sell it or shoot it?

nmsteve · December 13, 2018, 10:19 AM

Hi, new guy here seeking opinions. I was a LEO in the 70's and carried a S&W model 15 sidearm. It went away many decades ago but I always missed it. Recently I heard of a guy with a model 15-2 for sale so I picked it up, wanting to do some shooting with it. Turns out it is a 15-2 made in 1966, still in the blue box with warranty card and unopened accessory packet, nearly flawless except for a light cylinder line. It's so pretty I'm thinking twice about using it. After all it's lasted in nearly mint condition for over 50 years and I know myself well enough to know if I use it, it will get used. So what do you think? Go ahead and enjoy it, or pass it on to someone who will preserve it? can't upload pic, too computer illiterate.

Charlie98 · December 13, 2018, 10:51 AM

SHOOT IT! It's already been fired, it sounds like, anyway.

The true beauty of a firearm isn't from setting in some collection, it's from allowing it to do what it was designed to do.

Nodak1858 · December 13, 2018, 10:53 AM

I would shoot it. Not much fun to have a gun you only look at.
If it devalues it oh well, when I'm dead and gone I won't care about value. Enjoy things now

Metalboy · December 13, 2018, 10:54 AM

I'll say use it,otherwise it's useless.

Nodak1858 · December 13, 2018, 10:54 AM

Quote:

.The true beauty of a firearm isn't from setting in some collection, it's from allowing it to do what it was designed to do.

+1

MarkCO · December 13, 2018, 11:00 AM

If I happened into something like that, I might go to the local shop that has a bunch of collector S&Ws and see what they say. At worst, I keep it and start shooting it. At best, I get some cash and a more used M15 which I then start shooting.

nmsteve · December 13, 2018, 11:08 AM

unfortunately closest place likely to have any Model 15's to sell is at least a 5 hour drive each way, I want to shoot it, but the historian in me finds it hard to use something that has lasted so long nearly untouched. moving out of internet access until tomorrow, I'll see what the opinions are, right now leaning toward going shooting tomorrow.

Metalboy · December 13, 2018, 11:17 AM

Money is more useless than enjoying it,because money is fiat.

Jdin8455 · December 13, 2018, 11:19 AM

You bought it to shoot it...shoot it. I try not to keep anything I don't use

BarryLee · December 13, 2018, 11:21 AM

Sounds like a very nice gun, but not really some rare collectable - shoot it.

kenny53 · December 13, 2018, 11:27 AM

It is a tool, an old tool but a tool. If you found a unused hammer manufactured in 1966 would save it or pound nails? Welcome to the forum and it sounds like you picked up a great gun, enjoy.

TXAZ · December 13, 2018, 12:41 PM

S.H.O.O.T. I.T.!

Most regrets in later life are for the things you could have done but didn’t...

Charlie98 · December 13, 2018, 01:03 PM

I found a almost new model 10 from 1962 some years ago... I'll tell you it didn't gather any dust in my safe.

reteach · December 13, 2018, 02:34 PM

I think MarkCO is on the right track. If you can sell it for a significant profit, that might be advisable. Then buy a shooter and use the profit to buy ammo or some other accessory. But if there's no real profit in selling it, shoot it and have fun.
As for the historical aspect, I definitely get that, but this isn't a true antique in pristine condition.

mrcharlie3531 · December 13, 2018, 02:50 PM

shoot it , enjoy it, keep it

T. O'Heir · December 13, 2018, 02:56 PM

A Model 15-2 won't be a collector's piece for at least another 50 years. If ever. Very much doubt you'd get much for it, even in it's current condition, anyway. The barrel length matters, but there are several on Gunbroker running around $500. Mind you, one sold on a private auction site(Harry Viezens Fine Guns. Who doesn't know that an Ordinance is a law.) for $1350. No date given.
The line on the cylinder is likely from somebody dry firing it. Vs it being fired. Means it's less than mint.

Cheapshooter · December 13, 2018, 06:22 PM

Shoot it, and enjoy it. That's what you bought it for. Safe Queens are useless.

lunger · December 13, 2018, 06:36 PM

Another vote for shoot it. Not sure what your profit would be , but I would bet you would get a couple of hundred worth of enjoyment by shooting it.

grinner · December 13, 2018, 06:37 PM

I’ve never understood why someone would spend money on something that was built to be used (a car, a watch, a gun, etc), and then put it away and ignore it. My dad did that with a car (a 1972 Dodge Polara, of all things). When he finally decided to sell it (sometime around 2002), he got what he paid for it in dollars, but that didn’t account for inflation. And he didn’t enjoy it more than a few days a year.

