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01-21-2010, 01:28 PM
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Abused 44 Hand Ejector
Found this poor abused neglected 44 Hand Ejector,Third Model in a pawnshop.It looked so sad and alone I couldn't help myself.(I'm a sucker for strays.)The serial # is 29xxx,all numbers match,including the beat to heck grips.Just curious what you guys think a ballpark value might be.I know it's in awful shape,(you should have seen it before I cleaned the rust and crud!)so I don't expect much,just want to know.
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by ratznfragn; 01-21-2010 at 01:34 PM.
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01-21-2010, 01:55 PM
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I love it. How is it mechanically? When you cleaned it how deep is the rust? I have been looking for one.
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01-21-2010, 02:05 PM
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Please give it a good home. I saw an old Colt in a similar condition at my local pawn shop that needs a loving home.
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01-21-2010, 02:06 PM
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Mechanically it's great.No endshake,tight lockup and carries up just fine.Bore is bright and sharp rifling as well.Doesn't seem as if it has been shot much,just very neglected.Looks like some light pitting in the worst spots,but its hard to tell.
Last edited by ratznfragn; 01-21-2010 at 02:13 PM.
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01-21-2010, 02:07 PM
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While I don't usually condone refinishes, that one would probably look great with a spray-n-bake epoxy finish. It would hide the pits and even everything out.
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01-21-2010, 02:16 PM
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I have considered Duracoat,but I'm kind of leaning towards trying to preserve what left of the original finish.I welcome opinion on a refinish,as I am on the fence at the moment.
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01-21-2010, 02:17 PM
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Is the serial number still visible on the butt?
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01-21-2010, 02:21 PM
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Yes,it's easily read,just doesn't look that way on the picture.I can read the numbers on the butt,the cylinder and the ejector shroud well,the number on the right grip panel takes some looking,but can be read.They all match.
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01-21-2010, 02:22 PM
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Have it refinished by an expert...
It deserves to look its finest.
Charlie
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01-21-2010, 02:22 PM
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Glad to hear it, should be a fun shooter.
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01-21-2010, 02:54 PM
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I absolutely agree with Charlies since it has a good bore and chambers. I wouldn't care if it took 2 years; I'd still have someone like Bowen do the work.
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01-21-2010, 03:56 PM
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It does look like there is enough left on that one to warrant a decent restore vs. a spray and bake. Could get expensive though. If it were mine I would get it done by a pro.
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01-21-2010, 04:06 PM
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Pieces like yours are what I scour pawn shops for. It's a great piece of history and mechanically sound to boot. My opinion is just clean it up and shoot it.
What a great find! Good on you for rescuing it.
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01-21-2010, 04:22 PM
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If you have, and are willing to spend, the money for a refinish, that
would be the best thing to do. Dave Chicoine offers an equivalent
factory refinish. Its what the factory would have done, decades ago,
if a gun was returned for refinishing. This is not a restoration - just a
refinish.
If you don't want to do that, this gun would be an interesting candidate
for the restorative process that Drew mentioned yesterday. It sure
won't hurt it. This process takes time, but I think there is fundemental
reason why it helps.
The idea is to pulverize hardwood charcoal, down to a fine powder.
Mix that with 3-in-1 oil, and apply it with a rough cloth, like burlap.
Work it on, and let it sit for a bit, then wipe it off with a soft cloth.
That should leave a film of oil. Then you repeat this, maybe every
week, for several months. This should bring back some of the blue,
and make the gun a lot more presentable.
Later, Mike Priwer
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01-21-2010, 05:06 PM
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Mike,thank you for that idea.I think I'll try it and see how it goes.I'm still considering a refinish by a pro,just not right now.I've been looking at Dave Chicone,as well as Ford's.Any opinions,anyone?I've only got $100 in the gun at the moment,so a refinish price on top of that makes it still feasible for me.
Still kind of curious as to what its ballpark value might be.
Last edited by ratznfragn; 01-21-2010 at 05:35 PM.
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01-21-2010, 07:26 PM
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A mechanically sound 44 Special for $100! I'd have dislocated my bad shoulder getting the money out to pay for that. Well done and good luck with your project. If you get tired of it let me know (LOL).
Dave
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01-21-2010, 07:41 PM
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I am in the same boat as you with this problem.I found a nickel 3rd model in a pawnshop for a cheap price.I want to get it refinished but I haven't decided witch route to take.After thinking about it a long time I am leaning towards sending it to Dave Chicoine.From what I've learned about him it wont be cheap and it wont be quick but it will be done right.And that's what I'm looking for.It's to nice of a gun to let someone half *** it.
