Would like to repair the finish if it won't hurt value or collect- ability. s/n is 2xx < 220. I'm new here so any input would be helpful. gun is tight and shoots well. Will try to attach photo.

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Is that a blued gun with the finish almost completely missing? Is there pitting? Sorry I can't tell when viewing the pics on my phone.

Typically you shouldn't refinish, but if you are stArting with a gun that has less than 25% original finish to start with you don't have much to lose. You might not make your money back but if you are planning on keeping the gun it might be worth it if that's what you want. If planning on selling the gun you would probably be better off selling as is.

That is a finish with what Auction Houses call "Patina". Basically it's showing it's age but was well cared for. IMO doing anything to the finish will degrade it's value and I think you should do nothing more than apply a light coating of oil.

Welcome to the Forum. Your 38 Perfected has had a tough life, with left side pitting and overall loss of finish. The barrel still retains some bluing, but overall the condition is good at best. They made around 58,000 of these and if a collector grade gun, the value is still relatively low for this era revolver. They do not come up for sale too often, since many were exported to South America and Europe.

The cost of refinishing that is done right will be quite expensive. If you are going to have a local gunsmith do the job, the resulting value will probably be lower than it is worth today. There is little collector value there, so it is your call, but the gun will not shoot any better with a refinish. It is a shooter that will not have much value either way, but the standard wisdom is do nothing to change what time has already done.

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Gary
SWCA 2515