Shoot it. Enjoy it.

Siggy-06 · December 13, 2018, 06:58 PM

Shoot it and treat it gently at the range. Clean it after each trip. It'll stay good looking and retain it's value pretty well.

44caliberkid · December 13, 2018, 07:28 PM

The line around the cylinder makes it NOT an unturned mint piece, so go ahead and shoot it. It's not the next Python.

tallball · December 13, 2018, 08:11 PM

"If you can sell it for a significant profit, that might be advisable. Then buy a shooter and use the profit to buy ammo or some other accessory. But if there's no real profit in selling it, shoot it and have fun."

I agree!

tlm225 · December 13, 2018, 08:16 PM

I would shoot it and enjoy it but, I'm not a collector and I derive pleasure from using all my guns.

rclark · December 13, 2018, 09:17 PM

If it has a turn line, then no longer a collectable. Just enjoy it yourself by shooting it. Life is to short not too. One or two of my now used revolvers were 'never' shot by the previous owner. I always wondered about that....

Chainsaw. · December 13, 2018, 10:40 PM

Shooting doesnt mean you have to abuse it. I have a friend that is always turning me on to good deals, good deals for collector peices. He always wonders why I decline. I told him if I own a gun its getting shot. Period. So if its an unfired walther from the 40s I better not own it.

See my signature line for my answer.

December 13, 2018, 10:19 AM	#1
nmsteve Junior Member Join Date: December 12, 2018 Posts: 5	sell it or shoot it? Hi, new guy here seeking opinions. I was a LEO in the 70's and carried a S&W model 15 sidearm. It went away many decades ago but I always missed it. Recently I heard of a guy with a model 15-2 for sale so I picked it up, wanting to do some shooting with it. Turns out it is a 15-2 made in 1966, still in the blue box with warranty card and unopened accessory packet, nearly flawless except for a light cylinder line. It's so pretty I'm thinking twice about using it. After all it's lasted in nearly mint condition for over 50 years and I know myself well enough to know if I use it, it will get used. So what do you think? Go ahead and enjoy it, or pass it on to someone who will preserve it? can't upload pic, too computer illiterate.

December 13, 2018, 10:51 AM	#2
Charlie98 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2006 Location: Great state of Texas Posts: 1,077	SHOOT IT! It's already been fired, it sounds like, anyway. The true beauty of a firearm isn't from setting in some collection, it's from allowing it to do what it was designed to do. __________________ _______________ "I have this pistol pointed at your heart!" "That is my least vulnerable spot."

December 13, 2018, 10:53 AM	#3
Nodak1858 Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2009 Location: N. Dakota Posts: 435	I would shoot it. Not much fun to have a gun you only look at. If it devalues it oh well, when I'm dead and gone I won't care about value. Enjoy things now __________________ We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

December 13, 2018, 10:54 AM	#4
Metalboy Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2014 Location: SE. Wisconsin. Posts: 327	I'll say use it,otherwise it's useless. __________________ Hungarian by birth, American by choice. I don't collect guns.They just accumulate themselves.

December 13, 2018, 11:00 AM	#6
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,307	If I happened into something like that, I might go to the local shop that has a bunch of collector S&Ws and see what they say. At worst, I keep it and start shooting it. At best, I get some cash and a more used M15 which I then start shooting. __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

December 13, 2018, 11:08 AM	#7
nmsteve Junior Member Join Date: December 12, 2018 Posts: 5	unfortunately closest place likely to have any Model 15's to sell is at least a 5 hour drive each way, I want to shoot it, but the historian in me finds it hard to use something that has lasted so long nearly untouched. moving out of internet access until tomorrow, I'll see what the opinions are, right now leaning toward going shooting tomorrow.

December 13, 2018, 11:17 AM	#8
Metalboy Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2014 Location: SE. Wisconsin. Posts: 327	Money is more useless than enjoying it,because money is fiat. __________________ Hungarian by birth, American by choice. I don't collect guns.They just accumulate themselves.