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01-21-2010, 07:48 PM
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It doesn't look too badly pitted so it could be refinished. I have a badly pitted 38-44 like that, ugly outside but beautiful inside, that I decided to leave the way that it is. Its a grand shooter.
Charlie
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01-21-2010, 08:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ratznfragn
I have considered Duracoat,but I'm kind of leaning towards trying to preserve what left of the original finish.I welcome opinion on a refinish,as I am on the fence at the moment.
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If S&W or Ford's can not coax a near factory type finish out of it I would leave it alone. Those coatings are practical for a working gun but I hate to see a gun that may have so much history treated to anything but something resembling the original finish.
Just my opinion.
I think you did well. I would have snapped it up unless the seller had a safe queen price on it.
Bill
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01-21-2010, 08:42 PM
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R
As to the cost of refinishing, if ( and this is a big if ) there is nothing
else wrong with the gun, and Dave C would inspect it, to ascertain
that, then I would guess, and its only a guess, that a refinish would
run $300 to $400 - but that is just a guess.
As to its value, the gun is an early 3rd model N-frame. I'd guess
$300 to $500, but its condition is not going to appeal to everyone.
Still in all, its got to be worth at least $300.
Later, Mike Priwer
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01-21-2010, 09:30 PM
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I can't tell from pics how badly pitted it might be. If its not too deep, I'd say it's worth paying for a professional re-blue job.
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01-21-2010, 09:43 PM
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value
I agree with Mike Priwer. 'As is' it's worth around $300, given that it hasn't been altered and just shows finish wear and damage.
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01-21-2010, 09:52 PM
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Many years ago I was in a bad motorcycle wreck. My best friend and wife took me in for a month or so. I gave him a nice 1917. Later we were deer hunting and by chance met another friend of mine that had a ffl. We got talking guns around the campfire and my buddy went to his camper and got the 1917 to show off. He pulled it out of a amway sample case from his selling days. There must have been some bad chemical in the leather. The entire gun was coated with a very thin layer of rust! Really bad! My other friend that had a ffl said let me send this back to smith. He did, somebody at the factory must have made it a labor of love. That was the prettiest blued smith I ever seen, before or since! Now I know they wont work on them, but this was back around 1971. Think the reblue back then was like $16 to $25s!
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01-22-2010, 12:23 PM
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If the pitting is not "too"bad ,I would go for the refinish. It will always bring at least what you have in it with the "Low" starting price you paid. It will be a great using gun.
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01-23-2010, 04:25 PM
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Thank You to everyone who replied to this thread.The ballpark values that have been given and the opinions on a refinish have helped me to decide.I am going to send this one off most likely to Dave Chicone in the near future.In the meantime,I do believe I will try the charcoal treatment Mike described.If that helps,I'll post further pictures for everyone of the results.
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01-23-2010, 05:59 PM
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Great choice, Dave Chicone is doing a 2nd Model Hand Ejector for me right now that mechanically was a basket case. Also having it reblued and the hammer and trigger case color redone. It won't be cheap to have the work done on your 3rd Model, but it will be done right.
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01-23-2010, 06:10 PM
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I have seen a lot of Ford’s work, they are around the corner from me. I am very impressed and am thinking of having them reblue the frame on an old M41 that I have. The blue is gone from every surface that the fingers/hand touches.
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02-10-2010, 03:37 AM
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Get a good gunsmith(one that does not own a power buffer) reblue the gun, preferably with a rust blue finish. You can do the strip job yourself,with abrasive paper, a good backing block,to keep the edges straight, and the flats flat, and go to a 1200 grit. When it is down to the 1200 grit, with no pits showning,and all the letters still sharp,(mask off the letters when you start, so they do not get rounded, and remain sharp and slightly raised) send it to a good gunsmith that specializes in rust blueing. Not modern hot blueing, as it is not the correct finish. I use Brownells Oxpho rust blue. Does a really good job. Must be good, I have fooled the top collectors in Pa with some of my jobs.
Any other questions, just ask.
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02-10-2010, 03:51 AM
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Personally i would just clean it up gently and try the charcoal method, load it up with some warm handloads and carry it into the backcountry.
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02-10-2010, 10:09 AM
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Interesting ugn, nice find, if it could talk it would probably have some interesting tales to tell.
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02-10-2010, 02:10 PM
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I do always wonder about the history of old guns like this one.A lot of things can happen in 83 years!I find myself wondering the most about the 2 notches in the left grip.At first I thought they were dents or chunks,but closer examination shows them to be carved out.
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02-10-2010, 03:11 PM
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Any restoration/refinish should provide a polish that maintains the sharp, distinct lines and flats of the factory finish. Anything short of that will leave the gun as just another reblued revolver.
