Back from an involuntary absence, and an Old Army question.

[BloodyThumb]

Greetings all. At one time I was fairly active here, but have been away for quite a while. Work, 4 family deaths, a divorce.... it has been quite the eventful last few years. I always enjoyed swapping lies with folks online and hope to be a regular again.

Anyway, I find myself nearing retirement and things settling down a bit. I have still been shooting a fair amount through all the above events due to being in law enforcement, but now I am looking to start doing a lot more of it, mostly with a herd of grandkids that either already are, or will soon be a proper age to start.

So... to the point. About 20 years ago I took in a stainless Old Army, 5.5" fixed. I took it in partial trade for something with the intent on holding it until I started shooting more with family and my first batch of grandkids (now adults). It came from a dealer, NIB, at a time when they were readily available and therefore did not draw a lot of interest (go figure). Well, the shooting with the kids happened to a lesser extent than intended, and the Ruger never got shot. It has literally set in my safe all this time, in the case, in the plastic bag, all papers, pretty much untouched.

So, now I have a need for a BP revolver to educate the kids, but it seems like the prudent thing to do might be to sell the Ruger and pick up a Uberti or something similar as it will see limited use. Maybe something a bit smaller like an 1849 Pocket .31. My only intent is to educate them a little on how things have changed with a few sessions learning to load and shoot them.

It seems the Ruger is bringing a lot more these days than the roughly $375 I have in it. There is a shop here near me who sells on consignment and gives LE a bit of a break on the fee. I can set my own asking price and they take a percentage of what it sells for.

Looking for input as to what you folks think I should expect this to bring. I am in the midwest, rural area, so I expect there to be a decent amount of interest in it.

I know the rules... I am NOT looking to sell it here.. just doing some research before I put it on consignment.

 

[contender]

Welcome back!

Sorry to hear about your rough years. As LEO,, you have probably figured out it's all part of life in general. I know my son has. His life has been tough for a few years now,, and as LEO,, he too has seen his fair share. LUCKILY,, his wife is still with him,,, but her health issues are part of his stress levels.

Now,, on to better things.

I'd keep the Old Army & use it. Take care of it,, (proper cleaning after shooting,) and it'll still bring more than your $375 invested. And,, they are an easier cleaning gun vs the Uberti guns,, in my opinion.

 

[48flyer]

I agree with the above. Keep it, but if you decide not to keep it, offer it up here for sale in the classifieds. I think there are more than a few of us that would be interested in it.

 

[BloodyThumb]

Using it was always the plan until recently. I now have the need, so I started looking around for powder, balls, etc. and in the course of conversation at different places I had a couple of folks express a real interest in buying it since it is what it is, and completely unmolested.

I really have limited use for it as we shoot so much modern stuff there is not a lot of time left over for it. I really only need it as an educational tool.

I have had local offers of up to $1200 for it, and have seen them go online for less... and more, up to almost $1500. I am not really looking to gouge on it, but the difference in a reasonable price to someone who is really into BP, and the price of a small frame Italian copy for the few rounds downrange I see happening.... well, that much cash will buy a lot of 22lr ammo the kids burn though like dry leaves as well as my own practice needs.

I am finding the Italian copies are not the easiest to find at the moment. I have a Uberti Walker that I won at a match many years ago, but the kids would have a problem holding that beast up! The Ruger would be more manageable, but a nice little 1849 or 1851 in 31 or 36 would be perfect. Just hard to find right now.

I may end up using it, but right now I am just trying to get a feel for what it should sell for before I make my mind up.

Any input on value would be appreciated.

 

[Uncle Howie]

I'd advocate for a .36 for general teaching/shooting, vs. a .31.

I have a Pietta replica of an 1863 Remington in .31, and it's tiny!

You can certainly 'download' the .36 to whatever level the little ones need to start out.

Again for the youngsters, I'd go with a Remington full-frame style, vs. an open-top Colt. Remingtons just seem a little less temperamental, in my experience.

Here's one option from Pietta:
http://piettausa.com/1858-Remington-Steel-Sheriff-36-65-_p_742.html

The Old Army is a luxury good, not a necessity. IMHO, it's not "gouging" for you to get every last nickel out of it…

If you have a local (no hassle) offer for $1200, I wouldn't feel bad for a second, taking that offer. It may be worth slightly more, if you find the right buyer, but not fooling aroundw/shipping, Money Orders, etc. is also worth something!

 

[BloodyThumb]

I initially was looking for a Remington. I have not been successful finding any in stock anywhere. I will consider the .31 vs .36 advice. I had actually considered a .44 if I could find anything in stock that I wanted, but my fear is that a light load in that for the small folks might cause me some issues with the loading ram length not seating a ball fully. So I started looking at .31 and .36 cals.

Thanks for the input Unk. If you run across any of those Remingtons in stock anywhere please let me know.

 

[azleite]

Ck out Two Wright Arms, he has some. Hope this helps-Dave

 

[BloodyThumb]

I will check them. Thank ya sir.

 

[RSIno1]

They are only new once. Take the $1200 and buy a $3-400 one to shoot. With that kind of profit on the OA you don't need to really shop for the cheapest deal. A lot are in stock at Midway https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=Black+powder+revolvers+&perPage=48
Another advantage with black powder is you can mail it direct to your buyer in most of the US.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Good to have you back!

