So, if this is pitted, why no rust, and what caused it?

[wesnellans]

In another thread I mentioned my newly-acquired 1966-ish era Model 49 had some pitting under the top section of the original (serial number engraved in the wood) grips. Got a comment that it meant the gun had been refinished. I don't think that's the case, but I'm far from an expert.

So, here's pics with and without grip panel installed. I'd assumed this happened sometime in the gun's storied past due to pocket carry or the like - maybe sweat/moisture worked its way between the grip and body and rust ensued - but it's shiny in the pits - not brown. Whether that means someone was really good at cleanup or something else, I don't know.

So, thoughts on this situation, Smith peeps?

Grips on:


Grips off:

[ralph7]

Someone probably took some bronze or steel wool and oil to the rust and rubbed it away leaving the blue loss.

[Pisgah]

Originally Posted by ralph7

Someone probably took some bronze or steel wool and oil to the rust and rubbed it away leaving the blue loss.

That's my take, too. I've acquired a couple of revolvers with rust there that , after cleaning off the rust, look exactly like that.

[weatherby]

So, thoughts on this situation,

I tend to agree with the others.
The wooden grips held some moister, as wood will, and rust ensued.

[DocB]

If a gun is going to have a finish problem it's going to be right there on the left side of the frame between the grips and the cylinder release. Some people seem to have really bad chemicals in their sweat that do that sort of thing. I knew a man once who liked to wear a twenty dollar gold double eagle on a chain around his neck. His body could turn the coin green in two weeks. I have several guns that have a single blemish in the finish, and it's always in that same area.

[murphydog]

The frame does not appear refinished, and as noted above it only takes one moisture trapping session under the stock panel to see this result. It's worse with rubber stocks as a rule because they are less porous.

[Marine Corps Air]

My thinking was that it was acid or some other chemical in the wood grips (I have no rubber grips on any of mine). I can't explain how this would occur with rubber grips although it could be either moisture or chemicals in the grips.

Regardless, I clean that area really well after every trip to the range and the last step that I follow before reattaching the grips is to apply Renaissance Wax to the inside contact points of the wood grips wherever it contacts the metal. I believe that my problem has been solved. I also remove the grips for all of my "safe queens" every six months and apply the Renaissance Wax.

Unfortunately, once this starts, I don't believe that it can be corrected although it should not become worse with the above preventative action.

[USSR]

Dollars to donuts there were rubber grips on that revolver prior to the wood grips that are on it now. Will not have them on my revolvers.

Don

[iPac]

After seeing that, I would say it is not refinished.

The reason I mentioned the possibility was the picture of the opposite side which has much more handling marks (scratches). You stated the marks were under the bluing.

Usually if you have scratches or pits under the bluing, it means it was refinished without fully polishing them out. But if the scratches are light enough that they didn't penetrate the blue layer, or you can slightly see silver in them, then it is most likely original.

I believe that is how yours is. If it was refinished, those surface rust clean up areas would be blued over. Unless they happened after the refinish. Only you would be able to tell for sure because you have it in hand to get a close examination of the handling marks.

Or it could be like my 17-4 that has blatantly obvious machining lines in the cylinder flutes that you can see from a couple feet away. They are blued over because it left the factory that way. A little disappointing, and one reason I own more Colts.

[Shooter6br]

Flash pitting? Never really understood what that was.

[Alk8944]

That could have been caused by either rust as mentioned, or from minor grit under the horn of the stock which could be exacerbated by handling/shooting the gun with the stock screw slightly loose. Always make sure you wipe the back of the stocks anytime they are off the gun.

That revolver has absolutely not been re-finished.

[bigggbbruce]

Originally Posted by DocB

I knew a man once who liked to wear a twenty dollar gold double eagle on a chain around his neck. His body could turn the coin green in two weeks.

Then it wasn't real gold.