Better to leave it as is than to get a full reblue with soft edges and a buff to brilliance shine.
There are plenty of those around and everytime one is seen on a very desireable revolver such as this, it just makes one think of what can be done and how much it will cost to save it. Best left undone if it can't be done correctly.
Dave C. is a great choice for the work btw.
I think the value of $300 in it's present form is low. With nice mechanics, unaltered and good bore,,it would be gone in a very short time in the classifieds at that price.
A 38-44 HD project gun goes for more than that. Add another $500+ in most cases for a conversion to get to 44spc.
Don't forget pics when it's completed!
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02-10-2010, 04:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charlies
Have it refinished by an expert...
It deserves to look its finest.
Charlie
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+1 It's a fine old gun that deserves a quality finish. Resist the temptation to go the cheap route and you will have something to be proud of when you are finished.
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02-10-2010, 10:25 PM
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If I had seen it first, I would have bought it. If I had bought it, I would be sending it to Doug Turnbull. I don't know Dave Chicone. He may do work equivalent to Turnbull. After Doug, the revolver would be going to Paul Persinger for some of his ivory art work. I would probably spend more money than it is worth, but I would forget the cost once I hold the completed gun in my hands. After all, it is a .44 Special, and I have a soft spot in my heart for .44 Special revolvers.
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02-11-2010, 11:06 AM
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It might be worth getting it "Lettered" as well.
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02-11-2010, 11:33 AM
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I can honestly say, if that gun were mine, it would already be on a rail enroute to the best refinish my wallet would allow. My faith here has been restored. Lots of good suggestions instead of the typical outcry against refinishing.
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02-11-2010, 01:27 PM
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Yes,I do plan on getting it lettered.Also plan on a professional refinish when finances allow.(Which isn't now,unfortunately! )
In the meantime,I'm going to continue with the charcoal treatment and shoot it frequently.I appreciate everyones input,it really has helped me decide.
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02-11-2010, 03:49 PM
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Do you want the original look? If not, how about a good, hard chroming? A refinish of any kind will diminish the value. I have a CZ 52 that's hard chromed and it's one durable finish. It looks great.
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02-12-2010, 04:38 PM
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A terrible piece of trash! If you send it to me I will reimburse your shipping costs !!!!!
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02-14-2010, 11:21 AM
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Well,sir,I just can't bring myself to take advantage of you like that!
I mean,I would expect to pay the shipping,too!!!!!
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08-12-2018, 04:36 PM
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Keep it clean and running. Don't let it deteriorate mechanically but I wouldn't refurbish. it's history and patina shouldn't be spoiled
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08-12-2018, 04:54 PM
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I'd re-finish it and add an adjustable rear sight!
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08-12-2018, 04:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave T
A mechanically sound 44 Special for $100! I'd have dislocated my bad shoulder getting the money out to pay for that. Well done and good luck with your project. If you get tired of it let me know (LOL).
Dave
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Absolutely. All day, any day....
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08-12-2018, 05:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notsofast
Keep it clean and running. Don't let it deteriorate mechanically but I wouldn't refurbish. it's history and patina shouldn't be spoiled
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02-14- 2010, 10:21 AM
This is the date of the last post by the thread originator. How the heck does an 8 year old thread get replied to (3 times!), as if it is still current?
Last edited by Tom K; 08-12-2018 at 05:15 PM.
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08-12-2018, 05:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom K
02-14- 2010, 10:21 AM
This is the date of the last post by the thread originator. How the heck does an 8 year old thread get replied to (3 times!), as if it is still current?
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There are multiple ways.
The "start page" most people see when they log in has a long list of threads and I think some of them are randomly selected by the board software for inclusion in that list.
Searches also turn up old threads and if the searcher doesn't notice the old date, they may reply without realizing that they are resurrecting a zombie.
Once one is resurrected, several people (myself included) may also post without noticing that that the originating post was quite some time ago.
No harm in it as far as I can tell, and several have resulted in some good discussion, even if the OP never sees the newer replies.
Last edited by BC38; 08-12-2018 at 05:25 PM.
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08-13-2018, 09:31 AM
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I like the old threads
I like these older threads. i really dont care how old they are.
For those of us who have not been here for 8 years they provide more material to learn from.
Maybe it is just me, but from time to time, the threads get kind of stale and some new/old material will spark it right up.
This forum is a wealth of valid information for any Smith fan.
Having some older fodder turn up from time to time is just like digging a valuable relic out of an attic or barn.
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2nd model, bowen, brownells, colt, duracoat, ejector, endshake, gunsmith, hand ejector, leather, m41, model 41, n-frame, shroud |
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