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Old 08-24-2010, 09:21 AM
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NFrameFred NFrameFred is offline
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Doesn't sound like anything but a good solid shooter; not worth the cost of refinishing to most folks. But if you have the coins and it satisfies you to have it looking nice, go for it - just don't expect to ever sell it and recover the investment. You'll spend minimum $150 to $250 on a quality refinish ( I would recommend hard chrome, Metal-life or some such over blue for durability) and still have a piece you can't sell for what an as-new-in-the-box specimen will bring, or even a well cared for shooter to most folks.

Is it a tool or a keepsake/heirloom? Aside from the purists' revulsion at refinishing any old gun, I tend to look at it as the kind of thing that we see all the time . . . people spending $$$ on fancy wheels and tires on a *** vehicle that won't last near as long as your revolver or major bucks on a stereo-system for a car - because it's their money and it makes them happy. Or the guy who spends the extra 100 bucks on nice golf bag that does nothing to improve his game - because he can afford it and he likes the way it looks when he plays the course. It gives them personal satisfaction. Some people who appreciate the history and journey of a fine mechanism like a firearm look at every ding and rubbed spot as a sign of the character the gun picks up along the way and that gives them personal satisfaction - and refinishing it is like painting a hat on the Mona Lisa to them.

To me, refinishing a non-collectible gun I will likely keep and use for the purpose of increasing it's durability and protection against deterioration falls in the personal satisfaction category - if I can afford it and it pleases me, I don't care what others think. To each his own.
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