years from now you'll never miss the $50, and you'll be able to play with your nice Flattop and show it to your envious buddies who don't have one. Given proper care, you can even shoot it a little and not hurt the value a bit.

I cannot justify all purchases that way, but I've done it on a couple of Flattops and don't regret it in the least.

And if you keep it for ten years, you can rest assured it will appreciate considerably. How much? More than $50 for sure.

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I'd be keeping it and with me it's not about the money so much as getting a very nice example rather than a 60% shooter. I just needed confirmation that this one is keeper grade and i think it is. (Don't tell my other bunch that it isn't about the money, ha ha)

Mike

I have now officially purchased the gun and await delivery. I will post more pics when it arrives. My first shorter barrel OM and I'm pretty excited.

Mike

Welcome to the club.

We'll be anxiously awaiting the pics.

Ale-8(1) said:

Welcome to the club.

We'll be anxiously awaiting the pics.

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No problem. I see you are compiling serial # lists. If it helps I am also awaiting delivery of .44 Flattop serial # 4954 and will post pics soon. I am also working on a 1957 single six serial # 65856 which I hope to purchase but it isn't mine yet.

Mike

Good for you!!!! That is indeed a fine ol' Flattop!

I purchased one in a local Pawn/Gun shop quite a few years ago.....



I wish it could tell me some stories......

flatgate

Mike, I help Bob Campbell maintain his famous list of the Old Model .357 Blackhawks, from the original Flattops thru the 31-prefix late three-screws. Yours was a nice addition, being a consecutive gun to one already included therein.

There are others who keep track of these as well, and also the other older Rugers such as your .44 Flattie and the older Single-Sixes. Rest assured we'll be interested in any information you care to share.

It's good to see a fellow Rugerphile from the Geat White North.

Oh yeah, I sure wouldn't hesitate to fork over $475 in those funny colored play money notes.

Hey Mike, I sure hope you're still taking good care of my Super... If you need to kick the old ones out to make room for these new toys, let me know and we'll get busy figuring out the international stuff.

weaselmeatgravy said:

Oh yeah, I sure wouldn't hesitate to fork over $475 in those funny colored play money notes.

Hey Mike, I sure hope you're still taking good care of my Super... If you need to kick the old ones out to make room for these new toys, let me know and we'll get busy figuring out the international stuff.

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At one point I was considering selling the Super mahogany box because as you may surmise there are not anywhere near as many opportunities in Canada to aquire the really nice OM's and a bit discouraging just having the one Ruger. Now that I have a couple of other pieces to keep Super #5694 company I will stay the course for now. I did PM you at one point but long after you had PM'd me as I had been off the forum for a while. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the nice older gent who sold me the .357 flattop will also part with the '57 single six he has had forever.

One thing here is that there are very few if any older boxes to be had let alone outer shells.

Once more, just for Bob



Mike

I just purchased a .357 Flattop that is a twin to the OP's gun here in CA for $500 plus tax & transfer fees. That was a consignment from a gun shop so prices are higher than they would have been at a gun show for example.
It is in excellent shape although it was missing the original hard rubber grips.
A Forum member offered a set for sale so now it's restored to it's original configuration. It shipped in Feb. 1959 and also has a plum colored loading gate. Older 3 screws are getting hard to find in CA, especially Flattops. I didn't hesitate for a moment once I inspected it for condition and functioning and confirmed that it did not have the safety conversion parts installed.
I think $475 is a very fair deal.

Finally have possesion of my flattop. All it needed was a little TLC as suggested. What I thought might be corrosion was just a bit of grime as this one sat in a drawer for about 50 years according to the seller. Bore crisp and just a bit of wear on the edges here and there. I never had a shorter barrel single action before and I love the balance and fit to my hand.
Mike

Wow, that's NICE!

flatgate

Yowser, that's a real keeper!

Congrats.