December 13, 2018, 11:19 AM	#9
Jdin8455 Member Join Date: February 25, 2018 Posts: 55	You bought it to shoot it...shoot it. I try not to keep anything I don't use

December 13, 2018, 11:21 AM	#10
BarryLee Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2010 Location: The ATL (OTP) Posts: 3,946	Sounds like a very nice gun, but not really some rare collectable - shoot it. __________________ A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

December 13, 2018, 11:27 AM	#11
kenny53 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2015 Location: My back yard Posts: 971	It is a tool, an old tool but a tool. If you found a unused hammer manufactured in 1966 would save it or pound nails? Welcome to the forum and it sounds like you picked up a great gun, enjoy.

December 13, 2018, 12:41 PM	#12
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	S.H.O.O.T. I.T.! Most regrets in later life are for the things you could have done but didn’t... __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

December 13, 2018, 01:03 PM	#13
Charlie98 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2006 Location: Great state of Texas Posts: 1,077	I found a almost new model 10 from 1962 some years ago... I'll tell you it didn't gather any dust in my safe. __________________ _______________ "I have this pistol pointed at your heart!" "That is my least vulnerable spot."

December 13, 2018, 02:34 PM	#14
reteach Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 378	I think MarkCO is on the right track. If you can sell it for a significant profit, that might be advisable. Then buy a shooter and use the profit to buy ammo or some other accessory. But if there's no real profit in selling it, shoot it and have fun. As for the historical aspect, I definitely get that, but this isn't a true antique in pristine condition.

December 13, 2018, 02:50 PM	#15
mrcharlie3531 Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2013 Posts: 112	shoot it , enjoy it, keep it

December 13, 2018, 02:56 PM	#16
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	A Model 15-2 won't be a collector's piece for at least another 50 years. If ever. Very much doubt you'd get much for it, even in it's current condition, anyway. The barrel length matters, but there are several on Gunbroker running around $500. Mind you, one sold on a private auction site(Harry Viezens Fine Guns. Who doesn't know that an Ordinance is a law.) for $1350. No date given. The line on the cylinder is likely from somebody dry firing it. Vs it being fired. Means it's less than mint. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

December 13, 2018, 06:22 PM	#17
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	Shoot it, and enjoy it. That's what you bought it for. Safe Queens are useless. __________________ Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!

December 13, 2018, 06:36 PM	#18
lunger Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2007 Posts: 443	Another vote for shoot it. Not sure what your profit would be , but I would bet you would get a couple of hundred worth of enjoyment by shooting it.

December 13, 2018, 06:37 PM	#19
grinner Member Join Date: July 26, 2018 Posts: 52	I’ve never understood why someone would spend money on something that was built to be used (a car, a watch, a gun, etc), and then put it away and ignore it. My dad did that with a car (a 1972 Dodge Polara, of all things). When he finally decided to sell it (sometime around 2002), he got what he paid for it in dollars, but that didn’t account for inflation. And he didn’t enjoy it more than a few days a year. Shoot it. Enjoy it.

December 13, 2018, 06:58 PM	#20
Siggy-06 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 1,148	Shoot it and treat it gently at the range. Clean it after each trip. It'll stay good looking and retain it's value pretty well. __________________ Flicks just like a lighter, just a different kind of fire.

December 13, 2018, 07:28 PM	#21
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,098	The line around the cylinder makes it NOT an unturned mint piece, so go ahead and shoot it. It's not the next Python.

December 13, 2018, 08:11 PM	#22
tallball Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2014 Posts: 2,444	"If you can sell it for a significant profit, that might be advisable. Then buy a shooter and use the profit to buy ammo or some other accessory. But if there's no real profit in selling it, shoot it and have fun." I agree!

December 13, 2018, 08:16 PM	#23
tlm225 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 962	I would shoot it and enjoy it but, I'm not a collector and I derive pleasure from using all my guns. __________________ All that is neccessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

December 13, 2018, 09:17 PM	#24
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,619	If it has a turn line, then no longer a collectable. Just enjoy it yourself by shooting it. Life is to short not too. One or two of my now used revolvers were 'never' shot by the previous owner. I always wondered about that.... __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

December 13, 2018, 10:40 PM	#25
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Shooting doesnt mean you have to abuse it. I have a friend that is always turning me on to good deals, good deals for collector peices. He always wonders why I decline. I told him if I own a gun its getting shot. Period. So if its an unfired walther from the 40s I better not own it. See my signature line for my answer. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.