Hello, new here to the forum just acquired this gun on a trade and want to get it re-blued by the factory. Wondering what everyone’s thoughts are about getting it re-finished? It’s a model 19-2 mechanically sound shoots amazing!

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Nice revolver- not particularly rare so a quality refinish won’t hurt any real collector value, I say go for it if you want to.

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Some Might Say.

The factory does a terrific job of refinishing. I have sent two revolvers to the factory for refinishing. They came back with a sensational finish. you will not be disappointed if you send that Model 19 to the factory.

I'd keep on shooting it for awhile, let the newness wear off and see where you stand. You'll never get the re-finish cost back if sell down the road.

BUT,,,, your gun your money, don't let some Internet yahoo tell ya what you should do.

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Vietnam 1969-1971

Thanks guys! Its my first revolver and first Smith I really like it and plan on keeping it so I want to refinish and new wood grips. After owning tons of autos it seems to have more soul to it.

I'd refinish, but maybe in hard chrome. Looks like stainless and lasts better than a blue job, if you carry much.

Ford's Custom Refinishing out of Crystal River, Florida does amazing work. Their turnaround time is a little long but in my opinion it's worth the wait.

Can the factory even do a refinish like the original anymore?

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John 3:16 .

Today's factory reblue is good, as far as I am concerned. It is not the same as the older Carbonia blue that is deep and very shiny. It's a darker color that you can't really see yourself in, but to my eye is a very pleasing bluing job. I have a Model 13 3" that was found to have the hammer stud broken off upon purchase. I sent it in to have that hammer stud replaced, which required a reblue since the installation removed the bluing where the stud was polished down smooth to the frame on the outside. I'm not completely certain that the OEM bluing on the M-13 was quite up to the quality of the older M-19's but it was a bit more shiny than the reblue. That said, I have no problem with the job the factory did on the refinishing of that M-13. This was done long enough ago that I would probably recover a good bit of the cost for the job at today's market prices for the 3" M-13. But that wasn't an issue for me at the time and it is not an issue today. The total cost for the repairs done including the refinish was between 3 and 4 hundred dollars, about what I paid for the revolver. Kinda tough at the time but I wanted the revolver as a keeper both then and now. My experience with the factory refinish was very satisfactory for me. We all have different expectations, of course. I knew at the time that the bluing would not be the same as the old original but didn't know how different it would look. When I received the gun back from the factory, I was very pleased with both the quality of the repairs and the new bluing.

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So long ... Ken

Welcome to the Forum from Pennsylvania!
I'm not against a re-blue job, but I would take it out on a few range dates to assure I feel the love before making that investment.

+1 - Might as well go with a more durable finish if you are going through the expense of refinish, especially if you plan on using it. It will look like a Model 66.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Refinish!
The only advice I'll give is to look up other refinishers and compare prices. One that gets overlooked frequently around here is George Roghaar, Firearm Refinish and Restoration
who does some superb work. He's currently backed up to September, but IMO worth the wait. There are others, like Ford's. Good luck!

I chose to send my S&W model 10-8 back to Smith & Wesson for the high gloss blue & polish ($220) and just got it back last week after about a 3 month wait. It is IMHO worth every penny as the craftsmen that do the refinishing are the older, experienced guys, not the regular gunsmiths that do warranty work in the performance center. I would highly recommend having S&W do it because they will go over the gun, completely disassemble it. And replace any part that is out of spec or worn. It will be performed by a S&W trained gunsmith and all the work will be warrantied by S&W.

What i got back is essentially a brand new pre lock mod 10. The photos don't do it any justice as they were taken with my phone indoors. But the finish is absolutely flawless. They replaced the hand. The letter that was included with the gun indicated that they repaired the timing. I have no idea if they replaced the cylinder or not because it had peening in the cylinder notches. They're gone, it looks new. They replaced the springs and all the screws at no charge. Replaced the firing pin. The trigger pull is amazingly smooth. I had a rep call me to ask if I wanted to keep the PD markings on the frame or have it removed, I asked for it to be removed which they have done. You can't even tell now. Any scratch or pitting that was on the gun, is totally gone. I'm blown away at the quality of work.

Finally, they even installed a set of original style wood grips again, at no charge. When I got the gun back they included the parts they changed and also the rubber PD service grip that had on it when I sent it in.... My total cost was $247.50. And I'm good for another 30+ years of shooting it every weekend.

DO IT!!!!!

Go to the factory for a refurbish. I'm a believer in sending revolvers back to the maker. Had 3 redone and no regrets.

My personal opinion is to have your gun reblued at the factory if possible. Not to say that having it done elsewhere isn't as good. In fact, having it done elsewhere may be even better than the factory but having a receipt from the factory would mean a lot to me if I were to buy a refinished gun. I feel the same way about guns that come with their original boxes. Other opinions even if to the contrary certainly respected.