 

[eveled]

I'd sell it and get a muzzle loading percussion pistol to teach the kids on.

Really not that big of a difference shooting an Old Army vs a Blackhawk

Once they understand the cap and ball muzzle loader. You can explain the cap and ball revolver and move on to the Blackhawk.

 

[BloodyThumb]

They have seen and fired a small muzzle loading rifle, so a percussion pistol would be kinda redundant.

We have discussed it here and decided which direction we want to go in with a revolver including caliber and have narrowed it down to 2 models, assuming we don't decide to just go ahead and use the Ruger.

I appreciate the input folks and it was helpful until we narrowed it down, but to be honest... for clarification.... my question really was....

"Looking for input as to what you folks think I should expect this to bring." .... as in $$$. What do they bring in your area... what have you seen them sell for recently, NIB or otherwise, in stainless 5.5" fixed sights. We are still interested in that input.

Thanks in advance,

BT

 

[G2]

Local face-2-face offer of $1,200 is fair and a good deal for both parties.

It will bring more on Gun Broker maybe the $1,500 but then Gun Broker takes their cut, sales taxes, GB sales fee, yadayada… GB has turned into a mess.

If you know what you want, GREAT PICTURES and park it on Guns International is the way to find the discriminating gun enthusiast.

IMO

 

[BloodyThumb]

Local face-2-face offer of $1,200 is fair and a good deal for both parties.

It will bring more on Gun Broker maybe the $1,500 but then Gun Broker takes their cut, sales taxes, GB sales fee, yadayada… GB has turned into a mess.

If you know what you want, GREAT PICTURES and park it on Guns International is the way to find the discriminating gun enthusiast.

IMO

Thank you sir. I agree. GB is not an option anymore. I used it a lot over they years, but not in the last couple. They got really greedy and most of their customers went away. The total number of listings is a fraction of what it used to be.

 

[oma54]

I acquired this all from a friend years back(not original box) with intentions of shooting it although I never did it sits in safe place I'm just inquiring on what the value could be on this as I'm trying find gunshop, or possibly wait for gun shows start back up to sell it ( I'm not trying get in trouble with the law) but I have another hobby I enjoy. Any info anyone may have it would be great appreciated

 

[jgt]

Something to consider if I was in your shoes: the gun you are selling is a stainless model. If it was me, I would replace it with another stainless model of what ever make and model you choose. In my mind, when it comes to maintenance, stainless makes clean up much easier and problems are easier to spot at the outset to take care of. Stainless does rust, but is a lot more resistant to it than blue. A bath in hot soapy water, scrub, rinse, dry, oil wipe down. Usually good to go.
One more thought. I have never read a post where someone says they regret keeping a gun they owned. I have read many that wish they had kept a gun or guns they once owned. Your gun does not cost you a dime today and will not go down in value to the price you paid for it unless you really really abuse it. So, even if you use it, it will keep going up in value.
Its your gun, your call. I'm just sharing thoughts your post brought to mind. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[contender]

oma54,, check the other post concerning values.

 

[oma54]

Thank you bunches for your opinion...(when i acquired this gun it didnt come with original box, so i have it in a similar box it normally comes in) i do have 2 other pistols and 5 other rifles one if them.being slightly older .308 lever action wooden stock.
I also bought a lil 22 rifle for my grand daughter that is highly interested in shooting w/her oma and wants hunt when she gets older..
I'm not really needing this BP revolver even though it's nice, I could use that $ for differ things. my baseball collection, etc

 

[oma54]

Thank you bunches for your opinion...(when i acquired this gun it didnt come with original box, so i have it in a similar box it normally comes in and i do have holster still in original plastic for the gun too.) i do have 2 other pistols and 5 other rifles one if them.being slightly older .308 lever action wooden stock.
I also bought a lil 22 rifle for my grand daughter that is highly interested in shooting w/her oma and wants hunt when she gets older..
I'm not really needing this BP revolver even though it's nice, I could use that $ for differ things. my baseball collection, etc

View attachment 17180

 

[BloodyThumb]

Thanks folks. I am still undecided. I agree that it will not lose it's value, but am also considering the fact that there are others who would get more enjoyment out of it than I will as my only reason for owning it is to educate the kiddo's a little while I can. I can do that with an Italian copy.

The other is that I have about $400 in it, and just saw literally it's TWIN sell on GB for $1875.00!!

RUGER OLD ARMY GLOSS 5.5" - Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols at GunBroker.com : 970222869

Buy RUGER OLD ARMY GLOSS 5.5" : GunBroker is the largest seller of Black Powder Pistols & Muzzleloader Pistols Black Powder & Muzzleloaders All: 970222869

www.gunbroker.com

If this one would bring ANYTHING over $1k I could buy the copy, and a lot of ammo. I have 14 grandkids so the ammo consumption will be substantial.

I have an original 1860 Colt from 1863… and I have never shown the kids a gun they did not want to shoot…. but the Colt will be the first exception to that and I want to have something else ready when the time comes. Spring is right around the corner.

I would have never owned a BP gun at all, ever, if not for giving me more time to deer hunt with my dad while he was with us. But I do have a couple pounds of unopened real black powder and sufficient balls, patches, etc. to do all I will ever want to do, with leftovers.

I just need to decide if I leave this one unfired and sell it, or take it out and get it dirty.

I appreciate the input folks. Thank you.