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03-19-2017, 10:36 PM
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Refinish question
My Son came into the possession of a Smith and Wesson model 19-3, 357 magnum that is approx,60 years old and has surface rust and a lot of holster wear(It was a Duty weapon of a friends father)that passed away.
The cylinder locks up tight with no play and everything else is good and He wants Me to refinish the walnut grips while He is having the gun re-blued.
My question is will it hurt the value of the grips if I refinish them?
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03-19-2017, 10:44 PM
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If the gun is being reblued, I wouldn't worry about the value of the stocks. The gun will have value as a shooter only.
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03-19-2017, 10:57 PM
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IMHO, considering the prominence of this pistol, I would leave it as it is(cleaning and rust removal) and buy a model 19 in the condition he is hoping to achieve with the complete refinish.
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03-19-2017, 11:26 PM
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SWCA Member Absent Comrade
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The Model 19-3 is in demand, but it's not a rare collectible. If the finish is so far gone that you are talking about surface rust, and the stocks are in comparable condition, I don't think there is any collector value to ruin either way.
And unless your son has some kind of sentimental connection to the friend's father and reason to preserve it the way he carried it (which would be a bit odd, since the friend got rid of the gun), I'd say go for it. I wouldn't overthink this. Your son won't get back in resale value what you put into it, but he will have a nicer gun.
Last edited by Absalom; 03-19-2017 at 11:27 PM.
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03-19-2017, 11:55 PM
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there are some amazing chemicals available now for rust removal. A friend raved about something called "metal rescue" I think. Maybe someone can comment. I have had good results using strip eeze and a tooth brush-then some stain and clear spray on rough grips.
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03-19-2017, 11:58 PM
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Thanks for all the help,I didn't want to do the wrong thing.
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03-20-2017, 12:23 AM
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No way a 19-3 is 60 years old I believe that engineering change did not take place until the late 1960's. any way I have always felt refinishing is a waste of time money and effort. You can never expect to recover the cost of refinish and using the gun will put more wear on it anyway.
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03-20-2017, 07:37 PM
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First 19-3 was shipped in 1967, so that's 50 years. I've had a couple of firearms including one S&W refinished and don't consider that I wasted my time, money, or effort. Could have spent the money on whiskey and women and wasted the rest. It's your son's gun. Sounds like he is already having the gun re-blued. As others have noted, unless he got the revolver for free, he may end up with more invested than he would spend on a comparable gun in good condition. But in answer to your question, refinishing the grips won't change the value if they are in similar condtion to the rest of the gun.
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