If you decide to have it reblued by someone other then the factory ask to see some of their work. You'd be surprised by what some think is good work.

A job by Ford's of Crystal River, Florida, on my 5-screw pre-Model 27 snubby:








Having said that, you cannot go wrong at the factory, either. I'd refinish the gun. Pride of ownership is an important intangible.

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Five screws and 3-1/2 inches.

they changed the bluing process for a more 'environmentally friendly' one. If any product with ammonia touches it, it will turn violet.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have a model 19 I bought in 1963, I took good care of it and it still looks like new. That said, check the current prices of blued M-19s in with good blue, see what you have in your revolver, add the price of S&W refinish and if it is less than a used M-19 with good blue and correct grips go for it. I have a finish challenged Registered Magnum from 1936, I shoot it a lot because I really like shooting it in particular, I don't plan on ever refinishing it because over the years it earned every blemish. Shoot yours and it may turn out you may decide it shoots great with out a new blue job and spend the money on more ammo.
SWCA 892

If you decide to refinish ... the factory is your best bet of getting a first class job!

If it were my weapon I would much prefer the original wear. But since it is your weapon, you should get it refinished as often as you sweet please.

I vote Ford’s, that Master Blue looks like it came from the factory in 1972.

Thanks for all the replies and advice! All the pics look good. The way I traded I technically have nothing in it I sold a truck and the gun was thrown in to “convince me to sell” lol father in laws old gun so gonna pass to my daughter one day. I’m not planning on carrying it as I have a new 1911 that I’m currently in love with. El biblioitecario I would leave it as well if it was normal wear but it seems to be really rough to me that’s why I considered it.

Let me see; pay money to lower the value of a gun. Lemme think about that for a while.

Pride of ownership for me does not mean owning a gun that resembles a fishing lure.

Do you know that for a fact or is this something you read up on the internet? (just asking for a friend)

I would love to have that piece and re-blue it myself. Good luck with whatever path you choose. Fine old campaigner you have there.

+1 for a re-finish other than blue.

As you can see on your gun blue wears off and doesn't really protect the metal so why stick with it?

Any re-finish will eliminate collector's interest so make it a really good shooter with something that will resist the elements.

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Richard

I vote to leave it as is. I love a beautiful blue revolver as much as the next guy, but one of the most fun things I can think of is to take several revolvers with challenged finish or as I call them "guns with character" to the range and lay them out. I get a kick out of the young guys walking by and nudging each other, pointing and even laughing at them. It gets even funnier when you take a gun of character like yours and start shooting the heart out of a target while the little snickering plastic gun owners are having trouble just keeping shots on the paper. I just love see the look on their faces. Its priceless to me. What makes it a perfect day is when one slides over and slightly ask if he can try one. Next they are asking me where they can buy an old revolver. I try to convert them. Its my way of saving the world.

My combat Magnum had a deteriorating non factory chrome job done in the fifties. I sent it to Ford's.

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

That photo is about as good a piece of advertising that there is!
I do like the idea of sending it to the factory as they will go through the gun as previously stated but with that said I doubt they will achieve as nice a finish as Ford's will.

If you are interested in duplicating the original color, depth and durability, Ford's would probably be a better choice than the Factory. S&W no longer finishes guns with the old style Bluing. The new bluing while OK, will not have the same rich blue color & depth and will not hold up as well or as long.

While I've got no first hand experience with Ford's, the work I've seen on guns that others own has been quite nice. Their wait time leaves a bit to be desired, but it is what it is.

"Wondering what everyone’s thoughts are about getting it re-finished?"

Well , since you asked ....Don't be in a hurry. Own and shoot your revolver for a good while before deciding.

In one of your posts you said you felt that your revolver has soul. You may find that such characteristic is washed away by a refinish. You have a real nice shooter. Making it a showpiece? I dunno ... Wait till you get that first scratch in the new finish.

Ford's is very busy, and though not common I have seen some problems with their quality. Take a look at Tyler Gun Works. Bobby Tyler does some interesting things.

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Even older, even crankier....

I agree with who said don't let some crazy old yahoo, like me, on the
internet tell you what you should do with your gun. But if you want it
pretty go head with the re-finish.

As a tribute to Bill Jordan perhaps you should get some Herrett's
Jordan Patrolman stocks. See photo on the left.

If you want to really get carried away with the Bill Jordan theme,
you could get a Myres Jordan Border Patrol holster, 2nd from left.

Or a Hume Jordan Border Patrol holster, 3rd from left.

Or an updated Hume Jordan Border Patrol holster with the
thumb break. 4th from left.

BTW the beautiful Ranger style belt was a gift to me from our
forum's own gunleather guru Red Nichols.

Remember Bill Jordan's advice: Practice with .38s and carry
the .357s for business. You will enjoy your model 19 for a
long, long time.

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In Omnia Paratus