[JoeWill421]

Owner of Gun Shop showed me a Colt New Service .38 Special
Ser # 334xxx. I believe about 1933 mfg. The gun is an easy 95%, showing just a trace of muzzle wear and a few handling marks. Gun has been to the range but was well cared for.
The only problem is that there is a small, about 1/4 ", chip in the heel of the left stock. Other than the chip the grips are in beautiful shape.
I don't know how much this chip effects the overall condition of the gun and the price.
There is no price on the gun as the gun is part of a three gun deal and the gun shop owner really is only interested in one of the other guns for himself. He did make the owner of the guns an offer but it was really low and I doubt the owner is going to accept it.
I am thinking of making an offer on the New Service and then the Gun Shop owner can up the overall offer for the three guns.
I just am unsure what a resonable offer on the New Service would be considering the chip in grip.

 

[icdux1]

since you have no replys i`ll give my opinion. shooter grade n/s start at around 300-350. the stock chip may be repairable, nice n/s stocks are hard to find and pricey that would be what i would try.the .38 chambering does not help value in my opinion , but the 95% condition does. in my opinion the short and long bbls are a premium, the 5.5 was the most common. i would guess the gun is worth around 500$, if 95% ORIGINAL condition with no mod`s and a repairable chip in the stock.not sure if the long 7.5 bbl was available in the .38 cal of that vintage, i THINK standard lengths were 4,5,and 6in. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[guy sajer]

I wouldn't stress too much on the grip . It's a nice shooter in that condition . If it's a clean 95% & all original , maybe offer $600 or so .

 

[JoeWill421]

Thanks for your input, I thought I would get a few more replys. I did think it would be worth a bit more than $ 600.00. At the April Auction (Kull & Supica) a New Service in 90% on one side, 85 % on other side with replaced stag grips went for $ 660.00. Two similar guns (95% to 97%) currently for sale on the internet have a asking price of $ 1200.00 plus. I realize that these are only asking prices but did lead me to believe the gun would be worth between $ 800.00 and $ 1000.00. Maybe not.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

I'll take all the TRUE 95% (key phrase here is TRUE 95%)condition New Service revolvers in any caliber you can send me for 500 bucks each, even if I have to take out a mortgage... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
The small chip would be some negative...maybe 25.00-50.00+/-...depending on the overall condition of the grips, which in this case, you say match the "EASY" 95% of the gun.
It takes a NS that's seen a lot of hard use to get under 500 bucks. The New Service prices I have observed will vary for a number of reasons. Different regions, different shows, different times of year,a seller with a very old Blue Book, but they still stay in the upper price ranges when actually that nice. I don't normally see many TRUE 95% and greater guns being displayed for much less than a grand...usually more. I've lucked out around a couple of small shows with sellers that don't get around much, and have picked up a couple of NS bargains, but it's been a while. Grading can vary a bunch from one pair of eyes to another. I see more 70-80% guns rated at 90-95% than I do 95% guns rated at 95%. If the one you saw is a TRUE 95%, it's a steal at 600 bucks.