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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 11-10-2018, 05:32 PM
ontheroad20 ontheroad20 is offline
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Default Pre 27 Finnishes

It will be quite awhile before I can get pictures but I have a question. Did the pre 27 come in different finishes? I just bought 2 and the 1956 DOM has a very dark deep blue.
The 1951 DOM has a lighter finnish that has a slight nickle look to it as the light hits it at a different angle.

Could this be true?
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Old 11-10-2018, 05:48 PM
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Usually, the .357 had the bright blue finish. Are you sure the 1956 revolver has not been re-blued?
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Old 11-10-2018, 07:08 PM
ontheroad20 ontheroad20 is offline
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If I had to choose which one looks refinished I would say the earlier gun does. After close examination you can see polish marks on the right side plate. And the color is off. I want to swing it by my LGS before I ship it back.
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Old 11-10-2018, 07:22 PM
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The 1951 and the 1956 should have the same bright blue finish appearance. S&W did not use the duller matte finish on the postwar .357 Magnums as it did for other models.
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Old 11-10-2018, 09:16 PM
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I agree. I have a very late 5 screw from 1957 and it is high polish. I love the look of that Magnum. Big Larry
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Old 11-10-2018, 09:20 PM
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Bright Blue or nickel. No satin or matte finish on the top of the S&W line.
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Old 11-10-2018, 11:20 PM
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Its usually a highly polished blue, maybe the nicest Smith & Wesson ever did...




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Old 11-11-2018, 12:22 PM
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Its usually a highly polished blue, maybe the nicest Smith & Wesson ever did...




I don't know about that. A pre M19 has a beautiful finish as well. Big Larry
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Old 11-11-2018, 02:53 PM
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This is the gun in question by the original poster. It was my gun that he bought. It has it's original bright carbona blue finish. The second one you bought may have been refinished in the more modern "Blue Black".
S&W used the Carbona bluing until the 1970's I believe. Everyone went to the Blue Black bluing process also because of environmental issues. The Blue Black process is a darker shade of bluing.
Do you actually have the second gun already or are you going off of photographs as a high polished blue will look much brighter when photographed in sunlight.
You mentioned that the photograph posted in your thread appears darker, that's most likely because it may not have been photographed in direct sunlight. Also, different cameras have different light settings.
Can you post photos of the second gun you bought? Maybe pictures of both guns side by side for comparison? It's hard to answer a question without seeing the actual gun. I can assure you the gun I sold you is the original and correct finish.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Pre 27 6.5 inch # S158060 FS 009.jpg (153.6 KB, 88 views)
File Type: jpg Pre 27 6.5 inch # S158060 FS 018.jpg (118.2 KB, 75 views)
File Type: jpg Pre 27 6.5 inch # S158060 FS 021.jpg (120.4 KB, 74 views)
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Old 11-11-2018, 03:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bc1023 View Post
Its usually a highly polished blue, maybe the nicest Smith & Wesson ever did...




ok that is the finish on the 51 but the finish on the 56 is much darker.
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Old 11-11-2018, 03:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larryofcc View Post
I don't know about that. A pre M19 has a beautiful finish as well. Big Larry

Yeah I’ve seen a few nice examples. The 27/Pre-27 was always the flagship for the company though. Even the Pre-29’s I’ve owned and handled are a slight downgrade when it comes to finish.
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Old 11-11-2018, 04:04 PM
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I believe both are original finishes. I know exactly what you are talking about. I just won a pre 27 from1954 with the brighter more metal blue sheen just like the 51 gun. I am still awaiting it being shipped though so I can not provide a pic. I also have a couple model 14's same way. Some a very dark ink like black while another has the lighter blue metallic looking sheen. I actually like them both but I think I slightly prefer the metallic sheen of the carbon blue a little better. Both the pictured pre 27's look righteous to me.
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Old 11-11-2018, 04:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moosedog View Post
This is the gun in question by the original poster. It was my gun that he bought. It has it's original bright carbona blue finish. The second one you bought may have been refinished in the more modern "Blue Black".
S&W used the Carbona bluing until the 1970's I believe. Everyone went to the Blue Black bluing process also because of environmental issues. The Blue Black process is a darker shade of bluing.
Do you actually have the second gun already or are you going off of photographs as a high polished blue will look much brighter when photographed in sunlight.
You mentioned that the photograph posted in your thread appears darker, that's most likely because it may not have been photographed in direct sunlight. Also, different cameras have different light settings.
Can you post photos of the second gun you bought? Maybe pictures of both guns side by side for comparison? It's hard to answer a question without seeing the actual gun. I can assure you the gun I sold you is the original and correct finish.
This is the "bright blue" post war 50's era finish, the "bright" refers to the highly reflective appearance that the OP calls silvery!

Different guns will take the finish differently, and lighting will make two different guns appear different! Two different revolvers made years apart will appear differently, like twins, they are different...
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Old 11-13-2018, 10:20 AM
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Thx for all the information, now I believe both guns are correct.
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Old 11-14-2018, 10:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheroad20 View Post
Thx for all the information, now I believe both guns are correct.
Good for you, I once returned a pre-27 that had significant "plumming" of the cylinder, thinking it had been refinished?? in retrospect I'm rather certain it was indeed the original finish......
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Old 11-14-2018, 10:52 AM
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Finish variations and lighting variations can make sister guns look different.
This is a Sept. 1953 version of the Pre 27.
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Old 11-14-2018, 11:12 AM
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My Pre-27 is all original and s/n S 84XXX (1951). The pics are cell phone with indoor office lighting with a cloudy day poking through my office windows.....in other words crummy!

I assure you the finish is absolutely gorgeous in that deep high polish blue, even though the pics look like there are machining marks and even "oil film" on the flat surfaces.

My opinion is like others that photos are all over the map depending on photographer, camera, attachments, staging, lighting and on and on....whenever I think a better camera, a better staging setup, is needed, I check some pricing and find that I want (need??) another fine S&W more than I want the camera setup, so my pic quality will still be poor for future posts...until I run out of S & W's that I want and you all know the timing on that one!
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File Type: jpg Pre 27 e.jpg (38.7 KB, 20 views)
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