First post, want to say thanks to you guys for posting so much good info in this section. I was able to educate myself before buying to make sure I knew what to look for.

I ended up buying a 6" pre-model 27 in excellent condition (no wear at all that I can see). It came with the original receipt which has July 17, 1954 as the purchase date which seems to match up nicely with its s/n S 107xxx.

I have one question. There are a couple of small rust spots on the corners of the flutes in the cylinder. I'm looking for advice on how to remove it (or just stop it from spreading) without damaging the surrounding finish.

Links to pictures below. Thanks!

Pic of revolver
Pic of rust

It appears to be into the finish, but I would use Corrosion X, soak and let stand overnight, then rub out with a soft cloth such as a cotton cleaning patch (I use 12 ga patch's for something like this). That should stop any active rusting, just keep a light coating of Corrosion X or any good gun oil on the gun to protect it. Better yet, get some Renaissance Wax and clean/polish the gun with it. It is totally neutral, won't ever yellow, and does a fantastic job of protecting the finish.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Thanks for the feedback H Richard. With most guns I would just take some steel wool to it, but I am being extra cautious on this one because I want to preserve the finish as much as possible.

Don't ever use steel wool. Lots of folks advise using it, but it does remove bluing. H Richard's advice is sound.

Use a solid round toothpick with a tiny bit of 0000 steel wool or bronze wool is even better. Wrap the wool around the end of the toothpick to make a tiny sharp pointed "spear". Put a tiny drop of gun solvent or (Ezz-x works great) on the rust spot. Now using at least 3x glasses or opti-visor or a 10 power loop, gently begin to scrape at the rust freckle only! Do not get over on to that blue! Work the rust freckle down to level with the blue, do not go lower! That is the best it can look right there. But.....Yours are very bad and deep, there will be pitting below that rust! So try it out on one tiny speck of rust somewhere, and see how you like the results. If it looks worse, stop and just oil it and live with it.

Bronze wool with kroil or something similar. Never use steel wool - it leaves behind microscopic steel fibers that will lead to more rusting.

I find that frequent handling, cleaning and oiling will stop most minor rust in its' tracks.

NEVER uses steel wool. It will scratch the surface. The bronze wool will work, but this is far better:

Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner

I have used the product for years with excellent results. If the spot is really tough, use the edge of a copper penny to knock it down first, before using the Big 45.

Thanks again for the tips, guys. Will report back with results.